BeachCast.TV: Bible Exploration, Apologetics and Church History with Dr. Chase A. Thompson:

God owns the 'cattle on a thousand hills.' He is above comprehension in power and majesty. Does He - as high and lofty as He is - favor the elite and powerful, or the poor, lowly and oppressed? Over and over again that Scripture answers that question in a very surprising way.

Two parter today. In part one, we discuss the enigmatic and terrifying angel of the abyss/king of the locusts/Abaddon/Apollyon of Revelation 9. Who is he, and what sort of creatures does he command? Does he serve God, or the enemy? Also - the world say, "If you've got it, flaunt it!" Is this biblical wisdom? We'll see today King Hezekiah show us the dangers of such thinking.

Circumcision is a physical (and painful!) sign of the covenant that God gave to Abraham. All males in Israel were to be circumcised. Later, however, Moses (and then Paul) begin to talk about the 'circumcision of the heart.' Today's episode is all about what the circumcision of the heart is, and how it can happen to non-Jewish people.

In Isaiah 37, we are presented with a fascinating and frightful scenario: The mighty King of Assyria is threatening to wipe Israel off the map and utterly destroy them. This is not an empty boast, as it turns out, because Assyria has done this to many other countries, and they are the world's major power at the time. How does righteous King Hezekiah respond to this insurmountable threat?

Revelation 6 shows 4 horsemen released by Heaven to bring various judgments and manifestations on the earth. There is a white horse, a red horse, a black horse and a pale/greenish horse. Who are the four Horsemen of the apocalypse, what do they represent, and why is the fourth horse green? (With an assist from Sherlock Holmes and George Eldon Ladd)

Many people have taught for years (or assumed!) that the Bible forbids interracial marriage, despite the fact that many of the Bible's best known figures - like Moses! - enjoyed interracial marriage. Does the Bible forbid interracial marriages? Not at all! Why then do some people believe that the Bible does so?

Today's pod covers two important topics. #1 - What is the Greatest commandment, according to Jesus, and where is it found? Is it one of the Ten Commandments? #2 - What is Heaven like now? What sort of beings surround the throne of God, and what colors would we see if we were there? The Bible tells us!

Revelation contains 7 letters from Jesus to various churches in Asia Minor. To one of those churches, the church of Laodicea, Jesus threatens to vomit them out of His mouth. What a colorful - and terrifying! - threat. The reason Jesus does this is because of the church's lukewarmness - today's podcast asks: What does it mean to be lukewarm, and why does Jesus take it so very seriously??

In the book of Revelation, Jesus writes a letter to seven different churches. In His first letter, to the church at Ephesus, He tells them that - even though they have been faithful in many ways - they have left their FIRST love...and because of this, they are on the verge of ceasing to be a church. What is the first love that Jesus is referring to here, and why is abandoning it so serious?

The Bible gives very little as to the physical description of Jesus when He was on the earth with His disciples. Interestingly, however, the Bible is much more detailed in its description of Jesus in His glorified/Heavenly/Resurrected form, and the description of the Heavenly Jesus by John in Revelation 1 is equal parts beautiful and terrifying. What does Jesus look like now, in Heaven?

Angels are very powerful and somewhat mysterious heavenly beings that are not described with a high amount of detail in the Bible. Archangels, of which Michael is one, are even less covered by biblical texts. Given how little the Bible says, what can we know about these powerful beings? How many of them are there? What are there names? How much power do they have? Today's episode covers archangels...

Most Christians believe that the Bible teaches that there is only ONE God. And that is true, the way that most Christians mean it. However, there are many passages in the Bible (like our focus passage: Psalms 82) that seem to indicate that there are many other Heavenly beings/deities/gods (little 'g') that are under God's rule. Psalms 82 even seems to indicate that God presides over these heavenly...

False teachers have, in many cases, become more aggressive in proselytizing and door to door 'evangelism' than genuine teachers. How should Christians respond to false teachers? With debate? Discussion? Hospitality? Hostility? Burning oil? The second letter of John gives good and practical advice here.

Numbers 35 introduces us to a very mysterious figure in the Bible: The Avenger of Blood. It is the job of this avenger to kill (yes, kill!) those who commit intentional murder. How did this Old Testament process of justice and judgment work, and are we still in an 'eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth age?" Also: Cities of Refuge.

Consider for a moment: What kind of people are Christians known to be by those outside of the faith? Do we have a good reputation? If you stopped a non-believer, and asked them what their one word adjective to describe Christians would be - what do you think their answer would be? If we went to God's Word to see what kind of people we should be, and also sought a one-word answer, what would that w...

The Bible describes death as an enemy, and indicates that this is the last enemy that will be defeated by God. Isaiah 25 gives us a big hint as to what is going to happen to death when Jesus returns, and Revelation 21 finishes spelling it out with some incredibly encouraging news.

1 John 2 talks about a certain group of people who have overcome the 'evil one.' Given that the evil one is far smarter, stronger and more powerful than any human, this sounds like a pretty amazing claim. How can Christians resist and even conquer the evil one?

Most people believe - rightly so - that God is kind, merciful and loving. In their minds, a kind and merciful God could never be angry...but the Bible is quite clear that God is angry with sin. As we explore this aspect of His character, we will see how good, just, moral and right it is that God is angry with grievous sin.

Some critics of the Bible have charged that it seems to indicate the second coming will be quite swift, and the fact that Jesus hasn't returned for almost 2000 years seems - to them - to undermine the credibility of the Bible. Is this charge true - does the Bible really indicate the return of Jesus will be swift? 2nd Peter 3 will show us that this is not at all the case. We're also talking about s...

The church lost a great servant of the Gospel today in Ravi Zacharias, and we have a brief tribute to him on today's pod, along with an excellent short devotion he wrote on sharing the gospel with neither animosity, nor compromise. Our Big Bible question is all about the angels in prison of 2nd Peter - why did God have angels bound up in darkness and chains, and sent to prison - what did they do?!

Jesus says that the narrow road to salvation is a road that not many will follow - giving us the idea that most people won't become Christians. Jesus also warns, in Matthew 7, that many people will come to Him on the judgment day claiming to be Christians, but He will tell them, "I never knew you!" How then can a Christian know that they are saved - how can we have assurance of salvation? The Bibl...

To exalt somebody means to lift them up, promote them, or to think very highly of them. Surprisingly, the Bible indicates - many times over - that there is a certain kind of person that God delights to exalt and raise up. What kind of person is this? What character trait attracts the attention and promotion of the Lord?

Most people focus on times and dates when discussing the last days and the return of Christ. The Bible, however, does not. In fact, 1 Peter 4 tells Christians that there is something they should be focusing on - above all - as the end times gets nearer and nearer. What is it?

Today we discuss apologetics - is it all about saying we are sorry for being a Christian? Of course not! 1 Peter 3:15 calls Christians to be able to give an answer/defense as to why they have hope. Today we talk about the two areas that Christians should be experts on (The resurrection and the reliability of the Bible) and also HOW Christians should approach discussing faith with skeptics, critics...

1 Peter 2 declares that Christians are a NEW race - does this nullify our existing ethnicities, or enhance them? This chapter also teaches that followers of Jesus are a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD. Can it be that you are royalty? That you are a priest of God Most High? YES!