Episodes
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We all know we have a soul. That our bodies may die, but we all have an eternal soul that will live on forever and ever.
All human beings have a soul. This is something that sets us apart from plants, animals and people who skip the theme song when theyāre watching The Office.
And then the Bible also speaks sometimes of each of us having a spirit, and we think of that similarly to the soul. Itās that ghostly, non-physical part of us that only exists in the spiritual realm. We use the terms āsoulā and āspiritā pretty interchangeably, as if theyāre synonyms.
But then when youāre reading
I Thessalonians 5:23, Paul says
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wait a minute: spirit and soul and body? You mean Iām not just a body and soul; Iām a body, soul and spirit? I always thought the spirit and the soul were the same thing, so why is I Thessalonians 5:23 talking about them as two different things?
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to Romans 8, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
1:30 - Definition of the Spirit
10:10 - The Spiritās Work Inside of Us
15:20 - The Spirit is a Point of Connection Between You and God
18:00 - Next Time and Closing Thoughts
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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One of the most puzzling verses in the whole Bible is
Malachi 1:3, where God says
āJacob I have loved;But Esau I have hatedā
If that doesnāt make you do a double-take while youāre reading your Bible, Iām not sure what will.
Again, thatās God speaking. Itās written by Malachi, but itās a quote from God. The same God who will be telling us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us just a handful of pages later. The same God who says feed and clothe your enemies. The same God who gave us the story of the Good Samaritan, right here, is declaring His hatred for Esau.
Who had his problems, but really wasnāt such a terrible guy in my opinion. Especially not compared to his sniveling trickster brother, Jacob.
Now, some Christians swallow Malachi 1:3 without a second thought. They say, āIf God hates Esau, then God hates him. Esau must have deserved it.ā And while I appreciate their willingness to accept whatever the Bible says at face value, I gotta admit, Iāve struggled with this one.
I mean, Iāve done episodes on Scriptureās talking donkeys and demon-human hybrids, and I donāt even blush at those passages. But Esau I have hated- THATāS the one where I have some hang-ups.
I find it to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to Malachi 1, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
3:00 - Letās Make it Worse
7:40 - Should you āhateā your mother and father?
13:25 - The Chosen
19:00 - Mailbag
22:50 - Closing Thoughts
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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Episodes manquant?
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Imagine sitting on a hill, wondering about your life, when suddenly the heavens open, and you see creatures so otherworldly they defy description. Four faces on each of their heads, gleaming metal, fire, and a throne surrounded by lightning. Thatās where Ezekielās story beginsāand where weāre headed today.
The prophet Ezekiel sees something that very very few people in the Bible ever saw: a vision of God on His throne. In the very first chapter of the book, God appears before Ezekiel, attended to by these spiritual beings known as the cherubim. There are four of them, and each of the creatures has four faces. It says in
Ezekiel 1:10
As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle.
So Ezekiel gets off to a pretty strange start. Like I said, thatās just the first chapter. And right off the bat, Ezekiel sees something that even almost no other prophet gets to see. And not only that, he gets to see it again. Ezekiel has another experience of God and the cherubim in
Ezekiel 10:14
And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
So, thereās a slight difference there between the description of the cherubim in chapter 1 vs the description in chapter 10. In chapter 1, one of the faces was described as an ox. In chapter 10, it was called the face of a cherub.
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to know why it changes from one chapter to the next. And along the way of exploring this question, weāll actually discover the answer to another one: What does Satan look like?
Itās probably not a question youāve ever dwelt on too long. You probably think Iām pretty weird for even asking it. But this is not a podcast for people who like talking about normal stuff in the Bible. This is a podcast for people who like to learn about weird stuff in the Bible.
So if thatās what youāre here for, turn to Ezekiel 1, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
3:40 - Ezekiel 1 vs Ezekiel 10
14:00 - The Face of Satan
21:20 - Next Time & Closing Thoughts
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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This is a re-airing of a popular interview I did earlier this year with a man who has an amazing story of deliverance. He shares some of the story here, and gives some helpful advice for if you would come up in a similar situation in your own life.
Find Bill's book right here: https://www.amazon.com/Day-Satan-Called-Encounter-Possession/dp/0892968982/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
The Day Satan Called: A True Encounter with Demon Possession and Exorcism. Available in paperback and on Kindle.If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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Most Christians are regularly outwitted by Satan, and most Christians have no idea about his schemes- his devices- his designs.
