Here’s the thing with this book. We want to reach a lot of people with the gospel, right? Well there are some people (especially todays young people) that are interested in spirituality but really are looking in the wrong places. This kind of information could be a way in to talk to these people. Things like other realms and even paranormal things can really be explained in a way that makes them take the rest of the Bible more seriously. I don’t know, but when I prayed about ways to reach some people I know, I was led to Michael Heiser. And it’s really helped.
Are we ever going to talk about how my favorite TH-camr (you) disappeared for 18 months and has now suddenly reappeared with wider shoulders and a beard? Did you go on an epic quest?
I like the idea of you having been on an epic quest, as an elf warrior who carries a double bladed axe on his shoulder...(the red hair and beard, gives me a dwarf feeling, but you don't look abnormally short, so you must be an elf :p). but I realy like sci-fi fantasy stuff haha
My friend, it is so good to see that you're back making videos. Is there another place where we can follow? Instagram? Facebook? I find your takes insightful and very helpful. May the Lord continue to bless you my man!
Great summary. You don't know how many articles I've read that get the ideas entirely wrong and clearly haven't actually read the book. Especially the monotheism aspect. Unseen Realm changed the way I read the Bible.
I REALLY want this book and will order it today online. I've recently finished reading Revelation of the Unknowable God by Karen L. King. This book greatly inspired me as a Christian. It gave me an inkling, a sense of how different conceptually they viewed God and the spiritual ascent. I love this book. Maybe some day you can make a video about it? There's a lot in it that I still don't understand. I think maybe the author wrote it primarily for other scholars, but just broadened the marketting base to the general public without adding explanations for technical terms, footnote excerpts in German, French, etc., etc.. I would love to hear your perspective and feelings regarding this wonderful book which was one of the texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Thank you so much for this video!
I’m not familiar with the book “The Unknowable God” or it’s author, but the title disturbed me. Does the author really believe that we cannot KNOW God? I ask because of the following verse quoting Jesus in His High Priestly prayer to His Heavenly Father: John 17:3 (NIV) Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. There are other verses I could cite that speak of God’s Children KNOWING our Heavenly Father. How does the author believe we cannot KNOW God? I understand that He cannot be COMPREHENDED by mankind, but that is different.
Fyi, Regarding the audio. TH-cam uses a LUFS loudness calculation, when you add sound effects and the loudness doesn't match the voice loudness it can squash the voice. One way to fix this is to use a LUFS audio meter in your editor and then appropriately mix the audio levels. Another way is only ever use the voice channel and youtube will usually get it correct.
Sadly the obsessing is on every discovery point in case seasoned calvanist call the stage of discovery the cage stage as it turns one into a know it all that some suggest one enters no discussions at this stage, sadly this can escalate into what is called hyper calvinism where theological and biblical balance is lost.
Something the church needs to get over is thinking everything worth learning in the Bible or about the Bible needs to have application. Just my 2 cents.
I like your posts and follow you often for N.T. Wright reviews. I think one thing that you missed in this one is the point of the footnotes. You were very close to it when you started out stating his goal is to get you in the mindset of the biblical worldview of the ancient cultures. The point of the footnotes is not factoids, but pieces of the larger puzzle that completes the mosaic. The factoids help us read the Old Testament on context so that we get the pop culture references in the New Testament. I used to discount Dr. Heiser on theological issues too but often when listening a year or two later, I am forced to see the deeper wisdom that I initially missed.
I would like to see a resurrection of the writings of Nicholai Berdyaev 1874 - 1948. He was once regarded as one of the greatest Christian philosophers of the 20th century by some. I am still trying to work out why no one seems to have heard of him. He was called the philosopher of freedom and was accused by many more conservative theologians of being a gnostic and universalist which he denied. Whether he was a heretic or not I nevertheless still came to appreciate his courage in tackling the issues of theodicy in his own unique way. I was wondering if perhaps you could review his book, "The Destiny of Man".
Good job on the book review. Don’t agree with you about the distinction between believers who latched on to it and Heiser. That’s a natural reaction when a believer discovers something they were missing, and this (Heiser’s books/ministry) is a big one.
