The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible
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- Create Date：2021-05-09 10:56:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Michael S. Heiser
- ISBN：1683592719
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Summary
In The Unseen Realm， Dr。 Michael Heiser examines the ancient context of Scripture， explaining how its supernatural worldview can help us grow in our understanding of God。 He illuminates intriguing and amazing passages of the Bible that have been hiding in plain sight。 You'll find yourself engaged in an enthusiastic pursuit of the truth， resulting in a new appreciation for God's Word。
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 God presides over？
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？
After reading this book， you may never read your Bible the same way again。
"There is a world referred to in the Scripture that is quite unseen， but also quite present and active。 Michael Heiser's The Unseen Realm seeks to unmask this world。 Heiser shows how important it is to understand this world and appreciate how its contribution helps to make sense of Scripture。 The book is clear and well done， treating many ideas and themes that often go unseen themselves。 With this book， such themes will no longer be neglected， so read it and discover a new realm for reflection about what Scripture teaches。"
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 God presides over？
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？
After reading this book， you may never read your Bible the same way again。
"There is a world referred to in the Scripture that is quite unseen， but also quite present and active。 Michael Heiser's The Unseen Realm seeks to unmask this world。 Heiser shows how important it is to understand this world and appreciate how its contribution helps to make sense of Scripture。 The book is clear and well done， treating many ideas and themes that often go unseen themselves。 With this book， such themes will no longer be neglected， so read it and discover a new realm for reflection about what Scripture teaches。"
Reviews
Yona O-M
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It was a good eye opener in very many significant ways but I think in the end the author is trying （misguidedly） to explain everything in the Bible and about God and Christian history through the lens of his theories
David
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This book challenges conventional and mainstream Christianity。 And it does it by telling the truth and dealing with the difficult questions that the pulpit avoids。 Heiser doesn't just stay with the easy stuff he gets into the nitty-gritty grime of theology the preachers and teachers flee。 And Heiser explains these difficulties in a way that is easy to understand。 Heiser is able to do that using the original language and not the 'transliterated' garb that throws the Hebrew text into confusion。 Th This book challenges conventional and mainstream Christianity。 And it does it by telling the truth and dealing with the difficult questions that the pulpit avoids。 Heiser doesn't just stay with the easy stuff he gets into the nitty-gritty grime of theology the preachers and teachers flee。 And Heiser explains these difficulties in a way that is easy to understand。 Heiser is able to do that using the original language and not the 'transliterated' garb that throws the Hebrew text into confusion。 The beginning of the book lures you in。 Psalms 82; Elohim and Elohim。 Heiser introductory anecdote grabs you and does not let go。 This book will prompt you to want to dig further。 。。。more
Cat Caird
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book， its rich and depth into the biblical narrative of the supernatural world。 I wish we heard more of this in church！
Daniel
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Quite possibly one of the most eye-opening books I've read in some time。 A lot of things in the book that will challenge what you thought you knew。 Quite possibly one of the most eye-opening books I've read in some time。 A lot of things in the book that will challenge what you thought you knew。 。。。more
Jason Poe
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This book does a great job of breaking down ancient historical texts and categorizing them for the common reader。 I appreciate how Heiser has devoted time and effort to pull the curtain back on the divine council and assist reader on developing our own understanding。 I feel that this book is accessible from 15 years old and up。
Brittany Petruzzi
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This book was written for people who haave never known someone like James Jordan。 If you're familiar with Jordan， there is nothing new here--though it's all in one place。 If you've never heard of Jordan， dig in。 You'll like this and it will surprise you。 This book was written for people who haave never known someone like James Jordan。 If you're familiar with Jordan， there is nothing new here--though it's all in one place。 If you've never heard of Jordan， dig in。 You'll like this and it will surprise you。 。。。more
Tessa J
