Rabbinic Judaism, the theological system that developed after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, has consistently rejected the claim that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah of Israel. Its objections are many and nuanced, rooted in traditional expectations shaped by centuries of commentary and legal tradition.…
When many people think of Christianity and Judaism, they assume that Judaism is the older of the two religions and that Christianity branched off from it. In a broad sense, it is true that God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob precedes the coming of Jesus Christ. However, when looking…
One of the hardest things to grasp about the nature of God is the idea of the Trinity. It is a stumbling block, especially for my Jewish friends who often ask me, “Doesn’t the Shema clearly say, Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is ONE (אֶחָד…
The Tanakh says that God chose Abram to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go to live in the land of Caanan. There God promised Abram that the families of the world would one day be blessed though his seed, and whereupon God changed Abram’s name to Abraham to reflect…
As regular readers of this website know, we shy away from the more Hollywood-ish aspects of prophecy interpretation. In our interpretations of Bible prophecy, you will not find cars and buses careening off the road, airplanes falling from the sky, or millions of Chinese soldiers leading the charge against Israel…
A visitor wrote to ask, “When do you predict that Jesus will return? On what date?” The only answer I can give to that question is, “Soon,” and that is just my personal opinion and hope, not anything based on interpreting a specific Scripture that reveals a specific time period.…
The stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:1-59, copied from the Complete Jewish Bible) The cohen hagadol asked, “Are these accusations true?” and Stephen [a Jewish follower of Jesus after the resurrection] said: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to Avraham avinu in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran and said to him, ‘Leave…
The Passover meal featuring the eating of the Paschal lamb was commanded by God as a memorial to be observed annually by the Jewish people forever (Exodus 12:1–14). As an observant Jew, Jesus faithfully celebrated Passover during his lifetime in obedience to that command. The Gospel of John mentions three…
The Dome of the Rock is a Muslim shrine (not a mosque as many incorrectly believe) that, with its gold-covered dome, has come to be the iconic image of Old Jerusalem. Many Christians have visited inside the Dome itself in years past, although since the year 2000 non-Muslim access has…
Over the years, countless Bible expositors have questioned the need for Jesus to be baptized by John the Baptist. If indeed his life was sinless, why was it necessary for Jesus to submit to a baptism of repentance for remission of sins, which is what John’s baptism was all about?…