Bible Encounters

So the little girl from It's a Wonderful Life, Zuzu, was a cutie but was wrong about angels. Want to know why? (Hint: it has to do with wings). Also, we are going to chat about seraphim and cherubim being described differently but actually are the same spiritual being BUT are not angels. Oh boy, here we go. 

Does anyone like Star Trek? Especially the Next Generation? Well, Captain Picard has a staff room where he talks with Riker, Geordi, Worf, Dianna, and Data about big decisions they have to make. Apparently, something like that is going on in the Bible. 

What does the Psalmist mean in 97:9 when he says the Lord is exalted above all gods? Aren't those other gods fake? If so, isn't that empty praise? But wait, we know there is one 1 God. So how do we resolve this? Maybe the issue isn't with our theology but our vocabulary. 

What in the 'world of the Bible' is up with the sun, moon, and stars? I am pretty sure you all have a pretty good grasp of what the lights in the sky are and where the light comes from. I wonder if those in the ancient near east would have thought the same as us? When is the last time you checked out Genesis 1:14-19 and thought about how the lights are described? You may be surprised at what you find about these...'host of heaven'. 

What in the world of the Bible is going on with an 'expanse' separating waters? How can empty air separate water? I don't get it. Maybe we need to dive into the mind of the ancient audience to see what is going on here. 

Have you ever wondered why Genesis 1 talks about creation in such strange ways? In this lesson, I will make a case that Genesis 1 is using creation language that was very common at that day but presenting a message that was unique. So as we 'dive' into this text and compare the language, 'water' you gonna think? (😊)

In this lesson, I want to explain the approach I take to Bible study. I call it the 4 contexts: Reader, Historical, Literary, and Bible Context. Hopefully, this will create a foundation for us. For the remainder of the course, we will zoom in on the historical context as we strive to get into the 'World of the Bible'.

In this lesson, we will explore the implications of how God used common forms of communication but delivered very uncommon messages to the original audiences in the Bible. 

Let's hear God speak to us through Peter's letter 

1Peter 5:5-14. What does it mean for the people of God to be in Babylon?