On this final episode in the Revelation series, Matt shows listeners how the Apocalypse comes to a close and, at the same time, summon its readers back to its pages. Matt also highlights how John's personal experience with the angel in vv. 8-9 captures the entire message of Revelation as a whole. Other questions are addressed, such as: what is meant by "soon" in the phrase "the things that must soon take place" (NIV) in v. 6? What's the significance of the reappearance of the Tree of Life in v. 14?
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The opening verses of Revelation 22 are jam-packed with allusions back to important Old Testament imagery -- from Genesis's garden of Eden to Ezekiel's vision of the temple to Zechariah's vision of the eschaton. There are also important elements embedded within Rev. 22 that describe, in remarkable ways, the restoration of all things and the sovereignty of Jesus the messiah.
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In the last part of chapter 21, John sees a vision of a city -- the New Jerusalem -- coming out of heaven. The city is called the Lamb's wife, and it is presented as a symbolic portrait of the church. The city's architecture is described carefully, the details of which point back to key texts from the Old Testament. How do these scriptural allusions and echoes advance hope for the first-century churches and, for that matter, 21st century believers? Listen to find out!
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This interview is a replay of EP#2 . To date, it is the most-listened-to episode of the podcast.
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In an age dominated by secularism and philosophical naturalism, the idea that people have supernatural experiences is often considered to be a relic of a bygone era. And yet, credible people still report such experiences. That's the subject of this episode, which features an interview with Dale C. Allison about his recent book, Encountering Mystery: Religious Experience in a Secular Age. In his book, Allison documents and discusses a range of religious experiences that people have reported -- including his own (which he shares in this interview). For students of the Bible, this topic is an important one to consider. The Bible is, after all, full of religious experiences. Allison's work on this subject will no doubt help modern people come to terms with a forgotten fact: There's more to reality than just physical reality. About Dale C. Allison:Dale C. Allison, Jr. is the Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. He earned his MA and PhD from Duke University. His academic research and publications include the historical Jesus, the Gospel of Matthew, Second Temple Judaism, and the history of the interpretation and application of biblical texts.
Faculty Page: https://ptsem.edu/academics/faculty/dale-c-allison-jr/ Check out Dale's Book: Encountering Mystery
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Matthew welcomes Dru Johnson on the show to talk about his newest book, Understanding Biblical Law: Skills for Thinking With and Through Torah (link below). If you've ever felt lost as you've read through the first five books of the Old Testament -- especially Leviticus! -- then you'll enjoy this conversation. Dru offers listeners helpful guidelines for how to think through (and delight in) God's Law.
Dru's Book: Understanding Biblical Law
Dru's Website: www.drujohnson.com
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In Revelation 21, John sees the new heaven and earth, a glimpse of that future era when everything will one day be renewed. He also sees the holy city -- the New Jerusalem -- descending from heaven as an adorned bride coming to her bridegroom. Why is the marriage metaphor employed as part of the larger eschatological vision? How does this relate to the preceding narrative about Roman domination? And how does knowing the Old Testament's eschatological texts -- particularly from Isaiah -- help us to understand John's vision?
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In Revelation 20:7-10, Satan is released from his prison and goes out to deceive the nations to rally them for war against the people of God. This is similar to other passages in Revelation, and so the question becomes: What's the relationship? Is this an instance of recapitulation, or does Revelation present yet another scene that speaks of different events? The text also speaks of "Gog and Magog." Who (or what) are these entities? How does the rest of the passage (vv. 11-15) factor into the equation? Listen to find out!
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Revelation 20:4-6 is the subject of much debate and poses several interpretive challenges -- from translation questions to theological issues, it's all here. Who, for example, does John see on the thrones? What is meant by "the first resurrection"? How many resurrections are associated with the millennial reign of Christ?
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There is no consensus on how to interpret Revelation 20, specifically the verses that speak about the binding of Satan and the 1,000-year reign of Christ. In this episode, Matthew introduces listeners to the ins and outs of that debate, outlining along the way the interpretive questions readers ought to be asking. To shed light on Revelation 20, Matthew takes listeners to the Gospels, as well as to other early Jewish writings such as Tobit, 4 Ezra, and 1 Enoch.