We like to blame Satan for a lot of problems in life. The degradation of society, the strife in our families, the flat tire I got last Tuesday, whatever happened to Marvel after Endgameā¦
And I think itās a fair question to ask: what the heck is this guyās problem? Whatās his deal? How does he expect to possibly defeat God? Whatās his master plan?
I find Satan to be weird, and Iād like to understand what heās doing throughout the Bible.
Turn to Genesis 3, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
2:50 - Genesis 3-4
6:50 - Genesis 5-6
11:00 - Genesis 12
15:00 - II Samuel 7
21:30 - Closing Thoughts
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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I received a thought-provoking message from one of our listeners this week: Alana writes in:
I find it interesting in Acts 14 when the crowd claim that Paul and Barnabas are Zeus and Hermes that Paul and Barnabas do not deny that Zeus and Hermes exist. That Paul and Barnabas simply point out that they are only mortal men.
Now, thereās a couple ways you could read Paulās deflection in this story, which weāll study through in a moment. This took place in Lystra, where there was a temple of Zeus worship, and it ends with sacrifices being offered to him.
One way to read Paulās comment is that heās just ignoring Zeus as an irrelevant idol. Another way to read it is that Zeus is real. That despite the idols and temple of Zeus being meaningless structures, perhaps there is a spiritual entity behind them.
In fact, I Corinthians 10 even tells us that sacrifices to idols are offered to demons.
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to Acts 14, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
2:20 - The Context in Acts 14
8:00 - The Identity of Zeus
18:15 - Next Time and Mailbag
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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Where do demons like to hang out?
You know, other than the DMV, the Grammy Awards, or in that sauce they put in Chipotle wraps.
Where would you go- or perhaps a better way to say it, where should you avoid- if you want to stay away from demons?
Well if you asked the writers of the Bible, they had an idea about where demons liked to congregate. I mean, certainly you can find a demon just about anywhere. But what locations of the earth were considered the domain of demons?
Jesus made a strange (almost off-handed) comment in
Matthew 12:43, where He said:
When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
So what did Jesus mean about demons- AKA unclean spirits- who go through dry, waterless places when they are cast out of a human?
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to Matthew 12, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
2:45 - The Context
4:45 - Unholy Ground
10:00 - Kingdom Authority
18:20 - Next Time and Closing Thoughts
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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Naaman the Syrian had it going on. A great job, a great reputation, all the money he needed- oh, and he had leprosy.
In those days, this was a death sentence.
In those days, a great job, a powerful position, favor with kings, all the money in the world, none of it meant anything if you had leprosy- because if you had leprosy, you were gonna die.
Desperate for an answer, Naaman travels to the land of Israel to meet with a certain miracle-worker named the prophet Elisha. But then, in one of the most amazing stories in the Bible, Naaman is totally cleansed and allowed to return home to Syria. Heās getting a second chance at life. And all he asks for after that are a couple of jars to take home some dirt with him.
Wait, what? Dirt?
I mean, weāve all been souvenir shopping when we went somewhere special, or when we wanted to take a memory home with us. But why did Naaman request to take some dirt home with him?
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to II Kings 5, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Iāve Got a Jar of Dirt
10:22 - Holy Dirt
15:45 - Mailbag and Next Time
17:10 - Closing Thoughts
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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Todayās lesson is too important to wait.
And I almost didnāt do it. Because these verses that weāre studying today are going to come up again in the book of Enoch, and Iām planning on starting a book of Enoch series here on the podcast early next year. And so you might hear some of this information repeated again in a few months, and I almost didnāt create todayās lesson so that I wouldnāt be repetitive.
But itās just way too important not to tell you this today, because it has the potential to revolutionize your prayer life. And it gives us some very practical application to this series of episodes weāve been doing about spiritual warfare and demons for the past few months.
I mean, why spend all this time learning about the capabilities of spiritual beings like demons if we donāt also learn about the capabilities we have as Christians to stop them?
So in Matthew 16, Jesus informs His followers about the spiritual authority that we have.
He says In verse 19
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
But this terminology has not shown up in the Bible before, so what in the world does it mean?
