Is sin a verb or a noun?

Is it an act you choose, or a power that chooses you?

Is sin something you do, or does it do something to you?

And the answer to all of those questions…is yes. 

Today I’m going to talk about what happens in the spiritual realm when we sin. 

We often focus on sin in the physical realm as something we choose. What we don’t realize is our sins actually create legal rights in the spiritual realm for evil spirits to harass and try to dominate us. 

So today’s episode will give you a greater context for the spiritual battles that we find ourselves in, especially in combatting the flesh or our own sinful desires. And it all begins where sin began, which is Genesis 3. Eve talked to the snake, she bit into the fruit, Adam had some, too, God comes up and asks what they’re doing, and here is what Eve said in

Genesis 3:13

“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Here’s something interesting about this word for “deceived me” in the Hebrew. It can also mean the serpent “put me in its debt.”

And that’s such a strange idea. We know who the serpent is- the devil. So how does sin put us in the devil’s debt?

I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 

Turn to Genesis 3, and let’s get weird.

Visit the Weird Stuff store!

https://luketaylorpodcasts.creator-spring.com

My columns in The Christian Post:

https://www.christianpost.com/by/luke-taylor

The Naked Man in the Garden when Jesus was Arrested (article on the site)

https://weirdstuffinthebible.com/2025/08/06/the-naked-man-with-the-linen-cloth/

Check out the website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

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0:00 - Introduction

2:15 - Recap of the Dominion Mandate

4:05 - Nasha in Genesis 3

8:45 - Masal in Genesis 4

11:55 - How We Find Freedom in Romans 6

20:45 - Why would evil spirits follow spiritual laws?

26:15 - Announcement- Launch of the WSITB Store

If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

Ever since the Garden of Eden, we have been in a battle for dominion.

The devil seeks dominion over your eternity, but that’s not all. He wants dominion over your personal life, and he wants dominion over physical space on planet earth.

I don’t think most Christians realize that the devil is out to conquer territory. We often talk about the spiritual battle that we’re all in, and that can cause us to think that the physical world doesn’t matter so much. 

But if you read your Bible, you’ll see that obviously, this world matters to him. And it matters to God. And so we need to make it matter to us as well.

I mean, as we read scripture, Satan shows up in Ezekiel 28 as the principality of Tyre. He shows up in Isaiah 14 as the principality of Babylon. Daniel 10 tells us about the principalities over Persia and Greece. 

And Ephesians 6 tells us that we wrestle against these principalities. But what even is a principality, and how does it come to be in charge of a territory on planet earth?

I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 

Turn to Ephesians 6, and let’s get weird.

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

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You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Introduction

1:40 - Recapping Last Week

8:00 - Establishing a Principality

21:40 - Getting Rid of a Principality

If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

Most Christians don’t realize this: not every thought you have is your own thought. Some of them are the thoughts of the Pneumatikos. What are the Pneumatikos? They’re those things Paul warned us about in Ephesians 6:12.

Once of the most famous New Testament verses. You’ve heard it. I’ve heard it. We’ve all heard it.

Ephesians 6:12 says (in the ESV)

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

We’ve read that. We’ve heard sermons on it. We’ve understood it- or, we think we do. We understand that this is talking about spiritual warfare. Satan’s army. 

But what exactly are the rulers? What specifically are the authorities? Or cosmic powers? Or spiritual forces of evil? 

These names might sound like the bad guys in an episode of Power Rangers. But what do all these phrases mean?

These terms refer to the hierarchy of power, or the ranks in the devil’s kingdom. Just like our military might have generals, captains, lieutenants, and infantry, the devil also has an organized militia. They take orders. There’s a chain of command. And if you listen all the way through today, you’ll understand this verse deeper than ever before, and you’ll have a much clearer understanding of how Satan’s kingdom operates.

There are demonic minions who operate at a very low level. There are principalities who operate at a very high level. And there is a prince of darkness at the very very top. (And it was not Ozzy Osbourne.)

I did find Ozzy Osbourne to be weird. But even more-so, I find Satan’s kingdom to be weird, and I’d like to know everything about it that we can find in the Bible. 

And if you want to learn that, too, turn to Ephesians 6, and let’s get weird.

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

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You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Introduction

2:20 - Get Me to the Greek

5:15 - Arche or Principality

8:20 - Exousia or Power-Authority

13:50 - Kosmokrator or Cosmic Powers

15:50 - Pneumatikos or Spiritual Forces

17:30 - How Satan’s Kingdom Functions

26:00 - How to Repent

If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

We’re going to be in the book of Ephesians for the next couple of weeks, really centering around this famous verse at the end of the book:

Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Next week, we’ll be looking at what these rulers, authorities and spiritual forces exactly are. All you need to know is that these refer to the hierarchy of Satan’s kingdom. Rulers and authorities, powers and spiritual forces, these are demons and fallen angels. 

