Matt discusses the events that occur at the fifth trumpet. Who is the "star" that Revelation says "had fallen from heaven to earth"? Is this the "destroyer" of Exodus 12? And what relationship do these texts have with Isaiah 14:12-20? Furthermore, what are the locust-beings that come up from the "bottomless pit," and what are they doing to the earth and its inhabitants? Does this text describe acts of judgments, and if so, what is their purpose?

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Read Matt's blog: matthewhalsted.substack.com

Matt's newest book: The End of the World As You Know It

Matt chats with pastor and author Mark Beuving about the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, whose thought-provoking writings have captivated readers ever since they were first published. Mark unpacks this intriguing thinker, sharing specifically how Kierkegaard's essays on love and faith could influence our own thinking about what it means to live out the Christian life.

Get a copy of Mark Beuving's book: Resonate: Enjoying God's Gift of Music

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Check out Matt's newest book: The End of the World As You Know It:⁠⁠⁠ (link ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This episode comes with an interesting lineup of topics: Why did Jesus allow Lazarus to die? What does the Bible say about death and the intermediate state? Do Christians who have died know what's happening on earth? Do they experience emotion, such as regret? Why would God allow Job to suffer? Did God offer Job up as a pawn or is something else going on?

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Check out Matt's newest book: The End of the World As You Know It:⁠⁠⁠ (link ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠⁠

Here are some brief reflections on the question of whether God still speak in dreams and visions and how this question relates to biblical texts such as Hebrews 1:1-2.

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Check out Matt's newest book: The End of the World As You Know It:⁠⁠⁠ (link ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠

Matt takes questions about faith as "believing loyalty" and how that relates to the forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament (as it relates to obedience), and a question about John 6:65 -- can it be interpreted non-deterministically?

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Check out Matt's newest book: The End of the World As You Know It:⁠⁠⁠ (link ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠

Matt takes listener questions about angels (are they still active in the world today?), God's wrath (who is the destroying angel in the Old Testament? How does divine wrath relate to free will?), the "Romans road salvation plan" (does it capture the full story of the Gospel? How can we better incorporate the story of Israel in our evangelistic efforts?), and the inerrancy of Scripture (is "inerrancy" a good word to use for describing the Bible? What are some pitfalls in the way it's often employed in contemporary discussions?).

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Check out Matt's newest book: The End of the World As You Know It:⁠⁠⁠ (link ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠

Revelation 8 raises a lot of questions, such as: Who are the seven angels with seven trumpets? What is the significance of their using trumpets? What is the "great mountain" that is "thrown in the sea"? Is this literally a mountain? How does one interpret the "great star" (called "Wormwood") that falls from heaven (this, after all, can hardly be taken as a literal "star")? And, lastly, why is the fraction "one-third" used so often in Revelation 8? How does this number fit into the larger narrative? These questions and more are addressed in this episode. Listen to explore some answers!

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Sigve Tonstad's Revelation commentary: https://a.co/d/1xqmIIM

On "wrath" as divine withdrawal, see Greg Boyd's 2-volume work, Crucifixion of the Warrior God: https://a.co/d/0PTkbwA

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Check out Matt's newest book: The End of the World As You Know It:⁠⁠⁠ (link ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠

In Revelation 7, there are 144,000 people sealed on their foreheads -- 12,000 drawn from 12 Jewish tribes. What is John describing in this vision? Should we interpret this literally, as a group of 144,000 individual Jewish people? Or is this symbolic for something else? In this episode, Matt dives into the text and offers reasons why the 144,000 should be understood as referring to the fulness of God's multi-ethnic church -- a company of saints who exist within (and because of) the story of Israel.

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Check out Matt's newest book: The End of the World As You Know It:⁠⁠⁠ (link ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠

There's a lot to consider in Revelation 6:9-17; 8:1-5. First, after the 5th seal is opened, we read of martyrs under an altar praying to God for justice to be restored to the earth; they are given white robes and told to "rest a little longer." What's significant about their prayer? What do the white robes signify? Second, with the opening of the 6th seal, the cosmos undergoes a dissolution of sorts -- the sun is darkened, the moon turns blood red, the stars fall from the sky. This symbolism can be found in the prophets (e.g. Joel, Isaiah), as well as in other parts of the New Testament (e.g. Matthew, Acts). Why is this important to note, and what do these apocalyptic images signify? Finally, at the 7th seal, there is "silence" in heaven. What does this mean? How can the Old Testament help us answer that question?

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Check out Matt's newest book: The End of the World As You Know It:⁠⁠⁠ (link ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠

What do you think of God? What thoughts come to mind when you hear the words "sovereign" applied to him? Do you think of God as a Father -- one who has intimate knowledge of, and deep care for, his creation? In this sermon, Matt unpacks Psalm 147:4-5, which speaks of both God's infinite wisdom/understanding and the comos' contingency/finitude. The implications of these two verses are far-reaching, inviting us to think deeply and carefully about the one, true eternal God and our relationship with him.

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Check out Matt's newest book: The End of the World As You Know It:⁠⁠⁠ (link ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