In this episode, Matt takes listeners through the first and second messages to the seven churches -- to Ephesus and Smyrna, respectively. How do we understand the critique given to the Ephesian church? What is meant, for example, by their having "abandoned the love [they] had at first"? Moreover, who were the Nicolaitans, and what challenge did they present to these believers? When the church at Smyrna was told they would encounter difficulties for "ten days," how should we interpret that? +++ C...
Apr 30, 2024•52 min
John’s opening vision of “the Son of Man” is full of Old Testament allusions, and readers need to gain familiarity with these OT texts in order to understand the depth of meaning John seeks to convey. It invites us to ask, “What did John’s vision—and the symbols inherent to it—intend to communicate? Why was it important for the seven churches to learn about this vision?” Moreover, some prophecy teachers think John’s “seven churches” represent seven eras of church history. How plausible is this v...
Apr 23, 2024•54 min
Revelation is an ancient text that garners a lot of speculation in today's modern world. Sadly, it's been read in such a way that has spread a lot of fear --not to mention confusion about what Christianity actually teaches about eschatology. In this episode, Matt kicks off a new series on this fascinating text, showing how it was originally intended to spread encouragement and clarity for the church, not despair and confusion. A range of questions are explored, such as: What (or who!) is Revelat...
Apr 16, 2024•48 min
In this episode, Matt talks with Andrew Judd, whose research brings together hermeneutics, genre theory, and biblical studies. Andrew gives listeners a tour of some of the more troubling/difficult passages of Scripture and brings to bear upon them them the insights of his research, specifically as it has to do with genre theory and the hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer -- both of which can help modern interpreters think critically and carefully about interpreting the Bible. Andrew's website: ww...
Apr 09, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Matt chats with Dr. Nancy Dawson about her new book, All the Genealogies of the Bible: Visual Charts and Exegetical Commentary . Why are genealogies important? How do they contribute to discovering Scripture's narrative? How do genealogies give us insights into the way early Jewish and Christian people viewed the past in relation to their present? Listen to find out! Order Dr Dawson's book: https://a.co/d/62Ysg27 + + + Check out Matt's newest book, The End of the World As You Know It : ...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Matt chats with Ronn Johnson and Mike Chu, who both host The Divine Council Worldview Podcast. The conversation covers a range of topics, from what is a divine council worldview and the fall of spiritual beings to translation issues and the practical benefits of DCW. Subscribe to The Divine Council Worldview Podcast on all major podcast platforms, including : Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UdkIcEWNTw9EoniNWSa4e... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../the-divine.../id1732773760...
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 28 min
How can the Lord's Prayer help us anticipate the eschaton? In this episode, Matt takes listeners from Eden to Easter, showing how the bodily resurrection of Jesus can inspire us to work for the Kingdom here and now as we await our own resurrection. *This is based on an article posted to Matt's website, which you can read here: " Thy Kingdom Come" + + + Check out Matt's newest book, The End of the World As You Know It : https://a.co/d/7fuglXx Don't forget to subscribe to The Bible (Un...
Mar 20, 2024•11 min
Matt takes listeners through Psalm 45 LXX (46 MT). This Psalm is well-known ("Be still, and know that I am God"; NRSV, v. 10), but many people might not be aware of its eschatological context -- the first clue of which can be found in the LXX superscription ("For the end"). What, for instance, does this Psalm have to do with the temple visions of Ezekiel and Revelation? And how does all this connect to the Creation story of Genesis 1? Listen to find out! + + + Check out Matt's newest book, The E...
Mar 19, 2024•47 min
Matt takes a deep dive into Psalm 22 LXX (23 MT). Lots of questions are explored. For example, what is meant by "soul" in v. 3? And what does it have to do with the body? Moreover, what sort of image is evoked in v. 5, where God sets a table "opposite those who afflict" the psalmist? Furthermore, how might Christians understand this "table" in light of what Paul says about the Eucharist in 1 Corinthians? + + + Check out Matt's newest book, The End of the World As You Know It: https://a.co/...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 1 min
In this final episode of the Romans series, Matt tackles a number of topics and addresses several important questions, such as: How does Romans 16 fit within the letter as a whole? Are there reasons for thinking it was not part of the original letter and, if so, how do these reasons hold up to critical scrutiny? Paul mentions a number of other people in this section, too, (Phoebe, for example) and their ministry work. What can we learn from this "greeting section"? Moreover, how does the referen...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 6 min
How did Paul envision his apostolic ministry with respect to, say, the Old Testament's levitical/sacrificial system? Did Paul think his ministry was wholly discontinuous with that system? Or did he see it as operating in continuity with it? Moreover, how did Paul think his missionary efforts related to the ministry of Isaiah's suffering servant ? And finally, what role did "signs and wonders" play in Paul's work as an apostle? Listen to find out! + + + Check out Matt's newest book, The End of th...
