Biblical Cosmology in the ANE (Ancient Near Eastern) World
Biblical cosmology describes reality as structured into three realms: heaven above, the earth where humans live, and the depths below, associated with the grave and imprisoned rebellious beings. In the Old Testament worldview, humans live between heaven and earth and descend to Sheol in death, though there is an expectation that the grave is not the final destiny. The New Testament presents a shift after the resurrection of Jesus, opening the way for believers to ascend to heaven and redefining the grave so that the place of judgment becomes what is called hell. The Garden of Eden is portrayed as a mountain-temple where heaven and earth meet and where humanity originally lived in communion with God before descending into exile and death. In the final restoration, the new Jerusalem descends, and heaven and earth are united again, returning creation to a garden-like order in which Christ reigns over all things and God’s sovereignty extends over every realm of existence.
Where does it talk about giants in the Bible?
Biblical references to giants appear frequently as both named individuals and entire people groups, indicating that extraordinary human size was a recognized feature of the ancient world. Although many supposed archaeological discoveries of giant remains have been exposed as fraudulent, literary testimony and rare cases of extreme human height suggest that unusually large individuals did exist and would have been perceived as formidable in antiquity. Comparisons between biblical measurements (especially those related to Goliath) and known historical examples show that the described heights fall within the upper range of human possibility. More importantly, the giant traditions serve a theological purpose: they illustrate the link between supernatural rebellion and human tyranny and frame the broader biblical theme of spiritual warfare. Minimizing or dismissing the reality of giants risks flattening the Bible’s supernatural worldview and obscuring the larger conflict between the forces of God and the powers of evil that runs throughout the biblical story.
Wes Huff on Enoch, Nephilim, and Demons
Anthony reacts to Wes Huff’s comments from The Shawn Ryan Show by pulling out the “weird” biblical themes—because “if it’s weird, it’s important”—and frames the episode around five linked topics: ethics of technology and Watcher “secret knowledge” (connecting modern tech questions to 1 Enoch 8 and Azazel’s teaching of warfare and seduction), the Dead Sea Scrolls as a major confirmation that the Old Testament we have today is materially the same text Israel had then (while also clarifying that real textual variants existed before Christ, especially Deuteronomy 32’s “sons of God / angels of God / sons of Israel,” with implications for Psalm 82), Astronomical Enoch (1 Enoch 72–82, “Book of the Luminaries”) as an ancient stream of thought that helps explain the conceptual world New Testament authors wrote within, the Nephilim/giants debate (Genesis 6; LXX “giants”), pressing for taking Peter and Jude’s angel-sin framing seriously (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6) against the Sethite view, and finally demons as disembodied spirits of the Nephilim/giants (a major Second Temple thread) with biblical touchpoints in the Rephaim passages (Job 26:5–6; Psalm 88:10; Isaiah 14:9) and Jesus’ “abyss” language (Luke 8:30–31), arguing that what scripture “whispers” may be whispered because it was assumed, and that reading Enoch—without treating it as canon—can still illuminate how early Jewish and Christian readers made sense of the Bible’s supernatural worldview and storyline.
Heiser Defended Annihilationism Before It Was Cool
Annihilationism, or conditional immortality, is presented as a position that has often been labeled heresy despite lacking a settled consensus in historical theology and despite being defended by some conservative scholars as biblically and historically plausible within evangelical orthodoxy. The argument centers on the biblical relationship between life, death, and immortality, proposing that death represents the loss or absence of life sustained by God and raising questions about how the destruction of death in the final state should be understood if conscious punishment continues forever. Prophetic and apocalyptic language describing judgment as “eternal” or “forever” is interpreted as emphasizing finality and irreversibility rather than endless ongoing experience, drawing on Old and New Testament imagery of judgment, extinction, and the ultimate defeat of death. The central issue is whether Scripture requires eternal conscious torment or whether permanent destruction better coheres with the themes of judgment, the end of death, and the restoration of creation while remaining within the bounds of Christian orthodoxy.
Was Jonah Really Eaten by a Fish?
