My Latest Bart Ehrman Episode Has 666 Views
Well, it’s official - I’m going to hell. Well. I should say that some guy named Todd on Facebook says I’m going to hell because he hates my new book (<— click the link and order the book!) and absolutely loathes Bart Ehrman who invited me to post about the book on his blog.
Anyways.
It must be really official (that I’m going to hell) because today I checked in on my latest convo with Bart on YouTube to see how many people have been watching and it’s been viewed …
Brace Yourself.
… A grand total of 666 times.
Yup, that’s right - 666 people have watched the episode, which pretty much seals my spot in the eternal fires.
Oh well.
In all seriousness, though - have you listened to the episode? You can watch it HERE on YouTube or listen to it HERE on Apple Podcasts (or Spotify or wherever). Of the 250-ish episodes we’ve done, this has been one of the most meaningful to me because we talked about Bart’s new book, Armageddon (<— order this book too, you will NOT be sorry!), which is all about some topics that have REALLY messed with my head over the years - things like the Rapture, the Second Coming, the book of Revelation, and more.
Like, REALLY messed with my head.
In my 6th grade Bible class our teacher took us through the Book of Revelation and made us watch a movie called “A Thief in the Night” which depicted what it would be like to be “left behind” when Jesus returns to take his faithful away to heaven, leaving everyone else to burn.
I had nightmares.
I cried myself to sleep.
I was absolutely horrified.
I wasn’t so much nervous about my own eternal destination, but that of my parents as I worried about whether or not they were really “saved”, if they had said the “sinner’s prayer”, if they MEANT IT when they prayed the “sinner’s prayer”, if they were up to date on their confessions, etc, etc, etc.
Ugh.
As a kid who already had anxiety, these fears took it to another level. And even though I no longer believe in any of that sort of stuff today, the fears still creep in. Every time I hear “rumors of war” on TV or see some new environmental crisis or storm or fire or whatever - all the Bible verses I learned back in 6th grade come RUSHING back into my head and I start to sweat.
Bart helped ease those fears in our convo. He talked to me about the context and meaning of some of the verses that have been drilled into my head and even responded to some quotes I read him from Tim LaHaye’s, “Revelation Unveiled”, which was like my second Bible back in my Evangelical days. I threw out the book years ago, but before chatting with him I actually went to the store to purchase a new copy and skimmed the chapter on “the Rapture” (which made me sweat again, HA!) because I wanted to ask him some specific questions about what most Evangelicals believe about Revelation and the end of the world.
BUT.
Here’s the thing about Bart - he doesn’t paint a pretty picture of Revelation. He doesn’t try to ease our fears by saying it’s actually presenting God in a loving way or presenting God as this loving and forgiving being who will make everything right in the end.
No.
Instead, he talks about how Revelation is actually a pretty terrible book where John depicts a Jesus who is coming to make war, shed blood, and (in essence) get revenge.
3 years ago, I would have refused to believe that. I would have pushed back hard and focused on verses that say things like the gates of the New Jerusalem will never close and I would have tried to show how Revelation puts God in a positive, loving light.
Nowadays, though? Nowadays I can accept that Revelation is a terrible book that paints a picture of (honestly) a pretty scary and terrible God because even if it does … does it matter? I don’t think so. Revelation was written by some guy named John who had a major gripe with the Roman Empire and was absolutely ticked at what the Empire did to his people and so he was writing from a place of anger and frustration and a desire for revenge.
Is it any wonder that John’s Jesus is out for blood?
I don’t think so. And that makes me realize something. 2 things, actually:
ONE - just because the Bible says it, that doesn’t mean it’s the way it is. Instead, it means that that’s the way it was for the person who wrote it - that’s the way that person saw it in his context, some 2,000+ years ago. It doesn’t necessarily reflect what is most true about the Divine who has existed for much longer than 2,000 years. We can choose to side with what that person wrote or reject it.
And TWO - our versions of God (in particular the ones that are not loving, inclusive, forgiving, and grace-filled) … those versions of God don’t really reflect God, but are a mirror of ourselves - those things reflect the issues we have with the world and with life (just as Revelation reflects the issues John has with his world in his lifetime).
All that to say - will you be the 667th person to watch this conversation so that me and Bart don't end up in the fires of hell? Our eternities depend on your click!
HA!
Much love,