Welcome to The Shaun Tabatt Show! Today I speak with Michael Heiser about his new book Reversing Hermon: Enoch, the Watchers, and the Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ (Defender Publishing, 2017).
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Here’s the ground we cover in this conversation:
- I know we likely covered some of this ground when we last talked about your excellent book The Unseen Realm, but I think it’s worth asking again to give our listeners a bit of context for your work in this area of study. Tell us how you first got exposed to and developed an interest in things like Genesis 6:1-4, 1 Enoch, and the watchers. Where did that interest come from, how did that first develop for you? (00:38 – 02:26)
- I know the book of 1 Enoch will be new to many of the listeners. Talk to us about what sort of literature it is, the important things we learn from it, and whether or not it’s inspired. (02:27 – 07:14)
- Who are the watchers and what was their sin? (07:15 – 10:09)
- What’s significant about Mt. Hermon? (10:10 – 13:05)
- How does all of this better inform our understanding of what we see Jesus doing in the Gospels? (13:06 – 15:42)
- Let’s keep moving ahead in the New Testament. How does this better inform what we see in both the epistles and the book of Revelation? (15:43 – 18:54)
- What would you say to the person who is wondering why it’s important for them to be exposed to this material? How is it going to be beneficial? (18:55 – 20:58)
- For people who want to go beyond what you share in Reversing Hermon, what other resources would you recommend? (20:59 – 23:05)
- Mike, if the listeners want to connect with you and find out more about the new book, where should they go on the web? (23:06 – 23:41)
About the Book: Reversing Hermon is a groundbreaking work. It unveils what most in the modern Church have never heard regarding how the story of the sin of the Watchers in 1 Enoch 6-16 helped frame the mission of Jesus, the messiah. Jews of the first century expected the messiah to reverse the impact of the Watchers’ transgression. For Jews of Jesus’ day, the Watchers were part of the explanation for why the world was so profoundly depraved. The messiah would not just revoke the claim of Satan on human souls and estrangement from God, solving the predicament of the Fall. He would also not only bring the nations back into relationship with the true God by defeating the principalities and powers that governed them. Jews also believed that the messiah would rescue humanity from self-destruction, the catalyst for which was the sin of the Watchers and the influence of what they had taught humankind. The role of Enoch’s retelling of Genesis 6:1-4 in how New Testament writers wrote of Jesus and the cross has been largely lost to a modern audience. Reversing Hermon rectifies that situation. Topics include:
- Understanding Genesis 6:1-4 and the Sin of the Watchers in Their Original Context: How the ancient Mesopotamian story of the apkallu aligns with Gen 6:1-4, was preserved in 1 Enoch, and sets the stage for the theme of reversing the evil of the Watchers.
- How the theme of reversing the transgression of the Watchers colors the gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus, his genealogy, and his ministry.
- How the writings of Peter and Paul allude to the sin of the Watchers and present Jesus as overturning the disastrous effects of their sins against humanity.
- How the descriptions of the antichrist, the end-times Day of the Lord, and the final judgment connect to Genesis 6 and the nephilim.
Though every topic addressed in Reversing Hermon can be found in scholarly academic literature, Reversing Hermon is the first book to gather this information and make it accessible to Bible students everywhere. The book also includes lengthy appendices on the ancient debate on the inspiration of the book of 1 Enoch, New Testament allusions to the book, and academic resources for studying 1 Enoch and the Book of Giants from the Dead Sea Scrolls.
About the Author: Michael Heiser is a scholar in the fields of biblical studies and the ancient Near East. He is Scholar-in-Residence at Logos Bible Software. Mike earned his Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Semitic Languages at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004. He also earned an M.A. in the same field at Wisconsin, along with an M.A. in Ancient History from the University of Pennsylvania (major fields: Ancient Israel and Egyptology).
Connect with Michael:
Order your copy of Reversing Hermon:
Related Interviews:
- Episode 24: Dr. Michael S. Heiser – The Unseen Realm
- Episode 181: Michael Heiser – The Bible Unfiltered
- Episode 244: Michael Heiser – Angels
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