Daily Thunder Podcast

Humanity was created to be the image-bearer of the Living God. And because of the power of the Gospel through the Cross of Christ, we have been restored to how we were intended to live: bearing the image of Jesus Christ so our world might know Him. In this study, we examine the concept of image throughout Scripture, what it means to “bear His Name,” and discover the incredible privilege to reflect...

This is the twenty-eighth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Times of Nero. In this episode he attempts to do something that most Christians don’t believe can be done—juggle four vantage points on the Book of Revelation simultaneously. You will need to be the judge as to whether or not he succeeded. 

This is the twenty-seventh installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he explores the profound life and death of the Apostle Peter. When danger surfaces the average human runs the other way—wanting to get as far away from it as possible. This makes Peter’s decision in 64 AD to courageously head back into Christian-killing Rome instead of run away...

The Gospel provides security and safety in Jesus Christ, our salvation. Amidst the spiritual battle we are in, we are told to stand strong, put on armor, to walk in victory and triumph. But how? In this study, Nathan Johnson examines the armor of God in Ephesians 6 and shows that Jesus is the person and place of our triumph … He is our refuge and fortress. In short, Jesus is the armor we are cloth...

This is the twenty-sixth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he does the unthinkable. He does a four hundred foot dive into the shark-filled kiddy pool and . . . we still aren’t sure if he survived. Dating the Book of Revelation has been a long held debate in the Church and the reason it is contentious is due to the fact that the two...

This is the twenty-fifth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he explores the “seemingly unimportant” territory of dating the books of the New Testament. Most people would say, “It doesn’t really matter to me when it was written.” And in a certain sense, it’s true. Someone can believe the words of Scripture and believe that the work of Chri...

The Gospel comes with a free gym membership! Amidst the trials, struggles, challenges, and difficulties of life, God desires to flip them and use them as weights in your spiritual life to build greater soul muscle and increase your faith. He doesn’t always remove the hardships, but He will leverage everything in your life for His purpose and plan to ultimately glorify Jesus and conform you to His...

This is the twenty-fourth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he demonstrates the propensity we have as believers to interpret the Scriptures and the events of history through the lens of our convictions. Whereas, this is not bad in itself, there is a propensity we all have to force fit Scripture into our mold rather than to conform our mo...

This is the twenty-third installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he explains the profound idea of historical parallels in Scripture, where an event in the Old Testament reoccurs centuries later (sometimes thousands of years later) but in a different more extraordinary way that demonstrates Jesus Christ. In addition to discussing various histor...

Because of the Gospel, we now have the life of Christ within which will produce a certain kind of fruit. In this message, Nathan talks about the fruit that is produced in one’s life—what we typically call the fruit of the Spirit—and describes the nine aspects to this singular fruit of Christlikeness.

This is the twenty-second installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he once again returns to the unsavory topic of Emperor Nero. Nero was a man who behaved like a beast and this similitude has triggered many speculations and prognostications regarding his potential puzzle-like fit with the terrible “Therion” mentioned in the book of Revelation b...

This is the twenty-first installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from The Time of Nero. In this episode he introduces his audience to the infamous Roman emperor, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. Anyone stuck with such a long name understandably might prove a little grumpy, but Nero’s problems go far beyond being a little grumpy. He seemed to have a problem with everyone in...

The Gospel frees us to live in a brand new way—you are not stuck living the way you always have … you are a new creation! This is certainly true with the two defining characteristics of a believer’s life: love and humility. We have been freed from a prideful self-focused love to experience and showcase the love and life of Christ Jesus. In this message, Nathan Johnson examines love and humility as...

This is the twentieth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero, he explores the surprisingly good news for Christians that is found in the Book of Revelation. It’s easy to focus on the doom of Revelation and dread the idea of going through “tribulation”. But this extraordinary final book of the Bible was not designed to depress the saints of God, but to exhilar...

This is the nineteenth episode of Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he dives into yet another complex mystery, but one that, when solved, should lead us to have great big smiles on our faces.  In Revelation 5:5 we learn that the sealed book (that no one in heaven or on earth can open) can now (as of the work of the Cross) officially be opened up....

Too many Christians see holiness merely as a legalistic list of dos and don’ts, but holiness in Scripture is always a positive thing. It is a key attribute of our God and He calls us to be holy because He is holy. In this study, Nathan Johnson explores the beauty of holiness and how we can live holy amidst an unholy world.

This is the eighteenth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he explores the bizarre cultural setting of Rome in 64 AD. Rome’s cultural system centered around  The Games , known as the Ludi (or Ludi Circus). The Ludi Circus was a gargantuan spectacle—the ancient equivalent of Hollywood, NASCAR, MLB, The NFL, The NHL, and The NBA all wra...

This is the seventeenth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he addresses the perplexing matter of time indicators associated with the prophecies of the New Testament. When the Scriptures say, “The time is near, He is coming quickly,” or “This will take place in this generation”—should we actually take that time declaration seriously, or ar...

As a believer, after you repent and put your faith in the Gospel, God changes your position from being in the kingdom of darkness and transfers you into the Kingdom of Christ. This new position and identity IN Jesus changes everything! In this study, Nathan Johnson explores the twofold reality of our position as Christians, discusses the manifold blessings of being IN Christ, and explains how we g...

There are many blessings and benefits of the Gospel in our lives. As we begin our investigation of a few of them, Nathan Johnson focuses on the topic of adoption. Far more than the modern concept of adoption, this beautiful concept showcases the glory of what Christ purchased in our lives and our new sonship (adopted position) in the family of God. And it is this amazing reality that gives us grea...

This is the sixteenth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he asks his listeners to take off their doom and gloom glasses and put on their rose-colored ones. Strangely, for many people, the Book of Revelation is an oppressive, anxiety-inducing piece of God-ordained literature. But, ironically, the book’s purpose is totally opposite that. It...

This is the fifteenth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he labors to parallel today’s modern church with a child “on the spectrum.” Strangely, it is much easier to give grace, patience, and understanding to someone known to be injured, malnourished, and/or otherwise neglected in their development, than it is to someone deemed privileged....

In this special bonus episode, Nathan talks about why we aren't releasing a "normal" study in the series this week, gives a quick reflection on the series thus far, and talks about two profound quotes on the Gospel from Charles Spurgeon.

This is the fourteenth installment of Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this installment he discusses the unique phrase in Scripture, “He who has an ear let him hear.” It’s an odd statement and responsively many of us think, “Wait a minute! Don’t we all have an ear?” Yes, we do have physical ears, but not all of us possess spiritual ears. And spiritual ears ar...

This is the thirteenth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he gives an overview of the arduous task it is to understand and make sense of the Book of Revelation. Many scholars have concluded that it is a waste of time to even try to comprehend the meaning of this apocalyptic masterpiece. But the Book itself declares that there is a blessin...