Mysteries of the Messiah by Rabbi Jason Sobel

Mysteries of the Messiah
by Rabbi Jason Sobel

ISBN-13: 9780785240051
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: W Publishing
Released: March 23rd 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In Mysteries of the Messiah, Rabbi Jason Sobel reveals the many connections in Scripture hidden in plain sight. He uncovers connections between the Old and New Testaments, connects the dots for readers with details about Jesus, the Torah, and biblical characters, and is written with the unique perspective of a rabbi with an evangelical theological degree.


My Review:
Mysteries of the Messiah looked at how different words add up to certain numbers and how words with the same number point to Jesus as Messiah. The idea is that each letter in Hebrew and Greek has a corresponding number and you can add up the letters in a word or phrase to get the corresponding number. The author feels that it's perfectly valid to connect words and phrases with the same number and these will point to theological truths. He didn't convince me of this as the connection is never derived simply from the words.

He also taught some rather odd ideas from various Jewish traditions. For example, he believes that the Fall happened on day 6 (apparently, of creation week, even though God says that everything was very good on that day). Also, he teaches about a donkey that would have been hundreds of years old, a ram over a thousand years old, the tradition that Isaac was actually killed and was dead for a while before being resurrected, and the belief that Israel shared the same land boundaries as the Garden of Eden (though that old ram was apparently living in the Garden of Eden until needed as a sacrifice instead of Isaac).

However, he did cover some information that is more widely taught. I've read similar information in other (much better) books talking about finding symbolism pointing to the Messiah in the feasts or providing cultural background to various verses in Genesis. The author talked about a couple prophecies that were fulfilled by Yeshua and how his life was reflected in the Passover, First Fruits, and Pentecost. He talked about how there were similar events in the life of Yeshua and in the lives of Joseph, Moses, and David and events symbolic of Yeshua's mission in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Ruth. He also talked about creation (where he rather freely changed the common translations of various words to translations that better fit his ideas).


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

What Love Is by Kelly Minter

What Love Is
by Kelly Minter

ISBN-13: 9780593197882
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: LifeWay Press
Released: 2014

Source: Bought.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The letters of 1, 2, & 3 John were written to encourage followers of Jesus to remain faithful to the truth. Believers are challenged to look at contrasting themes such as walking in the light instead of darkness, truth versus lies and deception, loving God more than loving the world, and the meaning of true fellowship and community rather than shallowness. This study reveals not only the heart of John but also the heart of Jesus.


My Review:
What Love Is is a 7 week Bible study on 1, 2, 3 John. The format for each week was: an introduction that was two pages long and some group discussion questions if you viewed the video. Then there were five days of study for each week. She started with a story from her life that was somewhat a parable for a point made that day or week. She asked reading comprehension questions on the verses being studied and provided commentary to explain the verses. She also asked questions to help the reader apply the lesson to your life.

There were two comfort-food recipes at the end of each week. To be honest, I felt like my fellow Bible study participants were more excited about the included recipes than the study. The author also repeatedly stated that she found the verses in that section difficult to understand and basically only really understood the simple verses. This made me wonder why she chose to do a Bible study on these letters and not on something that she better understood or had life experiences which could help add depth of understanding and insight to the verses. Overall, though, she did a good job of explaining the verses. She often quoted another person's explanation and said that she thought it was the best explanation. Not a bad study, but I didn't really get anything new from it.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.