Jonah 2 is a prayer, where Jonah describes himself as being both in the belly of the fish and in the belly of Sheol, drawing on ancient biblical and Near Eastern imagery in which the sea represents death, chaos, and descent into the underworld. Swallowed by the depths, Jonah understands his situation as a descent—down from Jerusalem, down to Joppa, down into the ship, down into the sea, down to the roots of the mountains—yet he confesses that even there he remains under the sovereign rule of Yahweh, whose waves and billows pass over him, whose presence cannot be escaped, and whose power reaches even into the abyss. As Jonah remembers Yahweh, God “remembers” Jonah in an active, covenantal sense, bringing Jonah’s life up from the pit before the bars of death close forever. The prayer culminates in repentance, renewed allegiance, and thanksgiving, rejecting idolatry understood not only as false worship but as refusal to obey God’s positive commands, and affirming that salvation belongs to Yahweh alone. The great fish is the means of Jonah’s deliverance rather than destruction, Jonah is restored to life and vocation, and the text insists on speaking in the material, miraculous language of Scripture itself, resisting attempts to dematerialize or disenchant the narrative. Doing so ultimately erodes the coherence of biblical faith, prayer, and hope.
Why did the Devil want the body of Moses? (Jude 9)
Jude 9 raises the question, Why would the devil dispute with the archangel Michael over the body of Moses? That dispute is framed as part of a larger biblical pattern: the serpent’s deception in Genesis 3 and the “curse” that functions as the devil’s job change into the “dust eater,” the one who draws humanity toward death and Sheol. Moses’ body is a symbol of a larger contest over where humans belong in death—down in the realm of the grave, or up with God—especially in light of Christ, the Lord of life, who descends into Sheol, breaks it open, and opens heaven for the saints. The argument also draws on Second Temple literature (including the tradition associated with the Testament/Assumption of Moses) and places Michael’s restraint (“The Lord rebuke you”) alongside a warning to remain faithful and not follow the patterns of rebellion associated with Cain, Balaam, and Korah. The central exhortation is that the devil contends for the bodies of the faithful, too, so believers must keep Christ on the throne by allegiance to God’s kingdom and fidelity to Scripture, rather than by compromise, self-sovereignty, or the ethics of pagan worship.
A Theology and Practice of the Lord’s Prayer
Prayer is presented as a grace-driven practice shaped by the structure and theology of the Lord’s Prayer. It begins with adoration, recognizing God’s holiness, transcendence, and fatherly nearness, which reorients the heart away from self toward divine character. Confession is described as honest acknowledgment of specific sins, not for shame but for healing and transformation. Thanksgiving arises from the reality that Christ’s reign is already inaugurated in heaven and awaited in fullness on earth, forming the foundation for gratitude. Supplication is framed through the request for “daily bread,” which challenges inflated ideas of need and calls for trust in God’s faithful provision. Throughout, prayer is portrayed as communion with God that shapes the whole life in humility, dependence, and hope.
Theopolis VS. Heiser — Who’s Right?
This video explores the theological conversation between Dr. Michael Heiser’s Divine Council Worldview and Christopher Kou’s review for Theopolis Institute, showing how both perspectives ultimately point toward the same supernatural and sacramental vision of reality. Heiser and Theopolis share more common ground than disagreement—each affirming the Divine Council as a real biblical concept, a heavenly assembly under God’s authority, and each placing Christ as its reigning head. This worldview demonstrates how we can restore the wonder lost to modern materialism, portraying the cosmos as alive with God’s presence and humanity as participants in Christ’s rule. Along the way, we examines topics like the nature of the “gods” in Psalm 82, the meaning of Genesis 6 and the Nephilim, and the role of 1 Enoch in Second Temple Jewish thought, urging discernment without dismissing historical context. Ultimately, believers are called to recover an enchanted faith—one that sees Scripture as a living, supernatural story of Christ’s victory over the rebellious powers and his ongoing reign over heaven and earth.
