The Naked Bible Podcast

Hollywood Heroes with Frank Turek Millions of people around the world are captivated by fantasy and superhero films. What explains their popularity? According to our guest, apologist Frank Turek, it’s because we long for “another world” that we were really made for, and we are enchanted by someone who will bring us there—someone who will fight evil and transport us safely to a world where there is no pain, suffering, or struggle.  In this episode of the podcast we meet Frank Turek and get introduced to both his ministry (CrossExamined.org) and his latest book, co-authored with his son Zach, entitled Hollywood Heroes: How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God. Join us for some worthwhile apologetics discussion! Coupon code Heiser52722 is good for 20% off Hollywood Heroes: How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God

Dr. Heiser answers your questions. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Dr. Heiser answers your questions. The World Turned Upside Down - Mike's book will be $5 (free shipping) through the end of June. The coupon code is STRANGER5 or the discount is applied automatically if you click the link. The book and video bundle will be $10 (no discount code needed). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Dr. Heiser answers your questions. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Dr. Heiser answers your questions. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Dr. Heiser answers your questions. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

The Queen of Heaven with Dr. Peter Goeman The “queen of heaven” is an enigmatic deity figure that appears in Scripture in a handful of verses (Jer 7:18; 44:17-19, 25). Who was the queen of heaven to whom the people of Judah were offering idolatrous sacrifice? What can be known of her? Can she be identified with a named ancient Near Eastern goddess? This episode of the podcast entertains these and other questions with our guest, Dr. Peter Goeman.

In the preceding episodes, we’ve seen how Paul reconfigures Old Testament faith, faithfulness, Torah keeping, and Israel’s election in light of the work of Jesus and his own encounter with the risen Christ. In this final episode of our series on Paul’s use of the Old Testament in Romans, we look at how Paul’s reconfiguring of these doctrinal elements factors into Romans 12-16, the epistle’s section on practical Christian living. Paul’s theological outlook does indeed influence how he articulates what life in the believing Jew-Gentile community of Jesus followers should look like.

In the preceding episodes, we’ve seen how Paul reconfigures Old Testament faith, faithfulness, and Torah keeping in light of  the work of Jesus and his own encounter with the risen Christ. In this episode we look at how Paul recontextualized Israel’s election in light of Christ as the risen messiah. Specifically, we’ll look at Paul’s use of Hosea in Romans 9, and how Paul sees Hosea’s words describing God’s election of Israel as including Gentiles, thus reconfiguring the concept of election.

In the preceding episode, we saw how Israel’s elective vocation was reconfigured by Paul to focus on the work of Christ and the resurrection. The focus was Romans 1-3 and how Paul understands faith/faithfulness and Torah keeping. In this episode the template of the faithfulness of Jesus, the faith of the individual believer, and the matter of works (specifically circumcision) are articulated by Paul using the story of Abraham in Romans 4. Again, Paul contextualizes the Old Testament in light of the work of Jesus and his own encounter with the risen Christ.

To this point in our series on Paul’s use of the Old Testament we’ve focused on Paul’s “storied reading” of the Old Testament—specifically, how the Old Testament profile of messiah emerges. In the last episode we talked about how Malachi sets up Romans in terms of Israel’s covenant failure and the expectation of a divine messiah. In this episode we look at how the theme of Israel’s elective vocation is reconfigured by Paul to focus on the work of Christ and the resurrection. In Romans 1-3, this will take the form of how Paul understands faith/faithfulness and Torah keeping.

The book of Malachi closes our English Old Testament. Because of its position and status as one of the “minor prophets,” this book is one of the more neglected in the Bible. What possible relevance could it have for the messianic profile discussed in preceding episodes of this series? How does it relate to Paul? Surprisingly, Malachi is the perfect set up for what Paul does with the Old Testament in his writings. Listen to find out how!

Like the previous episode, this discussion with Dr. Matt Halstead takes us to Daniel 9, a passage that uses mashiach (“anointed one”) twice, as well as the verb mashach (“to anoint”). The passage has historical fulfilment roots in the second century B.C., but also is referenced later by Jesus as something awaiting fulfillment.  In this episode we consider what Daniel 9’s contribution to the messianic profile we’ve been building in this series.