Feb 27, 2024•42 min
Matt chats with Steve Walton, a Senior Research Fellow at Trinity, College, Bristol. Steve is the author of Reading Acts Theologically , which was published by T&T Clark in the Library of New Testament Studies series. He is currently working on an Acts commentary, which will be published as part of the Word Biblical Commentary set. Steve’s Acts commentary comes in three volumes, the first of which will come out in October of 2024. Steve and I discuss a range of topics, including the way Luke...
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr
In this episode (Part 2 of 2), Matt talks with philosopher Berel Dov Lerner (PhD, Tel Aviv University) about his new book, Human-Divine Interactions in the Hebrew Scriptures: Covenants and Cross-Purposes. The conversation touches on a range of topics, including the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Hebrew Bible, the Abrahamic Covenant, the problem of evil, Job's suffering, the concept of "negative theology," and other topics as well. Berel's bio: https://herzlinstitu...
Feb 13, 2024•1 hr 8 min
In this episode (Part 1 of 2), Matt talks with philosopher Berel Dov Lerner (PhD, Tel Aviv University) about his new book, Human-Divine Interactions in the Hebrew Scriptures: Covenants and Cross-Purposes. The conversation touches on a range of topics, including the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Hebrew Bible, the Abrahamic Covenant, the problem of evil, Job's suffering, the concept of "negative theology," and other topics as well. Berel's bio: https://herzlinstitut...
Feb 06, 2024•1 hr 7 min
In this episode, Matt talks with Dr. Robert Alter (PhD, Harvard University) about his Hebrew Bible translation. They discuss translation theory in general and what Alter calls "the heresy of explanation." A range of other topics are discussed as well: How the language of the Hebrew Bible compared with the everyday language of an ancient Hebrew, the poem in Jeremiah 20, the two creation stories of Genesis 1-2, as well as Alter's personal writing practices through the years and a new book he's wor...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 5 min
In Romans 14-15, Paul appeals to his christological convictions to help believers learn how to navigate for themselves life within a church full of different opinions. But he does this by way of appealing to Scripture, particular to Psalm 68 (LXX) in Romans 15. Matt argues that Paul's use of Scripture here -- like the many times before in Romans -- occurs within the context of a story so important to Paul, namely, the story of God's plan to use Israel to bless the nations (Genesis 12). This epis...
Jan 23, 2024•51 min
In the early Roman church, it appears there might have been some serious disagreements about whether (and how) to follow certain dietary restrictions. While Jewish Christians, for instance, would have wanted to follow the dietary regulations outlined in Torah, Gentiles Christians likely had different opinions on the matter. In Romans 14, Paul offers his readers some helpful guidelines for how to navigate these sorts of disagreements. When it comes to opinions over matters adiaphora , the Apostle...
Jan 16, 2024•39 min
Questions about the relationship between earthly empires and the heavenly Kingdom is one that garners a lot of discussion and debate these days. But as we read through Romans 13 (and, at the same time, taking into account the witness of other relevant New Testament texts) the message is clear: Christians are to pass their days in exile by exhibiting the cruciform love of Christ. This type of ethic is powerful, for it testifies to the world that Christians have a different sort of politics than t...
Jan 09, 2024•42 min
During this Advent season, we prepare our hearts for Christmas. This involves, quite naturally, reflecting on Jesus' coming to the earth 2,000 years ago. (And it also involves anticipation -- awaiting the day when he returns again.) But as we reflect upon the coming of Jesus, we have to ask ourselves, What did Jesus reveal to us by his coming? One place to find the answer is at the back of the book, in Revelation -- originally known as The Apocalypse , which means the revealing . In Revelation, ...
Dec 19, 2023•53 min
So what hath Darwin to do with Scripture ? That's the question Dr. Dru Johnson seeks to answer in his latest book. In this episode, I chat with Dru about all things evolution -- well, not all the things. Due to time constraints I, quite naturally , had to select only a few of the important ones (did you see what I did there?). At any rate, the question of evolution is one that causes many Christians (particularly North American evangelicals) a bit of angst, to say the least. Why is that? And wha...
