Podcast appearances and mentions of Michael S Heiser

Welcome to Day 2626 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – “Jesus, God, a.k.a., The Name” –  I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2626 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2626 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 55th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Jesus, God, a.k.a., The Name.” It only takes a few words to produce dramatic theology. In the short letter we know as 3 John, the apostle is writing to a beloved friend, Gaius (v. 1). He commends Gaius for ministering to fellow believers who were strangers because "they have gone out for the sake of the name" (v. 7). John doesn't use the phrase "in Jesus' name" or "the name of Jesus"; it's simply, "for the sake of the name." Why this phrase? Is John trying to keep a secret? John isn't trying to be cryptic. He's actually drawing on an Old Testament expression. When understood in that original context—and the context of his other writings—‘ odd wording amounts to a powerful statement on the deity of Jesus. The Name in the Old Testament In Deuteronomy 12:5, God instructed the people of Israel that—when they got into the promised land—He would show them the place where they were to worship Him. God described that location as "the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name." God wasn't talking about writing His name on a town or a building. He was referring to where the tabernacle—and ultimately the temple—was to be stationed. But He wasn't talking about writing "Yahweh" on that either. Nothing of the sort is ever recorded in Scripture. Rather, God was talking about the place where He would choose to meet Israel personally—His very presence. The description "the name" actually refers to the presence of God. This presence was at times visibly evident through the so-called "glory cloud" (e.g., 1 Kgs 8:10-11). At other times the name came in human form. For instance, in Exodus 23:20-23, God tells Moses that He is sending an angel to bring Israel to the promised land. God warned Moses that this angel would pardon no transgression since "My name is in him." We learn from Judges 2:1-5 that the angel did indeed lead them to the land. But how could God's name be in an angel? The answer is that "the name" referred to the very presence of God—His essence. This is confirmed in Deuteronomy 4:3 7. Here, we read that—instead of the angel being credited as the one who would bring Israel to Canaan—it is God who brought them there "with his own presence." Jesus Has and Is the Name Before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus prays: "I am no longer in the world, but they...

Welcome to Day 2621 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – “Tough Love” –  I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2621 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2621 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 54th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Tough Love.” It's a common myth that God will always bring us back to repentance. This myth is debunked in the first letter of John. While John writes that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), he also tells us that sometimes God never gives us another chance to confess our sins and be forgiven. In 1 John 5:16-17, the apostle gives us the other side of the sin-confession- forgiveness coin: If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. Put simply, there are sins that Christians commit that don't lead to death— but there are some that do. Is John talking about a divine law of cause and effect, where a specific sin irrevocably results in death? Not exactly. We can be certain that John has no specific sin in mind because he never names a sin in this passage. John is saying there may come a time when God has had enough of our sin, and then our time on earth is up. We cannot know when such a time might come—so we shouldn't be in the habit of sinning with impunity. John had actually seen this happen. In Acts 5:1-11, Luke relates the incident of Ananias and Sapphira, who lied to Peter (and to God) about the proceeds from a piece of property they had sold. They were under no obligation to give any of it to the church, but pretended that they had given all the money to the Lord's work. When confronted by Peter, both of them collapsed and died on the spot. Luke writes that “great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things” (Acts 5:11). No kidding. No doubt this incident left an imprint on John's mind. But John would have also known that there was Old Testament precedent for “sin unto death” as well. In Numbers 11, in response to the latest wave of complaining about their circumstances, the LORD sent the people of Israel meat to eat in the form of quails. “While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD

Welcome to Day 2616 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – “When Angels Do Time” –  I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2616 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2616 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 53rd lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “When Angels Do Time.” Most Bible study resources describe fallen angels as demons who joined Lucifer in his rebellion against God. But what if I told you that the only place in the New Testament that describes angels sinning does not call them demons, has no connection to Lucifer, and has them in jail? Welcome to the world of 2 Peter and Jude. 2 Peter 2:4: “For ... God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.” Jude 6: “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.” Second Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 are nearly identical in their description of angels doing time, but there are differences that help us figure out “what in the spiritual world is going on.” Jude 6 defines what 2 Peter 2:4 means by the angelic sin. These sinning angels “left their proper dwelling.” Second Peter doesn't say they were in cahoots with Satan, or that they did anything in Eden. It tells us they left their designated realm of existence and did something in another realm. But what did they do? Both 2 Peter and Jude compare the sin of these angels with the Sodom and Gomorrah incident, where the sin involved sexual immorality (2 Pet 2:7; Jude 7). Second Peter also connects it to the time of Noah. There is only one sin involving a group of angelic beings in the entire Bible, and it coincides with Noah and is sexual in nature. That incident is Genesis 6:1-4, where the “sons of God” leave heaven, their normal abode, and come to earth and father children (the nephilim giants) by human women. Two features in these passages in 2 Peter and Jude point to Genesis 6:1-4. First, “sons of God” is a specific phrase used elsewhere in the Old Testament of angelic beings (Job 1:6; 2:1; 3 8:7; Psa89:6; Peut 32:8 V Second, both 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 explicitly tell us that these angels are imprisoned in chains of gloomy darkness—in “hell” until judgment day. While it is true that Genesis 6:1-4 never tells us what happened to the sons of God who sinned, Jewish...

Welcome to Day 2611 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – “Jesus Is God: Jude and Peter Tell Me So.” -  I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2611 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2611 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 52nd lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Jesus Is God: Jude and Peter Tell Me So.” The epistles of Peter and Jude are often overlooked in preaching and Bible study. Not only are they nestled among the more popular letters of Paul and the book of Revelation, but portions of these epistles sound odd to our modern sensibilities. That wasn't the case in the first century. We can better grasp the meaning of these letters if we understand what they have in common with influential ancient Jewish and Christian writings that were circulating at the time. One of those literary works is known to us today as 1 Enoch, a book Peter and Jude draw upon in their letters. Jews and Christians of antiquity considered books such as 1 Enoch important resources for understanding biblical books and their theology. Peter and Jude were no exception. For example, Jude 14-15 draws directly from 1 Enoch. 1 Enoch 1:9 Behold, he comes with the myriads of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to destroy all the wicked, and to convict all flesh for all the wicked deeds that they have done, and the proud and hard words that wicked sinners spoke against him. Jude 14-15 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” All of the ideas found in 1 Enoch 1:9 can be found in three Old Testament passages (Jer 25:30-31; Isa 66:15-16; Zech 14:5). Rather than quote all three, Jude quotes the verse in 1 Enoch that combines them. But the real point of interest isn't Jude's succinctness; it's his interpretation of 1 Enoch, as well as the Old Testament. In 1 Enoch 1:9 it is the “Great Holy One” (God) who is “coming with myriads of holy ones” from Sinai (1 Enoch 1:4) and who has promised to come to earth in the day of the Lord for final judgment. For Jude (as well as Mark and Paul; compare Mark 8:38; 1 Thess 3:13) this event is transformed into the return of Jesus Christ (Jude 17-18). By naming...

Welcome to Day 2606 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Baptism as Spiritual Warfare. I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2606 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2606 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 51st lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Baptism as Spiritual Warfare.” The pastor had been preaching a series of messages through 1 Peter. When it was time for 1 Peter 3:14-22, he sincerely announced, “We're going to skip this section since it's just too strange.” He was right and wrong that day. As odd as it is, this passage is one of the most compelling in the New Testament —if you understand what it's saying. But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. And now the antitype—that is, baptism—saves you, not be means of a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience on the basis of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. The theme of 1 Peter is that Christians must withstand persecution and persevere in their faith. To understand how our odd passage fits with that theme, we need to get our heads around the concept of “types” and typology —a kind of prophecy that occurs in the Bible. We're most familiar with prophecies directly from the mouth of a prophet. But a “type” is an unspoken prophecy; it is an event, person, or institution that foreshadows something that will come. For example, Paul tells us that Adam was a type of Christ. He foreshadowed or echoed something about Jesus, namely that His work on the cross would affect all people just as Adam's disobedience had a global effect (Rom 5:14)....

Welcome to Day 2601 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – God's Right-Hand Woman? - Wisdom in Hebrews 1 – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2601 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2601 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 50th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “God's Right-Hand Woman? – Wisdom in Hebrews 1” Hebrews 1:2 tells us that in these “last days,” God has spoken to humanity “by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he created the world” (compare Col 1:16; 1 Cor 8:6). Jesus' role as co-creator with God is a familiar doctrine. But in verse 3, there's something that's a bit odd: “He [Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God.” What's strange about the phrase isn't its meaning. We get the metaphor. Jesus “shines forth” the glory of God; He is a brilliant reflection of what God is like. What's odd is where the idea comes from, and how startling it would have been to the Jewish Christians for whom the book of Hebrews was intended. The word “radiance” (átaúyaoua, apaugasma) occurs only here in the New Testament. To figure out what the writer of Hebrews meant, we have to look at his source. The writer is quoting the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, but the Septuagint included books that many Jews and Christians today do not consider part of the biblical canon, but which some in ancient times considered sacred. The phrase in Hebrews 1:2 comes from one of these books—Wisdom of Solomon. How can we be sure? Because the word apaugasma is found only one time in the Septuagint: Wisdom of Solomon 7:26. Sure, the scarcity of the word is curious, but where's the surprise? Not only is the word extremely uncommon, but the source of the Hebrews 1:2 quotation has a woman as God's personified reflection. Welcome to the biblical twilight zone. For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things. For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her. For she is a reflection {apaugasma) of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. (Wisdom of Solomon 7:24-26 NRSV) The Jewish writer of Wisdom of Solomon got the idea of personified Wisdom as a woman from the book of Proverbs 1....