In the previous episodes with Dr. Matt Halsted, we discussed how trying to articulate the Old Testament’s messiah merely by appeal to passages that contain that word (Hebrew, mashiach) was fundamentally misguided. To this point, we’ve explored reading the Bible as story, understanding prophecy as “act, then re-enactment,” and a series of motifs that provide us with elements of a messianic resume (Davidic dynasty language, sonship, the seed/offspring, “branch” language, and servanthood themes from Isaiah). In this episode we turn to Daniel 7 to introduce another resume element—the “son of man” language intimately associated with ruling the nations in the divine council scene of that chapter.

In the previous episodes with Dr. Matt Halsted, we discussed how trying to articulate the Old Testament’s messiah merely by appeal to passages that contain that word (Hebrew, mashiach) was fundamentally misguided. In the previous episode with Dr. Halsted, we took a look at the merging of “messiah language” (various story elements and motifs) with “David language” (motifs about his dynasty and catch phrases like “branch” and “servant”). This episode continues that discussion with specific concentration on the Servant of Isaiah.

In the previous episodes with Dr. Matt Halsted, we discussed how trying to articulate the Old Testament’s messiah merely by appeal to passages that contain that word (Hebrew, mashiach) was fundamentally misguided. What was needed, we concluded, was a “storied approach” to the Old Testament. We begin that journey in episode 413. In this episode, we take a look at the merging of “messiah language” (various story elements and motifs) with “David language” (motifs about his dynasty and catch phrases like “branch” and “servant”).

In the previous episode with Dr. Matt Halsted, we discussed how trying to articulate the Old Testament’s messiah merely by appeal to passages that contain that word (Hebrew, mashiach) was fundamentally misguided. What was needed, we concluded, was a “storied approach” to the Old Testament. We begin that journey in this episode, considering not only why it is important to approach the Old Testament as a story (as opposed to a textbook or reference work), but how doing so reveals important motifs along the way. These story elements provide a framework for understanding the Old Testament salvation plan of God through a human being, one who was also the son of God, who only later would be called “messiah” in a handful of passages. The motifs, it turns out, are far more important than that single term.

Many Bible students would be shocked by the fact that many scholars, including a number in evangelical ranks, believe the New Testament portrayal of Jesus as Messiah is basically foreign, or goes creatively beyond, what the Old Testament says about Messiah (Hebrew: mashiach). In this episode, Dr. Heiser and Dr. Matt Halsted chat about the problem of building a messianic profile on just the word mashiach. Though problematic, this strategy is at the heart of the notion that the Old Testament messiah-talk does not align with the New Testament Jesus.

Many Bible students are unaware of the controversy surrounding how Paul (and other New Testament writers) cite the Old Testament. This is not only a question of taking the time to notice how Paul’s citations alter Old Testament verses, but also because of how we are conditioned to think about hermeneutics, the science and art of biblical interpretation. In this episode, the first of a series on the subject with guest scholar Dr. Matt Halsted, we survey why the issue is important and the sorts of controversies to which it leads.

Dr. Heiser answers your questions. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Dr. Heiser answers your questions. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Jesus and the Old Testament with Chad Bird Naked Bible Podcast listeners are familiar with concepts like Hebrew word studies and the centrality of Christ in the biblical storyline. Two recent tools for the layperson in both these areas have recently emerged to help Bible students begin working in both areas for personal Bible study. Both have been produced by our guest on today’s episode, Chad Bird, who podcasts and teaches regularly on biblical studies, particularly the Old Testament. Join us as we discuss Chad’s two books, Unveiling Mercy: 365 Daily Devotions Based on Insights from Old Testament Hebrew and The Christ Key: Unlocking the Centrality of Christ in the Old Testament. (use code NAKEDBIBLE25 or click link and it's auto-applied to all 1517. products)

Exodus Old and New with L. Michael Morales Listeners to the podcast are no strangers to the book of Exodus. Our series on that book of the Torah took almost a year. In this episode of the podcast we welcome Old Testament scholar Dr. L. Michael Morales to the podcast to revisit the exodus event in biblical-theological history. Rather than looking at the exodus in granular detail, this time we’re taking a wide-angle perspective, toward how the content of that Old Testament book informs the way the work of Jesus is described in the new testament as a new exodus—a new deliverance from spiritual bondage—complete with a new and better Moses. Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption (IVP Academic, 2020) use code NBPOD21 for 40% off online and through customer service, with free U.S. shipping (offer expires 2/8/22).