This review is a 6.9 out of 10 because there are some important facts left out. A more readable book, called Supernatural, was written because The Unseen Realm is a published thesis, and so it reads a little too dry or detailed. I read Supernatural and loved it. I would also mention that Heiser is a very prolific youtube lecturer with opinions that hit hard against Calvinist predestination, so Heiser's thoughts on many biblical doctrines are extremely important to his overall general contribution to biblical studies. Such that, Heiser's exegesis of Hebrews 6 on apostasy is so fresh and important that I would rank Heiser as one of the best preachers on the internet. Also, Heiser's other books are extremely timely, written on the back of Unseen Realm, it is recommended that if you liked it, you would also enjoy Reversing Hermon or any number of his other books. What I love about Heiser is that the criticism is that he is "too dry or too academic" which makes him MORE credible because he does not sensationalize the biblical text, the way Hal Lindsay did in the 1970's with similar popular apocalyptic material. Lastly, another standout point in Heiser's favor is that he does not obsess over apocalypticism and the Book of Revelation. We've all heard way too many crazy theories, and Heiser must have too, so he generally tries not to play in that sand box. Finally, I'm a little scared off by gemmatria, so when Heiser starts in on astral theology, the magi, and the alpha numeric stuff, my eyes glaze over because, as one teacher once told me, that is a rabbit hole that you will never reach the bottom of, so when I hear it, I think it's all crazy talk, but Heiser is very credible, so I wish it made more sense to me. The kabbalistic stuff in general seems a little too freemasonry'ish to me, like conspiracies and numbers and 666 multiplied by 3.14 and bla bla bla.
@@CalebSmith3 I cannot find fault with your book review, I just wanted to contextualize the book itself as a published thesis (and therefore a little dry), accompanied by his entire body of work (his outstanding exegesis in the theology of salvation and revelation where he tackles several straw men and sacred cows on the hard Calvinist evangelical right wing particularly Rom 9-11 and Hebrews 6; his work in apologetics (especially ancient aliens where he is the hired gun for the Biblical worldview on several TV programs) and his trajectory from being a student at a place like Bob Jones University all the way to his multiple MA's and PhD with a sizable bibliography in his wake. To me, he is filling a great space in the cross hairs and fault lines of several hot button issues that drive the church, kind of the way Ben Witherington III does on the Methodist wing where he touches on several biblical theology weak spots (dispensational speculation, eternal security, the hermeneutics of first century people in the area of free will (total depravity is not total inability), so the entire body of Heiser's work sort of color the impact and the quality of "Unseen Realm" - maybe I'm just being a fan boy because Heiser's works slapped me awake and made me sit up and start reading my Greek NT again after years of neglect to engage in spiritual warfare after I had been Bart Ehrmanized into an anti-apocalyptic mindset. Heiser sorted me out.
I agree with what you said about MH. But I dont understand your referring to kabbalah and if you are connecting it with MH's material. Are you aware he is teaching kabblah?
Amazing how many Christians miss the point that God is a spirit and the real realm is spiritual. We live in a floppy disc environment and heaven is the hard drive.
Do you have any thoughts on the idea that many of the early New P on Paul theologians didn't accept all Paul's letters? Also the idea that you said Sanders' goal was to destroy Justification viewpoint, you said you agree 80% or something with the book, but you are reformed?
I am a Reformed Baptist. I think if we lose the doctrine of justification by faith alone we lose the gospel. I guess I gave Sanders a high point of agreement because of all the points he makes about second temple Judaism, the details, not the big picture.
@@CalebSmith3 Do you have any scholars that you recommend that provide a balancing perspective? Thanks for the clarification because you seemed not in agreement with those who disagreed with his thesis. I also was wondering if you know if there are any New Perspective commentaries that explain their view of every verse?
@@TheFilipaze I known of NTW and have found his stuff interesting. I was asking about if he or similar people have a complete commentary on what Paul means so I can weigh their perspective
@@OnTheThirdDay I'm sorry but I don't think I know a book that covers every important verse. Wright wrote "Paul and the Faithfulness of God", I can imagine he goes into the NPP a lot but I'm not sure
Heiser's "divine council" theology is flawed because he twisted or otherwise distorted key passages, such as Psalm 82, Deuteronomy 32:8, 4:19, and others. Psalm 82 is about human judges, not alleged and speculative "divine beings," since we have no Scripture showing "divine beings" engaging in judging human activity as shown in verses 2-4. It's human judges who have been guilty of what verses 2-4 claim. I recommend reading the book "The Unbiblical Realm: Refuting the Divine Council of Michael Heiser’s Deuteronomy 32 Worldview" by Heath Henning. Those interested in videos on this topic can check out my series called "The UnBiblical Realm: Refuting Michael Heiser's Divine Council w/Heath Henning. Heiser used his liberal education and imported the "divine council" idea into his evangelical views, and has duped the evangelical world into accepting liberal theology cloaked in evangelical garb.