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to Matthew 16, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Intro
2:20 - The Declaration of Who Jesus Is
6:50 - Wrong Theories About Binding and Loosing
9:45 - The Right Theory on Binding and Loosing
14:35 - How to Land on the Right Theory
16:45 - Change How You Pray
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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There is a parable which I believe is not technically a parable- I believe itās a true story- called The Rich Man and Lazarus. Jesus tells this story in Luke 16. And thereās a lot of strange things you could point out about this story, but what always sticks out to me is where Lazarus goes when he dies in this story.
Luke 16:22
So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abrahamās bosom.
And as you read the story, you find that a rich man died and went to a fiery place of torment called hades, but the beggar named Lazarus went to a better place called Abrahamās Bosom.
Now, weāve all heard of going to heaven and hell when we die. And I donāt believe in purgatory. But what is Abrahamās Bosom?
And Iāll do you one better, where is Abrahamās Bosom?
And Iāll do you one better, why is Abrahamās Bosom in the Bible?
Weāll answer all these questions today, because I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to Isaiah 14, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Intro
1:10 - Sheol
7:00 - Abrahamās Bosom
11:00 - Luke 16, The Rich Man and Lazarus
18:00 - Closing Thoughts
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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The devil really really doesnāt want you to listen to todayās episode. Because this is going to blow the door wide open on one of Satanās schemes that he uses to try and make us ineffective as Christians. But, Iāll also tell you how to overcome it.
Last year, one of my pastor friends who was preaching through the book of Daniel and came across the strange story in chapter 10. And he commented that he didnāt know how he was going to teach it.
And I was like, āwhat you do mean, how youāre going to teach it? You just teach it. You read what it says and make sure everyone understand it.ā
But I understand what he meant. Daniel 10 is weird. It deals with something we donāt hear about a lot in the spiritual realm.
But just because we donāt hear about it doesnāt mean it doesnāt happen every day. Itās a weird thing to us, but a totally normal thing in the spirit.
In Daniel 10, it says that demons and fallen angels actually have a way to stop our prayers. That God can even hear our prayers, send an answer, and that Satan can stop it before the answer comes to us. Believe it or not, thatās something that devils can interfere with.
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to Daniel 10, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Intro
1:30 - Daniel 10, Wrestling with Angels
6:00 - The Prince of Persia
8:25 - Demons Can Disrupt Our Prayers
11:00 - Mailbag
13:25 - Keep Praying and Donāt Give Up
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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It was a dark and moonless night when King Saul, cloaked in fear and despair, wandered the desolate wilderness of Mount Gilboa. His once-mighty heart had grown heavy, for the Lord had turned silentāno dreams, no prophets, no answers. His enemies, the Philistines, loomed at his doorstep, and without divine guidance, Saul felt utterly forsaken.
Desperation drove the king to a forbidden path, one he had condemned in years past. He had ordered all the mediums and spiritists to be cast out of Israel, for the Lord forbade such practices. But now, Saul himself sought a mediumāa woman who dwelled in the shadowed village of En Dor ā known to whisper with the dead.
Did you know the Bible has a ghost story? Saul visits a woman known as a medium or a necromancer. A practice forbidden in Old Testament law, and still to this day. In fact, in the Old Testament, doing this resulted in the death penalty.
You might say, ānow ghosts arenāt real. Once you die, you go to heaven or hell. You canāt drop back in and grab a cup of coffee with the living.ā
And yet, as youāll hear in a few minutes, Saulās plan seems to work, and the ghost of a long-dead prophet is brought up from the grave.
Or is it all a demonic trick?
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to I Samuel 28, and letās get weird.
0:00 - The Ghost of En Dor
5:45 - Real or Fake?
9:30 - Was it Actually Saul? Or a Demon?
18:30 - Vote
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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Iāve been doing this podcast for about a year now and I canāt believe I havenāt done an episode about this yet.
Today, weāre going to be talking about territorial spirits. And that phrase refers to the fact that spirits are assigned to certain sectors of the earth.
Many Bible-readers arenāt aware of this little tidbit about how the spiritual realm works, and you may question whether this is in the Bible.
In fact, itās ALL THROUGH the Bible. We just encountered one place last week when we were studying the demoniac of Mark 5. This was the guy who had a āLegionā of demons within him, and Jesus ends up casting the demons into the pigs.
