A little while ago I posted some passages for Dr. Johnson's take that (obviously) were relevant to his discussion about atonement / substitution language. Turns out he had been discussing those with some of you. What follows are his answers, as well as email questions...
Leviticus
What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 5
This is Part 5 of a guest series by Dr. Ronn Johnson. I'm planning on posting some thoughts of my own on his series (thus far) in the near future. I think Ronn's presentation of the way the notion of substitution is put forth in evangelicalism is on target. As to...
What is the Bible’s Big Story? Part 4
This post is a continuation of Parts 1, 2, and 3 by Dr. Ronn Johnson. Dr. Johnson recommends listening to some of the Leviticus podcasts at one point, and that's good advice (see the episodes on Lev 4 and 5). For those who might remember the series on Leviticus, with...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 157: Ezekiel 40-48: Temple, Part 2
This episode continues our discussion of Ezekiel’s temple vision. Whereas Part 1 noted the problems a literalistic approach produces for both coherent interpretation and consistency in biblical theology, this episode looks at positive indications in the text that...
Two New Kindle Books — Notes on Leviticus and Acts from the Naked Bible Podcast
I'm happy to announce that there are two new Kindle books available: Notes on Leviticus from the Naked Bible Podcast ($0.99) Notes on the Book of Acts from the Naked Bible Podcast ($0.99) As you might guess from the titles, these are edited version of the transcripts...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 140 – Ezekiel 24
Chapter 24 is a turning book in the book of Ezekiel. After Ezekiel’s call (Ch. 1-3), the book has, to this point, been a series of gloom-and-doom pronouncements to the exiled Jews in Babylon subverting their expectations that Jerusalem, the temple, and their friends...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 137: Ezekiel 23
Ezekiel 23 essentially takes up where Ezekiel 16 left off. The latter chapter is perhaps the most sexual explicit in the entire Bible, as its theme is to present Jerusalem and Judah as a whore to telegraph her spiritual betrayal of Yahweh. In this chapter both the...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 135: Ezekiel 19-20
These two chapters in Ezekiel rehearse parts of Israel’s tragic history in different ways. This episode discusses both chapters, but devotes more attention to several controversial and difficult passages in chapter 20. Ezekiel 19 is a lamentation that uses animal and...
Did Yahweh Demand Blood for a True Relationship with Him? Part 3: Bloodless Atonement and New Testament Justification
[MSH: When readers finish this essay, they will recognize its internal consistency with my argument in The Unseen Realm that salvation was the same across the board in both testaments. The issue was believing loyalty to Yahweh. Dr. Johnson raises the question of how...
Did Yahweh Demand Blood for a True Relationship with Him? Part 2
[Editor's note: Ronn Johnson's post will remind those who listened to the Naked Bible Podcast series on Leviticus of the discussion of kaphar, how it referred to purgation -- not from moral sins, but from ritual impurity. Consequently, it's application to the work of...
Did Yahweh Demand Blood for a True Relationship with Him? Were the Other Gods More Merciful to their People?
[Editorial, MSH: Listeners to the Naked Bible podcast series on Leviticus will recall that nearly all the sacrificial language of Leviticus had to do with disinfecting or protecting sacred space from impurity – the blood was not applied to the one bringing sacrifice...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 116 – Ezekiel 7
The episode is now live. In this episode, Dr. Michael Heiser walks through one of the most chilling chapters in the book of Ezekiel. Chapter 7 announces with repeated urgency: “The end has come.” This isn’t just a statement about the destruction of Jerusalem in 586...
Naked Bible 84: Leviticus 26-27
This episode covers Leviticus 26-27, bringing our study of Leviticus to a close. Our focus is primarily a question raised by Lev 26 -- whether the offer of restoration to Yahweh (and thus to the land) described in Lev 26:40-42 is being fulfilled now or is yet to be...
Naked Bible 83: Leviticus 23-25
This episode discusses items in three chapters of Leviticus including how Leviticus 23 conceptualizes the Sabbath, how its description of Israelite feasts and festivals diverges with other passages in the Torah, the imagery of the “shewbread” (“bread of the...
Naked Bible 81: Leviticus 21-22
Leviticus 21-22 overlaps a great deal with earlier material in Leviticus. This episode focuses on certain mourning rites and Israel’s need to maintain a holiness distinction from pagan religions in that regard. Of special interest in this episode is Lev 21:5 (cp. Lev...