Posts by Julia Blum

Last time, we realized that we had to change our perception of Paul’s text in Galatians from progressive and linear to three-dimensional and seeing volume. Once we see a hologram instead of a drawing—once we agree that both covenants have their place in God’s plan today, just as both sons have their place in Abraham’s […]

In order to read Paul’s allegory in the way it has been read for centuries by the Church, some beliefs had to be presupposed: First, Ishmael was just a byproduct on the way to Isaac, and only Isaac was essential in God’s plan; secondly, the Sinai Covenant (and Old Testament) was just a byproduct on […]

My dear readers, Passover is over, and I thought we would go back to our Acts series after the Festival. However, since Shavuot is coming in just a few weeks – and I can never miss this biblical Festival either – I decided that we would go back to Acts after Shavuot. Meanwhile, we will […]

Today is our Independence Day and it is my great joy and privilege to congratulate my readers on Israel’s 74th Birthday. Most of my readers, for years or even decades, have been faithfully interceding for the Land and the people – have been standing together with Israel and the God of Israel. Therefore, this is […]

Last time, we began to discuss Jesus’ final week against a Jewish background. We know already that Jesus had to enter Jerusalem on the 10th of Nisan – the very same day when the perfect lamb was to be selected and set apart.  It was Sunday that year, and what had happened between that Sunday […]

We are still in the middle of that weeklong celebration that has come to be known as Pesach, or Passover. This is a good time to analyze the last days of Jesus – and to see that they are understood much better when seen through the Hebrew Bible and against the Jewish background. Here are […]

Why does a modern Christian reader need to understand the Jewish Passover? The connection between Jesus and Passover is evident: The New Testament accounts of Christ’s death refer or allude to the preparation of the Passover lamb in such a clear way that we have absolutely no doubt that the evangelists were consciously presenting Christ […]

Last time, we saw that as chairman, James summed up the discussion at the Jerusalem Council. James concluded the gathering with takkanah, (may I remind you that takkanah is a regulation issued by a rabbinic authority which revises an ordinance that no longer satisfies the requirements of the times or circumstances). James did in fact, […]

My dear friends, we are entering Acts 15 – one of the most crucial chapters of this book. I daresay that most modern readers while reading this chapter, don’t always understand what is going on there.  If one were a religious Jew of the 1st century, he would definitely know what’s going on. We miss […]

To the Jew first … My dear readers, for a few weeks we are back to our journey through the book of Acts.  From the book itself, we know that it was a regular  custom of Apostle Paul to attend synagogue every Shabbat.  Even though Paul’s apostolic mission was to reach the Gentiles with the […]