Welcome to Day 2596 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – What is Jesus Waiting For? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2596 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2596 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 49th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “What is Jesus Waiting For?” I recall the traumatic experience of seeing the movie A Thief in the Night as a teenager. The film was about how Jesus could return at any moment— like a thief in the night, a description borrowed from 1 Thessalonians 5:2. The message: If we weren't believers, we could be left behind by the Lord. The movie didn't lead to my decision to put my faith in Christ, but it did accomplish one desired effect—it scared me. Is the idea of the imminent return of Jesus biblical? Jesus warned His followers to be ready for His return; even He did not know the precise day or hour it would happen (Matt 24:36). Therefore, He would return unexpectedly (24:50). Other passages written after Jesus' resurrection suggest that His return could be very soon (1 Cor 1:7; Titus 2:13), even “at hand” (Phil 4:5; Jas 5:8-9). Two thousand years have passed since these blunt statements were made, leading many to believe that they have been misunderstood. Additional obstacles to the idea of an “imminent” return emerge from other Scripture passages. The New Testament suggests that certain signs or events would precede the return of Jesus. For example, the temple had to be destroyed (Matt 24:2), and there would be celestial signs indicating His return (Matt 24:30; Luke 21:11). In three of His parables, Jesus suggested that His return would not be immediate but after a delay (Luke 19:11-27; Matt 25:5, 19)—at least until the death of an aged Peter (John 21:18). Paul believed, apparently on the basis of Matthew 24:14, that the gospel had to reach all the Gentile nations before the salvation plan of God was fulfilled and Jesus would return (Rom 11:12, 25). Even 1 Thessalonians 5, the chapter in which the “thief in the night” phrase is found, suggests that believers will have some sort of inkling about the time of His return. Note how Paul uses nouns and pronouns to distinguish believers as able to discern something unbelievers will not: Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you...

Welcome to Day 2591 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – How Many Times Is Jesus Coming Back? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2591 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2591 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 48th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “How Many Times is Jesus Coming Back?” [Few things in the Bible attract more attention than prophecies about the end times. Even people with only a passing acquaintance with the Bible know that it foretells a second coming of Jesus. Those who study the Bible know the book of Revelation reveals that the second coming brings an end to the reign of the antichrist (the "beast"; Rev 19:11-21). The risen Christ, the incarnation of God, returns to earth not as a suffering Savior, but as the glorious warrior- king. But does the Bible describe an earlier return of Jesus—one that precedes this triumphant arrival? The “Rapture” Some Christians believe that 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 describes how all believers will be taken from earth, dead or alive, at an appearing of Jesus before the second coming described in Revelation 19. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord (1 Thess 4:16-17). This earlier return of Jesus is called the "rapture" by believers who embrace this idea. The term is derived from the Latin word rapiemur (from rapio, meaning "to carry off") used by the translator of the Latin Vulgate for the Greek word harpazõ (drtráw), translated "caught up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Other Christians, however, reject the idea that 1 Thessalonians 4 speaks of a different event than the return of Jesus to earth described in Revelation 19. For them, there will only be one return of Jesus in the future. So, who's right? Harmonizing The answer to the question is "it depends." If we were to read all the passages in the New Testament that speak of Jesus' future return, along with Old Testament passages that speak of a final, climactic visitation by God on earth that will put an end to evil ("the Day of the LORD"), we would notice immediately that they do not agree in the details or descriptions. For example, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 seemingly has Jesus returning in the air, gathering believers into the clouds, whereas the prophet Zechariah foretold the physical arrival of the pierced Lord on the Mount of Olives...

Welcome to Day 2586 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – When Abraham Met Jesus – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2586 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2586 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 47th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “When Abraham Met Jesus.” Some of the most startling things in the Bible are hidden in plain sight. Galatians 3:7-9 is a case in point. Amid the predictable focus on law, grace, and the gospel, Paul blindsides us: 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. 8 What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”[a] 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. But Abraham lived two millennia before Jesus. There's nothing about a crucified Savior in the stories about Abraham. What is Paul thinking? To correctly process Galatians 3:7-9, we need to think about the gospel in different terms. We typically think of the gospel in terms of the crucified Savior, Jesus, dying for our sins. But the work of Christ was just the means to accomplish what God sought. God wanted a sinless, holy, human family. The sacrifice of Jesus —fully God and fully human—was the necessary mechanism to achieve that larger goal. The gospel is God's plan to become a man so He could have that holy, human family. Could Abraham have grasped that? God's decision to produce His family through Abraham is described in Genesis 12:1-3: The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Paul quoted part of that passage in Galatians 3:7-9. Paul believed that as a result of that divine encounter, Abraham came away with the knowledge of the gospel: God would become a man to provide the means for a...

Welcome to Day 2581 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Charlton Heston Had Company – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2581 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2581 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 46th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Charlton Heston Had Company.” When we hear “Moses' Law,” we think of the story we heard in Sunday school, or the scene from The Ten Commandments where Charlton Heston (a.k.a., Moses) gets the two tablets from God. But what if I told you Moses and God weren't alone? It may come as a surprise, but the New Testament tells us in three places that the Law was delivered by angels, members of God's divine council. Here are two of those passages: Acts 7:52-53: “Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Hebrews 2:1-2: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” I was pretty shocked the first time I saw these verses. And I certainly hadn't heard about them in church. So what passage in the Old Testament were they quoting? That's the second jolt: There isn't a clear reference to it—at least not in the Old Testament we use. The New Testament writers didn't invent the idea, though. They got it from Deuteronomy 33:2-4 in their Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Septuagint more clearly connects angels to the Law than the traditional Hebrew text upon which our English translations are based. So they were using a translation. We can understand that. But we're not done. It gets a bit stranger. The third New Testament passage that talks about the Law and angels is found in Galatians 3:19-20. And this time, it isn't just a crowd of angels with Moses and God: What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one. Galatians 3:19 informs us that there was a mediator between God and the angels when the Law was given. Most...

Welcome to Day 2576 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Treason & Translation – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2576 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2576 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 45th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Treason & Translation.” *A famous Italian proverb declares atraduttore, traditore,” which means, “translator, traitor.” Those who assume this is true are unaware of how difficult it is to produce a translation. Every translator invariably discards the original text's meaning at some point. A committee of scholars assembled to produce a translation typically adopts an overarching philosophy of translation. In simplest terms, there are two. The first is called “formal equivalence,” which seeks to account for virtually every word in the original text by producing its English counterpart in translation. This is a “word-for-word” or “literal” translation. The second is called “dynamic equivalence.” This approach seeks to capture the thought of the original verse in context, and then re-create that thought using whatever English words are most precise. This is a “thought-for-thought” translation. However, adopting this approach does not mean all translators will apply it equally. There is also a matter of interpretation. When the biblical text allows more than one translation due to ambiguity in the context, grammar, or word usage, a translator needs to make their own decision—which can lead to controversy. First Corinthians 7:1 is illustrative of the potential hazard. ESV "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." NASB "It is good for a man not to touch a woman." NIV "It is good for a man not to marry." NLT "It is good to live a celibate life.” The most “word-for-word” of these translations is that of the NASB, which captures the literal reading of the Greek words in the verse, particularly the verb "touch" (TTOLO, haptomai). Other translations move away from the ambiguous "touch" to "have sexual relations with" (ESV). The most controversial renderings are the NIV ("It is good for a man not to marry") and the NLT ("It is good to live a...

Welcome to Day 2571 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Signed, Sealed, and Delivered – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2571 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2571 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 44th lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Signed, Sealed, and Delivered – To Satan.” Throughout the New Testament, “family language” is used to describe the relationship of believers to God and Jesus. The Lord's prayer instructs us to address God as “our Father” (Matt 6:9). Hebrews 2:11-12 reveals that Jesus considers believers His own siblings. Paul says Christians comprise “the household of faith” (Gal 6:10). How is it, then, that Paul tells Christians living in Corinth that believers unrepentantly living in sin should not only be put out of the Church (1 Cor 5:9-13). but also “delivered to Satan” (1 Cor 5:5)? If a person is given over to Satan, does that mean they then belong to Satan? Does the person lose salvation and have to be re-converted to Christ? Nowhere in the passage does Paul suggest that the believer in question becomes an unbeliever or is without hope of salvation. After demanding the unrepentant believer be delivered to Satan, Paul notes the goal of such a decision is “for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Cor 5:5). What does Paul mean by “destruction of the flesh?” Paul often uses the word “flesh” (oap^; sarx) to refer to the physical body, but sometimes he uses it to refer to self-sufficiency, worldliness, or manner of life.- Since someone expelled from a church is not going to die as a result, the second possibility is best. Paul is insisting that the unrepentant person be dismissed from the Church to live in their sin and endure the consequences of their behavior. Paul's explanation in verse six helps answer what he means by “destruction of the flesh,” but it does not explain what the phrase “delivered to Satan” means. For that, we need to look to the Old Testament. The Israelites viewed their land as holy ground and the territory of the non-Israelite nations as controlled by demonic gods. Israel was holy ground because that was where the presence of God resided. The opposite was true everywhere else. This perspective shifted after the formation of the Church. God's presence was no longer in the Jerusalem temple, but in the temple which is the body of believers (1 Cor

Welcome to Day 2566 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – A Female Apostle – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2566 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2566 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 43rd lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “A Female Apostle.” Paul's final greetings to the Roman church seem typical. We might just skim over the list of names without a second thought. But one name within that list has become the focus of controversy and heated debate: Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did. (Rom 16:7). Junia is most likely the name of a woman. When you read the phrase “among the apostles,” you understand how a simple salutation has become a prooftext in the debate over the role of women in ministry. The evidence that Junia is a woman is compelling. Its Greek spelling (Iounian) could point to either a man or a woman. However, the addition of an accent mark would specify gender—depending on what mark was chosen (Greek has several) and on which syllable the accent mark was placed. The earliest manuscripts of the New Testament were written in an uppercase Greek script (uncial) that did not include accents. However, copies of the Greek New Testament from later periods in a cursive script (minuscule) accent the name as female. In ancient Greek literature, outside the New Testament, the masculine form of the name has only surfaced once. Ancient Latin texts have also been searched, with some theorizing that Junia might be a shortened form of the male Junianus. Of the 250 or more citations of the name Junia, where a shortening of the name is possible, all have referred to women. The phrase “among the apostles” can also be translated as “to the apostles,” placing Junia within or outside this ministry category. Either translation is possible within the scope of Greek grammar. External examples, though, statistically favor the first option. However, there are other issues that are rarely raised in this debate. New Testament apostles, for instance, are not all described on equal terms. The original 12 disciples, along with Paul, were a special group. They were firsthand pupils of Christ, some of whom God endowed with supernatural spiritual gifts (Acts 5:12) and divine revelation in the form of the New Testament. Not all apostles had such gifts, however. Aside from the 12 disciples and Paul, it is unclear that the term “apostle” spoke of high authority or...