The Unseen Realm Expanded Edition: Myths, Mysteries, and Majesty (3M)
The Unseen Realm: Expanded Edition presents an exploration of the Bible’s supernatural worldview, uncovering how ancient concepts of divine beings, spiritual rebellion, and cosmic order reveal the majesty and sovereignty of God. It examines themes such as the divine council, the origin and nature of the Nephilim, and the continuity of supernatural conflict from Genesis through Revelation. The book draws comparisons between biblical and ancient Near Eastern cosmologies, clarifying that while mythological parallels exist, Scripture uniquely discloses the one true God whose authority encompasses heaven, earth, and the unseen realm. It also highlights traces of Trinitarian thought in the Old Testament, the multifaceted nature of atonement, and the theological meaning of celestial order as a reflection of divine governance. Through these studies, The Unseen Realm reclaims the ancient biblical perspective that all creation—visible and invisible—is ordered under Christ, whose lordship extends beyond time, space, and every spiritual power.
Can God Exist? A Biblical-Theological Approach to God's Being
The argument contends that God does not exist in the creaturely sense because existence implies origination, contingency, and temporality—conditions that belong only to created things. God, by contrast, possesses being that is self-sufficient, uncreated, immutable, and impassable. The divine name “I AM” reveals not an existing entity among others but the source and ground of all being itself. To speak of God as “existing” places him within time and space, creating a categorical error that subjects the eternal to the temporal. Scripture distinguishes the Creator from the creature, showing that all things which exist do so contingently, while God simply is—beyond change, beyond space, beyond time. Even ancient cosmologies, such as Dante’s vision of creation enveloped in divine reality, echo this truth that everything is held within God’s being. Whereas creatures begin and may cease to be, God neither begins nor ends; his reality is necessary, not contingent. Thus, the answer to whether God can exist is no—God cannot exist as created things do, for he must simply be, the very foundation of all existence.
Did the Father turn his face away? (The Crucifixion and Psalm 22)
Psalm 22 challenges the idea that the Father “turned his face away” from the Son at the cross. When read Christologically, David’s cry of forsakenness (“Why have you forsaken me?”) is resolved within the psalm itself: God did not hide his face. The Gospels follow this pattern. Jesus truly experiences anguish, yet Luke highlights trust and communion—“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”—as the temple curtain tears, revealing open access to God. The three hours of darkness are not evidence of divine rejection but a cosmic sign: the old-covenant veil gives way to new-covenant access as heaven opens.
This truth has pastoral weight. How we think the Father viewed the Son in his suffering shapes how we think the Father views us in ours. Scripture teaches that the Son bore our sins, not the Father’s rejection. So when believers feel forsaken, they can rest assured that God has not turned his face away. Psalm 22 moves from lament to praise and to mission—nations turning to the Lord—and the church is called to live and worship in that reality. It finds its culmination at the Lord’s Table, where communion with God and his people anticipates the day every tribe and tongue will worship the Lamb.
Talking Prayer with Jon Dillon, The Two Trees Podcast
Biblical prayer is a God-shaped practice as taught in the Lord’s Prayer, where the primary purpose is not persuading God to act but allowing him to transform the one who prays. True prayer begins with adoration, hallowing God’s name by beholding his holiness through Scripture, song, and thoughtful words that shape both private and corporate worship. Confession follows as specific, situational honesty that leads to sanctification and real change, moving naturally into thanksgiving for the gospel—Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and reign—through which all other blessings flow. Supplication is framed as daily reliance on God’s provision, training the heart to trust him with necessities so that when greater trials come, faith endures. Whether asking for bread, interceding for others, or seeking strength in hardship, prayer is shown to be less about securing outcomes and more about communion with God, forming believers into the likeness of Christ.