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This episode examines the last part of Revelation 19. Here the beast gathers the nations for battle against the Rider on the white horse (i.e., Jesus) and his army. What can we learn about the way in which Jesus conquers the beast? And how are we to understand this passage with respect to the so-called "end times"? Does Revelation teach that the beast (i.e., Rome) will be around when Jesus returns?
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Matt walks listeners through Revelation 19:11-16, which describes a Rider on a White Horse -- Jesus, the Messiah. A lot of questions are raised (and answered) along the way, such as: How does this passage help us understand the way Jesus conquers evil? How does it relate to other texts in Revelation? And how does this passage help us understand the structure of the book as a whole? And what can we learn by comparing it with the Dead Sea Scrolls?
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Revelation 19 begins with a hymn to God for his commitment to justice and his bringing an end to the destructive power of Babylon (i.e., Rome) who has "corrupted the earth." But why does the text describe ancient Rome as an agent of corruption--specifically of the earth? Listen to find out!
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Matt and Tosha chat with Craig and Médine Keener about their book Impossible Love: The True Story of an African Civil War, Miracles and Hope against All Odds (link below). This book tells this story of how they met, the trials and difficulties they faced, as well as the miracles they encountered along the way. In the course of the episode, important questions about spiritual gifts are discussed. Is prophecy for today? Did the spiritual gifts cease at the death of the last apostle? What does the Bible actually say about these and related questions?
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Part 2 of 2
In part 2 of this extended conversation with Fr. Gerald McDermott, the discussion centers around the sacraments, purgatory, the intermediate state, and prayers for the dead. Why are the sacraments important? Is the Eucharist just a time of remembrance -- a memorial and nothing else? Is there biblical evidence for purgatory? What about prayers for the dead? At the end of the conversation, Fr. Gerald also offers a brief preview of his view about Israel and the gift of the land.
Get a copy of Fr. McDermott's book, Deep Anglicanism - link here
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Part 1 of 2
Fr. Gerald McDermott's new book, Deep Anglicanism: A Brief Guide, offers readers an insightful introduction to the Anglican tradition. In part 1 of this extended conversation, Fr. Gerald introduces listeners to Anglican belief and practice, addressing topics such as Sola Scriptura, tradition, hermeneutics, apostolic succession, the priesthood, and the Jewish roots of ordination.
Get a copy of Fr. McDermott's book, Deep Anglicanism - link here
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Part 2
In this 2-part series, Joshua Sherman and Matthew Halsted chat with Matthew Bates about his new book, Beyond the Salvation Wars: Why Both Protestants and Catholics Must Reimagine How We Are Saved. The book has garnered a lot of attention since it was published earlier this year (2025). In this extended conversation, Bates fields questions from Sherman and Halsted, continuing the dialogue about all things salvation, justification, faith (pistis), and a whole lot more.
Check out Matthew Bates' book: https://a.co/d/j3udm0j
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In this 2-part series, Joshua Sherman and Matthew Halsted chat with Matthew Bates about his new book, Beyond the Salvation Wars: Why Both Protestants and Catholics Must Reimagine How We Are Saved. The book has garnered a lot of attention since it was published earlier this year (2025). In this extended conversation, Bates fields questions from Sherman and Halsted, continuing the dialogue about all things salvation, justification, faith (pistis), and a whole lot more.
Check out Matthew Bates' book: https://a.co/d/j3udm0j
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In the first half of the episode, Matt takes listeners through Revelation 18:14-24, which is embedded with multiple allusions to the Old Testament. The OT imagery of divine judgment that John employs is especially striking here. In the second half, Matt interacts with Jason Staples' recent article (link below), which argues that "Babylon the Great" is not a reference to Rome but, rather, to Jerusalem.
Read Jason Staples' article: "Babylon the Great in Revelation Is Not Rome"
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In this episode, Matt explores the various Old Testament texts embedded within Revelation 18:1-3. Why would John allude to them, and what do these allusions teach us about how he interprets the OT?
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Matt and Tosha take a listener's question about Jesus and the story of Israel -- at which point they also discuss the importance of Hobbits.
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