The first and primary parallel flood accounts to Genesis are the flood stories from Mesopotamia. Seeing how close these stories are to the narrative in Genesis will give us plenty to discuss in the future, and this will also help us investigate the question of the "many" flood accounts of the ancient world. Reading the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Atr…

The more I study the Bible, the more I come back to the same question: Who is God, and what does the Bible tell us about Him? Looking at the flood narrative from the common paradigm and flipping it on its head to include a more expansive view of our relationship to God and what he wants for us. Troy Yurchak brings us a delightful symmetry of the fl…

How does the structure of Genesis 1 work as a chiasm, and what does that mean for our view of liturgy--what it is and why we do it? Troy Yurchak joins me for this great discussion that unexpectedly combines literary design with liturgy and discipleship! **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot T…

It's time to discuss two important things: the flood, and note-taking. Broad points about the flood are brought up, and then we do a deep dive into my method of note-taking and why you should do it, too. **Blog post with pictures of my notes! https://www.genesismarksthespot.com/blog/note-taking/ My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSp…

Is Genesis 1 poetry? A look at biblical poetry and elements of metaphor, ending on the question of what it means to be "blotted out." **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis Marks the Spot on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genesismarksthespot Genesis Marks the Spot on Instagram: htt…

Apologies to Bishop Ussher, but it is impossible to calculate the age of the earth using biblical statistics. I don't care if you are a young earth creationist or an old earth creationist or somewhere in between or nowhere else, but the Bible's genealogies cannot be used in scientific calculations. Hitting also a bit of information of the history o…

Death before the fall? It began when Eve decided and they both ate...or did it? It might not be that simple. Plus, in studying, you must have learned that man is mortal, but what about animals? If they weren't immortal, then how could creation have been a paradise? Why do we suddenly get "permission" to eat meat after the flood of all places? (Hint…

BONUS questions this week: is Jesus Yahweh and what is the filioque? Because I had some extra time on my hands after not finishing last week's episode properly, those seemed some fun additions to the conversation. Talking about the divine economy before digging into the pronunciation of the name YHWH, when it stopped being pronounced, what does it …

A survey on the names, titles, and designations of God in the Old Testament. What do they mean? What do they reveal about the character and nature of God? In particular, why is God called The Fear of Isaac? **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis Marks the Spot on Facebook: https://www.…

Genesis 3, the Passover, the exile, and Jesus. How do these relate to the wilderness, Babylon, Assyria, and why one always goes "down" to Egypt? Each of us can relate to the theme of exile in some way, and yet the prevalence of this concept might escape us when we read our Bibles. Understanding exile can help us understand Jesus and our lives today…

Part two of the conversation from episode 70, we discuss the theodicies that Job's friends provide, the idea of Job as a member of the divine council, the structure of the book of Job, and a caution about structuring Scripture without a full knowledge of the language originally used. Also, some information about what I'm up to beyond this podcast a…

If Job is a second Adam, then the satan in Job must be the serpent from the Garden, right? In our previous conversation about Job as a second Adam, we didn't get into nearly enough talk about the satan reflecting or being the serpent from the garden, after all. Is it an I-told-you-so moment?? Exploring that further in this episode, we come to some …

Comparing translations of passages that touch on the Divine Council Worldview. Why do some Bible translations have "sons of God" in Deut. 32:8 and others have "sons of Israel"? Can humans be elohim? What's with the "so-called gods" in 1 Cor. 8:5? **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis …

We hear it, and it's true: we are made to be kings on the earth, and then we lost our dominion, exiled from our true home. But there is hope in our Messianic King who sets all to right! But being reconciled to our true home is not all there is to the concept of exile. Reviewing biblical theology books on exile, talking about the Deuteronomistic his…

A conversation with Dr. Lois Tverberg about reading the Bible in Jesus' Jewish context: haftara, the importance of the prophetic literature, and the theme of kingship in the Bible. **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Links from Dr. Tverberg's blogs: Can We Call Jesus Rabbi?: https://ourrabb…

Continuing a conversation about Job with Mike Chu about the message of the book of Job, its application to us, and vindication in speaking to God honestly. **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis Marks the Spot on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genesismarksthespot Genesis Marks the …

Job as a second Adam and other fascinating things like the dating of Job's trials, what's up with "the fear of the Lord," and a new look at the satan in Job; you won't want to miss this conversation with Mike Chu! **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Sermon series on Job: https://granitecity…