I only say this to help understand demons and angels, which Heiser has books on, a little more. Angels/watchers created Nephelim. Demons are disembodied Nephelim. Check out Logos Bible Software's TH-cam video called The Unseen Realm and here Heiser's explanations from his own mouth. Also pray for him, he is battling pancreatic cancer.
The Jewish word view of spirits (angels, demons) fits with Paul's powers and principalities language and with Christus Victor theories of the atonement. It is very in step with the Mesopotamian, Greek, Roman, Egyptian mythologies and religions. Tolkien's Silmarillion was very in line with these stories too, imaginatively: Eru and the Ainur are like God and the angels. My question, as a questioning Christian, is: how literally we are supposed to take the biblical mythos? You can have spiritual readings like the church fathers (allegorial, tropological; Origen et al.) and psychological readings like the Jungian Jordan Peterson. By principles, myths, metaphors, and similies the bible can tell us about ourselves and perhaps about God. But how directly and completely does the ancient judaism of the Tanak reflect the revealed nature of God and his creation? The two questions are: What is in bible? and In what sense (or to what extent) is it true? Heisler at least guides us in the first question. Anyone else thinking along these lines?
Those are good questions. It would be cool to believ in them, but as a modern person I do find it difficult. Cognitive science of religion has interesting theories on why religious ideas persist, and some models on why ppl believe in deities. This is the main reason why I'm still holding on belief in other spiritual entities as objectively real. On the other hand, I've listened to some interviews by exorcists and some odd things written by Dale Allison so that makes me lean another way.
@@CalebSmith3 It's perfectly understandable and clear but the sound quality is like you're talking to a webcam mic. It's a bit jarring but nothing major.
I think I used a different mic for this video and another one, and I got the same note, so I'll go back to using my good old dented blue yeti haha thanks for the heads up
The thing I really like about Heiser is that he is a Hebrew scholar. What you missed in the intro regarding why he wrote the book is his friend challe him to read Psalm 83 in Hebrew text. That’s what makes it Really interesting to me. I’ve heard his lectures and they are very interesting and I’ve really learned a lot from because he goes back to the original Hebrew words and what would have most likely be the relevant knowledge of the recipient’s of God’s words at that time period.
Ugh. My problem is that Michael Heiser is starting to feel like a crypto-Mormon. He claims that his talk of angels and humans being gods and divine multiplicity & councils is different from Mormonism because God is the only uncreated one, while Mormons believe all intelligent beings are uncreated and deny creation ex Nihilo. But then Heiser elsewhere claims that creation ex nihilo isn't biblical. I have seen at least one family become mormons influenced by his work. Regardless of his accuracy or intentions, I think he's doing more harm than good.
I submit that Heiser is flat out wrong. His whole approach is wrong and his conclusions are wrong. In his worldview, angelic beings (I used angels to refer to all supernatural beings) can "flip on a dime". How many supernatural rebellions have there been so far (according to his reckoning)? Four? Five? Perhaps more have rebelled since the birth of Christ. He may be a Bible scholar but the reasoning he gives for rejecting opposing views is not a scholar worthy effort.
What does Paul say it means? He says it is an allegory of the covenant with Abraham. The Jerusalem above is the church, the woman clothed with the righteousness of Christ. The church, founded on the promise of Abraham "thru your seed" by faith (Romans 4:3) and founded on the faith of Peter "upon this rock".
Positing that "elohim" means any being living in the unseen realm seems like a strange way of putting it, to me. Why not just say that "elohim" means spirit. A person is a centre of consciousness who thinks and feels and decides; a spirit is a person without a body; elohim is the hebrew word for spirt. God is spirit, "gods" of any kind, including angels and demons are spirits, the divine council are spirits, God is a spirit.