The podcast brings the year to a close with a special guest and resource for listeners, and with a look to the future of the podcast. Join us as we chat with Johnna McKinnon about Live In Context, a small group content resource that focuses on the supernatural worldview of the Bible Dr. Heiser writes about in many of this books. In addition, find out what’s next on the podcast in 2022. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE NOW: Who Is Like You, among the Gods?: A Prayer Digest Based on the Original Biblical Languages John's Use of the Old Testament in the Book of Revelation: Notes from the Naked Bible Podcast

Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

HAPPY 400TH!! Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL

Miracles Today with Dr. Craig Keener Do the sorts of miracles we read about in the book of Acts and the New Testament epistles happen today? Is there any reliable source material for documenting such miracles? Why does it seem miracles happen less in the modern world than earlier eras? Does the culture have something to do with it? Or are miracles today an unreasonable expectation? In this episode of the podcast we talk with the scholar who has devoted more time and attention to miracles than any other in this or the past century, Dr. Craig Keener. More specifically, the focus of our discussion is Dr. Keener’s new book, Miracles Today: The Supernatural Work of God in the Modern World (Baker Academic, 2021). (click link to save 30%) Note: all the profit from the sales of Dr. Keener’s book go to missionary entities.

Beginner Guides to New Testament Studies with Dr. Nijay Gupta For those who love to study Scripture, it is easy to discern rather quickly that to really move into in-depth Bible study takes serious tools and some mentoring. How does one go about choosing the best tools for Bible study? What are the most significant debates among scholars who spend their whole lives studying Scripture? Why do those debates exist? What are the interpretive sides and rationales adopted by scholars? In this episode of the podcast, we talk with Dr. Nijay Gupta to gain some understanding on the New Testament side of biblical studies. Specifically, Dr. Gupta has produced important resources for evaluating New Testament commentaries and for getting up to speed on the controversies that rage in the study of the New Testament.  Books under discussion: Gupta, Nijay K. The New Testament Commentary Guide: A Brief Handbook for Students and Pastors. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020. (click the link for a discount on both digital and print or enter NTGUPTA manually at checkout. Expires November 30th, 2021) Gupta, Nijay K. A Beginner’s Guide to New Testament Studies: Understanding Key Debates. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2020. (click link to save 30%)

Revelation 21-22 is John’s climactic vision of the new Jerusalem and new earth. In Part 1 we looked at how Israelites thought about the concept of “temple” and how that concept led John to conflate the expectation of a new temple and see fulfillment of that expectation in a city (the new Jerusalem) and restoration of the cosmos in a new Eden. In this episode we walk through Rev 21-22 with an eye toward discerning specific Old Testament contexts behind the content of a range of items in these chapters.

Revelation 21-22 is John’s climactic vision of the new Jerusalem and new earth. Not unexpectedly, there are deep Old Testament roots underlying his vision. But it is often a surprise to note that John specifically informs us that his end of days vision about the new, forever presence of God on earth does not include a new temple (Rev 21:22). What do we make of this absence give the Old Testament expectation of a new temple after the exile of Israel has been completed? This episode focuses on the broad Old Testament context of Rev 21-22 by examining Israelite “temple consciousness” before and during the exile. How did Israelites think about the concept of “temple”? How does that help us see what John is trying to communicate?

The New Perspective on Paul, with Dr. Kent Yinger The “new perspective on Paul” (NPP) has been one of the most talked-about and debated topics within New Testament studies for the last forty years. But while the topic title is familiar to many, identifying what the NPP is (and is not) presents more of challenge to Bible students. In this episode, Dr. Kent Yinger, the author of a well-written and accessible introduction to the NPP, helps us navigate what NPP is, why it’s important, and how it brings questions about Paul’s view of the Law, Judaism, and Christ into sharper focus. Book: Kent L. Yinger, The New Perspective on Paul: An Introduction. Cascade Books, 2011. Article mentioned: Thielman, Frank. “Law.” Edited by Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993. 

