Category: Torah Club

 

Shameless Self-Promotion

The New Testament (Apostolic Scriptures) can be compared to a pile of laundry. Some pieces are socks, some are shirts, some are pants, and so forth. Imagine you open your closet door and see this pile of clean laundry on the floor. You fish around in it looking for something to wear, and with a little bit of effort, you can put together an outfit. It might be wrinkled and...
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All Over the Map

Torah Club Volume Six: Chronicles of the Apostles is all over the map. Actually, it's all over several maps. Subscribers to Chronicles of the Apostles will receive a series of biblical maps including the Biblical Backgrounds () Middle East and Land of Israel maps and the DHE maps of Jerusalem and the Temple. We will use the maps extensively as we follow the story of the apostles, the travels of...
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Working with the Rabbi

Last week I finished the monumental Gospel commentary Chronicles of the Messiah. It was a great joy to spend the last 14 months immersed in the gospels. Before I started the project, I raided the First Fruits of Zion library for all the pertinent gospel commentaries I could find--three boxes of books! It ended up being far more than I could possibly read in a year, much less keep up...
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Torah Club Six Overview

At First Fruits of Zion, we are gearing up to begin production on Torah Club Volume Six: Chronicles of the Apostles. The customer service team at First Fruits of Zion is receiving a lot of questions about the new Torah Club. Today, they submitted a series of several questions about the new volume. Learn about the new Torah Club here. Read about the free book offer associated with the new...
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Three Free Books!

Back in 1989, I was attending the University of Minnesota. For a few months, I took a room in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in a bedroom in my sister's house. Her husband Mike, a graduate of Bethel Seminary, was teaching me how to make a living in the same manner as other men with seminary educations--painting houses and apartments. Over lunch, we often talked theology. In one of those conversations, I...
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Torah Study on the Apostles

The Torah is an ancient scroll containing the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy--the first five books of the Bible. But in Jewish vernacular, the word Torah can be used broadly to refer to the whole Bible, and the Oral Law as well. This is because the word "Torah" (תורה) is from the Hebrew root, yara (ירה) which means "to instruct," or "to teach." Although it does contain...
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Voice of the Prophets

Tags:  Torah Club, Voice of the Prophets

"And it will come about in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it." Micah 4:1 In these days the words of the prophets are taking the stage front and center. Everyone wants to know what will happen in the end. Anticipation...
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Shadows of the Messiah

Tags:  Shadows of the Messiah, Torah Club

"And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him...And they said to one another, 'Were not our hearts burning within us... while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?'" (Luke 24:31-32) From the first word of the Torah, God began to reveal His plan for the redemption of the world. Every page of the Scriptures contain shadowy outlines of what was to come. With every generation, more details came to...
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Affirmation of Faith Found in the Prophets

Tags:  haftorah, Prophets, Torah Club

Believers in Yeshua as Messiah are often accused of reading prophetic implications into the text of the Scriptures in order to validate their preconceived notions. Since these accusations are sometimes true, Torah Club author Daniel Lancaster approached his study and writing in Torah Club Volume Three: Voice of the Prophets with an open mind determined to let the Prophets speak for themselves. Listen to him share what he came away...
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Added Contribution of Steven Lancaster

Tags:  archaeology, haftorah, Torah Club

In creating Torah Club Volume Three: Voice of the Prophets, Daniel Lancaster worked along side his brother Steven Lancaster who is a biblical geographer with Biblical Backgrounds. Working together on the project added a new dimension of historical depth and context. Hear some reflections about the experience from the author. For more great insights into the five books of Moses, check out First Fruits of Zion's Torah Club at www.torahclub.org....
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Unrolling the Scroll with Torah Club

Tags:  Torah Club

"And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read." - Luke 4:16 Torah Club Volume One: Unrolling the Scroll offers Christians a Messianic Jewish study from Genesis to Deuteronomy with an easy-to-read, devotional-style commentary on the weekly, synagogue Torah readings. Follow the practice of the Messiah and join a year-long study of the Scriptures he read week after week...
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The Value of Studying the Haftorah

Tags:  haftorah, Torah Club

Haftorah means "concluding portion" and refers to the weekly readings from the Prophets of Israel each week in the synagogue. The haftorah readings were designed to connect to the Torah portion via common themes found in their writings. The author of Torah Club Volume Three: Voice of the Prophets speaks about the value of an in-depth study of the Prophets. For more great insights into the five books of Moses,...
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Major Themes Found in the Prophets