What is "the sin offering"? What does it do? Why don't we see it in Genesis? What does it mean for the work of Jesus? Spencer Owen joins me for a discussion about this oft-misunderstood offering. **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis Marks the Spot on Facebook: https://www.facebook.co…

Bible translations: why do we have so many of them and how do we vet them for our use? One of the newest translations out there is the LSB, the Legacy Standard Bible. Both John MacArthur and Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis (and the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum) say that the LSB is the "best" translation currently available. How does this transla…

The main theme and story of the Hebrew Bible, seen in the order of the Tanakh, gives us an even clearer picture than do individual prophecies of who the Messiah is and of his mission. This isn't to discount Messianic prophecy, but themes, patterns, and narrative arcs all point to Jesus, and guess what? It all begins in Genesis and flows through the…

The Bible is a book made up of many books. Each individual book of the Bible has its own context and meaning and purpose, but the Bible also has a unified story and meaning. We can't simply tear the text into pieces because that ruins the whole picture. And the way that the books are ordered in the canon affects the way that we read the Bible as a …

Who causes sickness, Satan or God? And should we expect to be healed if we pray with enough faith? **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis Marks the Spot on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genesismarksthespot Genesis Marks the Spot on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genesismarks…

The gospel is more than "the Romans Road." It is not a mere story about forgiveness of sin. It is a battle of cosmic proportions. Part of this begins to dismantle the common depiction of atonement as an appeasement of God's wrath, but fear not, this doesn't lead to a state where we are capable of saving ourselves. Far from it, in fact! **Website: w…

Does the Bible actually affirm the existence of other gods? Here is a defense for the argument that it does, and why it matters that we believe that. **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis Marks the Spot on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genesismarksthespot Genesis Marks the Spot o…

Is modern worship practice biblical? Is it the same as what the first century church practiced? What does the Bible say about music and how should that inform the way we worship? Stay tuned to the end for a bonus conclusion to this episode. :) **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Church Musi…

The "toledoth" structure of Genesis is useful, but feels random because we aren't using the toledoths like we should. Genesis reflects the struture of other ancient Near East ancestor epics like Atrahasis. Come have a listen to see what it's all about! Coming soon, I will have links to charts for you to use in your own study! **Website: www.genesis…

What do the deep and outer darkness have to do with each other? A survey of the dark side of the cosmos, from the deep to Sheol, to Hades and Gehenna--how does Scripture talk about these places and how related are they? Also, a discussion on the nature of hell--is eternal conscious torment a biblical idea? **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My …

Discussing the not-so-cuddly Christmas dragon with Mike Chu. Come find out how Revelation 12 illuminates the Christ event. **Website: www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot The Awakening School of Theology: https://awkngschooloftheology.com/ The End of the World as You Know It, by Matt Halstead: https://…

Welcome to the podcast's fourth Q&A episode! Timestamps: 04:00 - How do the sons of God manifest themselves? 16:29 - How can we determine which entities exist and which don't? 19:55 - What do I think of Gary Wayne? 56:00 - How can we review content quickly to better discern what is worth reading? **New website is here!!! www.genesismarksthespot.com…

The ancient world did not use numbers in the way that we use them today. Learning about this can help us see Genesis 1 as historical account while acknowledging that creation may not have happened just as described. Michael LeFebvre's book, The Liturgy of Creation, explains how the Torah's dating system is not based on precise chronology, but rathe…

Finishing up the overview of the book Sacred Power, Sacred Space, we discuss Christian worship spaces from Constantine up to the modern day. **New website is here!!! www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis Marks the Spot on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genesismarksthespot Genesis Marks the S…

Buckle your seatbelt as Spencer Owen joins me to discuss how sacrifice isn't about turning away wrath. **New website is here!!! www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis Marks the Spot on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genesismarksthespot Genesis Marks the Spot on Instagram: https://www.instagra…

Discussing Christian fiction with Cindy Beaver--from the Ten Commandments to the Chosen, Christian fiction can enrich our lives as we try to understand the ancient world. In addition to enlightening our study, art gives us new eyes to perceive. Also, Cindy addresses whether or not it's heresy to read Dan Brown. **New website is here!!! www.genesism…

The architecture of worship space reflects the theology, doctrine, and organization of a faith tradition. Using the book, Sacred Power, Sacred Space, we examine the history of the early Christian churches and their spaces and reflect on what that means for us today from the perspective of both high and low liturgical traditions. **New website is he…

Is Eden the archetype of sacred space, or is it the temple? How do we utilize the archetype to shed light on how we worship today? Cindy Beaver and I overview the concept of sacred space and we move the idea forward to today in our own worship contexts. **New website is here!!! www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Genesis…