Welcome to Day 2561 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Destiny & Destination – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2561 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2561 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 42nd lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Destiny & Destination.” “I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain,” Paul said while imprisoned. His ambitions are repeated a few verses later: “When therefore I have completed this ... I will leave for Spain by way of you” (Rom 15:28). It's certainly ambitious for him to be making travel plans. But Paul wasn't making casual conversation or planning a vacation. He believed his life and ministry would not end until he reached Spain. We aren't sure if Paul made it, but he was passionate about getting there. Why? He saw himself in the prophecy of Isaiah 66.   Day of Salvation Throughout his letters, Paul quotes Isaiah and other Old Testament books to show that the long-promised day of salvation would come during his lifetime. In the Old Testament, the Jewish belief in Jesus as the Messiah was preceded by something Paul referred to as “the fullness of the Gentiles” (Rom 11:25). In Romans 9-11, Paul says that Gentile (non-Jew) inclusion in the people of God was made possible by the hearts of the Jewish people being temporarily hardened (11:25-26). Accomplishing the mission of Gentile evangelism would undo this hardening. Only then would Paul's longing for the Jews to believe in Jesus come to full fruition. And only then would the deliverer (Jesus) come again from Zion (11:26). Isaiah 66:18-20 prophesies that the Lord would gather all nations to see His glory. He would give them a “sign” of His promised salvation. The sign would be delivered by Jewish exiles, sent by God into far-off nations—specifically, the lands of Tarshish, Put, Lud, Tubal, and Javan. The conversion of the Gentiles would result in the Jews from those nations returning to the Lord. The Sign Paul Saw Paul interpreted Isaiah 66 through Christian eyes. The “sign” (TH, 'ot,) was the virgin-born Jesus (compare Isa 7:14—“The Lord himself will give you a sign”).- At Pentecost, Jews whose ancestors were exiled to foreign nations came to Jerusalem from those nations. They witnessed a sign of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples, heard the gospel miraculously in their own language, and...

Welcome to Day 2556 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Paul's Lost Letters – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2556 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2556 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 41st lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Paul's Lost Letters.” Unless you've been on an extended vacation from popular culture over the last couple of years, you know there's been a lot of recent discussion about how we got the New Testament. Dan Brown's blockbuster novel The Da Vinci Code based its conspiratorial plot in part on the notion that other gospels had been eradicated by spiteful church authorities and an emperor openly partial to orthodoxy. The success of the novel prompted many churchgoers to ask whether or not all the books that should be included in the New Testament actually were. To be sure, Dan Brown took a lot of liberties with facts in his story. But what if we're not dealing with fiction? The New Testament itself tells us that there were books written by apostles that didn't make it into in the Bible. Surprised? Let's take a look. 1 Corinthians 5:9 In 1 Corinthians, Paul himself mentions an earlier letter he wrote to this same church: “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people” (1 Cor 5:9). While some interpreters have argued that Paul was referring to the letter he was currently writing (1 Corinthians), most acknowledge that this explanation is weak. Taken at face value, 1 Corinthians 5:9 tells us that Paul had written to this church before—but that letter has not survived and thus is not part of the New Testament. Colossians 4:16 In Paul's letter to the church at Collosae, he says, “And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea” (Col 4:16). What was this letter from Laodicea? What happened to it? The phrase “letter from Laodicea” is a literal translation of the Greek and suggests that the letter came from Laodicea. This is a bit misleading, though. The phrase does not necessarily mean that this letter was written by someone in Laodicea to Paul or to the Colossians. Colossians 4:16 tells us that letters to churches were circulated, and so it may be that this Laodicean letter was written by Paul and sent to the Christians at Colossae—like the Colossian letter was to be sent to the believers in Laodicea. Some scholars have speculated that this letter isn't actually missing. The region of Laodicea was also identified with the city of Ephesus, indicating that the letter from Laodicea may actually be the epistle to the...

Welcome to Day 2551 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Dumbledore Meets Philip and Peter – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2551 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the Fourtyth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Dumbledore Meets Philip & Peter.” The book of Acts is a favorite of preachers, so you are likely familiar with the showdown in Acts 8:9-24 between Peter and Simon the Magician.- Luke tells us that Simon had practiced his magic in a city in Samaria where he had been hailed as “God's Great Power.” Simon heard the gospel preached by Philip and believed, but later, after Peter's arrival, he tried to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit from Peter. His name has not been remembered for any great deeds, but for the payment of money for the church office (“simony”). But is that all there is to the story? Hardly. Don't look away now, or you'll miss what's behind the magic. Let's examine how a first-century audience would have comprehended the episode in its Samaritan setting. That Simon was referred to by the people of the Samaritan city as “God's Great Power” is significant. That title comes from the Samaritan Targum—an Aramaic translation of the Samaritan Hebrew Bible, known as the Samaritan Pentateuch.- In the Samaritan Targum, the Hebrew word ‘el or, “God”) is translated as hela (“power”). God is then called “great” (m, rab). Not surprisingly, “the Great Power” was used in Samaritan hymns and writings as a substitute for the divine name, much in the same way orthodox Jews say ha-shem ( “the Name”) instead of pronouncing the divine name Yahweh. But how could the Samaritans speak of Simon as though he were God? Well, Simon was able to do amazing things. We aren't told if what he was doing was something he picked up, learning magical trickery or enablement from a demonic power, but the effect was the same. Second, the plural of “power” (heliri) was also used by Samaritans of angels. Like many Jews and Christians, Samaritans considered one particular angel—the one in whom Yahweh's name dwelled (Exod 23:20-23)—as the embodied Yahweh. Since this angel was viewed as a physical manifestation of the true God—the “Great Power”—Simon's acts of magical power had convinced many Samaritans that he, too, was a fleshly manifestation of God. It's easy to see how Luke, writing in full knowledge of the incarnation of God in Christ, would have sought to use this encounter. The drama is palpable. Philip had taken the message that God had become man in Jesus Christ to...

Welcome to Day 2546 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Born Again...and Again and Again – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2546 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2546 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirty-ninth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Born Again…and Again and Again.” Was Jesus open to the idea of reincarnation? The question may seem odd, but it's one that many people, even biblical scholars, contend has a positive answer.- The idea comes from a passage you've likely read dozens of times. As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but in order that the works of God might be made manifest in him (he was born blind). We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:1-4). Notice the disciples' question: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Many presume the question indicates that the disciples believed the man born blind really could have sinned before he was born, and that his pre-birth sins caused his congenital blindness. This presumption is followed by another: that Jesus' answer wasn't a categorical denial. Since Jesus doesn't come out and say, “What a silly idea, don't be ridiculous!” Some have argued that His response means that in this case the man born blind didn't sin in a previous life, but perhaps that could have happened in another case. Could this interpretation be correct? Reincarnation is the belief that the soul migrates from one body to another, different body, in a long (possibly endless) succession. The idea of the “migration of the soul” cannot be found in the Bible, or in other Jewish writers of antiquity,- which indicates the disciples were likely presuming something different: People can do good and evil while still in the womb. Paul addresses this misconception in Romans 9:9-13 when dealing with the case of Jacob and Esau. Even if a pre-born person could sin in the womb, this does not involve the migration of a soul. For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”...

What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?If you're ever a little suspicious about the idea that the Holy Spirit fills believers, Susie and Angie will help clear up confusion as they  look closely at the Greek word for “fill” in Luke 1:67.Luke 1:67 (NIV)“His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:” LiveSteadyOn.comhttps://livesteadyon.com/ To connect with Susie:https://susiecrosby.com/Facebook: @‌susiecrosbyauthorInstagram: @‌susiecrosby Susie's devotionals, “Lighthearted” and “Just One Word: 90 Devotions to Invite Jesus In” are available on Amazon.https://www.logos.com/https://enduringword.com/https://www.wordhippo.com/https://www.biblegateway.com/https://www.blueletterbible.org/ Gerhard Delling, “Πίμπλημι, Ἐμπίμπλημι, Πλησμονή,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 130.Simmons, Brian, trans. The Passion Translation. BroadStreet Publishing, 2017.Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Lk 1:15. I. Howard Marshall, “Luke,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 983–984. A. Boyd Luter, “Luke,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1604. Theme music:Glimmer by Andy Ellison

Welcome to Day 2541 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – What Walking On Water Really Means – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2541 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2541 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirty-eighth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “What Walking on Water Really Means.” Tales of tempests battering ships inspire respect for the sea. En route to Capernaum, Jesus' disciples watched these stories become reality as the roaring wind transformed the waters around them. As they fought against the waves and wind, they witnessed a miracle: “They saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat” (John 6:19). Appearing in three of the four Gospels, this event inspires Sunday school lessons and has become ingrained in our portrait of Jesus' life. As spectacular and unforgettable as the event is to us, however, a Jewish audience would have seen in it a profound theological meaning against the backdrop of the Old Testament. An Old Testament Symbol In the Old Testament, the unpredictable sea is a common symbol of cosmic disorder—conditions contrary to God's design for an ordered world. This symbol for cosmic anarchy is also personified as a sea monster, known as Leviathan or Rahab. The image of chaos as an untamed monster in a churning, erratic sea was common throughout the ancient world. People accustomed to land would naturally view the vast, raging ocean as uncontrollable and potentially deadly, filled with terrifying unknown creatures. Religions across the ancient Mediterranean often depicted their important deities destroying or subduing the sea dragon, thereby calming the sea and restoring order. In the Old Testament, it is Yahweh, the God of Israel, who conquers the forces of chaos and imposes order in the cosmos (Job 26:12- 13; Psa 89:5-14). This imagery is applied even to the exodus from Egypt (Psa 74:12-17), where God split the sea to deliver His people, thereby conquering the forces of evil that sought their demise. Final Victory God's ultimate victory at the end of the age is also depicted as God dominating the forces of the sea: “In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the twisting serpent, Leviathan the crooked serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea” (Isa 27:1). This is why the description of the final paradise of the new heaven and new earth contains the phrase, “the sea was no more” (Rev...