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Life-changingI grew up in a church oriented family hearing all of the major bible stories in illustrated versions from before the time I could read - just as a starting point。 Until now， I wallowed in a sea of doubt， vacillating between heartfelt belief and sorrow-filled atheistic denial。 That has changed - since reading this book- in a way I never thought possible。 I am filled with hope for a continued journey into taking the Bible for what it is and knowing in my heart that it is vitally impor Life-changingI grew up in a church oriented family hearing all of the major bible stories in illustrated versions from before the time I could read - just as a starting point。 Until now， I wallowed in a sea of doubt， vacillating between heartfelt belief and sorrow-filled atheistic denial。 That has changed - since reading this book- in a way I never thought possible。 I am filled with hope for a continued journey into taking the Bible for what it is and knowing in my heart that it is vitally important。 。。。more
Anne Miles
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Great stuffI enjoyed reading this。 A lot off it i was unaware of but the Father had taught me some of it。 I look forward to reading more。
Chase Dunn
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I appreciate what Heiser is attempting to do with this book。 He recognizes a lack of vision of the spiritual realm in Christianity today。 While the world around us is quickly embracing the up and coming New Age religion， occult practices， yoga， the enneagram， and all other manner of spiritual dangerous practices， Christians either unwittingly participate in these spiritually dangerous practices or simply consider them taboo or fringe topics。 In that respect， I appreciate Heiser’s attempt to reco I appreciate what Heiser is attempting to do with this book。 He recognizes a lack of vision of the spiritual realm in Christianity today。 While the world around us is quickly embracing the up and coming New Age religion， occult practices， yoga， the enneagram， and all other manner of spiritual dangerous practices， Christians either unwittingly participate in these spiritually dangerous practices or simply consider them taboo or fringe topics。 In that respect， I appreciate Heiser’s attempt to recover a spiritual worldview。 However， as it will be shown in the bullet points forth coming， I believe Heiser overcorrects and ends up changing way to many aspects of theology in the process。 Anytime I see someone 2，000 years after the death of the Lord Jesus Christ saying they have found the interpretive key or found a long lost truth of Scripture that puts the whole edifice together — I’m skeptical。 As a matter of fact， I pull out “skepticals” when I read。I will admit that I did not finish this book。 I got about 25% done。 In that time though， Heiser laid out some major new claims that I consider a problem。。。 especially for new believers who read this book。 Here are my thoughts。。。。- Foreknowledge does not necessitate predestination。 Heiser points to 1 Samuel 23 where David inquires of Yahweh if Saul will pursue him into the city and if it’s leaders will give him up to Saul。 The Lord answers yes to both questions， indicating foreknowledge。 However， since these events never come to pass they were not predestined。 Therefore， Heiser states that foreknowledge does not necessitate predestination。 Perhaps the issue becomes clearer when he then suggests that predestined events do not require foreknowledge。 Heiser cites the Fall as an example of this and also the murder of a baby as an emotive example。 Heiser claims this allows the free will of man to operate within the confines of God’s sovereignty， while not making God responsible for foreknowing the Fall。 Another way he puts it is; God ordains the ends， but free will beings make choices about the means。 This is certainly not a standard view of sovereignty。。。 it seems to lean on the deistic side and in an attempt to relieve God of responsibility， detracts from His absolute sovereignty。 This is clear when examples of God clearly foreknowing and ordaining sin is presented such as Exodus 7:4 when God shows foreknowledge by stating Pharaoh will not listen to Moses and that his hardening actually comes to pass as displayed in later chapters of Exodus。 This example suggests a much more active role of God and a inextricable link between God’s foreknowledge and predestination of whatsoever comes to pass。 I think that a distinction of the autonomous will of God vs creaturely will of man and a distinction between God’s two wills is a much more natural and textually responsible solution for the problem of sin being ordained by God and how that influences the way in which God is sovereign over sinful events and choices of His creatures。 - Heiser claims that we have misunderstood monotheism in our modern era and ever since Medieval times。 This is a MAJOR point and MAJOR shift in traditional Christian and Jewish thinking。。。。 Heiser claims that the “sons of God” and “divine councils” are created gods that are a separate type of being from angels or humans。 These beings are indeed gods， just not the one and true uncreated Yahweh。 This is what Heiser’s entire theological edifice depends on。 He provides various reasons for this interpretation including ANE texts showing their views of gods， Apocryphal Jewish literature， a specific view of Hebrew word “Elohim”， and relies VERY heavily on Psalm 82 and his specific interpretation of that Psalm。 Also passages like Isaiah 14， Genesis 1， and Ezekiel 28 are given， but these are more outflows and examples of his foundational thoughts derived from Psalm 82:1。 - Heiser often a states things like， “To a Jew this would have been obvious” or “An Israelite would have had no problem seeing that。。。” Heiser assumes a monolithic Jewish mindset about the God vs gods。 