The Bible Project

How do books like Amos, Habakuk and Zephaniah fit in the story of the Bible? These books can be really confusing and their violent imagery is disturbing to many readers. Tim and Jon discuss these books, their original context and some of the challenges that come when reading them, including the origins of evil. The Bible believes evil is real but often seems confusing when readers ask questions like "where did evil come from?" and "why does evil exist?" These episodes are designed to accompany our Day Of The Lord Video, that we just released. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEBc2gSSW04 Take a look and let us know what you think! P.S. Have you been enjoying this series and have some questions? We're going to be hosting another Q+R episode at the end of the series. So, get your question ready and send it to us! support@thebibleproject.com Show Music: Defender Instrumental by Rosasharn Music Radio Station by Moby Cartilage by Moby FYI Bible Passages Referenced In This Episode: Amos 4

In this episode, Tim and Jon cover a lot of ground on the biblical theme, Day of the Lord. As God’s chosen people, Israel is supposed to be a nation set apart, a counter-nation to Babylon. But we’ll see how God’s people make their journey from an oppressed people to the oppressors. God’s commitment is to dismantle human empires that rise to power and redefine good and evil, even if that means that God will have to defeat his own chosen nation. The story picks up with King Solomon in ancient Israel. He is considered to be one of the richest and wisest men who ever lived. But as Tim and Jon discuss, things aren't always as they seem. In the first part of the episode (02:25-23:42), the guys unpack the rise and fall of King Solomon. Solomon had a great beginning and good intentions as Israel’s king, but he got caught up in power and no longer thought of himself as under the authority of God. The story of Solomon is about the oppressed becoming the oppressors, and to the ancient prophets, Solomon's downfall is vie

In this episode, Tim and Jon continue their conversation on The Day Of The Lord. The guys will build on their discussion on Babylon from part one as they try to get at what the biblical authors think about technological advances. Why did God seem to disapprove of man's invention of the brick in the story of the Tower? The guys will also spend some time talking about the exodus of the Hebrew people from ancient Egypt. It's one of the key events in Scripture, and it’s where the term Day of the Lord comes from. Thinking about God as a Warrior God is a little hard for us to swallow in our modern context, but it’s undeniably a part of his attributes, and he shows up in Scripture, time and time again, to fight for the oppressed. In the first part of the episode (01:46-13:37), the guys talk about technology in the Bible. Are technological advances bad? Does technology really detract from God’s glory? Tim brings this back around to the idea of subduing creation in Genesis 1. Technology can bend towards evil or exalti

The End Times. The Tribulation. Judgement. All of these buzz words can be sensitive subjects for Christians. But how do the Bible authors deal with the future of the world? They use a phrase called "The Day of the Lord." This is the first episode in our new series on that phrase. Tim and Jon talk about this phrase, its origins, and some of big questions attached to it. Where does the Bible think history is going? What is God going to do about evil? This series will accompany a new theme video on The Day of the Lord that will be released later this year. Music Credits Defender (Instrumental) by Rosasharn Music Thule by The Album Leaf Shot in the Back of the Head by Moby

This week is our second to last release in our Old Testament Q+R series. We talk Deuteronomy. It's an interesting read. Moses is delivering his farewell address, a soliloquy urging Israel to follow God and his commandments. But some of his commandments seem pretty strange, especially to modern Westerners. Why did God have commandments about how slaves should be treated? Did he approve of slavery? And what about Israel's treatment of other nations when they would invade? Tim and Jon discuss these questions and many more. Thank you to all our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q's and Timestamps: What does "love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind mean"? (8:25) What does “the Lord is one” mean in the Shema? (20:40) Is there the Holy spirit in the Old Testament/ in Deuteronomy (22:45) Why did ancient Israel have slaves? (23:30) Giants in the bible? Deuteronomy mentions giants, are these connected to the Nephilim in Genesis 6? (31:05) What do the laws in Deut 20 mean about