Welcome to Day 2536 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Who Took Verse 4 Out of my Bible – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2536 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2536 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirty-seventh lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Who Took Verse 4 Out of My Bible?” Most of us have read John 5:1-9, the story of the blind, paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda, many times, but I'll bet there's something that escaped your attention. Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked (John 5:1-9 niv). If you read closely you'll notice that verse 4 is missing! Start at verse one and count out loud: 1, 2, 3 ... 5? In case your Bible version doesn't have the verse, the omitted words read: “for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted” (nasb). The verse is not just missing in the niv; the situation is the same in the esv, nrsv, cev, NLT, and the net Bible. If you use the nasb or ncv you will see the verse, but it's been placed inside brackets, whereas the kjv and the nkjv contain verse 4 without any notation or demarcation. So what's going on here? Who took John 5:4 out of the Bible? If you're using a study Bible that doesn't have verse 4, you will likely see a note at the end of verse 3, or the beginning of verse 5, explaining why it isn't there. This is a textbook case of a disagreement between manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. What would be John 5:4 (the missing material that begins in verse 3) is not found in any of the earliest and most accurate manuscripts of the Gospel of John. Scholars who make a career of comparing manuscripts (“textual critics” and “paleographers”) have...

Welcome to Day 2531 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – The Healing Serpent – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2531 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2531 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirty-sixth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “The Healing Serpent.” Many people can recite John 3:16, but how many know what John 3:14- 15 says? Jesus' words in these two verses have generated confusion and controversy: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:15 presents no problem; it declares the gospel—that Jesus, the Son of Man in this passage, is the true object of faith for all who would have eternal life. The difficulty lies in verse 14, where Jesus compares His destiny on the cross to a serpent “lifted up” in the wilderness. In this analogy, Jesus draws on Numbers 21:4-9, one of many incidents in which the Israelites complained about their circumstances on their journey to the promised land. God punished their impatience and lack of faith by sending venomous “fiery serpents” into the camp (Num 21:6). After many fatalities, the people begged Moses to intercede with God on their behalf. God relented and instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. Anyone bitten by a serpent would be healed by gazing at the bronze serpent. Although the parallel between the serpent on the pole and Jesus on the cross is apparent, the incident raises questions. Why didn't God heal the people directly? Was the bronze serpent an idol, and thus a violation of the second commandment? Wouldn't the Israelites have recoiled at the association of healing with a serpent? Not Out of Eden We might incorrectly link the serpent on the pole (Num 21) and the serpent in the garden (Gen 3), but the only similarity between these two passages is the word “serpent” (wm, nachash). The nachash of Genesis 3 is a figure acting independently of—and in opposition to—the will of God. In Numbers 21 the biting serpents are God's instrument of judgment for sin, and the nachash on the pole is God's instrument of healing for those punished for sin. Maybe Magic In part the answer to “why a serpent?” is found in the ancient practice of sympathetic magic—the idea that a person afflicted by an object can be cured or delivered by an image of that same object. In the absence of sophisticated medical knowledge, ancient cultures sought cures for physical ailments or perceived curses by such means. We can find several examples of this ancient medical...

Origins: The Origin StoryWe conclude our Origin Series this Sabbath with "The Origin Story." Ken will make a case for which Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) has the best Jesus' origin story and why it's the best. Be at WholeLife this Sabbath to be reminded of how much God loves us and how Christmas is just one of the reminders of that love.Let us know your thoughts by reaching out and joining the conversation with your questions and comments using the information below:Text/Voicemail: 407-965-1607Email: podcast@wholelife.church#ThisIsWholeLifeBook Mentioned in This Episode: The Bible Unfiltered by Michael S. Heiser - https://this-is-whole-life.captivate.fm/the-bible-unfilteredGet Connected with WholeLife! Reach out and let us know how we can serve you: http://wholelife.church/connectSUBSCRIBE NOW to our weekly companion podcast, Speaking of Grace, to listen to the message this episode is based on and where our pastors and guest speakers invite you into a lifelong friendship with God. Never miss another message or series again! Take it with you in the car, at home, on your phone, on your smartwatch, and in your earbuds, wherever life takes you!This Is WholeLife features Pastors Ken Wetmore and Melanie Bockmann, with Digital Content Creator Lucas Moraes, and Communication Director Randy Magray as the host. It is available everywhere you listen to podcasts! If you've enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite platform and share it with your family, friends, and social media, where you will find us at the following links! X, Facebook, Instagram, and now on YouTube! Thank you for listening! To learn more about our podcasts at WholeLife Church, visit the Podcasts page on our website.NEXT WEEK: 12/28/24 - Reflections 2024 To learn more about WholeLife Church, visit our website: www.WholeLife.ChurchFind out what's happening at WholeLife Church by visiting our Events Calendar!#WholeLifePodcast #ThisIsWholeLife...

Welcome to Day 2526 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – I Saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning - When? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2526 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2526 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirty-fifth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “I Saw Satan Fall Like Lightning.”: When? In one of the more puzzling verses in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells His disciples, “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! (Luke 10:18). The question isn't about what Jesus' statement is about. It's clear that Satan is under judgment. Instead, the confusion is over the when of the statement. It might sound like a reference to when Satan became Satan, before or in the Garden of Eden —abandoning his status among God's heavenly host—but that conclusion would be too hasty. We essentially have three options when it comes to figuring out the timing of Satan's fall: before, during, or after Jesus' own time. Many people have offered opinions. Perhaps the most common interpretation is that Jesus is seeing or remembering the original fall of Satan. This option makes little sense in context. Before the statement, Jesus had sent out the disciples to heal and preach that the kingdom of God had drawn near them (Luke 10:1-9). They return amazed and excited by the fact that demons were subject to them in the name of Jesus (10:17). Jesus then says, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning!” There is a connection between the kingdom, the defeat of demons, and Satan. But if Satan's fall in Luke 10:18 speaks of an event in the remote past, why wasn't the kingdom established then? Why was Satan still powerful when Jesus showed up on the scene? Even with the kingdom of Israel under David and the presence of God in the temple, the power and influence of Satan are evident on nearly every page of Old Testament history. The view that Jesus was referring to Satan's fall during his own ministry is better, but it is not without problem. We don't read anywhere in the Bible of anyone casting out demons prior to Jesus' ministry. That display of power —as well as the announcements of the kingdom and the ruling authority of God on earth—is unmistakable. This is consistent with Luke's writing in the next chapter (11:14-23), where he identifies Jesus as the “strong man” who binds Satan. With Jesus having bound the strong man (Satan), He and His disciples can plunder Satan's realm. This seems to tie in with what Jesus says after His...

Welcome to Day 2521 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – The New Testament Quotes The Old Testament – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2521 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2521 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirty-fourth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: The New Testament Quotes the Old Testament. Sometimes when a New Testament writer quotes the Old Testament, the two passages do not match precisely. Is the New Testament writer misquoting the Old Testament? Or is there another explanation? Luke records that when Jesus began His ministry, He went to the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath day. When He stood up to read the Scriptures, “The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him" (Luke 4:17). Jesus read the description of a climactic arrival of the anointed one from Isaiah 61:1- 2, excluding the last half of verse two. That omission is understandable, but if you look at Luke 4:18-19 and Isaiah 61:1-2 side by side, several dissimilarities in what Jesus read are readily apparent. In the original Old Testament passage, there is no reference to making the blind see. Conversely, Isaiah speaks of “binding up the brokenhearted," a phrase absent in Luke. Since Luke is clear that Jesus was reading from a scroll, the divergence is not due to Luke (or Jesus) quoting from memory and messing up the passage! What's going on here? Luke 4:18-19 Isaiah 61:1-2 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Most of the time when a divergence occurs between a New Testament quotation and the Old Testament, the answer is the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. It often does not match the Hebrew text from which most Old Testaments were translated. Jesus apparently either read from a Hebrew text that reflected the Septuagint, or Luke fills in the quoted passage with the Septuagint. (And since Luke was not Jewish and spoke Greek, the Septuagint would have been his Bible.) The Septuagint

Welcome to Day 2516 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – My Guardian Angel – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2516 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2516 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirty-third lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: My Guardian Angel. “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” These are familiar words for those of us who follow the holiday tradition of watching the classic film It's a Wonderful Life. The angel Clarence helps George Bailey discover the unseen but tremendous significance his mundane life played in the lives of others. It's a heartwarming story, full of hope and encouragement. But what about its theology? Are guardian angels—like Clarence—really biblical? Jesus' words in Matthew 18:10 suggest the answer is yes: “Beware that you don't look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. The passage affirms that children have angels who represent them before God. Where did Matthew get such an idea? In Job 5:1, angels are presented as mediators between God and people. Job's friend Eliphaz challenges him: “Cry for help, but will anyone answer you? Which of the angels[a] will help you? Eliphaz presumes that angels would act as mediators between God and Job. This understanding was common in the biblical world. Ancient Mesopotamians, for example, believed that humans had “personal gods” who could appeal for them before the assembly of gods. We no longer need a mediator. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus now intercedes on our behalf before God (1 Tim 2:5). But the New Testament still describes angels as having an immediate ministry to believers, as demonstrated by Hebrews 1:14: Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. Also, the narrative in Acts 12 shows us a continued connection between angels and people. After an angel frees Peter from prison and execution, Peter goes to the house of his fellow believers (12:6-10). Those inside don't believe the servant girl's report that he is at the door. They reply, “It must be his angel!” (12:15). This statement testifies to the early Christian...

Welcome to Day 2511 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Burying Hell – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2511 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2511 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirty-second lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: Burying Hell. “ Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John,[a] because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock'),[b] and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell[c] will not conquer it.” (Matt 16:17-18). The “powers of hell”? Why did Jesus respond to Peter's confession, “You are the Messiah,[d] the Son of the living God.” in this way? (16:16) The Powers or Gates of Hell in Cosmic Geography When we read “hell,” we naturally think of the realm of the unbelieving dead. But the Greek word translated “hell” (qôqç, hadës) is also the name for the Underworld—Hades, the realm of all the dead, not just unbelievers. The Hebrew equivalent to Hades is Sheol—the place “under the earth” where all went after this life ended. Sheol had “bars” (Job 17:16) and “cords” to tie down its inhabitants (2 Sam 22:5-6), preventing any escape (Job 7:9). Both the righteous and the unrighteous went to Sheol. The righteous believer, however, could hope for deliverance and eternity with God (Psalm 49:15). While the imagery associated with the Underworld would have unnerved the disciples, Jesus' reference to the powers or gates of Hades would...