![Learn to Pray Like Jesus [Ring Them Bells Interview, re: God-Shaped Prayer]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62432fcf146757356a34a5b9/1757530598727-IPDDR6DGKLJULACUGQZX/Untitled+design+%281%29.jpg)
Learn to Pray Like Jesus [Ring Them Bells Interview, re: God-Shaped Prayer]
This interview on Ring Them Bells brings Jason Bostow together with Anthony Delgado to discuss Delgado’s book God-Shaped Prayer: A Theology and Practice of the Lord’s Prayer. While framed as a book conversation, the heart of the exchange explores what prayer is meant to accomplish in the Christian life. Delgado explains that prayer is not about manipulating God to act but about God shaping his people through communion with him. Together, they unpack the Lord’s Prayer line by line, emphasizing its Old Testament backdrop, its communal nature, and its role in spiritual warfare. Delgado highlights the depth in every word of the prayer—“Our Father” as both intimate and communal, “hallowed be your name” as active participation in God’s holiness, and “your kingdom come” as a hopeful, not fearful, anticipation of God’s reign. The discussion discusses themes of confession, forgiveness, and deliverance, connecting these practices to personal transformation and the church’s corporate life. Drawing from biblical theology, Second Temple insights, and even historic liturgical practices, Delgado insists that prayer forms us into the likeness of Christ and equips us for the mission of God’s kingdom. The interview is both pastoral and practical, urging believers to establish a rule of prayer and to see the Lord’s Prayer as both a model and a lived reality
The Watchers: Ancient Entities in Modern Fatih (Truth and Shadow Podcast)
This conversation examines the biblical and theological significance of sinister spiritual forces, with a particular focus on the watchers and holy ones mentioned in Daniel and 1 Enoch. Scripture presents human history as a cosmic battlefield where unseen powers oppose God’s purposes, a theme often neglected in modern preaching out of caution, skepticism, or overemphasis on Christ’s victory. The discussion examines how early church fathers addressed these beings without embarrassment, how post-Enlightenment rationalism and modern esotericism have distorted our view of the supernatural, and how texts like 1 Enoch shed light on the origin of demons as the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim. Attention is given to passages such as Genesis 6, Psalm 82, Deuteronomy 32, Ephesians 6, and Revelation 12, showing their interconnection with the watchers. The narrative links ancient rebellion to contemporary cultural confusion, arguing that distorted echoes of the watchers appear in modern fascinations with aliens and fringe spirituality. Ultimately, the call is for Christians to reclaim a robust biblical theology of the supernatural, recognizing Christ not only as the Savior who comforts but also as the Warrior who conquers, and to prepare for renewed hunger for truth and deliverance in an age marked by deception and spiritual searching.
Giants, Enoch, and the 3 Top Misconceptions about Revelation
Anthony Delgado and Dre Binley explore the controversial topic of giants, with Anthony affirming their biblical and symbolic significance while noting the importance of reading Scripture within its full cosmological framework. He argues that giants represent tyranny and rebellion against God, and that their meaning is more theological than archaeological. The conversation then shifts to Revelation, where Anthony cautions against rigid interpretive systems, preferring to read the book as a symbolic narrative that combines myth and history to reveal the conflict between earthly kingdoms and Christ’s kingdom. He contrasts covenant theology with dispensationalism, affirming one consistent people of God and highlighting how Revelation ties into the broader biblical story. They discuss common misconceptions—that Revelation is scary, entirely future, or unnecessary—and reframe it as deeply pastoral and hopeful, especially when read through chapters 21–22. Finally, Anthony emphasizes that his interest in giants, Revelation, and related texts is ultimately about the gospel: God’s plan to redeem, transform, and restore humanity into his eternal family through Christ.
Revelation and the Dead Sea Scrolls
This conversation examines the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls, their role in affirming the reliability of Scripture, and their connection to biblical theology. Anthony Delgado explains how the Scrolls demonstrate the care of scribes in preserving the biblical text, countering claims that the Bible is like a “telephone game.” The discussion then shifts to the Book of Enoch, clarifying that while it is not Scripture, it influenced Second Temple thought and appears to underlie New Testament passages such as Jude 6. Delgado highlights parallels between Enoch and Revelation, noting shared apocalyptic imagery, depictions of the unseen realm, and scenes of judgment that help contextualize John’s vision. Revelation presents a cosmic conflict in which loyalty to God or to contrary spirits determines one's destiny, with angels playing an active role in God’s governance. Ultimately, the dialogue frames this material not just as academic, but as fuel for worship, reminding listeners that God’s authority is supreme and that Scripture invites us into an awe-filled participation in his redemptive plan.
