The Unseen Realm
Author: Heiser, Michael S.
Type of Media: 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.
Notes
The Unseen Realm
H eiser, Michael S.. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Lexham Press. Kindle Edition.
C onsequently, there is no warrant for concluding that plural elohim produces a pantheon of interchangeable deities. There is no basis for concluding that the biblical writers would have viewed Yahweh as no better than another elohim. A biblical writer would not have presumed that Yahweh could be defeated on any given day by another elohim, or that another elohim (why not any of them?) had the same set of attributes. That is polytheistic thinking. It is not the biblical picture.
W e can be confident of this conclusion by once again observing what the biblical writers say about Yahweh —and never say about another elohim. The biblical writers speak of Yahweh in ways that telegraph their belief in his uniqueness and incomparability: “Who is like you among the gods [elim], Yahweh?” (Exod 15:11) “ ‘What god [el] is there in the heaven or on the earth who can do according to your works and according to your mighty deeds?’ ” (Deut 3:24) “ O Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no god [elohim] like you in the heavens above or on the earth beneath” (1 Kgs 8:23). For you, O Yahweh, are most high over all the earth.
Y ou are highly exalted above all gods [elohim] (Psalm 97:9). Biblical writers also assign unique qualities to Yahweh. Yahweh is all-powerful (Jer 32:17, 27; Pss 72:18; 115:3), the sovereign king over the other elohim (Psa 95:3; Dan 4:35; 1 Kgs 22:19), the creator of the other members of his host-council (Psa 148:1 – 5; Neh 9:6; cf. Job 38:7; Deut 4:19–20; 17:3; 29:25–26; 32:17; Jas 1:17) 5 and the lone elohim who deserves worship from the other elohim (Psa 29:1). In fact, Nehemiah 9:6 explicitly declares that Yahweh is unique—there is only one Yahweh (“You alone are Yahweh ”). The biblical use of elohim is not hard to understand once we know that it isn’t about attributes. What all the figures on the list have in common is that they are inhabitants of the spiritual world. In that realm there is hierarchy. For example, Yahweh possesses superior attributes with respect to all elohim. But God’s attributes aren’t what makes him an elohim, since inferior beings are members of that same group. The Old Testament writers understood that Yahweh was an elohim —but no other elohim was Yahweh. He was species-unique among all residents of the spiritual world.
T he only perfect Being is God. This is why things could, and did, go wrong in Eden. If that was true even in Eden —the place on earth where the council was present—then being in the presence of God is no guarantee that free-will beings will never stray or act out of self-will. Only God is perfect.
O nly God is perfect.
M any Bible readers wonder why God would have allowed (much less instructed, as in Gen 46:3 – 4) Israel to go to Egypt. “ Deuteronomy 32 worldview,” where the nations and their gods are pitted against Israel and Yahweh. Israel was in Egypt precisely so that Yahweh could deliver them—thereby conveying this theological message.
T he Bible tells us the plagues were aimed at Egypt’s gods (Exod 12:12; Num 33:4), the elohim who had been given their authority by Yahweh and who were supposed to govern Egypt on his behalf.
THE EXODUS EVENT, THE DELIVERANCE FROM BONDAGE IN EGYPT, WAS THE catalyst for Israel’s transition from a people to a nation.
Deuteronomy 32:8–9 I mentioned that the number of nations disinherited by Yahweh at the judgment of Babel was seventy.1 The number is telling. Israel’s nearest religious competition, the worship of El, Baal, and Asherah at Ugarit and in Canaan, held that their divine council had seventy sons. When Yahweh disinherited the nations and allotted them to the sons of God, a theological gauntlet was thrown down: Yahweh alone commands the nations and their gods. Other gods serve him.