Whatās really strange, though, is a request from the demons not to be sent out of that territory. This was a spiritually dark place known as the Gadarenes- or some translations may say the Gerasenes.
Mark 5:10 said
And he [and this is the demon-possessed man] begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
In other words, the demoniac begged Jesus earnestly not to send the demons out of the country.
Why were the demons so intent on staying within this location?
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to Genesis 11, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
1:45 - The Deuteronomy 32 Worldview
10:00 - The Rest of the Bible
13:00 - Next Time and Mailbag
14:44 - Closing Thoughts
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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Weāre going to continue our foray into demonology today, and weāll wrap up this story of Jesus and the demoniac of Mark 5.
If youāre not familiar with this story, itās the guy who lived among the tombs and could break chains with his bare hands.
This is the guy who said āI am Legion, for we are many.ā There were potentially thousands of demons within this man.
And this is the story that ends with Jesus sending those demons out of the man and into a herd of pigs. Who then promptly run off a cliff into a lake a drown themselves.
But itās super strange to me that He grants their request. Jesus doesnāt work for a radio station. Why is He taking requests? And of all people to grant a request, why does He do it with these demons?
And what about the poor pig farmer who lost his whole livelihood that day? And did anyone call PETA to lodge a complaint about this Jewish exorcist who was wrecking the GDP of the Gadarenes?
Thereās a lot of questions that come up in this story, and Iāll answer as many of them as I can today on this episode.
Turn to Mark 5, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
1:45 - The Context
5:35 - Where did the pigs come from?
9:20 - Entering the Pigs
17:30 - Next Time and Mailbag
20:20 - Creating a Witness
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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It was the week before Halloween in the fall of 1988 when Bill Scott picked up the phone at his job at a Christian radio station and his life was never the same.
What follows is a story of demonic possession, deliverance, and a long list of what to do and what NOT to do when standing up to the powers of darkness.
Iāve been doing a series on the abilities of demons here on this podcast. Bill joins me today to share his story with my listeners here. Itās going to add some insight and depth to your understanding of spiritual warfare. But let me warn you: parts of his interview will rock your world, get a little scary, and a lot weird.
So if youāre ready, letās get weird.
Find Bill's book right here: https://www.amazon.com/Day-Satan-Called-Encounter-Possession/dp/0892968982/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
The Day Satan Called: A True Encounter with Demon Possession and Exorcism. Available in paperback and on Kindle.If you want to get in touch with me (Luke Taylor), my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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Welcome back to Demonology class.
I didnāt have this class in the school of ministry that I attended for three years.
Iāve never heard of a Bible college offering a class in exorcism.
Iāve never heard of a seminary giving a degree in demonology.
And yet, when Jesus gave His disciples a job to do, He said to preach the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. Now, I donāt know about you, but most of those things are not a part of my weekly walk with God.
I learned about preaching the Kingdom. That other stuff just kinda comes up once in a while. And even though we read about demons being cast out on almost every page of the four Gospels, most Christians have never studied how it works.
And if you do talk about it too much, you get branded a weirdo.
But is it weird for a Christian to do the stuff the Bible talks about? Or is it more weird if we donāt?
Turn to Mark 5, and letās get normal.
0:00 - Introduction
1:20 - Schizophrenic Behavior
4:25 - Demons Know Jesus
6:40 - Demons Have a Day of Judgment
12:35 - Finding Out a Demonās Name
19:00 - A Demon of Cigarettes?
27:00 - Next
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
If youāre intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. Iām so glad youāre here- donāt forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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I remember being a younger Christian and sharing a meal with a couple of older pastors, who got to talking about a Bible story of demon possession. It may have been the one weāre in today, actually.
And one of them just mentioned, quite offhandedly, that of course, demon-possessed people in the Bible were actually just dealing with sickness and mental issues. And the other quickly agreed.
And I was like, a teenager at the time, and these were two longtime pastors, older men- I think they were Lutherans- so I didnāt say anything. I figured I must have misunderstood them, I didnāt want to look like an idiot, so I kept my mouth shut.
But I had been raised Pentecostal. And I had no idea back then that some Christians didnāt really believe in the existence of demons. That they had alternative interpretations of all these passages where demons manifest, possess people, speak to Jesus or the apostles, inflict physical problems and sickness on people- and I had no idea that some Christians denied what the Bible clearly taught about evil spiritual beings.