Scripture and commentaries/writings of Rabbis and other Jews suggest a plurality of ideas and about religion。 Certainly it presents a less than monolithic consensus about Yahweh and the false gods of the nations and whatever supposed link Heiser sees between them。。。 In short， I don’t think Heiser can assume to know how a Jew absolutely would have interpreted and read any given OT passage。- Heiser’s entire argument for entirety of the book rests on his interpretation of “sons of God” being divine children of God and the “council of God” as being a divine family of created gods that advises Yahweh。 NOTE: Heiser clearly states that this council and gods do NOT add to Yahweh or enhance Him in anyway。 Although I think this could be problematic， I accept this for the sake of argument。 What is shocking， is that Heiser gives very little evidence of this interpretation！ He devotes an early chapter to a point of theology that challenges the very notion of monotheism！ - A sub point of this major point is this: Heiser “clarifies” or “reinterprets” way to many points of theology that get extremely close to the heart of Christianity。 I。e。; the Fall， the idea of monotheism， the identity of the Nephilim in Genesis 6， the identity of Satan in Job 1 not being the same adversary in Genesis 3， the “mosaic of Scripture” （Heiser’s words） as being a supernatural struggle of divine beings， the idea of a perfect creation and a distinction between Eden and the rest of the world。 On that last point， Heiser contends that only Eden was perfect and that the rest of the world was “very good” （Genesis 1:31）。 Basically， Heiser’s framework requires us to have a slightly different view on so many different passages that his framework becomes suspect。 It’s not like it influences one thing， it influences a host of biblical passages and historically held doctrines！ - Another sub point is this: Heiser relies heavily on extra Biblical Hebrew and ANE writings to prove grammatical and theological points about the cultural mindset and understanding。 Although I know he wouldn’t put it like this， this in fact makes the Bible subservient to these extra biblical materials。 Why？ If we cannot rightly understand the Bible without the cultural mindset of the Hebrews， then those extra biblical sources becomes the clarifying lens through which the Bible must be seen。 This elevates these other writings to above or at least the same place as the Bible in terms of importance。 A similar point to this and a natural result of Heiser’s thinking of these extra biblical texts is that Heiser examines the Bible in a much to scholastic manner。。。。 By that I do not mean we cannot do textual critical work， academic examinations， and use scholastic standards; rather， I mean that Heiser looks at the Bible just as he would any other ANE or apocryphal Jewish writing。 He seems to not take into account the God-breathed nature of Scripture alone。 This was patently the view of the prophets， Jesus， the Apostles， etc。 In essence， the same weight of authority cannot be given to Scripture and any other writing。 Therefore， a Scriptural interpretation should never be based on an Apocryphal book or ANE thoughts of the gods。 I realize that this is not the only evidence Heiser gives for his interpretation of sons of God and divine council， however grammatical argument of Elohim and usage of Psalm 82 are traced to and depends on his argument of “how a Jew would have understood these things” and therefore to the ideas and concepts found in these extra biblical writings。 。。。more
Maria
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It is pretty amazing information I had never realized about the Bible。 So many aha moments when reading。
Dr。 Jeffrey Kran
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This book contained some good and important biblical theology。 It looks at our salvation in terms of its cosmic ramifications。 This book shows us that our walk and our salvation are of cosmic import and do not only affect us but even the celestial realm。 It gives insight into many passages in the Jewish Scriptures or to not that are overlooked or poorly examined。Michael HeiserThe Unseen Realm This book contained some good and important biblical theology。 It looks at our salvation in terms of its cosmic ramifications。 This book shows us that our walk and our salvation are of cosmic import and do not only affect us but even the celestial realm。 It gives insight into many passages in the Jewish Scriptures or to not that are overlooked or poorly examined。Michael HeiserThe Unseen Realm 。。。more
Frank Lawton
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An extremely comprehensive， open minded， and thoughtful analysis of the Judeo Christian Narrative。 Heiser was more than I've yet seen uninfluenced by modern or postmodern thinking and did a fantastic job pulling out an internally consistent narrative that can be understood by modern readers （without assumption or disregard of any information） from a long history of writing in very different languages written over a very different time by people who thought very differently to how we do。 His cred An extremely comprehensive， open minded， and thoughtful analysis of the Judeo Christian Narrative。 Heiser was more than I've yet seen uninfluenced by modern or postmodern thinking and did a fantastic job pulling out an internally consistent narrative that can be understood by modern readers （without assumption or disregard of any information） from a long history of writing in very different languages written over a very different time by people who thought very differently to how we do。 His credible translation of the Christian story is suprisingly disconnected from the images and ideas many of us hold about Christianity and surprisingly， to me atleast， more digestible and viable than the popular incomplete Christian narritive。 。。。more