Spirits are not just entities. Is there a "real" spirit of jealousy? What about a spirit of drunkenness? Unpack Scripture to see how it uses the term "spirit" in a much broader way than spiritual beings. Come see how the generational curse crowd takes something true but hides the holistic way we should be dealing with our problems. **New website is…

The meaning of "sacrifice" has shifted between the time of the Bible to today. How did that happen? Join Cindy Beaver and I and let's get back to a more biblical view of what sacrifice is! We discuss Jeremy Davis' book, Welcoming Gifts: Sacrifice in the Bible and Christian Life, and we lay out the offerings in Leviticus--their purposes and perhaps …

Worship and the image of God: both are associated with sacred space and our relationship with God. James Russell joins me for a conversation about how these things connect with our discipleship as believers. While we don't touch on current events and eschatology, the things discussed in this conversation are how I personally relate to the topic of …

Why do we worship God amidst suffering? Cindy Beaver and I discuss the topic of theodicy in relation to worship, and Cindy reads the Poem of the Righteous Sufferer, also known as "the Babylonian Job." **New website is here!!! www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis Marks the Spot on Facebook: http…

Worship in the ancient world and worship today seem like they're two totally different concepts and ideas. Are they really that different? Why would they be? Cindy Beaver and I start to discuss this in the second part of the worship series. **New website is here!!! www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot …

Welcome to the series on worship! Cindy Beaver and I introduce the topic of worship, discuss how we are going to be casting our study nets wide to see what we catch, and we track one theme in Genesis: calling on the name of the Lord. Come listen to find out what the difference is between "bad" worship and "anti" worship and let's start thinking tog…

Welcome to the podcast's third Q&A episode! Timestamps: (0:36) - So, you're saying that Satan in Job isn't the serpent? (13:55) - Wait, we really don't see Satan in the Old Testament? (17:50) - Do we really need the apkallu narrative to understand the sons of God episode in Genesis 6? (23:25) - How do you make sure people aren't misled into error w…

Merry Christmas! ...wait? Isn't it September? Yes, it is! Jeffrey Pitts, author of the book An Advent for the Cosmos, a "divine council worldview" devotional book joins me in this special Christmas-in-September episode to discuss his book as well as the idea that Jesus' birthday occurred in September. **New website is here!!! www.genesismarksthespo…

Though this is "just" a basic introduction to the biblical concept of the priest, I am offering an invitation to deepen your Bible study with something beyond word studies by looking at concepts and themes in a more holistic way. **New website is here!!! www.genesismarksthespot.com My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot Genesis Mar…

Godzilla in Paradise?? Continuing the series of the spiritual realm and sources of the spirtual "bad guys," Paradise Lost features prominantly in our thinking, even if we aren't aware. Here we ask three questions: Who is Satan: serpent, seraph, or dragon? How did he get to be the head honcho of the bad guys? And what does Paradise Lost have to do w…

Have you seen the movie Nefarious, or read the book A Nefarious Plot? Sharing a review of both along with a discussion of demons and where they came from, including a discussion on the book of 1 Enoch and the myth of the apkallu--this is a wide-ranging episode that gets into the "three falls" of Genesis and how that is a better way of understanding…

Genesis 4 is our first action-packed genealogy in the Bible! And seriously! It's action packed! Cindy Beaver and I read through the second half of Genesis chapter 4 and talk about what we see. She reads from the Lexham English Septuagint (LES) and I read from the English Standard Version (ESV). Amongst other things in this episode, we jump from Gen…

Science and the Bible: how do they intersect? Can we read the Bible and come away with a solid view of creation? Should we fight it out as believers? Reading the "literal" or "plain" six-day creation in the text seems a given for many of us. We have been told by people we may trust that this is the *only* legitimate view of creation. Those evil evo…

Special guest Cindy Beaver joins me for a public reading of Scripture where we begin reading Genesis 4 from two translations: The English Standard Version (ESV) and the Lexham English Septuagint (LES). We talk about the ancient Near East, sacrifices and offerings as shared meals (yep, that likely means that they weren't vegetarians!), Mesopotamian …

Did God create chaos? What is it? What purpose does it serve in the biblical narrative? In this episode, we reexaminie the traditional idea that "the fall" is best seen as an introduction of sin which caused all of creation to fall alongside humanity. We talk about another view where "the fall" is, instead, a path that moves along chaos and away fr…