Radiant Midweek

The Serpent in the Wilderness | E10

What happened in the wilderness was bigger than temptation. In Part 3 of The Serpent in the Garden series, we follow Jesus from the Jordan River into the desert where He faces the same enemy from Eden. The serpent returns with the same ancient strategy: question identity, twist truth, and demand allegiance. This episode explores: • Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness • The connection between Eden, Babel, and the kingdoms of the world • Why Satan says authority was “delivered” to him • The meaning behind “If you are the Son of God…” • The difference between temptation and sin • Gethsemane as the true turning point of the war • Why “Not my will, but Yours be done” changed everything • Repentance as surrender to the true King From Eden to the wilderness to the Cross, the Bible tells one unified story: the battle between rebellion and the Kingdom of God. The serpent in the garden. The devil in the wilderness. The dragon in Revelation. Same enemy. Many names. One war. 📖 Key Scriptures: Matthew 4:1–11 Genesis 3 Luke 22:42 Colossians 1:13–21 Philippians 2 Ephesians 1:10 If this episode encouraged or challenged you, like, subscribe, and share it with someone exploring the deeper story of Scripture. #IntoTheGap #BiblePodcast #SpiritualWarfare #Genesis3 #JesusInTheWilderness #DivineCouncil #BiblicalTheology #MichaelHeiser #ChristianPodcast #Ephesians1 #KingdomOfGod #Gethsemane #Satan #BibleStudy

The Serpent and the Cosmic Battle | E9

"Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." Most of us have heard that line. Most of us assume it's from the Bible. It isn't. It was written by an English poet — John Milton — in 1667. And most of what you picture when you hear the word Satan came from him too. In Part 2 of our series on the Serpent in the Garden, we do something harder: we read the actual Bible. And we find that yes, there IS a war. But it doesn't start the way Milton tells it. And it doesn't end the way Milton tells it. We walk the entire war — from Eden through the Watchers and the Flood, through Babel and the divine council, through Abraham and Christ, all the way to the cross where the rebel powers were disarmed once and for all. In this episode: • Why the name "Lucifer" doesn't appear in the original Hebrew or Greek • What Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are actually about • Genesis 6 — the Sons of God, the Watchers, the Nephilim • Why the Flood was a reset, not a failure • Babel and the divine council (Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 82) • The seed of the woman from Abraham to Christ • Colossians 2:15 — the cross as the disarming of rebel powers • Ephesians 1:10 — the Bible's hidden mission statement Chapters (timestamps are estimates — adjust after recording) 0:00 — "Better to reign in Hell" 1:30 — Welcome 3:00 — The Mission Statement (Ephesians 1:10) 5:30 — A Name We Need to Deal With (Lucifer) 11:00 — Move One: Eden 12:00 — Move Two: The Watchers 15:30 — The Flood: A Reset, Not a Failure 17:30 — Move Three: Babel 21:30 — God Starts Over With One Old Man 23:30 — Christ: The Head Who Unites All Things 24:30 — The Cross: Disarming the Rebel Powers 25:30 — Closing Series — The Serpent in the Garden (3 parts) Part 1: Who Was the Serpent? → [link] Part 2: The Cosmic War Behind the Bible (this episode) Part 3: Coming next week — how the story ends. Resources mentioned: First Enoch (quoted by Jude in Jude 14-15) Paradise Lost by John Milton If this has been helpful, please like, subscribe, and share with someone who'd benefit. Keep seeking truth. Stay in the gap. — Pastor Jason Shanks #IntoTheGap #BibleStudy #BibleMystery #CosmicWar #SerpentInTheGarden #Genesis #Revelation #BiblicalTheology #BookOfEnoch #DivineCouncil #Christianity #PastorJason

Who Was the Serpent in Eden? | E8

Most of us were taught the same story. A snake. An apple. A bad decision. But the text never says snake. It never says apple. And it never says Satan. So who was the serpent in the garden? In Part 1 of this two-part series, we follow the Bible's slowest reveal; a character introduced in one sentence in Genesis, then almost completely silent across the Old Testament, named only a handful of times in thousands of years. Then Jesus arrives and treats him as obviously real. Paul ties him back to Eden. And Revelation 12 finally pulls the curtain all the way back: "the great dragon, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan." Same enemy. The whole time. We'll look at what Genesis actually says (and doesn't say), the Hebrew word nachash and its triple meaning, why Adam's silence in Genesis 3 matters as much as Eve's choice, why "the silence is theology," and how the whole story lands at Genesis 3:15, the first promise of the gospel, preached not to the man or the woman, but to the enemy. A heel came down on a skull. And the war the serpent started in a garden was lost on a hill. Coming next, Part 2: The Cosmic War Behind the Bible. Watchers, Nephilim, the flood, Babel, Abraham, and the long road from Eden to the empty tomb. Scriptures referenced: Genesis 3 • Job 1–2 • 1 Chronicles 21 • Zechariah 3 • Matthew 4 • 2 Corinthians 11 • 1 John 3 • Colossians 2 • Revelation 12 Into the Gap is where we explore biblical mysteries without losing our minds standing in the gap between shallow answers and skeptical dismissal.  Hosted by Jason K. Shanks. Subscribe so you don't miss Part 2. #IntoTheGap #BibleMystery #Genesis #SpiritualWarfare #BiblicalTheology

Let US make man | E7

Episode 7: Who Is the “Us” in Let Us Make Man? What does Genesis 1:26 really mean when God says, “Let us make mankind in our image”? In this episode of Into the Gap, we explore one of the Bible’s most fascinating mysteries. Is God speaking within the Trinity… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Or is this a glimpse into a heavenly council, an unseen realm alive with spiritual beings under God’s authority? We trace this thread through Job, Psalms, Daniel, Revelation, Deuteronomy 32, and Ephesians 6, uncovering a worldview many modern readers miss: the Bible presents a universe that is layered, spiritual, and alive with conflict, worship, purpose, and mystery. We also compare ancient stories like Prometheus, the Watchers of Enoch, and flood traditions from surrounding cultures to ask a deeper question: are these myths, or echoes of something humanity once knew but no longer fully remembers? Most importantly, this episode reminds us that while mystery remains, one truth stands firm: Jesus Christ reigns above every throne, ruler, power, and authority. You were not created by accident. You were created on purpose, in the presence of heaven itself. If you’ve ever wrestled with strange passages in Scripture, wondered about angels, divine beings, spiritual warfare, or the hidden world behind the Bible, this episode is for you.

Angels and the Unseen Realm | E6

What do you picture when you hear the word angel? Chubby babies with wings? Hollywood warriors fighting in the sky? Both images are familiar… but neither comes straight from the Bible. In this episode of Into the Gap, we step back and take a closer look at what Scripture actually says about angels—and what it doesn’t. Because when you read carefully, something surprising happens. The Bible gives us less detail than we think… and more mystery than we expect. We explore: * Why the word “angel” doesn’t mean what most people think * The mysterious “Angel of the Lord” who speaks as God * Whether cherubim are actually angels—and what they really are * What angels look like (and why the Bible doesn’t focus on it) * What angels actually do—from caring for people to executing judgment * Fallen angels, spiritual rebellion, and what Scripture actually confirms * Why angels always point away from themselves… and toward God Along the way, we separate Scripture from tradition, and truth from imagination—without losing the sense of awe that these passages were meant to carry. Because the goal isn’t to become fascinated with angels… It’s to understand the God they serve. Welcome to Into the Gap Exploring biblical mysteries without losing our minds. Like, subscribe, and share if this episode helped you see Scripture in a deeper way. It really does help more than you think.