Welcome to Day 2506 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Do The Dead Sea Scrolls Answer the Canon Question? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2506 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2506 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirty-first lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: Do the Dead Sea Scrolls Answer the Canon Question? The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered between 1947 and 1956, transformed biblical studies. Found in a series of caves near an archaeological site on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea known as Qumran, they contributed to research on ancient scribal practices and the history of the Hebrew language. But beyond this research, the scrolls also directly affected an issue that has long been debated—the Old Testament canon. Did this find solidify what should or should not be included in our Bibles? The word “canon” refers to the collection of books considered sacred and authoritative by a religious community—in this case, Judaism and Christianity. Historical evidence reveals that within the Jewish community, there was still uncertainty about some books (e.g., Esther and the Song of Solomon) or portions of books (Ezekiel 40-48) after ad 100. The question of whether Jewish leaders of earlier centuries had similar doubts—or different ones—was shrouded in mystery before the discoveries at Qumran. Fragments of all the Old Testament books in the current Protestant evangelical canon have been found among the scrolls—all except the book of Esther. However, its omission by the Jewish community at Qumran does not indicate much about its canonical position today. The omission of the book tells us nothing about how the Qumran community actually felt about Esther. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in modern times are only a fraction of the material originally stored at Qumran. The ravages of time have left us with an incomplete picture, nullifying such a definitive conclusion. In addition, the Jews at Qumran were one sect of Judaism among several. Even if there was evidence that they had rejected Esther, that position would have represented only a segment of opinion. Even today, major segments of modern Christendom do not agree on the canon.- That certain books meet approval or disapproval provides no guidance as to which opinion is correct. Beyond this, Qumran scribes often indicated a book's sacred status by citing the book as authoritative for some point of belief or practice in their community documents. They also indicated a book's sacred status through produced commentaries. However, not every biblical book of today's Old Testament canon meets this criterion. For example, Judges, Jeremiah, and Job are never cited in...

Welcome to Day 2501 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Bizarre Visions for the Worst of Times – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2501 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2501 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirtieth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: Bizarre Visions for the Worst of Times. We are prone to make assumptions about God and His favor when life has us down due to sin, mistakes, or incomprehensible circumstances. Of all the Scripture passages we might turn to during these times, the bizarre vision that opens the book of Ezekiel would not register high on our list. However, reading this passage with its original ancient context in mind reveals a powerful message for its original recipients and for every believer. The Babylonian Context Ezekiel had his vision in Babylon as one of the captive exiles (Ezek 1:1- 3). Comparing his vision to Babylonian iconography reveals that Ezekiel saw a divine “throne chariot” of the heavens—widely described in the ancient biblical world. Just as human kings had chariots, so did deities. A deity would traverse the heavens in his chariot throne, inspecting his domain and exercising authority over it. In Ezekiel's vision, this throne sits atop the “expanse” (vpl, raqia, 1:26)—the same word used in Genesis 1:6-8 for the heavens (see also Psa 29:10) and to describe God's abode (Psa 150:1). Wheels supported the chariot throne, along with four unusual creatures (identified as cherubim in Ezek 10:4). Each creature had four faces: human, lion, eagle, and ox (Ezek 1:10).- Next to each cherub were four gleaming wheels (Ezek 1:15-16). These wheels were set on edge, since they are described as “tall” (Ezek 1:18). They had wheels within them—that is, each one had at least one concentric circle within it. The vision describes the outer edge, or “rim,” of each wheel as having “eyes” (py, ‘ayin). The prophet Daniel, who was also in Babylon, described the very same blazing throne with wheels (Dan 7:9). The Vision in Context The four faces of the four animals or cherubim correspond to the iconography of the Babylonian zodiac. Each represents a seasonal constellation in Babylonian astrology, and each face or constellation also represented one of the four directions (N, S, E, W) or quadrants of the sky. Babylonians knew that the heavens were connected...

Welcome to Day 2496 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – He, Him, Me, Myself, and I – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2496 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2496 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twenty-ninth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: He, Him, Me, Myself, and I. How strange would it sound if a friend described what they did this morning like this? “After she got out of bed, she took a shower and then made a quick breakfast for herself—just some coffee and a bagel. I was in such a hurry that I didn't even finish my bagel and just took the coffee with me!” Be honest. You would probably wonder if your friend needed medication. Although your friend was describing what she did this morning, the first few details sounded like she was talking about someone else. If the information was about her and spoken by her, why not use “I” and “my”—what we call “first person” pronouns in grammar? Why would she refer to herself in the third person? We just don't talk or write like that. Neither would the biblical writers—but that is exactly what we read in many biblical passages. Consider the first four verses of the book of Ezekiel: On July 31[a] of my thirtieth year,[b] while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity. 3 (The Lord gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians,[c] and he felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him.) 4 As I looked, I saw a great storm coming from the north, driving before it a huge cloud that flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. There was fire inside the cloud, and in the middle of the fire glowed something like gleaming amber.[

Welcome to Day 2491 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Why the Ark of the Covenant Will Never be Found – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2491 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2491 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twenty-eighth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: Why the Ark of the Covenant Will Never Be Found. I can still recall the thrill of first seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark. As a young adult, I had already been infected with the Biblical archaeology bug. This movie boosted my interest to a whole new level. As Providence would have it, I followed the path of Indiana Jones—at least on a cursory basis. I'm still fascinated by the ark, but I no longer believe it is lost and awaiting discovery. I have Jeremiah to blame for that. The idea that the ark of the covenant survived Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Judah is based on the absence of any explicit reference to the ark being among the vessels of gold carried to Babylon (2 Chr 36:5-8). Likewise, the list of items brought back to Judah after the end of the exile makes no mention of the ark (Ezra 1:5-11). The simplest explanation is that the ark was among the “vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord” that Nebuchadnezzar cut to pieces (2 Kgs 24:13). No one would pay to see that movie. From ancient times until the present day, people have resisted the idea that God would allow Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Israel's holiest object. Testifying to the power of this resistance, there are nearly a dozen theories on how the ark survived. Some of these theories are drawn from biblical events. Perhaps Hezekiah gave the ark to Sennacherib as part of his tribute payment (2 Kgs 18). Might it have been removed by faithful priests when Manasseh put an idol in the temple (2 Kgs 21:1-9)? Indiana Jones told millions that Pharaoh Shishak took the ark to the city of Tanis in Egypt when he invaded Jerusalem (1 Kgs 14:25- 28). Perhaps the most intricate theory involves Menelik I, the alleged son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, taking the ark to Ethiopia. The Ethiopian royal chronicle, the Kebra Nagast, presents this idea so seriously that rulers of Ethiopia well into the 20th century had to prove their descent from Menelik I. Other theories grew out of specific passages in ancient texts. 2 Maccabees 2:5 records Jeremiah hiding the ark in a cave before Nebuchadnezzar's invasion. 2 Baruch 6:1-9 describes the ark being supernaturally swallowed up by the earth before the invasion,...

Welcome to Day 2486 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Jeremiah's Double Vision – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2486 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2486 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twenty-seventh lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is: Jeremiah's Double Vision. If we look beyond the details of Jeremiah's anguish and apparently fruitless ministry, we can spot a dual emphasis in the book that bears his name: judgment and repentance. But emphasis is not the only double issue. Two complete versions of the book have survived from antiquity and diverge in many ways. The “Jeremiah Problem” The book of Jeremiah has come to us in two versions—a Hebrew version, the Masoretic Text, and a Greek version, the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament). Our modern English Bibles follow the arrangement and content of the Masoretic Text (mt). The Septuagint version (or lxx) was translated from a Hebrew text of the book that differed in many ways from the mt. Because of this, the Greek version is roughly one-eighth shorter than the mt, and after Jeremiah 25:13, the order of the chapters differs dramatically. Despite attempts to solve the “Jeremiah problem,” the textual history of both versions remains unresolved. We still don't know which Hebrew text is older —the one we have today (mt) or the one used by the scribes who created the Septuagint. The fragmentary scrolls of the book found among the Dead Sea Scrolls usually follow the order and content of mt, but some of the material matches the Hebrew manuscript that was translated into the Septuagint. Consequently, the Dead Sea Scrolls cannot offer a definitive answer regarding which version of the book more closely aligns with the time of the prophet. We also find mixed results when examining the history of these versions. The Jewish community favored the mt version, but this is only apparent from around ad 100 onward, after the time of Jesus and the apostles. New Testament writers favored the Septuagint when quoting the Old Testament. Studies reveal that when the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament, the wording found in the Greek New Testament, the mt, and the Septuagint differs in some way 80 percent of the time. Word-for-word quotations of mt are not common, amounting to less than five percent. Even when factoring in nearly identical quotations of mt, it is clear that the New Testament writers only appear to have used mt 20 percent of the time. The New Testament writers most often quoted from the Septuagint,- but this doesn't mean they endorsed it, since they used both versions. They were writing in Greek,...

Welcome to Day 2481 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Standing in the Council – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2481 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2481 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twenty-sixth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is: Standing in the Council. Most people think a prophet is someone God empowers to foretell the future. No doubt, prophets announced God's intentions, but forecasting future events wasn't their primary job description. A prophet's chief task was to serve as God's mouthpiece to His covenant people, Israel, and her enemies. So, how did someone become a prophet? Was there some sort of heavenly qualification? In fact, there was. You might think the standard for a prophet was whether their words came to pass exactly as uttered (Deut 18:15-22). But that's actually a by-product of the real litmus test, which we read about in Jeremiah: For who among them has stood in the council (no, sod) of the Lord to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened? [The Lord says] ... “If they had stood in my council (no, sod), then they would have proclaimed my words to my people” (Jer 23:18, 22). What does it mean to “stand in the council”? Jeremiah elaborates: “to see and to hear his word ... to pay attention to his word and listen.” The one essential test of a prophet—that preceded their ability to deliver a divine message—was that the prophet had to see and hear God in His council. In the Bible, God and His heavenly host were thought to live and conduct business in the divine throne room. This assembly, with God as its CEO, is called “a divine council” (Pss 82:1; 89:5-7).- God chose prophets and commissioned them directly for ministry. When a prophet “stood in the council,” they had a direct encounter with God in His throne room. This motif of “standing in the council” is a repeated pattern in the Bible. In the case of Isaiah, the prophet was transported to the throne room of Yahweh (Isa 6:1-6) to receive his call to service (Isa 6:8-9). For Ezekiel, the circumstances were reversed, with the throne of the Lord coming to him (Ezek 1:1-14, 26-28). Jeremiah was also commissioned via a direct encounter with God. At the beginning of his ministry, the “word of the Lord” came to him (Jer 1:4) and appointed him a prophet. The “word” is identified as Yahweh (Jer 1:6-7) who has come in human form. He reaches out His hand to touch Jeremiah's mouth (Jer 1:9). It was this encounter that...

