Welcome back to another episode of Altar’d Reality! This week, we are joined by our good friend and official "third wheel" wingman, Tassy. Tassy is a homeschool mom of three who loves to hang out with us and talk about the strange, shocking, and sometimes dark parts of the Bible.

In this episode, we explore:

• Handling the Weirdness: We talk about how we used to glaze over the bizarre parts of Scripture, while Tassy shares her "fake comedy routine" based on the Bible's most traumatic stories—like the infamous concubine story in the book of Kings.
• Why the Strange Stuff Matters: These "glitches" aren't fairy tale filler; they are signposts to God's big story. We discuss how the "weird" parts are often where the gold is hidden, revealing a redemption arc that is interwoven from Genesis to Revelation.
• The Seed War Kickoff: We dive into the "Seed War," a term for the cosmic battle that began in Genesis 3:15. We look at how Satan has spent all of history trying to destroy the "promised seed"—Jesus—to stop the plan of salvation.
• The Nephilim and the Bloodline: We tackle the "sons of God" in Genesis 6, the mysterious heavenly beings who had offspring with human women. We discuss how this was a demonic scheme to corrupt the human bloodline, why Noah’s "pure" line was preserved, and how this history was common knowledge to the ancient biblical authors.
• War Throughout History: From Sarah and Hagar to Pharaoh’s genocide and Herod’s attempt to kill the infant King, we trace Satan's repeated attempts to wipe out the line of the Messiah.
• The Victory: While the war rages on today in the unseen realm, we don't live in fear. We share the "Secret Service" analogy—if you know the real Jesus so well, the counterfeit enemy becomes easy to spot.

Our Challenge to You: This week, find a "strange" spot in your Bible and don't skip it. Stop, journal, and ask God how that weird moment points back to Jesus and His unrelenting love for us.

References in this episode:

Podcasts and Media

• Stranger Theology: This is a Substack and podcast featuring Joel Mudamale and the creators of the Blurry Creatures podcast. We are currently going through this resource because it focuses specifically on the "stranger things" in the Bible.
• Blurry Creatures: This podcast is our favorite for exploring supernatural topics.
• The Bible Project: Jennifer and Lauren recommend this as an "amazing resource," particularly for those who are visual learners.
• Chris Harrison's article, "Bible Cross References" that includes an image of every time that the Bible references itself.

Books and Authors

• Dr. Michael Heiser: The late scholar is a primary influence for the show. We recommend his book The Unseen Realm, as well as his other works titled Angels, Demons, and The Supernatural.
• The Book of Enoch (Enoch 1): We discuss this historical text at length, noting that while it is not considered "canon" or "God-breathed," it was common knowledge for biblical authors like Jude and Peter. They specifically highlight a version of the book put out by the Blurry Creatures team and Timothy Alberino that features helpful footnotes and commentary.
• Timothy Alberino: It is often said that Tim is a real life Indiana Joens. He is a researcher and author who collaborated on the Blurry Creatures edition of the Book of Enoch.

Study Tools and Resources

• Logos Bible Software: Use this link to sign up for Logos. You get a 30 day free trial and $10 off your purchase. If you sign, up we get a credit to our account so we can purchase more resources.
• The Bible Recap: This is a helpful resource for those looking for a structured approach to reading the Bible. You can read through the bible in a year with host Tara-Leigh Cobble who will have you seeing how every part of the Bible points us to Jesus because "He's where the joy is."