The Gospel Coalition Misrepresents Matthew Bates on the Gospel?! (What Your Pastor Didn’t Tell You)
This interview of Anthony Delgado regarding the Gospel Coalition’s critique of Matthew Bates’ book Beyond the Salvation Wars, hosted on the YouTube channel What Your Pastor Didn’t Tell You, offers an extended theological response to claims made against Bates’ gospel-allegiance model. The discussion centers on whether Bates has presented a revisionist gospel or deviated from orthodoxy, particularly in doctrines such as original sin, justification, and the bondage of the will. Delgado argues that Bates’ model does not deny salvation by grace through faith, but rather positions justification as an effect of the gospel, rather than the content of the gospel itself. He maintains that allegiance, properly understood, is not a “works-based” approach but a holistic response of loyalty and trust. Throughout, Delgado defends Bates’ use of biblical and early Christian sources, critiques the Gospel Coalition article's lack of scriptural grounding, and challenges the assumption that confessional Reformed positions are the singular standard of orthodoxy. He also emphasizes the importance of cross-tradition dialogue, the diversity of theological perspectives in the early church, and the need for humility and clarity when defining doctrines such as original sin and salvation.
![[Response] Annihilationism: Why I'm Not Convinced, Gavin Ortlund, Truth Unites](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62432fcf146757356a34a5b9/1747797881145-LV2WGG1NQZLG06BTPCFP/ARE+THE+REPROBATE+%281%29.png)
[Response] Annihilationism: Why I'm Not Convinced, Gavin Ortlund, Truth Unites
Gavin Ortlund’s video on annihilationism raises important theological and pastoral questions about the nature of final judgment, which are explored through distinctions between annihilationism and eternal conscious torment (ECT). Annihilationism is well within the bounds of Christian orthodoxy, while some alternative views are not. Scriptural language about destruction, death, and perishing is highlighted as the dominant imagery for divine judgment, challenging the assumption that ‘eternal’ always implies consciousness. Key passages like Matthew 10:28 and Revelation 14 are evaluated carefully, with particular attention to genre, context, and apocalyptic tradition. Philosophical reflections on life, death, and ontology underscore the coherence of annihilationism, especially in light of God as the source of all being. While recognizing that some texts may support ECT more naturally, the overall argument calls for interpretive humility, lexical precision, and a pastoral posture that affirms both God’s justice and the need for salvation.
RING THEM BELLS Interview: The Gospel is BIGGER than you think!
In this episode of Ring Them Bells, Anthony Delgado is interviewed about his book ‘The Gospel is Bigger than You Think.’ The conversation centers on reclaiming the gospel as the announcement of Jesus’ kingship and the restoration of God’s rule over all creation. Rather than treating the gospel as merely the message of personal salvation or forgiveness of sins, the discussion emphasizes the kingdom narrative rooted in the Old Testament and fulfilled in Christ. Delgado explores how many churches functionally ignore the Hebrew Scriptures, creating a theological disconnect that weakens understanding of Jesus’ mission and authority. Drawing from biblical theology, Second Temple Jewish context, and the Divine Council worldview, he explains that the gospel includes Christ’s victory over spiritual powers and the reunification of heaven and earth through his reign. The discussion critiques the elevation of atonement theories as the gospel itself and urges a return to the broader biblical narrative, where allegiance to Jesus is the proper response to his enthronement. Themes of covenant loyalty, political idolatry, and the cosmic scope of redemption are woven throughout, culminating in a call for Christians to ground their identity not in national politics but in the kingship of Christ, living as ambassadors of a different kingdom in a polarized world.
Questions about the Gospel with Kaleb Amos on the Two Trees Podcast
Jon Dillon from The Two Trees Podcast hosts a dialogue between Kaleb Amos of Highways to Zion and Anthony Delgado, author of The Gospel is Bigger Than You Think, exploring questions and reflections on areas where Kaleb felt the book could have offered deeper explanation. The expansive nature of the gospel centers on the kingship of Jesus, the full arc of creation to new creation, and the mission of God's people. The gospel is contrasted with the diluted expressions found in Western "folk religion," where cultural Christianity often strips the message of its biblical depth. The importance of inspiring wonder at the grand narrative of Scripture is emphasized, showing how the story of God unfolds with epic significance. Key theological themes include the supernatural worldview present in texts like Deuteronomy 32 and Psalm 82, the dangers of syncretism, the biblical and systematic perspectives on Satan’s rebellion, and the pattern of typology across Scripture. Broader reflections highlight the value of engaging ancient sources, the importance of grounding ministry in a true vision of the gospel, and the ongoing effort to produce resources that faithfully transmit this vision to future generations.