The New Testament’s rejection of earning God’s favor by works and its emphasis on salvation by grace through faith (e.g., Eph 2:8–9; Gal 2:16; Rom 4:1–12) has led many people to presume that the Old Testament teaches that people could merit...
Christians are often taught to interpret the Bible literally, which can lead to some pretty interesting questions like, “Did Yahweh Father Cain?” I wrote about the problems that can come out of overemphasizing literal interpretation, but...
There’s no shortage of advice on how to interpret the Bible. One maxim that I’ve already mentioned advises, “When the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense.” I’ve heard it quoted when it comes to biblical prophecy—encouraging people to...
How should we think about Marxism and Biblical Theology? Does the New Testament support Marxism? *** I’m a biblical scholar by training, but what most people don’t realize is that I’m also a political junkie. My undergraduate degree is actually in...
Even if you haven’t watched it, you have probably heard of Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things. Below Dr. Heiser discusses whether it’s possible to see the gospel in Stranger Things. *** The show has been growing in popularity and viewership...
The seventh chapter of my book The World Turned Upside Down marks the transition of Stranger Things from season one to season two. Basically, chapter seven takes us from before Eleven’s sacrifice to after Eleven’s sacrifice. The initial episode of...
If you’ve been a Christian for very long or were raised in a Christian church, chances are that you’ve heard that the Bible is really all about Jesus. That cliché has some truth to it, but it’s misleading. The truth is that there’s a lot in the...
I mentioned in an earlier post that I’m exposed to more than my fair share of interpretive incoherence because I’m known on the Internet for my paranormal fiction and for blogging on strange things people believe about the Bible and the ancient...
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...
Some of the most startling things in the Bible are hidden in plain sight. Galatians 3:7 is a case in point. Amid the predictable focus on law, grace, and the gospel, Paul blindsides us: “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles...
This is a guest post by Lindsay John Kennedy. Although many popular misconceptions exist, the Bible tells us quite a bit about angels. It may not answer all our questions, but what it says, it says clearly. In this post, we draw from Michael...
What the Bible really says about angels is often overlooked or filtered through popular myths. Whatever you think you know about angels, there’s a good chance it’s wrong. But why does that matter? Is a more accurate understanding of God’s heavenly...
What are angels? If you think angels look like diapered babies with a bow and arrow, think again. Michael S. Heiser’s new book, Angels, seeks to provide biblical answers for common questions about God’s heavenly host. He addresses topics including...
One of the things I enjoy telling people in conversations about Bible study is that “if it’s weird, it’s important.” Numbers 5:11–31 certainly qualifies in both respects. The strangeness of the passage is easily detectable, but only careful Bible...
Dr. Michael Heiser’s newest book, Supernatural, was released last week and the reviews are flowing in. People are raving about the astounding insights and the accessibility of the writing. Supernatural is a book that will challenge the way you think...
Thousands of readers have already recovered the supernatural worldview of the Bible by reading The Unseen Realm by Dr. Michael Heiser. New connections across Scripture have been revealed as our understanding of the supernatural realm grows. Scholars...
We’ve compiled a list of 2014’s top 50 best-selling Logos resources so you can see which ones are favorites among Logos users! These resources cover topics like theology and New Testament studies, and they range from large collections to single...
The Bible is the foundational text for all Christians. We read it, study it, and hear sermons on it, but many Christians don’t think about how we got it. We take for granted the 66 books—39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New—that make up our...