Welcome to Day 2476 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Immanuel's Mother: Virgin or Not? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2476 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2476 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twenty-fifth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is: Immanuel's Mother: Virgin or Not? Immanuel's Mother: Virgin or Not? The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 is among the most well-known passages in the book of Isaiah. It's also one of the most controversial, for many reasons. All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin[a] (almah) will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us'). It's difficult to get through the Christmas or Easter season without seeing one of the major news periodicals or educational television networks cast doubt about the meaning of almah in Isaiah 7:14. A favorite argument is that the Hebrew word almah cannot mean “virgin” but instead refers to a young woman of marriageable age—without respect to prior sexual activity. The more precise word for “virgin” is betulah, a word not used in Isaiah 7:14. The New Testament author Matthew, we are so often told, mistakenly assumed the term meant “virgin.” His ignorance led to the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus. But are these assertions correct? Betulah indeed refers to someone who has been sexually inactive (Lev 21:3; Judg 21:12: Deut 22:23, 28; Exod 22:15), but does that mean almah never means virgin? Outside of Isaiah 7:14, the word almah occurs only six times in the Old Testament. In all but one of those occurrences, the context provides no clue as to the sexual status of the young woman or women (Gen 24:43; Exod 2:8; Psa 68:25; Song 1:3; 6:8; Prov 30:19). Virginity is suggested, however, in Song of Solomon 6:8, where almah occurs in the plural (alamot): “There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins (alamot) without number.” The distinction between queens, concubines, and alamot is important. A queen was a...

Welcome to Day 2471 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Who Wrote the Book of Proverbs – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2471 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2471 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twenty-fourth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is: Who Wrote the Book of Proverbs? Who Wrote the Book of Proverbs? The first book of Proverbs announces, “These are the proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel” (compare Prov 10:1; 25:1). By its own testimony, though, the book of Proverbs had many authors: “These are the sayings of the wise [literally, wise ones]” (Prov 24:23). This same idea—that the proverbs in the book were written by several sages—is reiterated in Proverbs 1:6 and 22:17. But old traditions die hard, and the authorship of these proverbs is still debated. What role did Solomon actually play in writing this Wisdom literature? Solomon Had a Pen Name? In some passages of Proverbs, the sages who wrote the book are named. Proverbs 30 was written by Agur, son of Jakeh (30:1), but we know nothing else about him. Some believe Agur is a pen name for Solomon. However, there is little evidence to support this. The name may also be translated more commonly as “the assembler,” which may point to an anonymous collector of proverbs who also wrote chapter 30. Proverbs 31:1 informs us that King Lemuel wrote the famous chapter about the virtuous woman. In this verse, we learn that Lemuel was taught proverbs by his mother. There is little else known about this elusive king. Jewish tradition views the writer as yet another pen name of Solomon, but there is no reliable proof for this connection. In the Tradition of Solomon Proverbs 25:1 provides another insight into authorship: “These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.” The word translated “copied” can also mean “transcribed.” This suggests that some of the proverbs (perhaps chapters 25-29) were produced by scribes living in the days of Hezekiah (ca. 715-687 bc), after the lifetime of Solomon. At least one anonymous sage did contribute to Proverbs. Portions of Proverbs 22-23 come from an Egyptian wisdom text composed before Solomon's lifetime, The Instruction of Amenemope.- In addition,...

Welcome to Day 2466 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Does God Need a Co-Signer? The Witness in the Clouds. – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2466 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2466 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twenty-third lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is: Does God Need a Co-Signer? The Witness in the Clouds. We all know why co-signing a loan is required. The bank assumes that the person who is being loaned the money may not be able to repay it. Their commitment or ability is in question. In the Bible, God typically swears by His own character when entering a covenant since there is no one above Him who needs to cosign the agreement (Heb 6:13). There is a fascinating exception to this in the book of Psalms. Psalm 89:35-37 repeats the covenant between God and David from 2 Samuel 7 with an addendum at the end that is not found in 2 Samuel 7. I've arranged the verses to show their parallelism, labeling them by letters: A I have sworn by my Holy One; B I will not lie to David. C His descendants shall be forever. C His throne [his dynastic descendants] shall be as the sun before me. B It [David's throne] shall be established forever like the moon, A And a witness in the clouds will be faithful. God swears a covenant oath to David and promises that David's descendants will forever have the right to sit on Jerusalem's throne. This promise is guaranteed by an unidentified witness in the clouds (God's “Holy One”). Why would God need someone to witness an agreement He initiated? Who in heaven (“the clouds”) has that authority? It was common in polytheistic religions of the ancient world to have gods witness the covenant agreements made by other gods.- But there are no other gods in Israel's faith equal to or above the God of Israel. Yet Psalm 89 requires an equal to Yahweh, who will uphold the covenant. Who is this witness in the heavens who will be faithful to the covenant of David's eternal dynasty? Who will make sure God's promise comes to pass and never fails? The New Testament answers these questions in Revelation 1:4-5: John says to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit[

Welcome to Day 2461 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Slaying the Sea Monster – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2461 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2461 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twenty-second lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is: Slaying the Sea Monster! Slaying the Sea Monster When we think of creation, we think of everything beginning with God's spoken word—as Genesis 1 tells us. But some Old Testament writers concentrate on another aspect of creation—and a weird one at that. In Psalm 74, in the middle of God's ordering of the sea and dry land, His establishing of the sun, moon, stars, and the seasons, we find another event: God destroying sea monsters. 12 You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth. 13 You split the sea by your strength and smashed the heads of the sea monsters. 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan[a] and let the desert animals eat him. 15 You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and you dried up rivers that never run dry. 16 Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight[b] and the sun. 17 You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter. (Psa 74:12-17). Warring the Sea Monster The reference to God breaking “the heads of the sea monster” and crushing “the heads of Leviathan” has led many on a desperate study of Old Testament zoology. But this, along with many other confusing Old Testament images, has a cultural context. In the ancient world, the original (“primordial”) chaotic conditions of creation were often portrayed as a monstrous dragon. This is reflected in stories from ancient Babylon and Israel's closest neighbor, Ugarit (ancient Syria, just north of Israel). In the literature of ancient Ugarit, the god Baal battles Yamm, who is portrayed as a chaotic, churning sea, and a terrifying sea dragon named Tannun or Litanu. These terms are equivalent to the Hebrew words in...

In Part 2 of the Radical Discipleship series, Stasi teaches the power of worship and fasting. Worship is not just an act but a posture of the heart, a response to God's goodness and love as his Beloved. Fasting strengthens our dependence on and alignment with God, enabling us to access breakthrough and intimacy. Friends, this podcast offers deep encouragement by helping us understand how these practices transform our hearts and lives into deeper communion with God as we journey toward making Jesus our everything.…..SHOW NOTES:…..VERSES: Psalm 100:1–2 (NLT) — Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.Psalm 150:6 (NLT) — Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!Hebrews 13:15 (NIV) — Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.John 4:23 (NIV) — Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.Exodus 20:3 (NIV) — You shall have no other gods before me.Exodus 23:25–26 (NIV) — While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.Deuteronomy 11:13–15 (NIV) — So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— 14 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. 15 I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.Acts 13:2–3 (NIV) — While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.Acts 16:25–26 (NIV) — About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose.Psalm 43:4 (NIV) — Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.Psalm 47:1 (NIV) — Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.Psalm 95:1 (NIV) — Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.Colossians 3:16 (NIV) — Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.Jeremiah 32:39–40 (NIV) — I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) — So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.Luke 10:38–42 (NIV) — 38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”Mark 14 (NIV) — (3) While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.John 4:23–24 (NIV) — Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”Philippians 3:3 (NIV) — For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—Song of Song 8:5 (NLT) — Who is this sweeping in from the desert, leaning on her lover?Mark 3:17–21 (NKJV) — (here, verses 20–21) So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”…..RESOURCES:Part 1 – Radical Discipleship: Prayer and Scripture  https://wahe.art/3XD0hNwThe Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence  https://amzn.to/3AR2cFjThe Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible by Michael S. Heiser https://amzn.to/3Xuvv9q Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting by Derek Prince https://amzn.to/3z8j2Pp John Mark Comer Teachings Podcast: Offering/Fasting E1 https://spoti.fi/4gelzYUAwaken Network Podcast: This Kind...  https://spoti.fi/3Zc9xcKBridgetown Church Podcast – Unforced rhythms of Grace: Fasting  https://wahe.art/3TgNEVM…..Don't Miss Out on the Next Episode – Subscribe for FreeSubscribe using your favorite podcast app:Spotify Podcasts – https://spoti.fi/42SsOipApple Podcasts – https://apple.co/42E0oZ1 Google Podcasts – http://wahe.art/3M81kxLAmazon Music & Audible – https://amzn.to/3M9u6hJ

Welcome to Day 2456 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Cookin The Books – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2456 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2456 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twenty-first lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is: Cookin The Books. Corporations cook their books. Politicians get caught taking bribes. Scientists fudge data. Should the writer of Chronicles be judged the same way? It's widely known that the books of 1-2 Chronicles are a reiteration of the history of Israel found in the books of 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings. What isn't as well known is that the writer of Chronicles carefully and deliberately omits any negative material about David and Solomon from his historical record. Try to find the account of David's adultery and murder of Uriah in 1 Chronicles—you won't be able to.- Why would the Chronicler omit it? History written this way isn't necessarily unreliable or deceptive. If I picked up a book entitled The Native American History of the Pioneer West, I know what I'm getting. I have no reason to believe the contents will be misleading; I have every reason to believe the work is selective and incomplete. I know the book was written with a specific slant, so that I won't take it as the last word on the American West. First and Second Chronicles deserve the same consideration. Those books went into the Hebrew Bible (and later Bibles) along with the books of Samuel and Kings. Anyone who read their Bible would learn about the unsavory acts of David and Solomon. No one would be fooled. Deception could not possibly be the point. There was another agenda. First and Second Chronicles were written during (or shortly) after the exile of the Jews in Babylon. Israel would once again have its own nation and leadership. The writer of Chronicles wanted the new generation returning to the land to remember and keep the covenant God made with David, and remember that his dynasty had been chosen to rule. Disloyalty to David's dynasty had fractured the kingdom, producing a deviant religion and, ultimately, the destruction of Israel (Amos 7:9-11). The Chronicler wanted to revive loyalty to David's line, and so David and Solomon are cast as ideal monarchs. The Chronicler didn't want to deceive, but inspire. The lessons that make up Theology Thursday on the Wisdom-Trek Podcast for the next couple of years will satisfy the statement, “I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.” I trust you'll enjoy them—and, of course, not be...