I can't shake the feeling that Heiser's approach to the spiritual realm is kind of shady. Im not saying he's wrong, Im saying his thesis COULD at certain point be misleading, getting us to focus on the ocult rather than the light. Isnt gematria part of the ocult? Isn't greek mythology still pagan beliefs? If The Bible spends just 39 verses on the topic I think its definitely not the focus of the book, like GOD doesn't want us to get stuck on that. I rather see the spritual realm as a complex topic that we should be aware of but thats out of our reach and understanding (and we should better leave it that way). Anyway, I hope the best for Heiser and his health. GOD bless him!
Maybe if it had always been part of the norm it works not be so fascinating. There are those who purposely avoid those subjects. All scripture is good. Not some. It is part of our journey to seek our the mysteries of God. For some people in the body of Christ, that is their function. The HS is the one that leads us to all truth, so if one is a true believer, you should not worry too much about these things. Just stay close to God and His word.
And the Trinity is not even in a single verse, yet we deem it utterly important. If it was though, wouldn't God be more clear about it? As you can see, this argument doesn't work about what is important. The spiritual permeates everything, and the Bible is written with it in mind. People had understanding of what principalities and powers meant. A few verses are enough to completely change the concept of something. Is the virgin birth important? In how many verses do we find it? Gematria isn't occult either, reckoning the number of the beast and all that.
I agree that there are people who read Heiser and start majoring on these 39 passages as if they have found another gospel. Heiser is like sugar in coffee, a little is good but too much ruins the drink.
Really good discussion. I am a Jehovah's Witness. It takes a bit of a faith leap, but it correlates with a lot of my personal studies. They're almost Jewish in their interpretation, and are really God-centric. Very few Jesus references. Strange view that there is no hell, 144 in actual heaven next to Jehovah and Jesus, and an earthly paradise where you see everyone you loved even if they weren't baptized or even offed themselves. Plus they are very nice people and never ask for money.
Keep up the good work! Eventually, you will find that the Hindu mythology, Pagan Mythology, Dao, and Abrahamic systems all correspond to the same elemental forces of the unified-verse.
I don’t know who Michael Heiser and his work……..however with your summary is truly mind blowing lay crazy………I honestly think that Mr. Heiser is not the Christian Leander like pastor Jeffry’s………..with that said, I think it is just too much for me to understand his work as literally like the Bible……I think his book is WEIRD. But I hope he us with God now with no pain.
Here’s the thing with this book. We want to reach a lot of people with the gospel, right? Well there are some people (especially todays young people) that are interested in spirituality but really are looking in the wrong places. This kind of information could be a way in to talk to these people. Things like other realms and even paranormal things can really be explained in a way that makes them take the rest of the Bible more seriously. I don’t know, but when I prayed about ways to reach some people I know, I was led to Michael Heiser. And it’s really helped.
My thoughts too. Many are attracted to the Revelation … this ‘unseen realm’ is equally attractive
The book is so good. I remember not wanting to finish it because it was fun reading it
I enjoy your videos. Thank for posting reviews again.
Thanks for watching!
Thrilled to see you making videos again!
Really appreciate your work! You are a gifted teacher - very clear and concise, without an ounce of dryness! :)
Great video, but the audio sound like it was taken from a tin can on a piece of string.
Great videos! I just started listening to them and find them super helpful, however, the sound quality is so distracting. 😢
Are we ever going to talk about how my favorite TH-camr (you) disappeared for 18 months and has now suddenly reappeared with wider shoulders and a beard? Did you go on an epic quest?
I too would like to know if you went on an epic quest.
@@coreymiller6581 I too would like to know
I like the idea of you having been on an epic quest, as an elf warrior who carries a double bladed axe on his shoulder...(the red hair and beard, gives me a dwarf feeling, but you don't look abnormally short, so you must be an elf :p). but I realy like sci-fi fantasy stuff haha
Accurate assessment, Great Job !!!...Thanks...cool to see someone who catches what Michael is throwing.
17:08 your thoughts are SO valid and insightful, glad you shared.
Excellent review and many great points. Thank you!
YOU'RE BACK!
YAY!
Glad to be back!
Excellent book review! Thanks for sharing
My friend, it is so good to see that you're back making videos. Is there another place where we can follow? Instagram? Facebook? I find your takes insightful and very helpful. May the Lord continue to bless you my man!
