Weird Stuff in the Bible

Well, next week is April 15, which means your taxes are coming due. So if you woke up today and said, “Man, it sure would be great if God consumed the whole world in a fiery destruction that wiped away all life and memory of mankind and the IRS from the earth…” then I have some good news. That’s actually in the works. 
Now, it probably won’t be next week, but it is gonna happen. And how do I know? Because Peter told me about it. 
II Peter 3:10 says

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

And for the record, the Book of Enoch tells us similar things. It was written about the future Second Coming of Christ. Enoch’s book tells us things about the Second Coming long before even Christ’s first coming. It even tells us how the mountains will melt like wax before the Lord at His return. We’re gonna look at some of that today.
But wait a minute- didn’t God promise to never destroy the world again after the flood?
In Genesis 8:21 and 22, God says

“I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

So wait- is God actually gonna destroy the world someday- or am I gonna have to just keep paying taxes forever and ever? 
We’re going to answer that question today. And it won’t take long, actually. But after that, I want to explore a few questions that you all, the listeners, have been sending in lately about the Book of Enoch. Because today is going to finish up chapter 10, as well as 11, and this will actually finish up a section of the book, which makes it a good time to address some of your burning questions, like:
were there female giants?
Is there any good reason to think that the Book of Enoch was actually written and somehow preserved through the flood?
And why does windshield wiper fluid have to look so delicious?
That last one is actually one of my own questions, and I don’t have an answer. It’s just something that’s been bothering me this week because I had to refill the windshield wiper fluid on my vehicle and… is it just me or does anyone else wonder what flavor that is. (I’ve had a little bit too much coffee this morning so there’s a lot of thoughts going through my head right now.)
So why does God say He’s not going to destroy the world again after Noah gets off the Ark, yet II Peter 3 tells us He’s going to do exactly that? 
I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the bible. 
Turn with me to Genesis 8 and let’s get weird. 

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0:00 - Introduction
3:35 - Genesis 8 & Enoch 10-11
8:45 - Read the Fine Print
15:15 - Mailbag- Why Trust Enoch?
26:05 - Mailbag- Jesus’ Privacy
27:10 - Mailbag- Female Giants?
28:35 - Closing Thoughts

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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 [email protected]
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!

One of the most famous parables Jesus shared was the one about the sheep and the goats. This refers to a future time, judgment day, the second coming of Christ, when Jesus will separate the righteous from the unrighteous. Those who had served Christ will receive salvation, the rest will have a dark fate. 
And you’ll probably recognize this quote that Jesus says to that second group
In Matthew 25:41:

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’

Sounds simple enough, right? Hell was created for the devil and his angels- meaning the bad angels, the fallen angels- and those people who choose the devil’s team will end up in the same place that they are.
Except wait a minute- this is actually new information. There hasn’t been anywhere in Scripture where we were told that hell was first created for the devil and his angels. You can read from Genisys to Malachi and you won’t find this idea anywhere. 
Like 12 tons of European KitKats. Just totally missing. Gone.
You will, however, find that doctrine in the Book of Enoch.
Did Jesus read the book of Enoch? And more importantly- did He believe it?
We’ll answer that today because I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why Jesus seemed to quote an idea from the Book of Enoch.
Turn to Matthew 25, and let’s get weird.

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0:00 - Introduction
2:00 - Enoch 10, Imprisoning the Watchers
10:45 - Matthew 25, the Sheep and the Goats
15:35 - Jesus and the Book of Enoch
23:10 - The Fate of the Watchers

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 [email protected]
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!

Explore Enoch 10 and Leviticus 16 with me. 

The internet was set on fire this week by the tragic passing of Chuck Norris. And it included a revival of Chuck Norris jokes. One said, “When Chuck Norris arrived in heaven, he was the one who had to tell the angels, ‘Fear not.’” 
Another said, “Chuck Norris didn’t die. Death has had a near-Chuck experience.”
Another one: “When Chuck Norris goes into a room, he doesn’t turn the lights on. He turns the dark off.”
And I found this great one that said, “Chuck Norris once read Leviticus…and liked it.”
Now, that’s a good one because Leviticus is no one’s favorite book of the Bible. Leviticus is the book about clean and unclean foods, about what to do if you find mold in your house, about how to treat infections- oh yeah, and sacrifices sacrifices sacrifices. There’s a lot of blood in this book, and a lot of details about sabbaths, feast days, and the sacrifices that the Israelites were supposed to do at these appointed times.
And chapter 16 is perhaps the most peculiar. This describes the Day of Atonement. It involves a strange ritual where there were two goats presented before the people. The High Priest would pick one goat to be used as a sacrifice; the other would be sent off into the desert. 
Kinda weird, huh? But it gets weirder. Listen to this:
Leviticus 16:8

And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.