This is our Q+R on the book of Numbers in the Old Testament. This audio originally came from a Youtube series of Q+R's that Jon and Tim did. You can view the original Q+R video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTwaNoZ35NA And our videos on the book of Numbers here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zebxH-5o-SQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp5MIrMZFqo Thank you to all our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q's and Timestamps It seems like the pagan sorcerer Balaam has an awareness or a relationship with the Lord, the god of the Hebrews. Is this possible? (2:50) Did Balaam really have the power to bless and curse people? (9:09) Does Balaam predict Jesus as the coming king and Messiah of Israel in his final prophecy in Numbers 24? (10:35) What is the deal with the story of the bronze snakes in Numbers 21? (15:43) What is the "Book of the Wars of the Lord" in Numbers 21? (21:50) What does it mean to "bless" in Numbers? Especially the priestly blessing in the Old Testament? (

This summer we've been releasing a Q+R series we did on Youtube covering hard questions in the Old Testament. This week we are in the book of Leviticus, a very confusing, very ancient book. Tim and Jon discuss issues about being "unclean" in the Old Testament, whether Christians should get tattoos and many other things. Thank you to all our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q's and Timestamps: What’s the deal with the law against tattoos in leviticus? And how should modern christians interpret these ancient, obscure laws? (6:34) What’s the deal with the law against tattoos in leviticus? And how should modern christians interpret these ancient, obscure laws? (6:34) Would the original readers of Leviticus have known the divisions between ceremonial and moral laws? (14:50) Would the original readers of Leviticus have known the divisions between ceremonial and moral laws? (14:50) Why animal sacrifices in the old testament? Why not tree or grain sacrifices? (19:00) What is the deal with menst

This summer we are re-releasing a Q+R series we did on Youtube. Tim and Jon discuss questions in front of a live Youtube stream about different books in the Old Testament. In this episode the guys discuss stories in the second half of the book of Exodus. Thank you to all our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q's and Timestamps: What is the relationship between the Sinai Covenant and the rest of the Bible? (3:27) Is there any symbolism in the tabernacle that’s recognizable? (9:10) Why do the ten commandments appear more than once in the Torah? (13:50) Did other cultures adopt Hebrew laws? And what is the relation between Hebrew laws and other ancient laws like the code of Hammurabi? (24:34) and (26:15) Did God change his mind about destroying Israel? (27:15) What is manna in the Old Testament? (38:28) Did God actually expect Israel to follow all the laws in the Old Testament? (42:20) Links: Original video conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNpTha80yyE&t=5s Exodus videos: https://www.

This is our Q+R on Exodus 1-11. This show was originally a Youtube live video of Tim and Jon discussing questions about Exodus stories. Thank you to all our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q’s and Timestamps: Why does God harden Pharaoh's heart? (1:30) What’s the deal with Zipporah circumcising her son in the middle of the night to save Moses in Exodus 4? (15:00) Is there any significant pattern to the order of the ten plagues? (17:42) Why would God do the plague of the firstborn and kill kids? (22:50) Is Exodus actual history or just myth? (27:45) Is Pharaoh a type of "anti christ"? (35:37) Links: Original video conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13aiCmGkp0c Exodus videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH_aojNJM3E&t=7s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uf-PgW7rqE&t=5s Additional Resources: Tim Mackie Exodus hand out link on his website: http://www.timmackie.com/torah-crash-course/ Handout: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l08zmyz1mqk7si9/AABay29E28EADW8NF7MPnEiXa?dl=0

This summer we are re-releasing audio of a Youtube Q+R series we did on Old Testament books. This week we are in the book of Genesis. We cover a lot of questions in this episode like why would God ask for a child sacrifice from Abraham and Isaac, when he forbids child sacrifice? Thank you to all of our supporters! You are so meaningful to us! Q's and Timestamps: Genesis 12-end How do you approach the theme that God’s approach to solving the mess, is a mess itself? Why does God keep working with screwed up people? (0:56) Who is “the Angel of the Lord” in Genesis? (9:07) Why would God request child sacrifice of Abraham/Isaac? (14:37) Why is Isaac limited in what he can bless Esau with after he blessed Jacob earlier? (21:27) Who is the author of Genesis? (27:38) Is Joseph in Genesis a type of Christ? (32:06) What is the deal with Melchizedek? (38:32) Links: Original video conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r-lOaDXrFE Genesis videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOUV7mWDI34&t=156s & htt