Great summary. You don't know how many articles I've read that get the ideas entirely wrong and clearly haven't actually read the book. Especially the monotheism aspect. Unseen Realm changed the way I read the Bible.
Great video, really interesting topic!
Thank you!
First. Intriguing review - I'll definitely order the book.
Definitely would love your thoughts on The Brothers Karamazov.
excellent summary. thank u
I care about your opinion. That’s why I listen to your podcasts.
Thanks for the summary. One of the many on my kindle backlog
Move it to the front, you won't regret it.
Oof the transition music wow.😭✨
Watched every ad
Thanks for these great videos Caleb! Really helpful. You mentioned your wife is with Lexham, Are you in the Bellingham, WA area?
RIP Michael Heiser.
haha, I love that, "... even the weird parts."
I REALLY want this book and will order it today online. I've recently finished reading Revelation of the Unknowable God by Karen L. King. This book greatly inspired me as a Christian. It gave me an inkling, a sense of how different conceptually they viewed God and the spiritual ascent. I love this book. Maybe some day you can make a video about it? There's a lot in it that I still don't understand. I think maybe the author wrote it primarily for other scholars, but just broadened the marketting base to the general public without adding explanations for technical terms, footnote excerpts in German, French, etc., etc.. I would love to hear your perspective and feelings regarding this wonderful book which was one of the texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Thank you so much for this video!
Isn’t the Revelation of the Unknowable about the Gnostic writings?
I’m not familiar with the book “The Unknowable God” or it’s author, but the title disturbed me. Does the author really believe that we cannot KNOW God? I ask because of the following verse quoting Jesus in His High Priestly prayer to His Heavenly Father:
John 17:3 (NIV) Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
There are other verses I could cite that speak of God’s Children KNOWING our Heavenly Father.
How does the author believe we cannot KNOW God? I understand that He cannot be COMPREHENDED by mankind, but that is different.
Fyi, Regarding the audio. TH-cam uses a LUFS loudness calculation, when you add sound effects and the loudness doesn't match the voice loudness it can squash the voice. One way to fix this is to use a LUFS audio meter in your editor and then appropriately mix the audio levels. Another way is only ever use the voice channel and youtube will usually get it correct.
Thanks! I will look for LUFS in my editor!
I have read the book. It has COMPLETLY changed my view on Bible- no in a umbilical way, but stories(especially in OT) make sense now.
Great book.
Sadly the obsessing is on every discovery point in case seasoned calvanist call the stage of discovery the cage stage as it turns one into a know it all that some suggest one enters no discussions at this stage, sadly this can escalate into what is called hyper calvinism where theological and biblical balance is lost.
I need to get this book. Also all of his other books. LOL
LOVE DR HEISER
Dr. Heiser is about to join the unseen realm. We should pray for him and his family.
Great basis for infant baptism.
Something the church needs to get over is thinking everything worth learning in the Bible or about the Bible needs to have application. Just my 2 cents.
My favourite one is “What Abraham can teach us about starting a business”.
I like your posts and follow you often for N.T. Wright reviews.
I think one thing that you missed in this one is the point of the footnotes. You were very close to it when you started out stating his goal is to get you in the mindset of the biblical worldview of the ancient cultures. The point of the footnotes is not factoids, but pieces of the larger puzzle that completes the mosaic. The factoids help us read the Old Testament on context so that we get the pop culture references in the New Testament. I used to discount Dr. Heiser on theological issues too but often when listening a year or two later, I am forced to see the deeper wisdom that I initially missed.
I would like to see a resurrection of the writings of Nicholai Berdyaev 1874 - 1948. He was once regarded as one of the greatest Christian philosophers of the 20th century by some. I am still trying to work out why no one seems to have heard of him. He was called the philosopher of freedom and was accused by many more conservative theologians of being a gnostic and universalist which he denied. Whether he was a heretic or not I nevertheless still came to appreciate his courage in tackling the issues of theodicy in his own unique way. I was wondering if perhaps you could review his book, "The Destiny of Man".
"Meaning of the Creative Act"
Hello, God Bless you. I was watching some videos in your channel. But I'd like to know if you are a calvinist cause' I think that.
