Bible Threads With Dr. Bruce Becker

The number 1 shows up more than 2,500 times in the Bible. It describes people, places, and things. But it also holds much deeper meaning—there are six key phrases that signify the two most important things about God. In this second episode of the "By the Numbers" series, Dr. Bruce Becker gives us an in-depth look at the number 1. Dr. Becker also challenges us to memorize one all-encompassing verse...

Dr. Bruce Becker is taking a short break this month and will be back with the next episode of the By the Numbers series next month!

Where did numbers come from? What are they, and what do they represent? Most important, what do they tell us about our God who created the universe? Numbers can seem simple on the surface: 2 + 2 = 4. But that simple addition has so much more complexity to it. Not only are numbers the building blocks of math—which are the building blocks of technology, science, and pretty much everything in the uni...

There's an estimated 1 septillion stars in the universe (that's 100 billion stars in our Milky Way times 100 billion galaxies in the universe). But even more amazing, God knows the exact number of stars and gave each of them a name (Psalm 147:4). Dr. Bruce Becker won't look at all 1 septillion stars in this episode, but he will explore how the Bible talks about stars, stars as metaphors, the stars...

What do the final 11 of the 12 songs in the Old Testament have in common? And what about the only 2 songs in the New Testament? And guess what? The 2 New Testament songs are likely not the "songs" you're thinking of. In this final part of the songs story line, Dr. Bruce Becker digs into these last songs and reveals the Bible thread that connects the very first song in the Bible with the very last...

Continue exploring the songs of the Bible in Part 2 of this story line! Dr. Bruce Becker takes a look at six songs of the Old Testament: victory songs, grief-stricken songs, and, of course, songs of praise for God. We'll learn which two songs appear twice in the Old Testament, which is the shortest song with just ten words, and which song became well known even to Israel's enemies. But most import...

God must love singing because of the number of songs in the Bible. So how many songs are in the Bible? (If you know that the book of Psalms is all songs, you can guess that there are at least 150 songs!) But more important than the number of songs in the Bible, we need to ask: Why are there songs, and what's their significance? Join Dr. Bruce Becker for another deep dive into the Bible. Dr. Becker...

Yes, there are famous donkeys in the Bible! Not only were they valuable and versatile animals used for agriculture and transport; the two most famous donkeys also symbolize the power of God's will and blessing. How? Dr. Bruce Becker unpacks the significance of these pack animals. Learn just how many words there are for "donkey" in Hebrew and Greek (more than you think!), why the kings of Israel pr...

Angels. They're not the cute chubby cupids or winged glowing figures in white robes that we tend to think of. They are so much more. Dr. Bruce Becker takes us through a deep exploration of these heavenly beings. We learn the definition of "angel," get an idea of when they were created, discover just how many are named in the Bible, why they were created, and how we can take comfort in angels. Othe...

Dr. Bruce Becker continues the exploration of mountains in the Bible with Part 2 of the Mountains story line. Today's mountains include not just big mountains where big things happened but also a mountain that moved and one you won't find on a map! There are 35 mountains named in the Bible, with almost all of them in the Old Testament. But the significance isn't on just the mountains themselves. I...

There are 35 mountains named in the Bible, with almost all of them in the Old Testament. But the significance isn't on just the mountains themselves. Instead, it's what happened at these mountains that has great impact today. Dr. Bruce Becker examines 7 of these 35 mountains. In Part 1 of "Mountains," Dr. Becker looks at the first four mountains. We'll go all the way back to Genesis, and then find...

What do you picture when you think of the word "storm"? Whether your mind conjures up a snowstorm, windstorm, or tropical storm, know that all storms have some things in common: they are powerful, can cause major damage, and we humans can't prevent them because God controls them. So what did it mean when God brought about the storms in the Bible? And what does it mean for us today? Dr. Bruce Becke...

Don't overlook the significance of gardens in the Bible! Dr. Bruce Becker explores the five types of gardens found in Scripture (yes, FIVE!) and helps us see the significance of each kind. But he saves the best garden for last—it's the best because of what it means for us! Dr. Becker mentions the special upcoming Easter message from Pastor Mike Novotny. Make sure you watch Pastor Mike's message on...

"Son of God and Son of Man." It's easy to use these terms interchangeably because we know they refer to Jesus, right? But what does each term refer to about Jesus? That he's God? That he's human? Or, is there something more? Dr. Bruce Becker takes us deep into how these two terms are used in the Bible. For instance, which term does not occur in the Old Testament at all? And which one, when it does...

You know you have a body. But is it your soul or your spirit that makes up the immaterial part of you? Is your soul the same thing as your spirit? After you die, is it your soul or your spirit that moves on? Dr. Bruce Becker explores how the Bible talks about our bodies, souls and spirits, and how the three function within us as God's creation. About our podcast "Bible Threads With Dr. Bruce Becke...

"Truth and love." Sometimes we think of truth and love as two separate qualities, independent of each other. But that's not how the Bible treats them. In fact, of all the "Grand Ands," "truth and love" has the deepest meaning and greatest significance. Dr. Bruce Becker helps us see the interconnectedness of truth and love by taking us through their original meanings in Hebrew and Greek, how the En...

"Light and darkness." The word "light" appears in the Bible more than 200 times (if you're using the NIV version), while "darkness" appears 148 times. Both words take on physical and spiritual meanings. But regardless of the realm in which they're being used, keep in mind these two truths: light is the only thing that can break the darkness, and life cannot exist without light. Dr. Bruce Becker ta...

"Jew and Gentile." These two labels are used often to refer to the two classifications of people in the Bible: a Jew was someone from Judea, one of the 12 tribes of Israel; and a Gentile was thought of as a catch-all for non-Jews. But it isn't as simple as that. Dr. Bruce Becker gives a whirlwind tour of Biblical history, starting with Abraham, and ending with Jesus. In between, we'll learn how th...

"Visible and invisible." References to these two words appear hundreds of times in the Bible. But there's one place in the New Testament that especially serves as an insightful summary into the fascinating and deep meanings of "visible and invisible." Dr. Bruce Becker explores the visible and invisible and takes us on a journey that touches upon creation, the Trinity, and angels and demons. About...

"Faith and Works." This is one of the apparent contradictions of the Bible. The apostle Paul writes that we are justified by faith alone. While James—Jesus' brother and one of the New Testament writers—says faith without works is dead. How do we reconcile these two facts? Dr. Bruce Becker helps us understand just how faith and works go together, taking us all the way back to Genesis. Through this...

"Lord and Savior." Christians use this phrase all the time. So it's interesting that it's used together just a whopping five times—and only in the New Testament by just one writer. What's the phrase's origin story? Dr. Bruce Becker takes us on a linguistic journey of "Lord" (used by itself more than 6,700 times) and "Savior" (only 59 times) and reveals to us how, when used together, these words gi...

""Heaven and earth." This phrase is used 42 times in the Bible. But it doesn't always mean the same thing. AND, get this: The phrase also reflects three different heavens. What does this mean for us today? More important, what does this mean for our future? Dr. Bruce Becker digs deep as we look at this phrase that literally spans the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. About our new podcast...

"Grace and peace." We see this phrase 14 times in the New Testament, used most often by the apostle Paul. The apostles Peter and John also used it. We might be tempted to think of "grace and peace" as just a cordial greeting without much significance. But it is much more than that. Its origins go beyond the first century with a thread that links it back to the Old Testament. Knowing the significan...