Since the time of the Protestant Reformation, interpreters of Paul’s writings have struggled to resolve the tension of the apostle’s statements that we are saved by grace solely through faith (Eph 2:8-9) and also “to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life” (Rom 2:7). If we do not receive eternal life, Paul asserts “there will be wrath and fury” (Rom 2:8). How are these ideas to be resolved? Is Paul self-contradictory or confused? We investigate these questions, especially the idea of the righteous and unrighteous being judged “according to deeds” in Paul’s theology, with Dr. Kent Yinger, whose dissertation (later published by Cambridge University Press) focused on the problem. Kent Yinger. Paul, Judaism and Judgement According to Deeds. SNTS 105; Cambridge 1999

In the previous episode (Rev 19, Part 2) we looked at how John’s use of the Old Testament, especially Ezekiel 38-39, more or less proves that Revelation 16-20 cannot be read as a linear sequence of events, but as a series of cycles that describe the same series of events leading to the return of Jesus and the destruction of the Beast. In this episode we explore one major difficult for this approach: If, as this approach validates, the “kingdom” and “thousand year” language used in the book actually refer to the present Church Age, how is it that Satan can be said to be “bound” and imprisoned during the present Church Age. This seems absurd and some answers to the question are weak. Listen as we propose a different explanation, one that dovetails beautifully with the Deuteronomy 32 worldview articulated in Dr. Heiser’s The Unseen Realm and Demons books.

Is the battle of Armageddon in Rev 19:11-21 unique in the book of Revelation—or is it alluded to elsewhere? Of what importance is that question to how we read Revelation 16-20? Armageddon, as John tells us, is “in the Hebrew tongue” Har-Magedon (Rev 16:16). We learned in Part 1 of Revelation 19 (and in Dr. Heiser’s book, The Unseen Realm) that this term refers not to Megiddo, but to a final apocalyptic conflict for and at Zion/Jerusalem. In this episode we look at how John uses Ezekiel 38-39 (Gog / Magog conflict) in particular for his description of this end times battle—for events both prior to, and following, the second coming of Christ. How does this make sense? Listen to the discussion!

The major focus of Rev 19:1-10 is the marriage supper of the Lamb (vv. 6-10). This meal, a celebration of the victory over the Beast and his followers, is the climax of an ancient Old Testament motif: the “meal with God” or communal meal in God’s house where the Lord is present with his people. Old Testament examples include Genesis 18; Exod 24:9-11, while New Testament instance run from the feeding of the 5,000, the Last Supper, and celebration of the Lord’s Table. The marriage supper of the Lamb is the final eschatological, messianic banquet, an event that includes believers from every tribe and nation.

Revelation 17-18 overlaps a good deal with elements in preceding chapters, most notably 13-16. In those earlier chapters readers were introduced to the Beast, the symbolic representation of anti-Eden chaos drawn from Daniel 7; Babylon as a metaphor for that system and cipher for the present enemy of John’s day, the Roman Empire; and the judgment of the nations—unbelievers who have aligned themselves with the Beast and Babylon against the true God and his people. Chapters 17-18 continues these themes utilizing other imagery and language from the Old Testament. Collectively, chapters 13-18 lead to the confrontation at Armageddon (har-mageddon), the mount of Yahweh’s council assembly, between the returning Christ, Yahweh incarnate and risen, and the Beast (Rev 19). In this episode we explore John’s use of the Old Testament and specific themes related to Psalm 82 and the Day of the Lord judgment of the fallen gods of the Deuteronomy 32 worldview, the Babel rebellion, in setting up this climactic confrontation.

Revelation 15 and 16 deal with the seven bowl judgments meted out against all those who follow the Beast. The passage contains several images drawn from the Old Testament that telegraph the victory of Jesus and the Father over the Beast and the chaos system of Babylon. This episode explores those systems and the connections between the bowls and other Old Testament chaos enemies. The effect of the judgments is to cleanse the earth of chaos, preparing it to once again be sacred space to be re- occupied by its rightful Lord, the returned Christ.

Dr. Michael F. Bird is a well-known New Testament scholar and theologian from Brisbane, Australia. After serving in the military as a paratrooper, he completed his PhD at the University of Queensland. Dr. Bird is currently the Academic Dean and Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College in Australia. in 2013. Dr. Bird has written or edited many books in the areas of New Testament and Christian theology, several of them aimed specifically for lay Christians. Among these are How God Became Jesus (a response to Bart Ehrman’s How Jesus Became God), What Christians Ought to Believe: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine Through the Apostles’ Creed, and Jesus the Eternal Son: Answering Adoptionist Christology. In today’s episode we chat with Dr. Bird about two of his books: Evangelical Theology and Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible.