For this week, I want to just explore this concept of “the heavenly realms.” 

We read that and we’re like, “well I know what that is: the spiritual realm. The supernatural realm. The unseen world. Behind the veil. The upside down. The Quantum Realm. Narnia.”Whatever you want to call it. It’s that spiritual plane of existence that angels and demons inhabit. 

But wait: what if I told you that “the heavenly realms” is a phrase that’s been used throughout the book of Ephesians- and not only that, it says we’re already there.

Ephesians 2:6 says

God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

So how can we be there if we’re here?

I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 

Turn to Ephesians 1, and let’s get weird.

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

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You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Introduction

1:55 - Epouranios

5:45 - Ephesians 2:6

10:30 - Ephesians 1:3

12:00 - Ephesians 1:20

15:25 - Ephesians 3:10

23:00 - Next Time

25:40 - Closing Thoughts

If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

Who outranks who: angels or humans?

I mean, angels get to go to heaven and can turn invisible and beat up demons- and FLY- so it sounds like they’re better than people. Like angels are superior to humans.

And yet, Hebrews paints a different picture.

Chapter 1, verse 14 says

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? 

Those who inherit salvation are us. So angels are ministering spirits who serve us. Wow. So maybe humans outrank angels. But it’s going to say in the very next chapter,

verses 6 and 7

What is man, that you are mindful of him,
    or the son of man, that you care for him?

You made him for a little while lower than the angels…

Wait, so humans are lower than the angels? And that also speaks of Jesus- when Jesus was on earth, was He lower than the angels as well?

Make it make sense!

I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 

Turn to Hebrews 2, and let’s get weird.

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Introduction

1:55 - Lower Than the Angels

7:20 - What is Man?

15:30 - Psalm 8 and the Elohim

24:45 - Closing Thoughts

If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

Why did Satan tempt Adam and Eve into sin in the Garden of Eden?

You’ve probably wondered that before. You’ve probably wondered why Satan felt it was so important to bring sin into this world and to corrupt mankind. 

And you’ve probably heard answers like this: because Satan hates God, and humans are made in the image of God, so therefore Satan hates man.

And that answer’s fine, I guess, but it doesn’t really check all the boxes for me. Such as: what does Satan get out of it? What is his endgame? What does he get by attacking us?

I have an answer to those questions that will bring a greater context for this spiritual battle we’re in between God and the devil- and why this planet is the battleground. 

The Bible tells us why Satan relentlessly attacks God’s greatest creation, which is human beings. And I’m glad it tells us, because I find Satan’s actions to be weird, and I’d like to explore why he does what he does in the Bible. 

Turn to Genesis 1, and let’s get weird.

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Introduction

1:30 - Understanding Dominion

6:20 - How Satan Stole Our Dominion

11:55 - Satan God What He Wanted

15:00 - 3 Areas Where the Devil Seeks Control

23:15 - Next Time

25:15 - How the Gospel Gets Our Authority Back

If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

Genesis 3:1-2 say

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent,

Well wait, let’s stop right there. Why wasn’t Eve just running the other way at this point Why was Eve talking to a snake? Did animals used to have the ability to speak before the fall of man?

Possibly. But that’s kind of a strong claim to make without more scriptural support for it. I don’t know that animals were that smart.

I did see an article this past week where the headline said scientists have determined that dolphins are the second-most-intelligent beings on this planet. Not snakes, but dolphins. It said dolphins are second only to man.

It did not say where women rank in the lineup. I felt like that should have been part of the story, but the article never went there. 

But the smartest creatures we have on earth other than man are dolphins, and even dolphins can’t talk.

But Genesis 3 hits us with a talking snake.

And Eve talks right back to it. She even lets it convince her to commit the first sinful action ever taken by humans.

Now most of you are already ahead of me: duh, Luke, it’s the devil! (Satan, that serpent of old, as Revelation 12:9 says)

And yes, it’s totally the devil. But that makes the question even more challenging for us, because now we have to explain: how was the devil a snake, who did Eve think she was talking to, and why was she listening to him? We’ll answer all those questions today, because I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 

Turn to Genesis 3, and let’s get weird.

My column this week in the Christian Post: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/gods-will-or-not-in-modern-times-casting-lots-for-big-decision.html

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Introduction

2:00 - The Snake’s Identity

8:20 - Why Did Eve Listen to Him?

12:25 - Could Animals Talk?