Wait a minute. Azazel may sound familiar, especially if you’ve been listening to the podcast this year. That’s because Azazel is one of the rebellious Watchers in the Book of Enoch, who came down to deceive humanity and teach them forbidden knowledge in the pre-flood world.
But what ever happened to Azazel? We’re going to explore Enoch’s 10th chapter to try and answer that question today as well, so that we can understand why Azazel gets a cameo here in the often-skipped book of Leviticus.
You know, maybe Chuck Norris died, maybe he didn’t. Personally, I’m not gonna believe it until we hear it from Chuck Norris himself.
But I do want to take a closer look at Leviticus 16 and see if I can enjoy it as much as Chuck Norris reportedly did.
Because I find this goat ritual to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 
Turn to Leviticus 16, and let’s get weird.

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0:00 - Introduction
2:30 - The Scapegoat
5:15 - Azazel in the Book of Enoch
12:35 - Two-Way Atonement
21:50 - Next Time
23:50 - The Son of the Father

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 [email protected]
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!

Do you ever get an answer that just leads to more questions? 
I think a lot of us have had that experience. Sometimes we’re searching for the answer to some weird thing in the Bible, and when we finally find it, we find ourselves saying, “Well wait, what about this?” Or “this challenges the view I had of spiritual reality or what God is like.”
Honestly, our preconceptions of how God operates are probably our biggest hindrance to understanding some parts of the Bible. And if that’s you, don’t feel bad; it was Habakkuk’s problem as well.
Habakkuk, a prophet of God, one of the men selected to write a book of the Bible, certainly had his view of God challenged. Habakkuk had some issues with how God was running the world, he asked God about it, God actually answered Habakkuk, and Habakkuk wasn’t too satisfied with the answer.
Today, we’re going to read how that conversation between God and Habakkuk went down, and it’s going to help us understand how to process it when God’s actions don’t meet our expectations.
Then we’ll look at a similar conversation that was recorded amongst a group of angels in the Book of Enoch. And that discussion is going too help us understand what we should DO when God’s doesn’t do what we think He should.
Habakkuk argued with God. And when he didn’t like what God said, he argued some more.
I find that to be gutsy, and pretty weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. 
Turn to Habakkuk 1, and let’s get weird.

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0:00 - Introduction
1:30 - Habakkuk’s Complaint
10:10 - Enoch 9 and the Angels
16:00 - The Just Shall Live By Faith
22:10 - Closing Thoughts: The Labor Day Fire  

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 [email protected]
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!

One of the most head-scratching verses to me in the entire Bible is Ephesians 4:8. 
In this verse, Paul quotes Psalm 68. And Paul is known to quote various passages from the Old Testament; that’s not weird. 
What’s weird is that Paul quotes it wrong. As in, he quotes one line saying the exact opposite of what the David originally wrote in this Psalm. 
Psalm 68 says

You ascended on high,
    leading a host of captives in your train
    and receiving gifts among men,

But in Ephesians 4:8 Paul applies this to Christ, saying

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
    and he gave gifts to men.”

One version says “receiving gifts.” The other says “he gave gifts.” Those are two opposite ideas. 
And that might seem like a tiny mistake in the grand scheme of things, but it bothers me because I always say my bible ain’t got no mistakes. So I had to look more deeply into this one.
And as I did, I learned something that brought yet another dimension to these words: the quotation in Psalm 68 is in a context of addressing Bashan. 
Bashan, as in, the spiritually dark region that was a stronghold of giants and demons in the Bible. 
Bashan, a location whose name means “the place of the serpent.” 
Bashan which contains Mount Hermon, the location where the Watchers touched down on planet earth in their great rebellion, as detailed in the Book of Enoch.
So in this episode, we’re going to investigate Bashan, what it means in the Bible, what Psalm 68 is saying, and hopefully we’ll understand why Paul quotes it backwards in Ephesians 4.
Because I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why a potential error like this is in the Bible. 
Turn to Psalm 68, and let’s get weird.

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0:00 - Introduction
4:40 - Bashan, the Place of the Serpent
11:15 - Psalm 68 & Ephesians 4
23:45 - Next Time
25:30 - The Bulls of Bashan

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 [email protected]
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!