Good job on the book review. Don’t agree with you about the distinction between believers who latched on to it and Heiser. That’s a natural reaction when a believer discovers something they were missing, and this (Heiser’s books/ministry) is a big one.
This review is a 6.9 out of 10 because there are some important facts left out. A more readable book, called Supernatural, was written because The Unseen Realm is a published thesis, and so it reads a little too dry or detailed. I read Supernatural and loved it. I would also mention that Heiser is a very prolific youtube lecturer with opinions that hit hard against Calvinist predestination, so Heiser's thoughts on many biblical doctrines are extremely important to his overall general contribution to biblical studies. Such that, Heiser's exegesis of Hebrews 6 on apostasy is so fresh and important that I would rank Heiser as one of the best preachers on the internet. Also, Heiser's other books are extremely timely, written on the back of Unseen Realm, it is recommended that if you liked it, you would also enjoy Reversing Hermon or any number of his other books. What I love about Heiser is that the criticism is that he is "too dry or too academic" which makes him MORE credible because he does not sensationalize the biblical text, the way Hal Lindsay did in the 1970's with similar popular apocalyptic material. Lastly, another standout point in Heiser's favor is that he does not obsess over apocalypticism and the Book of Revelation. We've all heard way too many crazy theories, and Heiser must have too, so he generally tries not to play in that sand box. Finally, I'm a little scared off by gemmatria, so when Heiser starts in on astral theology, the magi, and the alpha numeric stuff, my eyes glaze over because, as one teacher once told me, that is a rabbit hole that you will never reach the bottom of, so when I hear it, I think it's all crazy talk, but Heiser is very credible, so I wish it made more sense to me. The kabbalistic stuff in general seems a little too freemasonry'ish to me, like conspiracies and numbers and 666 multiplied by 3.14 and bla bla bla.
What are some of the important facts I should have included? (Asking in good faith to possibly make a part 2, not to defend myself or start a fight.)
@@CalebSmith3 I cannot find fault with your book review, I just wanted to contextualize the book itself as a published thesis (and therefore a little dry), accompanied by his entire body of work (his outstanding exegesis in the theology of salvation and revelation where he tackles several straw men and sacred cows on the hard Calvinist evangelical right wing particularly Rom 9-11 and Hebrews 6; his work in apologetics (especially ancient aliens where he is the hired gun for the Biblical worldview on several TV programs) and his trajectory from being a student at a place like Bob Jones University all the way to his multiple MA's and PhD with a sizable bibliography in his wake. To me, he is filling a great space in the cross hairs and fault lines of several hot button issues that drive the church, kind of the way Ben Witherington III does on the Methodist wing where he touches on several biblical theology weak spots (dispensational speculation, eternal security, the hermeneutics of first century people in the area of free will (total depravity is not total inability), so the entire body of Heiser's work sort of color the impact and the quality of "Unseen Realm" - maybe I'm just being a fan boy because Heiser's works slapped me awake and made me sit up and start reading my Greek NT again after years of neglect to engage in spiritual warfare after I had been Bart Ehrmanized into an anti-apocalyptic mindset. Heiser sorted me out.
I agree with what you said about MH. But I dont understand your referring to kabbalah and if you are connecting it with MH's material. Are you aware he is teaching kabblah?
Great summary...but... What is up with your crazy rating system?!?!
Amazing how many Christians miss the point that God is a spirit and the real realm is spiritual. We live in a floppy disc environment and heaven is the hard drive.
Do you have any thoughts on the idea that many of the early New P on Paul theologians didn't accept all Paul's letters?
Also the idea that you said Sanders' goal was to destroy Justification viewpoint, you said you agree 80% or something with the book, but you are reformed?
I am a Reformed Baptist. I think if we lose the doctrine of justification by faith alone we lose the gospel. I guess I gave Sanders a high point of agreement because of all the points he makes about second temple Judaism, the details, not the big picture.
@@CalebSmith3 Do you have any scholars that you recommend that provide a balancing perspective? Thanks for the clarification because you seemed not in agreement with those who disagreed with his thesis.
I also was wondering if you know if there are any New Perspective commentaries that explain their view of every verse?
@@OnTheThirdDay N. T. Wright is an anglican and holds to the NPP, but you probably know him right? If not, check out his podcast
@@TheFilipaze I known of NTW and have found his stuff interesting.