15:35 - Closing Thoughts

If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

We’ve heard a million sermons, bible studies, Sunday school lessons, and more on Genesis 3. And for good reason. This is the chapter that depicts the first sin, the fall of man, the reason we needed Jesus to come and die for our sins. 

Genesis 3 is where Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, bring sin into the world, and get kicked out of the paradise of Eden.

So for good reason, there are countless books and teachings and even podcasts that dive into this chapter. And yet, I find that the more you dig, the more you keep finding. There’s more going on in this story than you probably ever realized. For a chapter that seems to explain so much about reality, it also raises a lot of questions.

For example, let’s just talk about the opening line: 

Genesis 3:1

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

Well we all know who the serpent is. That’s the devil, or Satan. We’ve got that down. We know that a serpent refers to a physical creature like a snake, but we also understand that this is no mere snake, but also referring to the devil himself. So we know the Bible here is using a physical creature to depict a spiritual being.

But what about the beasts of the field also mentioned there? We usually assume that that’s just talking about the other animals that filled the earth in those early days.

But if the serpent at the beginning of the verse is referring to a spiritual being, why would we not also assume that the beasts of the field that the verse mentions later are not also spiritual beings?

I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 

Let’s dig into this idea today, and as we do, it’s going to show us how sometimes the Bible sounds like it’s speaking in physical terms but is actually just using those words to communicate about what’s going on behind the spiritual veil. So today will expand your vocabulary of spiritual terminology and bring some clarity to your Bible reading.

Let’s start by turning to Genesis 3, and let’s get weird.

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

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You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Introduction

3:30 - The Craftiest Creature God Ever Made

7:20 - Beasts of the Field

15:30 - Birds of the Air

18:35 - Snakes and Scorpions

25:40 - Closing Thought: Why I Talked About Nephilim

If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

Let’s begin with where we left off last week. We started with Goliath and traced his origins and ancestral line backwards, all the way back to Genesis 6. In those verses in Genesis 6, we read about how spiritual beings called the Sons of God came down to earth and mated with human women.

As I said last time, this is probably the weirdest thing I believe. And if you like hearing about Weird Stuff in the Bible, you’re in the right place. 

Genesis 6:1-4 say

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

So last week, we talked about how the giants- or Nephilim- were created. And how this eventually led to a most famous giant: Goliath, who fought David in I Samuel 17.

But wait, you might say: wait a minute Luke. Genesis 6:1-4 happened BEFORE the flood of Noah. So how did the Nephilim continue to populate the world in Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua and I and II Samuel, which all take place after the flood.

That’s what I will talk about today, and along the way, we’ll also meet all the other giants of the Old Testament. It wasn’t just Goliath. He wasn’t just a one-and-done. There are multiple others; in fact, entire tribes of giants.

I find that to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 

Turn to Numbers 13, and let’s get weird.

(NOTE: where I said “Genesis 6” at 18:35, I meant Ephesians 6)

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

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You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Introduction

2:00 - How Did the Nephilim Return After the Flood?

7:30 - Anak

12:00 - Og

19:00 - Mailbag

23:00 - Goliath’s Brothers (or Cousins)

If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

I am on a bit of a David-and-Goliath kick right now, for three reasons. 

• One, because I just got back from vacation where I saw an incredible production of David’s life at Sight and Sound theater. 
• Two, there’s an amazing new show on Amazon called House of David that I just finished watching. 
• And three, because the story of David and Goliath is a picture of the spiritual battle we all find ourselves in every day.

Now, even if you aren’t a Christian, you know the story of David and Goliath. The small Israelite boy who used a sling to destroy the giant champion of the Philistines. 

But when we say Goliath was a giant, what do we mean? Well, I Samuel 17 says he was six cubits and a span. I have enough trouble converting English to Metric, and my yardsticks growing up did NOT have an edge that measured cubits and spans.

Scholars will tell us that six cubits and a span amounts to anywhere from 9-foot-9 to 10-foot-6.

And yet those same scholars will tell us in the next breath that this must be some kind of mistake, because obviously, nobody can be 10 feet tall. Even Christian scholars will teach that this must be some kind of typo in the Bible.

Well, call me old-fashioned, or call me a fundamentalist, but I believe that the whole Bible is God’s Word, and that God doesn’t make mistakes.

So I take this to be literal truth. But I also take it to be weird. 

And I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 

Turn to I Samuel 17, and let’s get weird.

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Introduction

2:00 - The Origin of Goliath

8:10 - The Origin of the Anakim

11:40 - The Origin of the Nephilim

14:25 - Life Update & Mailbag

22:20 - Closing Thoughts

If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected]

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!