Restitutio

We’re in a series on the two powers in heaven idea. Today we’re looking at Philo, a Jewish contemporary of Jesus who wrote around 30 or 40 AD. He lived in Alexandria, Egypt and left behind 70 books of which 46 survive to this day. Did Philo talk about two powers in heaven? What did Philo say about the Logos? Was Philo an early proto-binitarian? Get answers to these questions in today’s Restitutio Podcast.

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We’re in a series investigating the two powers in heaven heresy. Last time I laid out for you the six groups of Jewish literature that we are going to look at. Today we are beginning with 1 Enoch. This is a collection of apocalyptic Jewish literature centered on the Enoch mentioned in Genesis. What does 1 Enoch have to tell us about two powers in heaven? Does 1 Enoch even mention the heresy? When should we date 1 Enoch? Get answers to these questions and more as we delve into this fascinating book together.

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What do you know about the two powers heresy? Have you heard about before? In today’s episode, we’re beginning a new series on the Jewish condemnation of the idea that there are two powers in heaven. This subject is fraught with confusion and difficulty, and my goal is to clear up the confusion. As always, I’ll be taking a fact-based approach to the subject. Instead of telling you what I want to be true, we’re going to investigate this subject together from the primary Jewish sources and see what they actually say. Then we’ll apply good ol’ fashioned logic to analyze each to see what the ancient sources can tell us about the two powers heresy. When did it start? Who believed in it? What does that tell us about Christology? I hope you’ll join me for an exciting learning adventure as we explore the two powers in heaven idea together!

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Maurice Chahilu serves as a bishop in western Kenya. He coordinates a network of around two dozen churches who are part of Kingdom Life Abrahamic Faith Ministries (KLAFM). In this interview I ask him what that is like and what problems he faces. He talks at length about the importance of vetting pastors who want to join his group of churches. He wants to make sure that those who affiliate with him are genuine, that they are teaching the same truths, and that they are complying with the laws of the land. He also explains how stringent government policies can result in pastors paying fines or even prison time for non-compliance.

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As many of you know, I’m not only the host of this podcast. My main job is working for Living Hope International Ministries, which is a network of churches, home fellowships, and individuals seeking to make authentic disciples of Christ. In addition to my local church responsibilities, I also travel on behalf of LHIM to visit churches within our network, help start new ones, and affiliate with existing churches that share the same beliefs.

This brings me to Andrew Ondari of Kisii, Kenya. He grew up Mormon but eventually came to question the legitimacy of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. After he decided the Bible was the only book he needed for faith and practice, he came across our ministry website (lhim.org). As he studied the content on the site, he came to believe in the kingdom of God coming on earth, hell as destruction rather than eternal torment, and Jesus as the human Messiah instead of a God-man.

Having felt the call to ministry, he started a church on a piece of property near his home and began connecting with other pastors in his area. A team of us went to visit him a few weeks back and while I was there, I recorded this interview. I hope you enjoy hearing his story and learning about what incredible opportunities are opening up in Kenya.

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When Knieshia came to question the doctrine of the Trinity, she had to make a decision. After she did the Bible study, she knew Jesus wasn’t God. She took a step of faith and began teaching her new understanding of the human Jesus. Overnight, she lost 500 subscribers on her YouTube channel. In time that number grew to 1,000. Still, she didn’t want to teach false doctrine nor did she want to hide the truth she’d discovered. Then something amazing happened. She started gaining subscribers. Eventually, she ended up with 2,000 more. And that was before she flew to LA to appear as a guest on the Dr. Daf show!

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Will Turner grew up in a Presbyterian Church, but when the Jehovah’s Witnesses came calling, he had to admit they made a lot of sese. They got him to question the Trinity and heaven-at-death. He almost joined, but there were a few issues that made him keep his distance. Find out what they were and how encountering Biblical Unitarians online like John Schoenheit and Dustin Smith helped Will tremendously in his journey of faith. Today he’s an avid biblical unitarian apologist defending God’s oneness and engaging in Scriptural conversations with people from different backgrounds.

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Are you using artificial intelligence? I bet you are. I certainly do. I find AI chatbots to be incredibly helpful. In today’s discussion with Sam Tideman, we discuss what AI chatbots are actually doing. We cover how to use them well for research and Bible study as well as some of their limitations. We also talk about the dark side of AI and what incentives have been wired into them. I hope you find this interview as thought-provoking as I did.

Sam Tideman currently works as a data scientist for Google. He is not speaking in an official capacity here on behalf of Google. He’s just speaking for himself. Tideman is also the host of the Transfigured YouTube Channel where he discusses a wide range of topics from AI to theology to church history and beyond.

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What do you do when you’ve tried to quit something over and over and still can’t get free? My guest today is Jody Rodriguez who fell into a life of regular substance use from her teenage years onward. By the time she was nearing thirty she had been to jail and rehab but still couldn’t shake her addictions. Then after a second failed drug test, she hit rock bottom and said to herself, “If I don’t change my life, I’m going to die or go to prison.” She needed to take drastic measures to get the freedom she desperately wanted. She couldn’t keep doing the same thing expecting different results. Moving away from home to join a rehab began a sequence of events that changed everything. She got clean, but even beyond that she found God.

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Mina grew up in a poor village in South Korea in the 1950s. She faced many hardships due to her abusive alcoholic father who loaned her to another family to work as a servant. Although Mina escaped from that situation, she found herself in something much worse. She got entrapped by sex traffickers and forced to work as a prostitute. The crushing shame from these experiences followed her through life even after she escaped to America and married a soldier. Only when she became a Christian and started reading the Bible did she find the healing she desperately needed.

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