So Iām not going to let you remain ignorant today. The Bible says that demons are real, and theyāre capable of doing things in the physical world, and the things they can doā¦are weird.
And Iād like to explore what the Bible has to say about them.
Turn to Mark 5, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
1:40 - The Study of Demons
6:25 - The Powers of Demons (Super-Strength)
12:15 - Surrounded by Death
20:45 - Next Time
24:00 - Mailbag
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
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I said it on the first episode of this podcast: if youāre a modern Christian living in a westernized country, youāre weird. Youāre living in a very weird time and weird place in human history.
Because we are taught to accept rational, scientific explanations for things. Weāre told that if you canāt find it in a test tube or with a telescope or see it with your own two eyes, then it probably doesnāt exist.
Most people, and perhaps even most western Christians, have absolutely no concept of a spiritual battle taking place around them at all times. No awareness of angels and demons.
Most Christians might be aware that yeah, there are spiritual forces that exist; but they never really think about them outside of church. Once Monday morning hits, most Christians often give no more thought to the spiritual realm than your average atheist.
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore what the Bible has to say about spiritual reality.
Turn to II Kings 6, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
1:30 - Behind-the-Scenes Code
4:00 - Elisha and Gehazi
8:15 - Your Eyes Can Deceive You
13:00 - Gehaziās Eyes Opened
20:30 - Next Time
22:45 - All Around Elisha
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
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The Bible has some hard commandments in it. āDo everything without worrying or complaining.ā āForgive 70x7 times.ā āBe content in all circumstances.ā āThou shalt not covet thy neighborās wifi.ā āThou shalt not boil a young goat in its motherās milk.ā
Iām sure Iām not the only person out there who struggles with these.
OK, maybe that last one was kind of a joke. That actually is in the Bible, and itās a weird thing in the Bible, but thatās not the weird thing I want to focus on today. Maybe weāll circle back to it in a future episode.
No, the thing I want to focus on today, and perhaps a harder instruction than all those others, is a command found in
I Timothy 2:1-2
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
Wait a minute, what? Weāre supposed to pray for our leaders? That wouldnāt include presidents I donāt like, would it?
Well, it says āfor kings and all who are in high positions.ā
So perhaps presidents, then. But not the bad presidents, right? Not the evil and wicked rulers who sometimes get into power over us? God surely couldnāt be telling us to pray for THEM, right?
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to II Kings 6, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
2:00 - Ben-Hadad and Elisha
5:55 - Who Was Jehoram?
7:55 - Supplications and Prayers for Leaders
12:15 - Intercessions
16:25 - Thanksgiving
20:20 - Mailbag
22:45 - Closing Thoughts
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
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The raising of Lazarus. The 10 Plagues in Egypt. Walking on Water. Feeding the 5,000.
There are lots of miracle in the stories that are pretty well-known, even by non-Christians. Most of them are done by Jesus, but Moses and Elijah have their fair share as well.
But thereās a miracle in II Kings 6 thatās just a bit harder to categorize. Itās not nearly as dramatic as other miracles; it doesnāt solve a problem that seems nearly as dire as something like parting the Red Sea to save all the Israelites. And it can leave us scratching our heads wondering what itās even doing in the Bible.
II kings 6:5-7 has this story of some men chopping down trees by a river
5 But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, āAlas, my master! It was borrowed.ā 6 Then the man of God said, āWhere did it fall?ā When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. 7 And he said, āTake it up.ā So he reached out his hand and took it.
So a man is distressed that he broke an ax, so Elisha throws a stick in the water, which makes the iron ax head float back up to the surface. A miracle, sureā¦but kind of mundane compared to the rest.
In fact, another element of this story Iād like to study today is that Elisha is only given a limited amount of miracles to do, and this is how he chooses to use one of them.
I find this to be weird, and Iād like to explore why itās in the Bible.
Turn to II Kings 6, and letās get weird.
0:00 - Introduction
2:00 - A Double Anointing
5:25 - A Wasted Anointing?
7:25 - The Context
12:20 - So What Does it Mean?
14:45 - Next Time
16:45 - The God of Everything
If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]
Hosted by Luke Taylor
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