Paul's famous "submit to governing authorities" may not have been about Rome. Reading Romans 13 in its synagogue setting reveals a different take on who the "rulers" were and what Paul may have meant.

https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/rereading-romans-13-did-paul-say-to-obey-the-government/

Truly understanding the Bible means closing knowledge gaps most readers don't know exist. Going deeper isn't about acquiring more information; it's more like a complete change of operating system. Four shifts in thinking will help one begin the journey from Athens to Jerusalem.

What if the world beneath us is not empty? Jewish tradition describes seven inhabited earths, a portal in Hebron, and the inner Earth palace where Messiah waits.

What is She'ol? Korach's descent into the earth opens a study of the Jewish concept of the underworld, its gates, chambers, and appearances of this tradition in the New Testament.

Learn how the Cursing of the Fig Tree, though taught as a pillar of Replacement Theology, might actually be a Midrash on two well-known prophetic passages.

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Was Rabbinic Judaism a corruption of Biblical faith, or the reason Judaism survived? Explore the Pharisees, the destruction of the Temple, and the historical roots of Rabbinic tradition, and why many have gotten this wrong.

For more on this topic, visit our Second Temple Judaism Category:

https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/tag/second-temple-judaism/

The outcome of the Jerusalem Council wasn't simply a welcome letter to the Gentiles; it was a framework for ongoing growth. And without the venue, the synagogue, the letter's guidance falls apart.

For notes and more information, visit:

https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/moses-is-preached-in-every-city-the-missing-key-to-the-jerusalem-decree/

A strange encounter between a Rabbi and the daughter of the Roman emperor opens the door to a deeper mystery about humility, the soul, hidden wisdom, and the meaning behind Jesus’s teaching about “new wine.”

For more, visit:

https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/the-mystery-of-wine-wisdom-emptying-our-vessel/

One of the most direct critiques of Replacement Theology came from Jesus himself. And while commentators have spent centuries softening his words, Jesus's statement, "Salvation is from the Jews," makes a strong endorsement for the Oral Torah.

For more, visit:

https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/proofs-of-oral-torah-salvation-is-from-the-jews/

Thomas's refusal to believe in the resurrection without seeing Jesus's wounds is typically read as a failure of faith. But against the backdrop of rabbinic tradition, the Gospel of John affirms details of the Pharisaic tradition of the Resurrection of the Dead.

Visit:

https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/was-thomas-a-doubter-the-pharisees-tradition-and-the-resurrection/