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: AUG 9, 2009Dr. Michael Heiser's teachings were recently criticized in a video by New-Age convert Doreen Virtue. Since Dr. Heiser is no longer here to defend himself against these straw-man attacks, please enjoy this Fringe Flashback from 2009 of Dr. Heiser on A View From The Bunker with Derek Gilbert, as a way to clarify Dr. Heiser's view on the Divine Council, the word elohim and more.The Old Testament is a record of rebellion. Fallen angels, placed over the nations by God after the Tower of Babel incident, led the peoples under their control in a war of extermination against the one nation reserved by Yahweh for Himself.In other words, Baal, Asherah, Molech, Chemosh, Dagon, and the other gods who bedeviled the ancient Hebrews weren't simply constructs of wood and stone; they were real. They still are.Dr. Michael S. Heiser, scholar of the Bible and Ancient Near Eastern languages and history, shares the biblical evidence for the Divine Council paradigm and explains why it matters to Christians today.

Welcome to Day 2451 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – 1003 bc - Who Authorized It - God or Satan – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2451 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2451 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twentieth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is: 1003 bc Census – Who Authorized It – God or Satan. One of the more vexing problems in the Old Testament is how to parse the parallel accounts of 1 Chronicles 21:1-17 and 2 Samuel 24:1-25. 1 Chronicles 21:1-2 2 Samuel 24:1-2 Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the people of Israel—from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north—and bring me a report so I may know how many there are.” Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him. 2 So the king said to Joab and the commanders[a] of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel—from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—so I may know how many people there are.” The two accounts are nearly identical, save for one glaring disparity: The Chronicler's version has Satan as David's instigator, while 2 Samuel names Yahweh, the God of Israel, as the provocateur. The Chronicler's account notes that David's act “was evil in the sight of God,' but this line is omitted in 2 Samuel. Both accounts have God posing three punishments before David, but David leaves the decision to the Lord. The Angel of Yahweh executes a plague on the land in both versions. The two accounts are contradictory. The options for resolution are all somewhat disconcerting. If we want to blame Satan, we must identify Yahweh as Satan. The reverse strategy requires that we identify Satan with the sovereign Yahweh. If Satan can somehow be removed from the picture, then we are faced with the fact that Yahweh incited David to do something, and then punished him for doing so. Is there any way out of this mess? The solution is surprisingly straightforward. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word satan (|OW) is not a proper personal name. This is because the definite

Welcome to Day 2446 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Sanctified Dirt – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2446 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2446 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the eighteenth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is, Sanctified Dirt. Elisha's healing of Naaman, the leper, commander of the army of the king of Syria, is a familiar story to many (2 Kgs 5:1-27). Naaman hears that Elisha, the prophet of Israel, can heal him, so he makes the trip. When the two meet, Elisha tells him rather dismissively that he needs to take a bath in the Jordan River. Naaman doesn't take this well and prepares to go home. At the behest of some servants, he consents to dip himself in the Jordan. The simple act miraculously heals him. The display of power, so transparently without sacrifice or incantation, awakens Naaman to the fact that Yahweh of Israel is the true God. Here's where the story usually ends in our telling, but that would result in the omission of one very odd detail—what Naaman asks to take back home. In 2 Kings 5:15-19, the elated Naaman returns to Elisha and begs him to take payment for healing him. Elisha repeatedly refuses. Finally, before embarking on a trip to Syria, Naaman makes a strange request: to load two mules with dirt to take back with him. Dirt? I can think of a few favors I would ask of a prophet in a receptive mood, but dirt certainly isn't one of them. The request is so odd that it's hard to avoid wondering if Naaman needed some other kind of therapy. Why would he ask for dirt? But Naaman was completely in his right mind. In 2 Kings 5:17, Naaman follows the request with an explanation: “From now on, I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord.” The dirt and Naaman's new allegiance to the God of Israel are related. Naaman was a man who had significant duties in his home country. He couldn't stay in Israel, but he could take Israel with him. Why would he want to? Naaman's unusual request stems from the ancient—and biblical— conception that the earth is the locale for a cosmic turf war. Naaman wanted dirt from Israel because Israel was Yahweh's territory. The dirt, which is Yahweh's domain, is holy ground. The idea of “holy ground” is an essential element of Israelite theology. This phrase is used when Moses is in the presence of the Angel of the Lord and the God of Israel at the burning bush (Exod 3:1-5) and when Joshua meets the Angel of the Lord...

Welcome to Day 2441 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Promise Undelivered? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2441 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2441 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the eighteenth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is, Promise Undelivered? When exposed to evil, we might doubt God's presence. Soldiers' accounts and memoirs often recall times of doubt as they grappled with war atrocity and, ultimately, the struggle between good and evil. While Scripture is clear that good will triumph, it also says evil will win its share of battles. Second Kings 3 records a war event where evil won. Yahweh Takes Sides Second Kings 3 describes the rebellion of Moab, led by its king, Mesha, against the monarch of the northern kingdom of Israel, King Jehoram (3:5). Like his father Ahab, Jehoram solicited King Jehoshaphat of Judah (the southern kingdom) for assistance against his enemy (3:7). They were joined by the king of Edom (3:9). The invasion route—“by way of the wilderness of Edom”—is critical to the storyline. Edom was the territory settled by the descendants of the red-haired Esau (Gen 25:25: 36:1, 8). “Edom,” a play on the word adorn (DIN, “red”), was epitomized by the reddish soil and rock of its wilderness. By taking a circuitous approach to Moab, the invading armies must cross desert terrain without water (3:9). Jehoshaphat called the wilderness wandering prophet Elisha for advice (3:11-12). After a testy response to Jehoshaphat's plea (3:13-14), Elisha received word from Yahweh: God would supply the armies with water (3:16-17). It would appear—without rain—in a streambed that was presently bone dry. Elisha had even better news: “This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also give the Moabites into your hand” (3:18). No Faith, No Gain When they arrived at the place of battle, the Moabite soldiers were fooled by the pools of water that appeared red against the ground and the sun's reflection (3:21-22). They assumed it was blood and that invading armies (often enemies themselves) had erupted in battle against each other (3:23). When the Moabites approached to strip and plunder the dead, they were ambushed by the invading armies. In desperation, the king of Moab committed a horrible...

Welcome to Day 2436 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – The Divine Arrow – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2436 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2436 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the seventeenth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is, The Divine Arrow. Few characters in the Bible are as maligned for their wickedness as King Ahab of Israel. While Ahab's predecessors “did evil in the sight of the Lord' Ahab had an agenda:  He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him. (1 Kgs 16:33). Ahab's rule includes Baal worship, forbidden foreign covenants (Syria) and foreign alliances (Jezebel), and the murder of Naboth. In 1 Kings 22, the prophet Micaiah warns Ahab of his impending fate. This isn't a run-of-the-mill prophecy. It's mixed with a vision of how God came to the final details of His decision: a divine boardroom discussion. Yes-Men and Yahweh's Man The 12 tribes of Israel had been split into two kingdoms for a century by the time Ahab took the throne (ca. 869 bc). Ahab ruled the northern kingdom (called Israel or Ephraim), which often fought with the southern kingdom, Judah. After peace reigned between Israel and Judah for three years (22:1), Ahab decided he wanted to capture the city of Ramoth in Gilead from the Arameans. He asked Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, for military assistance. Jehoshaphat agreed to the battle for political reasons, but he wanted assurance that God was in the endeavor (22:5). The 400 prophetic yes-men Ahab consulted endorsed the idea, but Jehoshaphat wanted another opinion (22:6, 11-12). Ahab agreed to summon Micaiah, the prophet of Yahweh, though he openly admitted to hating him (22:8). The real prophet of Yahweh never had anything positive to say about the ungodly Ahab and his rule. The Prophecy At first, Micaiah told Ahab that God loved the plan, but Ahab saw through his mockery. Apparently, this was not the first time: “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the Lord?” (22:16). Micaiah proceeded to tell Ahab he was about to meet his Maker, so chances are good he wanted Ahab to go through with the battle, knowing the end result. Rebuked by Ahab, Micaiah holds nothing back, revealing to Ahab and to us the inner workings of God's counsel:...

Welcome to Day 2431 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – When Giants Walked the Earth – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2431 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2431 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the sixteenth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is, When Giants Walked the Earth. If they haven't read it, most people have at least heard the story of David and Goliath of Gath (“the Gittite”). The names of the hero and villain have iconic status. But how many people know anything about the giant Goliath, other than that he lost his head to a boy named David from Israel? 2 Samuel 21:15-22 and 1 Chronicles 20:4-8 tell us that there were other unusually tall warriors among the Philistines.- The lists are not identical, but putting them together we read that there were four: Saph (also called Sippai), Lahmi, Ishbibenob, and an unnamed warrior. The descriptions are similar to those given by Goliath, noting “great stature” and the dimensions of their weaponry. Unlike Goliath or any other named warriors, the unnamed giant is said to have six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. This malformation, known as polydactylism, is only mentioned in the description of this giant. The Bible does not mention it when it discusses other giant clans. Wait a minute—giant clans? There are several people groups described as giants or among whom giants lived in the Old Testament:- There are the Anakim, who are descendants from the Nephilim mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4 (compare Num 13:33), and whom the people of Israel encountered under Moses, and later under Joshua (Num 13:22-33; Tosh 15:13-14). At one time, before the children of Israel traveled through the Transjordan, the land to the east of the Jordan River was heavily populated with tall people known as Emim (Deut 2:10-11) and the Zamzummim, also called the Zuzim (Deut 2:20). The Amorites, another group that stood in the way of Israel claiming the promised land, are described as being exceptionally tall (Amos 2:9- 10). Lastly, there were the Rephaim, which are mentioned nearly 20 times, most often in association with the conquest of the promised land, when Moses encountered King Og of Bashan, whose bed measured to 13 feet in length (Deut 2:11, 20-22: 3:11-13: Tosh 12:4:13:13). Goliath was Rephaim. He and the four giant warriors listed alongside him are descended from Rapha (non) in Gath (2 Sam 21:22: 1 Chr 20:8). If rapha is interpreted as a proper name, Rapha, then the...