This summer we're releasing audio of Q and R's that we did on our Youtube channel talking through different books in the Old Testament. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss Genesis 1-11, and the video they made on it. Thank you to all of our supporters and listeners. You can find more resources, all free here at our website. www.thebibleproject.com Q's and Timestamps: Why did we leave out the snake in the video? (1:00) Why did we leave out the snake in the video? (1:00) What is imagery of serpent in ancient culture? (3:14) Does it matter if we read Genesis literally or not? (7:15) What is the deal with genealogies in the Genesis? (14:07) Did God create the earth twice in Genesis 1 and 2? (18:28) Did God create the earth twice in Genesis 1 and 2? (18:28) What would have happened if Adam and Eve had not chosen the fruit in the story? (27:19) Who are "the sons of god" in Genesis 6 and the book of Enoch? (33:16) Links: Original video conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAGkL2MDyfk Addi

This week on the podcast we do something a little bit different. We try to look inside the biblical writers’ imaginations and think about what they were trying to picture when they used certain words. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. For thousands of years its been passed down through translators. And sometimes the words that we read today in our Bibles don’t fit with the context the authors were originally using. Tim and Jon have a quick discussion on a popular Hebrew word “Shema.” It originally meant "to listen" and to the ancient Hebrew it was one of the most powerful words in the Scriptures, but today its importance is mostly lost. This podcast accompanies the first in a new video series called "Word Studies." For more info, check out our YouTube channel and the video called "Word Study: Shema - Listen". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KQLOuIKaRA Thanks for being part of this! Music Credits Defender by Rosasharn Music Shine by The Albu

This is our very first Question and Response episode and we had a blast doing it! Thank you to everyone who submitted questions. In this episode we fielded questions on the Holy Spirit. What is the difference between spirit and soul in the Bible? How do the New Testament authors portray the Holy Spirit in relation to Greek spiritual ideas? Are Paul's list of spiritual gifts in the New Testament comprehensive, just examples, or something else? What are some of the different interpretations and ideas of the 1 Corinthians passages on the Holy Spirit and Paul's writing saying all should desire spiritual gifts? Why did the Holy Spirit come at Pentecost? And what exactly did Pentecost and associating feast mean to the Jewish people? How do we know who has the Holy Spirit and who doesn't? How do you hear from God through the Holy Spirit? What are some good resources to learn more about the Holy Spirit? Music Credits: Defender by Rosasharn Music

This is the final part of our conversation on the Holy Spirit. Tim and Jon look at how the Holy Spirit is discussed in the New Testament. They talk about the ways the gospel authors say The Holy Spirit guided Jesus and some of the Holy Spirit rich events in Jesus life (e.g. virgin conception, baptism and resurrection). They talk about Pentecost, and how Paul envisioned the Holy Spirit interacting with believers. Tim and Jon discuss what does it mean to "keep in step with the Spirit" or "to be guided by the guided by the Spirit?" Do you have a question about the Holy Spirit? Tim and Jon will be hosting a FAQ episode on the Holy Spirit next week. Send us your questions! Message us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jointhebibleproject) or send an email to support@jointhebibleproject.com . If you have the ability to record the audio of you asking the question that would be great! Deadline to submit questions. Noon PST 3/13/17. Music Credits: Defender by Rosasharn Music https://www

In this episode, Tim and Jon continue to unpack the concept of the Holy Spirit. Last time, they focused on the spirit of God. This time, they’ll look at what the word spirit means and the difference between God’s spirit and human spirit. Scripture is full of examples of God’s spirit influencing and empowering people, but is this really still happening? What does the spirit of God have to do with us today as followers of Jesus, and how will God use his spirit and use people to fulfill his purpose for creation? In the first part of this episode (01:33-18:36), the guys look at the Hebrew word for spirit, “ruakh.” They track the ruakh of God throughout Scripture, so that we can begin to understand the purpose of God’s spirit. They also talk about what it means for humans to have a spirit. In the next part of the episode (19:00-40:43), Tim and Jon break down the four different definitions of ruakh. They look at the way God’s spirit empowers people in Scripture, working with their human spirit to accomplish God’s w

