On what day was Jesus actually born? What year? Does the timing matter? Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25, but virtually all Christians know that day isn’t the real birth date of the messiah. While that is certainly the case, has the birth date of...
prophecy
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 121 – Ezekiel 12-13
The prophet Ezekiel has telegraphed the doom of Jerusalem in a series of visual re-enactment signs, visions, and prophetic oracles. Chapters 12-13 continue with more sign acts, but shifts to God’s assessment of objections by the exiles as to the certainty of...
September 11: Happy Birthday to Jesus
Many readers will know that I believe the actual birthdate of Jesus was Sept 11, 3 BC. This isn't based on any original research of my own (here's a short YouTube video of me discussing the date). Rather, it is based on the work of E. L. Martin's The Star that...
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 Podcast Episode 114: Ezekiel 4-5
The episode is now live. In this episode, Dr. Michael Heiser explores one of the most memorable examples of performance prophecy in the Bible—Ezekiel’s symbolic acts in chapters 4 and 5. These prophetic dramas are not just eccentric behaviors; they are deliberate...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 113: Ezekiel 2-3
The episode is now live. In this episode, Dr. Michael Heiser continues his series on the book of Ezekiel by exploring chapters 2 and 3—Ezekiel’s prophetic calling. Heiser walks through the symbolic and theological significance of the scroll Ezekiel is told to eat,...
A Book that Truly Examines New Testament Eschatology
If you think of the Left Behind novels or books by John Hagee as sources that provide insight on the New Testament doctrine of end times and the second coming, you should probably stop reading now. Hat tip to Chris Tilling and his Chrisendom blog for drawing my...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 103 – Moses and the Bronze Serpent
The episode is now live. Naked Bible Podcast Episode 103 explores the often-misunderstood passage in Numbers 21:4–9, where Moses is instructed to make a bronze serpent and lift it up for Israel’s healing after yet another episode of rebellion in the wilderness. Dr....
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 101: Jesus, the Exile, and the Tribulation
Mike does some eschatology (and next week, too). Kind of like a Bigfoot sighting. Get it while supplies last! In this provocative episode of the Naked Bible Podcast, Dr. Michael Heiser reframes the popular evangelical understanding of the “tribulation” by exploring...
The Armageddon Code: New End Times Book That Actually Isn’t Trying to Merely Pump Sensationalist Speculation
I speak of The Armageddon Code: One Journalist's Quest for End-Times Answers, by Billy Hallowell. How do I know it isn't all about sensationalist nonsense? Because I was interviewed at length for it. Billy Hallowell is a writer for The Blaze and one of the Church...
Naked Bible 56: Acts 20 & 21
Acts 20-21 describes Paul’s last missionary trip before returning to Jerusalem where he was saved by Roman soldiers from rioting Jews who spotted him in the temple. His deliverance would ultimately result in an appeal to Caesar and subsequent journey to Rome. These...
The Real Mystery of the Shemitah: How Did Christians Become so Biblically Ignorant?
Back in 2012 I wrote a short response piece to Jonathan Cahn's inept handling of Scripture known as The Harbinger. I ended with this line: "A Christian enthralled by this twaddle deserves the label of biblical illiterate." I haven't changed my mind. But Cahn of course...
Naked Bible 49: Acts 13
Acts 13 Acts 13 marks the transition in the book to the ministry of Paul. That is, Paul and the mission to the Gentile nations becomes the focus, whereas the church in Jerusalem fades into the backdrop. In this episode, we’ll discuss the odd citation of Psalm 2:7 in...
Things the Prophecy Profiteers Don’t Tell You: Just What is the Promised Land?
Readers may recall my series way back when on "Why an obsession with eschatology is a waste of time."[1. And for newbies, please note the word "obsession" in that statement.] In that lengthy series, I noted (somewhere) that one of the major issues separating any...
If Only Jesus Had Used Starry Night Pro
Well, the blood moon tetrad season is upon us. Woe unto us. In Matthew 24:3 the disciples of Jesus asked him, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" Jesus told them there would be signs, but...