Do You Really Understand What The Bible Is About? – Michael Heiser | Part 1

Main Ideas

• Read Scripture in its original context. Heiser argues that context means more than reading the verses around a passage. It also means trying to understand the biblical writers’ worldview, purpose, and questions. Modern readers can unintentionally filter Scripture through their own assumptions, traditions, and denominational preferences.

• Beware of “Christian skepticism.” Heiser uses this term for accepting some supernatural claims in the Bible while explaining away or ignoring others that feel strange or uncomfortable. He says ancient biblical writers would not have viewed these passages as odd or peripheral; they had a place in the writers’ understanding of the world.

• Recognize the importance of the supernatural worldview to the Bible’s larger story. Heiser says readers can grasp central Christian teachings without adopting his approach, but may miss parts of Scripture’s wider framework. He points to themes such as sacred space, cosmic geography, and conflict between God and other spiritual powers as relevant to understanding the Bible as a whole.

• Look for connections across the biblical narrative. Heiser describes the Bible as carefully planned and interconnected. Readers may miss how ideas develop from Genesis to Revelation when passages are taught as isolated lessons. He recommends paying attention to recurring themes, narrative layers, and how a passage relates to others.

• Read the Bible somewhat like a novel—as a study exercise. He does not mean that the Bible is fiction. Rather, he suggests noticing how a writer may use a scene, detail, or phrase to guide the reader, foreshadow something, or connect to another part of the story.

• Use the ancient settings of each Testament as interpretive context.

  • Read the Old Testament in light of its ancient Near Eastern and Semitic cultural environment.
  • Read the New Testament in light of the Old Testament, as well as Jewish writings and interpretation from the period between the Testaments.
  • Avoid treating later creeds as a complete guide to interpreting every biblical passage. Heiser says creeds are concise summaries, not exhaustive commentaries on Scripture.
  • Do not filter out the supernatural worldview of the biblical writers.

Heiser’s Psalm 82 Example

• Heiser recounts a turning point during graduate school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. A friend in the Hebrew department urged him to read Psalm 82 in Hebrew.
• He focused on the repeated Hebrew word elohim. Psalm 82 describes God presiding in a divine council and judging other beings also called elohim. Verse 6 calls them “gods” and “sons of the Most High.”
• He says the passage initially sounded to him like a pantheon. Commentaries he consulted often interpreted the “gods” as human rulers or elders, but he found that explanation unconvincing.
• He compares Psalm 82 with Psalm 89, which describes an assembly of holy ones and “sons of God” in the heavens. He argues that this setting points to heavenly beings rather than human officials.
• He then considers Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 82:6 in John 10:34. Against the interpretation that Jesus is merely saying he is like other people, Heiser argues that Jesus invokes the passage’s category of beings who are more than mortal—and does so in the context of his claim about his unity with the Father.
• As another example of a heavenly council, Heiser describes 1 Kings 22. The prophet Micaiah reports seeing the Lord enthroned with the host of heaven as the heavenly assembly discusses how Ahab will be led to his death. Heiser says this scene supports reading Psalm 82’s council as a heavenly gathering, not a meeting of human elders.
• He briefly points to Daniel 7 as another passage involving a divine-council scene.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Michael Heiser — Main speaker; presents the interpretation and personal account.
• An unnamed friend in the University of Wisconsin Hebrew department — Urged Heiser to read Psalm 82 in Hebrew.
• Biblical passages discussed or quoted: Psalm 82, Psalm 89, John 10:30–38, 1 Kings 22, and Daniel 7.
• Other sources mentioned: The ESV Bible translation, unnamed evangelical commentaries, and Jewish writings from the period between the Testaments, including the Dead Sea Scrolls.