Insights from the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament

05/25/2026

I advocate a return to the chronology of the books of the Old Testament as is found in the Hebrew Bible that Jesus and Paul read.

The current chronology in our English Bibles is based, not on the Hebrew Bible, but on the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible). We must return to the original order of books of the Old Testament.

Here why:

Observe how each of the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible (the TaNaKh) begins with a Messianic figure:

The first division, the Torah (Pentateuch) begins with Adam. The second division begins with Joshua. The third division begins with the Blessed Man, identified in Psalm 2 as the Son of God.

Observe also that each of the three Messianic figures is given authority over the entire land.

It is not a coincidence that Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus concludes with his words spoken to his disciples: Matthew 28:19-20

“All authority has been given unto me…”

Jesus Messiah is the last Adam, the better Joshua, and the Son of God.

This is just one of many examples that show why the order of the books in the Hebrew Bible is clearly superior to the order we find in out English translations. The Hebrew Bible is structure messianically and prepares readers for Jesus the Messiah.

05/23/2026

The "House of David" and even the biblical character of 1 Samuel, David, the son of Jesse, in Bethlehem, successor to King Saul, writer of Psalms, the seed of the Messiah Jesus, has long been viewed as fictitious, a myth, an invention of Judaism. In other words, David did not exist.

But the Tel Dan Stele, discovered in 1993, contains the phrase "House of David," making it the oldest known extrabiblical inscription referencing King David. It was written by an enemy king boasting about defeating Israel. Even David's opponents confirmed his dynasty existed.

05/21/2026

In 1526, the Bishop of London burned copies of William Tyndale’s translation of the Greek NT into English at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, calling it a “most pernicious poison.” This summer, 2026, that same church will host a special exhibition for the book to mark its 500th anniversary. How ironic. See the link

05/01/2026

Judas repented of what he did to Jesus (Matthew 27:3). Would Jesus see him in heaven?

Our English Bible translations make it difficult to distinguish between genuine and false repentance. Translations hide the differences. Here is an example.

After Judas saw what happened to Jesus and knew that his actions had led to Jesus being condemned, he repented (metameletheis) and went out and hanged himself (Matt 27:3).

Matthew uses a term that means “to be sorry afterwards, to have pain again.” Judas saw the evil he had caused and felt sorrow and pain, wishing he could undo his deed. He changed his mind. But his repentance went no further than to change his mind. His repentance, mere sorrow and regret, a change of mind, full of self-pity, was fake repentance. It availed nothing and led to su***de, not a change of life.

Judas’ self-pity looked like repentance, but it was self-absorption, and that is the core of sin.

In contrast, after Peter denied Jesus three times, he wept bitterly, experiencing deep sorrow, also wishing he could undo his deed. But his deep sorrow produced earnestness and eagerness to go back to Jesus Christ and to a change of heart, mind, and life.

Peter’s repentance was genuine and he was reconciled to Jesus.
How can we distinguish between people who show false and genuine repentance?

To answer, the apostle Paul provides a key word that helps us distinguish between genuine and false repentance (2 Cor. 7). The evidence that showed the genuineness of the repentance of the Corinthian congregation can be seen in the use of one word repeated twice: that word is earnestness—“earnest care” (spuden; 2 Cor 7:11, 13).

Observing this passage shows that the central quality of authentic repentance is that it inspires earnestness, earnest care on the part of the congregation or individual to do the right thing, to reconcile, and pay whatever price to make things right.

The congregation didn’t drag their feet, make excuses, or live in denial; they demonstrated earnest care to make things right in the sight of Christ.

By distinguishing between false and genuine repentance, we can answer the question, “Will Jesus see Judas in heaven?”

Coming up Sunday, 3 May 2026,

04/28/2026

With your lifestyle, your schedule, and choices, you can preach a message worth hearing, even without speaking a word. Hard to believe? Let’s examine a couple of examples:

First, Abel doesn’t say a word or preach a message in the Biblical narrative (Genesis 4:1-10); He is silent. However, according to the writer to the Hebrews, the result of his genuine faith continues to talk; Silent Abel still speaks today (cf., Gen. 4.10, Heb. 11.4).

“By faith Abel offered God a greater sacrifice than Cain, and through faith, he was commended as righteous, because God commended him for his offerings. And through his faith, HE IS STILL SPEAKING, even though he is dead.” Hebrews 11:4.

Abel’s sacrificial offering to God, rooted in his genuine faith, not his bragging or his speech, giving his best offering (rather than leftovers like Cain) to God, is a message still being communicated from generation to generation. Silent Abel is speaking today: Give your best to God. Take the leftovers for yourself.

Second, we observe that Noah is equally silent throughout the narrative in Genesis 6-9. His obedience to God’s commands, not his words, are recorded. Yet, observe, Peter dubs him a ‘herald (keruka; 1 Tim 2:7; 2 Tim 1:11;) of righteousness’. 2 Peter 2:5.

Silent Noah is speaking today. His obedience to God in building the Ark to save his family, built according to God’s specifications, using no shortcuts, is an ongoing message of righteousness to our generations.

His wholehearted obedience to God’s commands is an ongoing message for us to hear and emulate.

Summary: Give your best to God, not leftovers. Obey the commands of God, no shortcuts.

04/25/2026

Here is a follow up post to the prior one on the many Bible translation options available in English. The first English Bible translation was written by John Wycliffe. Mary Dove's text unpacks the story.

04/22/2026

Today, in 2026, we have many options of Bible translations from which to choose. There are so many, it is likely that most people are unaware of many of them. Equally true is the fact that most Bible reading people think that we are the first generation to have this luxury of multiple translations.

But the of history of translation suggests otherwise. In fact, we are not the first generation to have so many options from which to choose.

Did you know that long before the KJV (the translation authorized by King James; thus it is known as “The Authorized Version”) took dominance in the English-speaking world, there were many options available at the time.

The attached picture shows what other Bible translations were available. Picture credit: my friend, Dr. Peter Gurry. PhD, Cambridge.

04/06/2026

John Stott's The Cross of Christ is arguably one of the superior texts about the significance of the death of Jesus Messiah on a cross. It was assigned reading in one of my Systematic Theology classes in my graduate school at DTS years ago. Some assigned texts I have long since sold or given away. Not this one.

Here is a worthy quote from it.

“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The Only God I believe in is the one Nietzsche ridiculed as ‘God on the cross.’ In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?

I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of the Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world.

But each time after a while I have had to turn away. And I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness.

He laid aside His immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of His. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross which symbolizes divine suffering. ‘The cross of Christ…is God’s only self-justification in such a world’ as ours.” (John Stott)

03/20/2026

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the US, completed in 1820, his version of the Gospel of Jesus. It is known by a misnomer, “The Jefferson Bible.” Technically, it might be dubbed, “The Gospel of Jesus According to Thomas Jefferson.”

He assembled excerpts from the four Gospels of the NT in chronological order. He cut printed texts from four different languages and placed them side-by-side. See the photo.

He included what he dubbed as “diamonds of wisdom” and threw out any narrative account containing aspects of the supernatural. These narrative accounts he likened to a “dunghill.”

So, can you guess which particular stories he threw out as “dung” at the conclusion of the four Gospels? Which accounts, in his view, were mere dung stories?

03/04/2026