I was asking about if he or similar people have a complete commentary on what Paul means so I can weigh their perspective
@@OnTheThirdDay I'm sorry but I don't think I know a book that covers every important verse. Wright wrote "Paul and the Faithfulness of God", I can imagine he goes into the NPP a lot but I'm not sure
Please do Kingdom Prologue!
On the list!
Heiser's "divine council" theology is flawed because he twisted or otherwise distorted key passages, such as Psalm 82, Deuteronomy 32:8, 4:19, and others. Psalm 82 is about human judges, not alleged and speculative "divine beings," since we have no Scripture showing "divine beings" engaging in judging human activity as shown in verses 2-4. It's human judges who have been guilty of what verses 2-4 claim.
I recommend reading the book "The Unbiblical Realm: Refuting the Divine Council of Michael Heiser’s Deuteronomy 32 Worldview" by Heath Henning.
Those interested in videos on this topic can check out my series called "The UnBiblical Realm: Refuting Michael Heiser's Divine Council w/Heath Henning.
Heiser used his liberal education and imported the "divine council" idea into his evangelical views, and has duped the evangelical world into accepting liberal theology cloaked in evangelical garb.
I only say this to help understand demons and angels, which Heiser has books on, a little more. Angels/watchers created Nephelim. Demons are disembodied Nephelim. Check out Logos Bible Software's TH-cam video called The Unseen Realm and here Heiser's explanations from his own mouth. Also pray for him, he is battling pancreatic cancer.
The Nephilim were the offspring of fallen angels and humans. Demons were the spirits of the Nephilim that died. Especially in the flood.
Excellent. Thanks. See parable of Blindmen and Elephant. Buddhist.
If he's dry I never noticed because I only care about content, content, content!
The Jewish word view of spirits (angels, demons) fits with Paul's powers and principalities language and with Christus Victor theories of the atonement. It is very in step with the Mesopotamian, Greek, Roman, Egyptian mythologies and religions. Tolkien's Silmarillion was very in line with these stories too, imaginatively: Eru and the Ainur are like God and the angels.
My question, as a questioning Christian, is: how literally we are supposed to take the biblical mythos? You can have spiritual readings like the church fathers (allegorial, tropological; Origen et al.) and psychological readings like the Jungian Jordan Peterson. By principles, myths, metaphors, and similies the bible can tell us about ourselves and perhaps about God. But how directly and completely does the ancient judaism of the Tanak reflect the revealed nature of God and his creation?
The two questions are: What is in bible? and In what sense (or to what extent) is it true? Heisler at least guides us in the first question.
Anyone else thinking along these lines?
Those are good questions. It would be cool to believ in them, but as a modern person I do find it difficult. Cognitive science of religion has interesting theories on why religious ideas persist, and some models on why ppl believe in deities. This is the main reason why I'm still holding on belief in other spiritual entities as objectively real.
On the other hand, I've listened to some interviews by exorcists and some odd things written by Dale Allison so that makes me lean another way.
@@davidadamovic1950 I've read some of Allison's book on the resurrection. Which book of his were you referring to?
@@js1817 his latest one on the resurrection. And I've read his The Njght Comes
There's something wrong with the audio.
Hmmm, It sounds good on my end? I can try reuploading if other people say they have a problem too.
@@CalebSmith3 It's perfectly understandable and clear but the sound quality is like you're talking to a webcam mic. It's a bit jarring but nothing major.
I think I used a different mic for this video and another one, and I got the same note, so I'll go back to using my good old dented blue yeti haha thanks for the heads up
@@CalebSmith3 Happy to help!
The thing I really like about Heiser is that he is a Hebrew scholar. What you missed in the intro regarding why he wrote the book is his friend challe him to read Psalm 83 in Hebrew text. That’s what makes it Really interesting to me. I’ve heard his lectures and they are very interesting and I’ve really learned a lot from because he goes back to the original Hebrew words and what would have most likely be the relevant knowledge of the recipient’s of God’s words at that time period.
Ugh. My problem is that Michael Heiser is starting to feel like a crypto-Mormon.
He claims that his talk of angels and humans being gods and divine multiplicity & councils is different from Mormonism because God is the only uncreated one, while Mormons believe all intelligent beings are uncreated and deny creation ex Nihilo. But then Heiser elsewhere claims that creation ex nihilo isn't biblical. I have seen at least one family become mormons influenced by his work. Regardless of his accuracy or intentions, I think he's doing more harm than good.
