Weird Stuff in the Bible

Everyone’s heard of the Mount of Olives from the Scriptures. 
This is where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. 
It’s where He gave the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24.
It’s where He went to pray on the night He was crucified.
It’s where He ascended to the heavens after His resurrection.
And—it’s where prophecy says He will return at the Second Coming of Christ. 
Obviously a pretty significant mountain. It must be pretty sacred and special to Jesus if He does all these important things there. This must be one of the holiest locations in the Bible, right?
Well actually, this was one of the most unholy mountains of the Old Testament. This was actually a demonic place of human sacrifice in ancient Israel, and a location known as the Mount of Corruption during the later kings; a spiritual abomination where pagans tried to access the Underworld. 
We might even call it a cosmic mountain. 
So just as two weeks ago I had you rethinking Eden, and last week I had you rethinking gardens, this week will have you rethinking the Mount of Olives.
Because I’m wondering: what were Jesus’ purposes for spending so much time there?
I find it to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 
Turn to Matthew 21, and let’s get weird.

——

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Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:00 - Olives in the Time of Jesus
5:20 - Olives in the Old Testament
16:00 - Olives in the Future
19:00 - Next Time & Mailbag
22:15 - This Mountain (Again)

Visit the Weird Stuff store!
https://luketaylorpodcasts.creator-spring.com

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com
Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

Alright guys, I’ve got an extra-weird one for you this time: does the Bible demonstrate some kind of connection between gardens and the Underworld?
Uh, what? When I first heard that, I thought it was one of the most bizarre ideas I’d ever read. While we might use a garden to grow our carrots and cucumbers, the ancient people of the Old Testament era thought of gardens as gateways to the spiritual realm. A place where one could make contact with the dead. 
And as we explore various gardens of the Bible today, this concept will start to become very clear even in Scripture itself. And it goes all the way back to the very first one: the garden mountain of Eden. 
I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 
Turn to I Kings 2, and let’s get weird.

——

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:
https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

Check out the website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:00 - Gardens on Cosmic Mountains
6:20 - Kings and Gardens
15:15 - The Last Adam and the Last Garden
21:50 - I’m Going In

Visit the Weird Stuff store!
https://luketaylorpodcasts.creator-spring.com

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com
Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

What exactly was Eden? I mean, we do know it was a garden, right? 
Genesis 2:8 tells us

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

So it was a place of lush growth. Trees. Fruit. Vegetation. Water. Life. We all get these visuals of a green paradise in our heads as we read the opening chapters of Genesis. I mean, other than the devil showing up later, this sounds like a place of absolute tranquility.
But then we get another vital piece of the puzzle when God is later condemning this devil in
Ezekiel 28:14

You were an anointed guardian cherub.
    I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
    in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.

Wait, Eden was a mountain? What are these stones of fire? And what was Eden’s purpose?
I find all this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 
Turn to Ezekiel 28, and let’s get weird.

——

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:
https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

Check out the website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:00 - Mountain Gardens
8:55 - Eden’s Address
12:55 - The Cosmic Mountain
16:50 - The Axis Mundi
21:45 - Next Time & Mailbag
23:55 - Closing Thoughts

Visit the Weird Stuff store!
https://luketaylorpodcasts.creator-spring.com

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com
Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

Hang around Christians long enough, listen to sermons long enough, or pick up just about any prophecy book sitting on the bookstore shelves, and you’re gonna hear about this dude called The Antichrist- an end-times world ruler who takes control in the last days. 
And he’s referenced all throughout the Bible. The Old Testament has 33 names for him; the New Testament has at least 13. Daniel calls him the little horn. Revelation calls him the Beast. And I and II John call him the Antichrist. This guy carries more ID cards than Jason Bourne. 
I John 2:18 tells us (NKJV)

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming…

In the end times, in the apocalypse, this man will appear and dominate the world. But wait, there’s more to that verse. It continues:
…even now many antichrists have come…

Well what is that talking about? It gets even more confusing when you throw in
I John 4:3

every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

OK, so wait: is the Antichrist a man or a spirit? Is he coming, or is he already here? And if he is here- what do we do about him?
I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 
Turn to I John 2, and let’s get weird.

——
If you do want to know more about hell, check out my interview with Megan Medick on Uncommon Sense right here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/uncommon-sense-with-meagan-medick/id1884935580?i=1000777122024

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:
https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

Check out the website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:55 - Who is the Antichrist?
4:55 - The Spirit of the Antichrist
11:25 - The Beast out of the Sea
15:50 - Leviathan the Twisting Serpent
19:00 - A Spirit of Chaos
22:30 - Defeating the Antichrist Today
24:45 - Next Time & Closing Thoughts

Visit the Weird Stuff store!
https://luketaylorpodcasts.creator-spring.com

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com
Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

We hear it all the time- the claim that Satan is the god of the Underworld. That he runs and rules hell. That he has a throne down there and goes around jabbing people with a pitchfork. 
But did you know that the Bible says nothing like that? Those ideas are assumptions, superstitions, myths and even lies. 
The good news is: The Bible is abundantly clear about where Satan’s dominion lies—and the limits of his power. 
The bad news is: Satan’s dominion is right here with you, in the earthly realm. 
I’ll show you today, and it goes back to the curse pronounced upon the serpent in Genesis 3.
God said (Genesis 3:14)

cursed are you above all livestock
    and above all beasts of the field;
 on your belly you shall go,
    and dust you shall eat
    all the days of your life.

Now, what did God mean by that, casting him into the dust? Is that something spiritual or literal? Is this why snakes don’t have arms and legs, or is that just another superstition?
I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 
Turn to Genesis 3, and let’s get weird.

——
If you do want to know more about hell, check out my interview with Megan Medick on Uncommon Sense right here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/uncommon-sense-with-meagan-medick/id1884935580?i=1000777122024

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:
https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

Check out the website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:30 - The Curse on the Serpent
13:05 - The Ruler of This World
17:10 - Satan and Hell
20:45 - Gatekeeper Spirits
23:50 - Demons in Ephesians 6

Visit the Weird Stuff store!
https://luketaylorpodcasts.creator-spring.com

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com
Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!