Dec 12, 2023•57 min
In a few days I will be interviewing Dr. Dru Johnson about his new book, What Hath Darwin to Do with Scripture? Comparing Conceptual Worlds of the Bible and Evolution. If you have questions you would like to ask Dr. Johnson about evolution and how it might relate to the scriptural creation stories, send them my way. You can do so by submitting the contact form on my website (link below). Pre-order Dru Johnson's book: https://a.co/d/4wi0fvW Send me your questions here: www.matthewhalste...
Dec 07, 2023•1 min
Has the practice of extended and uninterrupted attention become a lost art -- not least with respect to meditating on Scripture? In the first chapter of the Psalter, we learn that the godly person lives a life of meditation on Torah. In this episode, Matt takes listeners through this text and discusses ways in which the righteous life is contrasted with the unrighteous life. Matt also discusses how Psalm 1 accords with Paul's discussions about Torah in Romans. Pre-order Matt's newest book, The E...
Dec 05, 2023•52 min
In this episode, we take a look at Romans 12:9-21, where Paul encourages Christians to live out genuine, unhypocritical love toward others. The apostle gives readers a strategy for facing the trials and tribulations of life -- namely, exhorting them to a life of hope, endurance, and prayer. As Matt comments, prayer entails communication with God, but it is also, at the same time, deeper than that. It is, most fundamentally, communion with God. Matt also connects the discussion back to Genesis 1,...
Nov 28, 2023•1 hr 1 min
In this episode, Matt dives into Romans 12:1-8, where Paul encourages the church to be a living sacrifice . What does this mean? What is the significance of that word "sacrifice," and how does Paul use this concept to shape his readers' ecclesiology? And what does it have to do with spiritual gifts? Listen to find out! Pre-order Matt's newest book, The End of the World As You Know It. You can purchase through (1) Amazon or (2) Lexham Press (as well as other outlets). + + + Don't forget ...
Nov 21, 2023•50 min
If you read Romans 9, you need to read Romans 11. The points Paul makes in Romans 11 are so significant such that, if you were to miss them (or ignore them), you'll misunderstand how he reads key parts of the Jewish story. In this episode, we dive into Romans 11 and see how Paul continues, and builds upon, his previous discussions about "foreknowledge," "election," and "hardening." We also look at Genesis 12 -- what does that passage have to do with Paul's argument in Romans 11? The answer is: e...
Nov 14, 2023•55 min
In this episode, Matt gives a tour through Romans 10, where Paul showcases some of his creative exegetical moves. In this chapter, Paul says Jesus is the telos (culmination) of the Torah (Rom 10:4). In this vein, Paul continues along the same road as his previous statements about the Law and its relationship to the manifestation of the righteousness of God through Jesus the Messiah (e.g. Rom 2-3). In Romans 10, readers see specifically how, for Paul, everything (including his hermeneutics!) revo...
Nov 07, 2023•43 min
In this episode, Matt chats with Sandra Glahn (PhD, University of Texas at Dallas) about her latest book, Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament . Sandra's book is a must-read for anyone interested in the Greco-Roman world and, specifically, the New Testament. Of particular interest in this conversation is how to make sense of the phrase "she will be saved through childbearing" (1 Tim 2:15). Sandra makes a strong case that Paul is addressing the Artemis cult...
Oct 31, 2023•1 hr
What does it mean to be "justified"? This is a question that has been discussed and debated for a long time within the Christian tradition. And it's one that continues to garner much attention even today. This week Dr. Matthew J. Thomas joins the show to chat about his recent article on the doctrine of justification, which was published by the St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (link below). Dr. Thomas discusses the major historical players, the variety of reformed views, as well as fields lis...
Oct 24, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Matt is joined by Dr. Paul Thigpen, the author of Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith: Are We Alone in the Universe with God and the Angels? Matt and Paul discuss some of the biblical and theological issues that might come up if we were to discover extraterrestrial existence. For example, what sort of ontological status would ETs have? Would they be with or without sin? Or a mix of both? And if ETs were sinful, how might God redeem them? As a historical theologian, Dr. Thigpen i...
Oct 17, 2023•1 hr 12 min
In this episode, we visit some interesting (and, indeed, controversial) texts. What does Paul mean when he says wives should "submit" to their husbands (Ephesians 5)? When he writes a letter to Corinth, Paul also says that women are to be "silent" in the church (1 Corinthians 14). How should we interpret that passage? And why does Peter call women weaker vessels (1 Peter 3)? I address these questions and more by taking a look at not just the textual context, but also the Hellenistic/cultural con...
Oct 10, 2023•50 min