The Holy Spirit is a tough subject in Christianity. It seems everyone has their own experiences of how the Spirit works. Or doesn’t. Tim and Jon talk a little bit about their own Holy Spirit experiences growing up. Jon grew up in a Baptist church where the Holy Spirit was largely theoretical. Tim grew up with the opposite experiences in a community that got really dramatic about the Holy Spirit. The guys also talk about what the ancient Hebrews believed about the Holy Spirit and the differences between their ancient beliefs and the modern Western view. To the Hebrews, the Holy Spirit was the essential, mystical force of life. An all encompassing energy that created the world and kept creating the world over and over, right before their eyes. For Hebrews, creation and sustaining the creation were not two separate ideas. Tim and Jon reflect on what it might look like if we adopted a similar worldview the ancients had. How it might invite us to become re-enchanted with creation. That we would begin to

In this episode, Tim and Jon give an overview of the entire Bible with a focus on the Hebrew Scriptures. They also spend some time going deep into the structure of the book from beginning to end. The Bible, like any other book, experienced human revision. The guys talk about what it means for the Bible to be a work of literary genius created by humans and also the divine word of God. There’s a lot to unpack here––let’s go. In the first part of the episode (01:25-54:15), the guys talk about the structure of the Old Testament. In its earliest form, the Hebrew Bible is broken up into three sections called the Tanak. This is the structure that Jesus would’ve been familiar with, and understanding this helps us to better interpret the way Jesus talked about and referenced Scripture. In the last part of the episode (54:45-1:10:51), the guys talk about the New Testament. The New Testament is structured much differently than the Old Testament. Some of the books were meant to be taught in a church setting, and some wer

What does it mean for the Bible to be both divine and a work of literary genius? The Hebrew Bible is a sophisticated piece of literary art that has a theological message, and that message is communicated through a nuanced literary medium. On this podcast, Tim and Jon spend plenty of time talking about the literary structure and design of the books of the Bible. They examine the themes in the Bible that are found throughout the entire narrative arc of Scripture. But for this episode, they back up and talk about what the Bible is in the first place. The Bible didn’t drop out of heaven, it was produced over hundreds of years by many different authors that came from one particular people group of ancient Israel. The story of the Bible emerged from the history of God’s people. The Bible tells a story with Israel at the center, but the main focus is the story of all of humanity. Video: This episode is designed to accompany our video called, “What is the Bible?” You can view it on our youtube channel here: https://w

In the fourth part of their discussion on the gospel of Luke, Tim and Jon talk about the strange story in Luke 9 of the transformation of Jesus on the mountain. In this travel section, we find many parables of Jesus, and the banquets and parties he attended. Jesus is fascinated with parties, and he even used them to talk about what the Kingdom of God is like. These stories continue to reinforce that Jesus’ mission was first for the outsiders, a message that gets him into trouble with religious leaders of the day. Tim and Jon continue to discuss many more parts of Luke’s account. The final meal Jesus had with his disciples, followed by his arrest and execution. Two disciples who unexpectedly run into Jesus but don’t recognize him until he reveals himself to them. The transformation of Jesus on the mountain calls back to Mount Sinai as he becomes like the ancient of days enthroned in heaven, gleaming like shiny metal and fire. A series of parables about two things: money and dinner parties. Luke is clearly tryi

In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the first six chapters of the gospel of Luke. Luke stands out among the other gospels because it is all about Jesus’ message being first for the poor and outcasts. This made the religious leaders of the day mad, and Jesus’ ministry was totally revolutionary in a culture that was all about status and wealth. Luke’s gospel is constantly calling back to the Hebrew Scriptures, and it emphasizes, again and again, that Jesus is the Messiah that the prophets talked about. In the first part of the episode (02:01-11:10), the guys talk about the literary genius of the gospel of Luke. Luke’s account oozes with Old Testament allusions, and he did this so that his audience would see how connected Jesus is to Israel’s story and history. In the next part of the episode (11:41-19:28), the guys spend a lot of time talking about why Luke included the story of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River. The symbolism between Jesus’ baptism and the crossing of the children of Israel into the promised