I submit that Heiser is flat out wrong. His whole approach is wrong and his conclusions are wrong. In his worldview, angelic beings (I used angels to refer to all supernatural beings) can "flip on a dime". How many supernatural rebellions have there been so far (according to his reckoning)? Four? Five? Perhaps more have rebelled since the birth of Christ. He may be a Bible scholar but the reasoning he gives for rejecting opposing views is not a scholar worthy effort.
Now explain what Gal 4:26 means: "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all"
What does Paul say it means? He says it is an allegory of the covenant with Abraham. The Jerusalem above is the church, the woman clothed with the righteousness of Christ. The church, founded on the promise of Abraham "thru your seed" by faith (Romans 4:3) and founded on the faith of Peter "upon this rock".
Not much of a Heiser person, but would love for you to read Dr. John Walton's Demons and Spirits!!!
I love the lost world series, can't wait to get to demons and spirits!
Positing that "elohim" means any being living in the unseen realm seems like a strange way of putting it, to me. Why not just say that "elohim" means spirit. A person is a centre of consciousness who thinks and feels and decides; a spirit is a person without a body; elohim is the hebrew word for spirt. God is spirit, "gods" of any kind, including angels and demons are spirits, the divine council are spirits, God is a spirit.
Very good content in this video, but the audio is terrible, too distracting. Get a new mic, and keep on doing your great work!
I can't shake the feeling that Heiser's approach to the spiritual realm is kind of shady. Im not saying he's wrong, Im saying his thesis COULD at certain point be misleading, getting us to focus on the ocult rather than the light. Isnt gematria part of the ocult? Isn't greek mythology still pagan beliefs? If The Bible spends just 39 verses on the topic I think its definitely not the focus of the book, like GOD doesn't want us to get stuck on that. I rather see the spritual realm as a complex topic that we should be aware of but thats out of our reach and understanding (and we should better leave it that way). Anyway, I hope the best for Heiser and his health.
GOD bless him!
Maybe if it had always been part of the norm it works not be so fascinating. There are those who purposely avoid those subjects. All scripture is good. Not some. It is part of our journey to seek our the mysteries of God. For some people in the body of Christ, that is their function. The HS is the one that leads us to all truth, so if one is a true believer, you should not worry too much about these things. Just stay close to God and His word.
And the Trinity is not even in a single verse, yet we deem it utterly important. If it was though, wouldn't God be more clear about it?
As you can see, this argument doesn't work about what is important. The spiritual permeates everything, and the Bible is written with it in mind. People had understanding of what principalities and powers meant. A few verses are enough to completely change the concept of something. Is the virgin birth important? In how many verses do we find it?
Gematria isn't occult either, reckoning the number of the beast and all that.
I agree that there are people who read Heiser and start majoring on these 39 passages as if they have found another gospel. Heiser is like sugar in coffee, a little is good but too much ruins the drink.
Really good discussion. I am a Jehovah's Witness. It takes a bit of a faith leap, but it correlates with a lot of my personal studies. They're almost Jewish in their interpretation, and are really God-centric. Very few Jesus references. Strange view that there is no hell, 144 in actual heaven next to Jehovah and Jesus, and an earthly paradise where you see everyone you loved even if they weren't baptized or even offed themselves. Plus they are very nice people and never ask for money.
"They're almost Jewish in their interpretation...". Who does that "they" refer to? Jehovah's Witnesses? Why don't you say "we"?
@@js1817 I'm not baptized
Jehovah's witness changed Scripture to fit there Theology shame shame
Keep up the good work! Eventually, you will find that the Hindu mythology, Pagan Mythology, Dao, and Abrahamic systems all correspond to the same elemental forces of the unified-verse.
I don’t know who Michael Heiser and his work……..however with your summary is truly mind blowing lay crazy………I honestly think that Mr. Heiser is not the Christian Leander like pastor Jeffry’s………..with that said, I think it is just too much for me to understand his work as literally like the Bible……I think his book is WEIRD.
But I hope he us with God now with no pain.
Sorry but any book that purports ancient or special knowledge is just modern day Gnosticism. This book is very suspect.
Elohim means God.