Most biblical interpretation gets the historical context completely wrong.

I discovered this when I noticed that Second Temple Period Jewish context was being systematically ignored by interpreters across denominational lines. Catholics read early church issues backward into the text. Protestants project Reformation debates onto first-century conflicts.

Both miss what Paul was actually addressing.

The Galatians Revelation

Take Galatians. Traditional interpretation frames it as an argument against legalistic salvation by Jewish believers.

The reality? Paul was addressing people trying to exclude Gentiles from the Second Temple because they feared God would destroy it again due to pagan influences.

This changes everything. Paul wasn't condemning Torah practice. He was condemning the forcing of Gentiles to earn their way into the assembly through strict traditional requirements.

Abraham becomes Paul's key example because he wasn't saved by following Torah. Faith came first, then performance.

Translation Consequences

Translation choices have quietly reshaped centuries of theology in ways most readers never realize.

In Acts Chapter 10, most English translations have the voice tell Peter to "kill and eat." But the actual Greek is better translated as "sacrifice and eat." This transforms casual permission into sacred priestly duty.

The English words "clean and unclean" miss the true Jewish meanings of "common and unclean" from the original Greek.

These aren't minor academic distinctions. They fundamentally alter how we understand Peter's vision and God's relationship with the Gentiles.

Working Against Two Millennia

When I explain these distinctions to people raised with traditional interpretations, it takes time. We're working against 2000 years of Church tradition.

I try not to become too dogmatic. I offer multiple ways to interpret passages while taking time to explain concepts in their proper theological and historical context.

The goal is creating room to ponder.

Most people carry a distinctive theological framework based on their denominational training. As a Messianic Jew with solid grounding in Second Temple Period context and Divine Council Worldview, I approach texts without the interpretive lenses of most religious traditions.

The Cosmic Framework

This leads to the ultimate question: why did Christ have to die?

There's a forensic reason built into the Torah and Divine Council Worldview that mandates Christ's sacrifice. The Book of Hebrews explains this, but few Christians have the Second Temple context to understand it.

Christ's blood isn't applied to the sinner to cleanse them of sin. The blood cleanses the altar where God placed his name for people to commune with Him.

Christ could forgive sins by simply commanding it. He proved this to the Pharisees when he forgave the paralytic's sins. But the Heavenly Tabernacle needed a perfect sacrifice to cleanse it.

This is cosmic geography, not just personal salvation.

Clearing Away Assumptions

I know people are starting to see Scripture through fresh eyes when they begin questioning underlying assumptions.

Not the essential items of faith, but core assumptions that need clearing away. Like the idea that Judaism is a works-based religion. It isn't. Traditions of men compromised God's message.

Most of Jesus's arguments in the Gospels weren't introducing new teachings. He was calling people back to God's original intent that had been obscured by human traditions.

The religious leaders defended traditions of men, which Christ attacked vigorously. He wasn't anti-Torah. He stated clearly he wasn't sent to eliminate Torah but to explain it properly.

This is what Rabbit Room Apologetics aims to explore. Creating space for intellectual inquiry that honors both scholarly rigor and faith traditions, while questioning interpretations that may have drifted from original context.

Room to ponder changes everything.