Yahweh's Council


Book Description

Ellen White explores the depiction of the divine council under the authority of Yahweh in the type-scenes of the Hebrew Bible. She proposes criteria for determining a Council of Yahweh type-scene and membership requirements. Following these criteria the Council of Yahweh texts are Isaiah 6, 1 Kings 22, Job 1-2, Zechariah 3, and Daniel 7. After determining a cast of characters, the author explores the structure of the council and realizes that the structure contains three tiers with two divisions on tiers 2 and 3. The first tier belongs to the chief god, the second tier is called the Councilors and the two divisions are Judicial Officials and Advisors. The third tier is the Agents and the two divisions on this tier are the Court Officers and Commissioned. Characters who play a role relating to the council, but are not themselves members of the council are also analyzed. Finally, Ellen White evaluates the potential for conceptual evolution, especially in relationship to monotheism and the participation of human beings within the Council of Yahweh.




Paradigms on Pilgrimage


Book Description

In this provocative book two authors--one a scientist, the other a biblical scholar and pastor--recount the pilgrimages of understanding that have led them from the young-earth, "scientific creationist" position they were taught in their youths to new perspectives on what it can mean to believe in God as Creator.




The Council of Yahweh


Book Description




The Unseen Realm


Book Description

In The Unseen Realm, Dr. Michael Heiser examines the ancient context of Scripture, explaining how its supernatural worldview can help us grow in our understanding of God. He illuminates intriguing and amazing passages of the Bible that have been hiding in plain sight. You'll find yourself engaged in an enthusiastic pursuit of the truth, resulting in a new appreciation for God's Word. Why wasn't Eve surprised when the serpent spoke to her? How did descendants of the Nephilim survive the flood? Why did Jacob fuse Yahweh and his Angel together in his prayer? Who are the assembly of divine beings that God presides over? In what way do those beings participate in God's decisions? Why do Peter and Jude promote belief in imprisoned spirits? Why does Paul describe evil spirits in terms of geographical rulership? Who are the "glorious ones" that even angels dare not rebuke? After reading this book, you may never read your Bible the same way again. Endorsements "There is a world referred to in the Scripture that is quite unseen, but also quite present and active. Michael Heiser's The Unseen Realm seeks to unmask this world. Heiser shows how important it is to understand this world and appreciate how its contribution helps to make sense of Scripture. The book is clear and well done, treating many ideas and themes that often go unseen themselves. With this book, such themes will no longer be neglected, so read it and discover a new realm for reflection about what Scripture teaches." --Darrell L. Bock, Executive Director for Cultural Engagement, Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Howard G. Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and Cultural Engagement "'How was it possible that I had never seen that before?' Dr. Heiser's survey of the complex reality of the supernatural world as the Scriptures portray it covers a subject that is strangely sidestepped. No one is going to agree with everything in his book, but the subject deserves careful study, and so does this book." --John Goldingay, David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament, School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary "This is a 'big' book in the best sense of the term. It is big in its scope and in its depth of analysis. Michael Heiser is a scholar who knows Scripture intimately in its ancient cultural context. All--scholars, clergy, and laypeople--who read this profound and accessible book will grow in their understanding of both the Old and New Testaments, particularly as their eyes are opened to the Bible's 'unseen world.'" --Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College




Did God Have a Wife?


Book Description

This richly illustrated, non-technical reconstruction of "folk religion" in ancient Israel is based largely on recent archaeological evidence, but also incorporates biblical texts where possible.




The Great Angel


Book Description

In this groundbreaking book, Barker claims that pre-Christian Judaism was not monotheistic and that the roots of Christian Trinitarian theology lie in a pre-Christian Palestinian belief about angels derived from the ancient religion of Israel. Barker's beliefs are based on canonical and deutero-canonical works and literature from Qumran and rabbinic sources.




Satan Exposed


Book Description

Spiritual warfare is not a church fad. Rather, it is the rediscovery of biblical Christianity. Furthermore, one will not grasp what the Bible teaches until one comprehends what it affirms about spiritual warfare. In truth, spiritual warfare permeates the entire Bible. When one learns to read the Scriptures through the lens of spiritual warfare, one will discern the mission of God, understand the kingdom of God, and be able to participate in the work of God. As a professional theologian, seminary professor, and spiritual warfare practitioner, Bill Payne believes that the church will not make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20) until it operationalizes what the Bible teaches about spiritual warfare. As it orients the reader to the spiritual warfare mandate, Satan Exposed tackles the difficult passages of Scripture. In short, this book will change how you read the Bible, how you understand reality, and how you do ministry.




Satanic Conflict and the Plot of Matthew


Book Description

"Recent gospel studies have capitalized on the advance in scholarship of narrative criticism. Conversely, gospel studies have suffered from a general lack of appreciation for and application of first-century demonology in Judaism. A combination of these two critical tools sheds great light not only on the plot of Matthew but also on the understanding of selected problem passages. The success of this approach makes Satanic Conflict and the Plot of Matthew an indispensable method of gospel criticism."--BOOK JACKET.




Exploring Mormon Thought


Book Description

In his long-anticipated third volume, Of God and Gods, Blake Ostler steps through the common complaint that Mormons aren’t Christians because they believe in three separate individuals in the Godhead as well as the deification of human beings. He demonstrates the clear biblical understanding, both in the precursors of the Old Testament and the New, that Jesus and God the Father were not one in some incomprehensible “substance” while separate in person, but were actually distinct individuals. What made them one was their indwelling love. It is that loving unity into which they invite human beings. In language and thought accessible to the lay reader but simultaneously rigorous and scholarly, Ostler analyzes and responds to the arguments of contemporary international theologians, reconstructs and interprets Joseph Smith’s important King Follett Discourse and Sermon in the Grove just before the Mormon prophet’s death, and argues persuasively for the Mormon doctrine of “robust deification.”




God's Eternal Plan


Book Description

Let me quote this very important passage of Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." So, this is the premise from which this book would be written. We cannot even begin to understand the Scriptures or the heart of God if we do not believe that He is. And to do that we must enact the faith that everyone of us were given at birth according to: Romans 12:3 Because God always existed, we must understand and believe that He existed outside of space and time in the realm called Eternal. I believe that this is why we could understand the following passage of Scripture: Matthew 25:34-40 So, He knew exactly what He was seeking to accomplish, and nothing could take Him by surprise. And that time, as we know it only began when He created it. This was done when He created the Heavens and the earth as recorded in the book of Genesis, when He established the sun and the moon and day and night causing, the establishment of days and night, and the record of days.