Welcome to Day 2426 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Righting a Wrong – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2426 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2426 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the fifteenth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is, Righting a Wrong. The story of Jephthah and his tragic vow is paralleled by other stories— including a New Testament story that subverts it. The Story After the brief judgeship of Jair (a man from Gilead), the people of Israel fell into idolatry by worshiping foreign gods (Judg 10:6). God then allowed a foreign enemy to oppress the Israelites as punishment. This time, it was the Ammonites who lived on the other side of the Jordan in a place also known as Gilead. The people immediately called on God for deliverance. Ironically, God responded by calling Jephthah, another judge from Gilead. In Judges 11, Jephthah sends a message to the king of the Ammonites. He wonders why the king is not content with the land his god Chemosh had given the Ammonites. Jephthah's plea is flawed: Milkom was the chief deity of Ammon—not Chemosh. It won't be the last time he makes a theological blunder. When Jephthah leads Israel against Ammon, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him for battle. Just before the fight, he utters his horrible vow: 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you give me victory over the Ammonites, 31 I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” (11:30-31). Upon his victorious return, it is his only child, his daughter, who greets him. The Story Behind the Story The ancient Israelites believed that geographical areas and nations were under the dominion of other gods, put there by Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had rejected the nations as His people (Deut 4:19-20: 32:8-9). The Jephthah episode reflects that worldview. Judges 11:10-11 tells us that the Israelites worshiped other gods, including Milkom. Human sacrifices were made to Milkom. Through his own theological ignorance, Jephthah wound up performing a human sacrifice, per Ammonite Milkom worship, to fulfill his foolish vow to Yahweh. He had Yahweh in view, but his perspective on worship was warped. Remember, at this time, there was no king, no spiritual leadership, and no centralized system of worship. The Story Repurposed The tragedy of Jephthah is repurposed in the New Testament story of Jesus raising the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:40-56). The

Welcome to Day 2421 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – The Most Horrific Bible Story – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2421 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2421 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the fourteenth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is, The Most Horrific Bible Story. “In those days, there was no king in Israel.” This line, repeated throughout Judges, frames the horrific tale of the Levite and his concubine. The grim details of this story showcase the anarchy and spiritual decay of the period, but this story is not just a cheap thriller. When reading this story, our attention fixates on the grim details of murder, rape, war, and abduction. But there are crucial, less repugnant elements —tribal affiliations and the locations of events. The story was designed to prompt readers into favoring kingship—the people needed a Messiah, a savior. The book of Judges does not name its author; it was likely written after the time of David. All of these elements add up to not only a rationale for kingship—but a polemic for the superiority of a king from Judah (David), not Benjamin (Saul) or Ephraim. By the time Judges was being written, Saul had failed God as a spiritual leader. Anyone reading the story would be prompted to follow God's new choice of kingship, the line of David. Any other ruler would spell chaos, evil, and tragedy. The Events in the Story What Does This Teach Us? In Judges 19-20, a Levite is retrieving his fugitive concubine from her father's house in Bethlehem, located in the tribal territory of Judah. The Levite is shown warm hospitality in Judah, David's tribe. The concubine's father, who is from Judah, treats the Levite with warm hospitality. The Levite and his concubine travel home to Ephraim. On the way, he has the option to stay in the city of Jebus, a Benjamite territory. The Levite could have stopped in Jebus—which is later known as Jerusalem. It is a missed oasis in the hellish sea of Benjamin. He decides not to remain since Jebus is under the rule of Gentiles, non-Hebrews. He journeys on to Gibeah, also a The Benjamite rapists of Gibeah are clearly Benjamite territory. In Gibeah, an old man—also from Ephraim—offers...

Welcome to Day 2416 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Is My Bible Right? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2416 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2416 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirteenth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is, Is My Bible Right? After the great flood, everyone had one language. Humanity congregated in the region of Babylonia (“the land of Shinar”) and started building a tower that would reach into the heavens (Gen 11:1-9). God stopped the project by transforming the single language into many—dispersing humanity over the earth and creating the nations and regions listed in Genesis 10. Most people think it ends there, but there's more. The story picks up again in Deuteronomy 32:8-9. And the story changes, depending on what Bible version you use. When the Most High apportioned the nations as an inheritance, when he divided up humankind, he established the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.- Some Bibles may read “sons of Israel” instead of “sons of God.” The difference is due to an ancient manuscript disagreement with major theological ramifications. Deuteronomy 32:8 Masoretic Text Dead Sea Scrolls When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance When he divided humanity When he divided humanity He fixed the borders of the peoples He fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel according to the number of the sons of God Deuteronomy 32:43 Masoretic Text Dead Sea Scrolls [la] 0 nations, acclaim His people!

Welcome to Day 2411 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Love Potion: Number 5 – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2411 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2411 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twelfth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is, Love Potion: Number 5. When was the last time you heard a sermon on Numbers 5:11-31? One of the things I enjoy telling people in conversations about Bible study is that “if it's weird, it's important.” This passage certainly qualifies in both respects. The strangeness of the passage is easily detectable, but only careful Bible study makes its importance apparent. Numbers 5:11-31 describes a water ritual to determine the guilt or innocence of a woman suspected of adultery. A husband is to bring the wife under suspicion to the priest, along with a required grain offering that will “bring iniquity to remembrance.” The priest, in turn, prepares a jar of water mixed with dust from the Tabernacle (5:16-17). To this mixture is added the curses against her written “in a book” (5:23). Either the curses were written and erased, so that the erasures are swept into the water mixture, or the ink is washed off into the water mixture. The woman is compelled to drink the concoction after saying “Amen, Amen” in response to the priest's invocation of blessing or cursing upon her, depending on her innocence or guilt. If she is guilty, the ingested mixture will cause pain and sterility; if there is no such reaction, she is deemed innocent (5:27-31). Since the instructions in Numbers 5 were given by God (5:11), the water ordeal is a means of divination, whereby it is expected that God will use the ritual to answer a question human beings cannot. That the Israelites could use such divination comes as no surprise, as the high priest had the Urim and Thummim at his disposal, and various biblical characters utilize the casting of lots for discerning the mind of God on a matter (Josh 18:6-8: Prov 16:33: Acts 1:26). This passage provides a useful starting point for discussing why biblical characters were permitted to practice divination at all, when elsewhere such methods are condemned (e.g., Deut 18:9-14). But let's instead focus on one practical implication of this passage. Students of the Bible know that adultery was punishable by death in ancient Israel (Lev...

Welcome to Day 2406 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – There's a Devil in the Details – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2406 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2406 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the eleventh lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is, There's a Devil in the Details. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement described in Leviticus 16, is a central element of the Jewish faith, even though it is not practiced today as it was in ancient times. Although many Christians have heard of the day, most would be startled to learn that a sinister figure lurks in the shadows of Leviticus 16. The Day of Atonement ritual required a ram, a bull, and two goats (Lev 16:3- 5). The ram was for a burnt offering intended to please God (Lev 16:3-4). The bull, taken “from the herd,” served as a sin offering for Aaron, the high priest, and his family. In this case, the sin offering restored the priest to ritual purity, allowing him to occupy sacred space and be near God's presence. Curiously, two goats taken “from the congregation” were needed for the single sin offering for the people (Lev 16:5). Elsewhere, the sin offering involved only one animal (e.g., Lev 4:1-12). So why two goats? The high priest would cast lots over the two goats, with one chosen as a sacrifice “for the Lord” (Lev 16:8). The blood of that goat would purify the people. The second goat was not sacrificed or designated “for the Lord.” On the contrary, this goat—the one that symbolically carried the sins away from the camp of Israel into the wilderness—was “for Azazel” (Lev 16:8-10). The Hebrew term azazel occurs four times in Leviticus 16 but nowhere else in the Bible. Many translations prefer to translate the term as a phrase, “the goat that goes away/' which is the same idea conveyed in the King James Version's “scapegoat.” Other translations treat the word as a name: Azazel. The “scapegoat” option is possible, but since the phrase “for Azazel” parallels the phrase “for Yahweh” (“for the Lord”), the wording suggests that two divine figures are being contrasted by the two goats. A strong case can be made for translating the term as the name Azazel. Ancient Jewish texts show that Azazel was understood as a demonic figure associated with the wilderness.- The Mishnah (ca. ad 200; Yoma 6:6) records that the goat for Azazel was led to a cliff and pushed over, ensuring it would die and not return. This association of the wilderness with evil is also evident in the New Testament, as this was where Jesus met the devil (Matt 4:1). Also, in Leviticus 17:1-7 we learn...

Welcome to Day 2401 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Is There Really a Sin Offering? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2401 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2401 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the tenth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today, our lesson is, Is There Really a Sin Offering? Hebrews 10:4 asserts, For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, but Leviticus seems to tell a different story. Even casually reading the book, we notice that Israelites who bring proper sacrifices “shall be forgiven” (e.g., Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35: 5:10, 13, 16, 18). Have we reached an impasse? Rather than labeling this a contradiction, we might examine our own perceptions of Old Testament sacrifices—specifically, the sin offering. “Sin-offering” is a translation of the Hebrew term chatta' t, which has the basic meaning of “to miss the mark” or “to fall short.” In using a traditional, familiar rendering, many English Bible translations cause us to misunderstand this sacrifice. The Goal of the Sin Offering The label “sin offering” assumes that the goal of this sacrifice was forgiveness for moral failures or violations—sins as we think of them. Leviticus reveals this is not the case. The sin offering was used in cases where people suffered from a bodily discharge (Lev 15), at the dedication of a new altar (Lev 8), or when a Nazirite completes a vow of abstinence (Lev 12). The fundamental goal of the sin offering was ritual purification. It was designed to guard sacred space—territory sanctified by God's presence—from infection by impurity. By definition, every person or object “falls short” of divine perfection and must be ritually marked (set apart) as acceptable for holy ground. The sin offering—better rendered as a “purification offering”—was therefore applied to people and inanimate objects to mark them as acceptable before God. These people (and objects) were not unacceptable because they had done evil, but because they were imperfect—they “fell short” of the holy perfection that God's presence required. The ritual reinforced the idea of the complete otherness of God. Depending on the individual's status in the community—whether priest or commoner—the blood of the offering was either used outside or inside the sanctuary. The blood was brought inside the sanctuary when the sin