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Messiah Son of Joseph with Dr. David Mitchell Christians know Jesus as the messianic son of David. The fact that the messiah is referred to by other titles and terms (e.g., Servant, Branch, Root) is also well known. But there is one title or trajectory about the Jewish messiah that is relatively unknown, save to a handful of rabbinic teachers who intentionally do not want attention paid to it. That trajectory is the Messiah son of Joseph. In this episode we discuss this topic with Dr. David Mitchell, perhaps the solitary scholar who has brought all the relevant ancient “Josephite Messiah” material together into one book. Dr. Mitchell writes extensively of how Jewish sources such as the Talmud speak of a figure called Messiah ben Joseph, who comes forth from Galilee to die, pierced by his enemies at the gate of Jerusalem, whose death confounds Satan, atones for sin, and abolishes death itself. Books David C. Mitchell, Messiah ben Joseph (Campbell Publications, 2016) David C. Mitchell, Jesus: The Incarnation of the Word (Campbell Publications, 2021) David Mitchell homepage

The Psalms and Eschatology with Dr. David Mitchell Many Bible readers have wondered, and perhaps suspected, that there is a logic to the ordering of the Psalter, the Book of Psalms. Surely the material cannot be random. In this episode of the podcast we discuss this topic with Dr. David C. Mitchell. Our conversations serves to introduce listeners to Dr. Mitchell’s scholarly work that argues that the Psalter is arranged to tell the story of a “once and future” king of Israel, opposition to that king (and his people) by the nations, the death of that king, the king’s subsequent rise in victory over the nations, the redemption of Israel, and the re-gathering of the nations to worship Yahweh on Zion at the Feast of Tabernacles. Book: David C. Mitchell, The message of the Psalter: an eschatological programme in the Book of Psalms. JSOTSup 252; Sheffield Academic Press, 1997; now republished (self-published and available on Amazon) David Mitchell homepage

Revelation 14 looks back at the 144,000 (see episodes 372, 373), the sealed counterparts to those who bear the name and mark of the Beast (Rev 13). The chapter includes messages from various angels who initiate the judgment of the wicked nations and their gods at the Day of the Lord. In this episode we discuss the Old Testament imagery used to describe this judgment, including the Fall of “Babylon,” the winepress of God’s wrath, and the harvest of the earth with the sickle.

Revelation 13 is known as the chapter about the Beast whose number is 666. However, the chapter actually describes two beasts. There are several Old Testament passages from which the descriptions of these beasts may derive. While people are familiar with the number 666, and that this number is also the name of the Beast (antichrist). The idea of “bearing the name” has a secure Old Testament context, one that largely goes unnoticed in the theorizing about the number of the Beast.

The imagery of Revelation 12 is familiar to many Bible readers. A woman with twelve stars around her head gives birth to the messiah child, after which that child is caught up to God and his throne, the response to which by Satan (the Dragon) is a spiritual war. The astronomical elements of the vision were addressed earlier on this podcast in Episode 138. In this episode, we focus on the relationship of various images, metaphors, and numbers to Revelation 11 along with the Old Testament contexts for all of those elements. Who is the woman? How should we understand the numbers? How does this relate to the persecution of believers described earlier in Revelation? How will these events play out?

Revelation 11 is well known for two major items: the two witnesses and the reference to the temple court. Both are controversial. Who are the two witnesses? Are they individual people? Old Testament prophets who did not die (Enoch, Elijah)? Are they symbolic? Does the temple reference in Rev 11:1 mean the temple was still standing when Revelation was written, thereby suggesting the book’s events were fulfilled in or by 70 A.D.? What are the meaning of the numbers John uses (1,260 days, 42 months), and how do those numbers relate to similar or identical language in the book of Daniel? How did Jews of Jesus’s day understand all these items? In this episode of the podcast, we work through Revelation 11 to contextualize the content in light of the Old Testament and Second Temple Judaism.

Dr. Heiser answers your questions. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL