Unbinding the Bible

In this episode, we'll finish Revelation 14, looking at verses 14-20. We'll bring in a few passages from the gospels and the book of Hebrews to help us navigate a rather tricky (and somewhat gruesome) passage. Taking what we know of the way God has chosen to reveal himself, we'll attempt to understand how his judgment works.  Unbinding the Bible Video - https://vimeo.com/381235030/868320d094. Emai...

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 14:6-13. In it we'll see how the coming judgment of God can be considered "good news" by focusing on the way Jesus referred to his own "hour" and the glory he would share with his Father through it. We'll also pay close attention to the language John uses to describe this coming judgment and why these words are given primarily to the church.  Unbinding the...

This episode is a sermon I preached January 20, 2019 from John 2: Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. I'm inserting it here on the podcast because of how it highlights Jesus honoring the bridegroom as well as how the imagery of wine and blood are often connected throughout the NT. As we approach Revelation 14-18, we'll see wine in connection with judgment: how some people's "feasti...

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 14:1-5, where John describes the community of the faithful. The metaphors John uses to describe those "who follow the Lamb wherever he goes" contrast sharply with the metaphors used in chapter 13 to describe the followers of the beast. Revelation 14:1-5 gives the church tremendous hope and encouragement, especially when considering the union and intimacy t...

In this episode, I have a conversation with Josh Butler about his book, The Skeletons in God's Closet: The Mercy of Hell, the Surprise of Judgment, the Hope of Holy War. Josh and I discuss just the first third of his book, The Mercy of Hell. What I love most about Josh's approach is how he emphasizes our need to root our understanding of hell in Scripture's narrative. Too often hell is spoken abou...

In this episode, we'll focus in on Revelation 13:16-18 - John's description of the mark of the beast and the number of its name. Probably the single most well-known idea in the entire book, we'll look at how John has already been developing this idea throughout Revelation so far. And we'll draw on the OT's most famous passage (at least in Jesus' mind) to help us understand the language John uses i...

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 13:11-18, John's description of the second beast. We'll see how this beast utilizes religion to encourage  "those who dwell on the earth" to worship the first beast: the political power of empire. And we'll also see just how deceitful and tempting (not to mention destructive) it is to mix the kingdom of God with the ways of the empire. And as we'll see, Jo...

The following is a sermon I preached this past Sunday (July 26, 2020) from Matthew 13, where Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. Jesus' teaching, believe it or not, is intensely political in nature and he wants his followers to think of the kingdom he's come to bring in political terms. What Jesus means, though, is different from what many people in our world today (including C...

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 13:1-10 and pay particular attention to three things that the dragon gives to the beast: his power, his throne, and his great authority. And then we'll compare how power, thrones, and authority have been spoken about in reference to God and the Lamb. We'll end this week's episode discussing why these oppressive kingdoms are called "beasts" and where we mig...

In this episode, we'll finish our look at Revelation 12, paying particular attention to the dragon's rage toward "those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 12:17). John provides us with incredible explanatory power to understand not only what followers of Jesus can expect in this world, but also the way in which we can persevere in the midst of it.  Unbinding...

This week's episode is a By the Book conversation with Rob Reimer, author of the book, Soul Care. Rob and I talk about how identity issues, fears, hurts, and other matters of the soul can be access points for either God or the enemy. We talk about addictions, shame, fundamentalism, spiritual accountability, and confession. The truth is, everyone needs a healthy soul; and Jesus very well may choose...

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 12. Drawing on C.S. Lewis's and J.R.R. Tolkien's understanding of "myth" and the power of the imagination, we'll see how John means for us to interpret the Christian story as the greatest "myth" ever conceived. And in a day where Christian "truth" is thought to be primarily cognitive, we'll discover the power that our imaginations play in gripping our emot...

This episode is a sermon I preached this past Sunday (June 28, 2020) on Matthew 10:34-39. Simply preaching through the Lectionary, I was surprised at how relevant Jesus' teachings are to our current cultural moment. While I didn't set out this week to address the underlying causes of society's unrest, Jesus' words to his disciples spoke to it anyway. So I decided to share my message on the podcast...

This week's episode is a By the Book conversation with Michael Gorman, author of the book Reading Revelation Responsibly. If you've listened to the Revelation series on this podcast, you've heard me reference this book quite a bit. Dr. Gorman and I discuss interpretive approaches to the book of Revelation, the state of the church, the dangers of civil religion, and a Lamb-centered understanding of...

In this episode, we'll finish Revelation 11, looking specifically at verses 15-19. In this song of praise, we'll see how the LORD's coming is both faithfulness to his covenant promises for his people as well as judgment on those opposed to God and his ways. And we'll look at how God "destroying the destroyers of the earth" is a fitting way to describe how "the punishment fits the crime" (see Deute...

This week's episode is a By the Book conversation with Dan Kent, author of Confident Humility. Dan and I talk about his book, how Jesus defines humility, how both religious and irreligious people are prone to defining humility wrongly, and what steps we all might take to reorient our lives around reality as Jesus defines it. Dan is a clear and insightful thinker, has a deep grasp of reality, and n...

In this episode, we'll look closely at how the Bible portrays the reality of "Babylon" - the ideologies rooted in the fall and in Babel and how those same ideologies often thrive unchecked in the hearts of religious people.  Unbinding the Bible Video - https://vimeo.com/381235030/868320d094 Email any questions/comments to: UnbindingTheBible@gmail.com 

In this episode, we'll look at the two witnesses' prophetic message: a way of being that embodies the pattern of the Christ. The word "embody" simply means to give a tangible expression of or a visible form to an idea; in this case, the gospel of Jesus Christ. When Christians embody the pattern of the Christ, the nations see the glory of the gospel and, in repentance, give glory to the God of heav...

Today's episode is a conversation I had with my good friend, Corey, about all things apocalyptic. How should Christians interpret these strange times we're in today? Is the book of Revelation unfolding before us? And what does the word, "apocalypse," mean anyway? We cover all this and more in our conversation. And I hope you'll use our conversation as a launching point to have meaningful conversat...

In this episode, I'm excited to have Tim Gombis on the podcast. Tim is a professor of New Testament at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. On the show, we talk about his book, The Drama of Ephesians, and the power that rightly reading Ephesians should have on the church. We also touch on issues of Christian identity and what the gospel does to free us from fear, insecurities, defensiveness, and con...

In this episode, we'll walk through the opening several verses of Revelation 11 - the revealing of the contents of the scroll. What the scroll reveals is that the faithful witness and death of Christians - of followers of Jesus - will prove instrumental in converting the nations of the world. Such self-sacrificial witness can, and does, produce repentance among the nations; repentance that judgmen...

In this episode, we'll look at Revelation 10:1-11. If judgments alone are unable to produce repentance among the nations, what will? The answer to this question forms the heart of the contents of the scroll that 1) the Lamb receives from the one seated on the throne in Revelation 5, and 2) that John is told to eat in Revelation 10. We'll talk specifically on this episode about just what it means t...

“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you” (Mortimer J. Adler). Many books over the years have gotten "through to [me]" in profound ways, changing both my thinking and my life. I'd like to share some of them with you.  And so with this episode, we're beginning a new series within the podcast called By t...

In this episode, we'll look at the opening section of the sixth trumpet: Revelation 9:13-21. We'll see how intertwined demons and idols become in the hearts of their worshipers and why it is that judgments alone fail to produce repentance in those who dwell on the earth.   Unbinding the Bible Video

This episode is a sermon I preached June 25, 2017 on Matthew 10:16-33. I'm inserting it here in the podcast because of its connection to the destroyer language of Revelation 9 that we discussed in episode 078. Jesus' words also pull back the veil on what's really going on in the world, particularly as it relates to our calling to be his witnesses - the very point John is at pains to get across in...