Tags:  christianity, haftorah, Prophets, Torah Club

The prophets of ancient Israel were entrusted with the mission of observing the life of the community and transmitting the word and heart of God into their day and age. How does that message to their own generation have an impact on our generation, thousands of years later? A thorough study of the prophets via the synagogue haftorah cycle reveals some strikingly relevant and messianic themes. Hear about some of...
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Shadows of the Messiah

Tags:  Torah Club

Torah Club Volume Two is titled Shadows of the Messiah and delves deeply into the Torah of Moses in order to explore the prophetic allusions to the Messiah. It's like walking the Emmaus Road with the Master Himself where "beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, he explained to them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures." (Luke 24:27). But why not just learn straight from the Gospels?...
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Three Modes of Revelation

Tags:  Torah Club

We could say that God reveals himself to us in three primary modes of revelation. What are they? How do they work? Do they synchronize with each other? Hear how a proper understanding of these three methods of revelation can help the disciples of Yeshua in their walk of devotion, straight from the author of Torah Club. For more great insights into the five books of Moses, check out First...
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God's Initial Self-Disclosure

Tags:  torah, Torah Club

The Torah serves many functions for many people. One way to define the Torah is to say that it is the Almighty's initial self-disclosure to humanity. Hear how this definition helps us understand our relationship to the rest of the Bible, directly from the author of Torah Club. For more great insights into the vast sea of Torah, check out First Fruits of Zion's Torah Club at www.torahclub.org....
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Rediscover Your Faith

Tags:  Torah Club

The high holidays are right around the corner and with them comes the joyous celebration of Simchat Torah, the rejoicing of the Torah. At Simchat Torah, we express our delight in the Word of God; we roll the scroll from Deuteronomy all the way back to Genesis and begin to read through the Torah once again. As this annual cycle continues, it is important to remember that the purpose of...
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Major Themes Found in the Gospels

Tags:  Chronicles of Messiah, Torah Club

When students of the Gospels study from a Messianic Jewish perspective they are often surprised to find unexpected concepts and themes leap off the pages of the narratives. From his own studies of the Gospels, Daniel Lancaster, author of the new Torah Club Volume 4 titled Chronicles of Messiah, shares several major themes which he finds meaningful....
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Unlocking the Meaning of Jesus' Teaching

Tags:  Chronicles of Messiah, Torah Club

Throughout time the followers of Jesus have been known for their quest to understand and apply the teachings of their Master. However, sometimes as we approach the ancient text, it seems to be locked away in a vault, inaccessible to us. The second edition of Torah Club Volume 4 is entitled Chronicles of the Messiah and is a Messianic Jewish study of the Gospels that will give serious students the...
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Benefits of Harmonizing

Tags:  Chronicles of Messiah, Torah Club

Chronicles of the Messiah is the second edition of Torah Club Volume 4. With God's help this study will guide students through the text of the Gospels in a chronological fashion bringing harmony to all four accounts we have of our Master's life. Hear a sample of the valuable insights that can be gleaned through a harmonizing commentary directly from the Author....
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A Messianic Jewish Gospel Commentary

Tags:  Chronicles of Messiah, Torah Club

New for 2010, completely revised and with new material, Chronicles of the Messiah is the second edition of Torah Club Volume 4. With God's help, this new study will guide students through the text of the Gospels in a chronological fashion illuminating the life of Yeshua with the "latest and greatest" in First Century scholarship. There are many commentaries on the Gospels so how is the Torah Club commentary different?...
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The Latest and Greatest

Tags:  Chronicles of Messiah, jewish roots, Torah Club

New for 2010, completely revised and with new material, Chronicles of the Messiah is the second edition of Torah Club Volume 4. With God's help, this new study will guide students through the text of the Gospels in a chronological fashion illuminating the life of Yeshua with the "latest and greatest" in First Century scholarship. The first edition was a great commentary and included the book of Acts, so why...
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Know Jesus Better

Tags:  Gospels, Know Jesus Better, Torah Club

Know Jesus Better. It's the heart cry of every follower of Yeshua the Messiah. To know Jesus better requires us to continually delve into the gospels to understand and internalize the Master's life and teachings and to let them transform and instruct our lives. "Chronicles of the Messiah" is the all new Torah Club Volume Four being released in the Fall of 2010. This new, yearlong study from First Fruits...
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