Dr. Michael Heiser

Michael S. Heiser was raised in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He is a biblical scholar in the Old Testament, as well as being a podcaster and author. His specific area of expertise is the nature of the spiritual realm as represented in the Bible, which is often ascribed the name of “the Divine Council,” otherwise the hierarchy of the spiritual order in Semitic myth. He attained an MA in Ancient History from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MA and PhD in the Hebrew Bible and Semitic Languages from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he minored in Classical studies. Dr. Heiser received his Bachelor’s degree from Bob Jones University and also attended Bible college for three years.

Dr. Michael Heiser is currently the Executive Director and Professor at the AWKNG School of Theology.

Dr. Michael Heiser

Dr Michael Heiser Podcast

Dr. Michael Heiser’s Podcast appearances have been numerous and he also runs his own long-running podcast called The Naked Bible, which aims to provide biblical theology, stripped bare of denominational confessions and theological systems. It does this by emphasizing and exposing the context in which the books of the Old Testament were written. It has achieved a 4.9 star rating on most podcasting platforms and is therefore one of the highest rated mainstream theology podcasts of all time.

Dr. Michael S. Heiser runs a ministry called MIQLAT, which is dedicated to the production and dissemination of study on his chosen subject. Dr Michael Heiser appeared in the 2018 documentary film Fragments of Truth and in the 2019 documentary film The Unseen Realm. In the same year Heiser released the book The World Turned Upside Down: Finding the Gospel in Stranger Things, referencing the Netflix series Stranger Things as analogies to Christian theology.

Dr. Michael Heiser is also well known for his interest in the paranormal and in alternative history. He has been a guest on dozens of talk shows and podcasts that focus on esoterica. Through his fiction (The Facade, The Portent), his Peeranormal podcast, and his YouTube Channel, “Fringepop321”, he tries to promote critical thinking in regard to this subject matter.

Dr. Michael Heiser Theology

Dr. Michael S. Heiser’s theology is comprehensive, but it contains an emphasis on the role of the Divine Council in the Old Testament, which reflects the paucity of modern scholarship in that area. The Divine Council is often referred to in the scriptures, but never expounded upon, and Heiser attempts to fill in the gaps. Kevin Bauder calls Heiser the “most prominent evangelical defender” of the divine council interpretation of Psalm 82, and notes that he “has become a kind of evangelist for the divine council theory, giving it wide exposure.”

Dr. Michael Heiser Books

Dr. Michael S. Heiser’s books have been very popular. He is the author of the best-selling books The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible; its shorter companion work, Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World and Why it Matters, Angels: What the Bible Really Teaches About God’s Heavenly Host, and Reversing Hermon: Enoch, the Watchers, and the Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ. Impressively, he has also written over 100 articles for Bible Study Magazine and has several peer-reviewed articles in academic journals.

Dr Michael Heiser Unseen Realm

In Dr. Michael S. Heiser’s The Unseen Realm, Heiser examines the ancient context of Scripture, explaining how it’s supernatural worldview can help us grow in our understanding of God. He illuminates certain passages of the Bible that have been hiding in plain sight—passages that are merely glossed over in today’s sermons, but which held great significance for the readers at the time. Specific questions raised are why wasn’t Eve surprised when the serpent spoke to her? How did descendants of the Nephilim survive the flood? Why did Jacob fuse Yahweh and his Angel together in his prayer? Who are the assembly of divine beings that the Bible tells us that God presides over and in what way do those beings participate in God’s decisions? Why do Peter and Jude promote belief in imprisoned spirits? Why does Paul describe evil spirits in terms of geographical rulership? Who are the “glorious ones” that even angels dare not rebuke? Many have said that after reading this book they never read their Bible in the same way again.

Dr Michael Heiser Website

On the Dr. Michael S. Heiser website, you can find information on all of his professional work. He is known for intentionally exposing non-specialists interested in biblical studies, theology, and ancient texts to peer-reviewed material in all these areas. To that end he hosts the popular Naked Bible Podcast, which passed five million downloads in 2019. His non-profit corporation, MIQLAT, provides free translations of his biblical studies content in over twenty languages.