Mark L Jensen
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Challenging material。。。。 much to think ab
Karl Goodwin
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A book that goes deep into the bible and other writings of the time。 The biggest refrain I heard was to read the bible as it was written。 Understanding the context in which it was written is key to understanding how we are to interpret it today。
Craig Sjoberg
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Definitely an academic journey that is digestible to most laypeople。 Dr。 Heiser's research and logical conculsions have alter my Christian worldview， expanding it to include the divine council， past， present and future。 This is a must read for pastors and preachers， and would be good for small group study。 Definitely an academic journey that is digestible to most laypeople。 Dr。 Heiser's research and logical conculsions have alter my Christian worldview， expanding it to include the divine council， past， present and future。 This is a must read for pastors and preachers， and would be good for small group study。 。。。more
Rachel Faulk
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Wow。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book。 Having read my Bible several times through and sat through countless sermons and lessons my whole life， I discovered in this book a fresh perspective on the story of Scripture and the Gospel， illuminating the spiritual battle that weaves together the earthly events described。 I enjoyed learning about the context and worldview of the Biblical writers and how that informs and clarifies the imagery they use and the messages they seek to convey。 This book Wow。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book。 Having read my Bible several times through and sat through countless sermons and lessons my whole life， I discovered in this book a fresh perspective on the story of Scripture and the Gospel， illuminating the spiritual battle that weaves together the earthly events described。 I enjoyed learning about the context and worldview of the Biblical writers and how that informs and clarifies the imagery they use and the messages they seek to convey。 This book answered so many questions I’ve had while reading through the Bible and explained so many passages I’ve never understood。 If you’re not afraid to have your view of Scripture challenged and possibly revolutionized， you should check this book out。 。。。more
Missy
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This book didn't shift anything I understood about the nature of God， creation， sin， or redemption， but it did give sense to some odd passages。 This book didn't shift anything I understood about the nature of God， creation， sin， or redemption， but it did give sense to some odd passages。 。。。more
Lori Ness
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In a day in age where things do not seem to make since， many Christians like myself， are seeking deeper answers。 Feeling that there is a spiritual realm that moves with us simultaneously with our physical world。。finally an insight that provided biblical confirmation。 Reading and understanding the Bible thru Hebrew translation， as it was written， made much more sense than the glossed over version modern churches regurgitate on Sundays。 If you a seeking a deeper understanding， you will find it her In a day in age where things do not seem to make since， many Christians like myself， are seeking deeper answers。 Feeling that there is a spiritual realm that moves with us simultaneously with our physical world。。finally an insight that provided biblical confirmation。 Reading and understanding the Bible thru Hebrew translation， as it was written， made much more sense than the glossed over version modern churches regurgitate on Sundays。 If you a seeking a deeper understanding， you will find it here through original Biblical translation and insight。 。。。more
Jonathan
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Some important insights here about how the writers of the Bible viewed the spiritual realm。 However， in his unwillingness to give any credence to the insights of Christians through the ages， Heiser arrives at some very bad theological conclusions。 Most significantly， he fails to distinguish between what the Bible affirms as true vs the context within which those truths were given。 As an example， we know the earth is not literally held up by pillars， but said pillars were believed by the Israelit Some important insights here about how the writers of the Bible viewed the spiritual realm。 However， in his unwillingness to give any credence to the insights of Christians through the ages， Heiser arrives at some very bad theological conclusions。 Most significantly， he fails to distinguish between what the Bible affirms as true vs the context within which those truths were given。 As an example， we know the earth is not literally held up by pillars， but said pillars were believed by the Israelites to be literal reality。 The Bible does not affirm such a cosmology as literally true， but it is important to understand the cosmological context to understand the points the Bible is indeed affirming。 Heiser certainly understands that some arguments about the unseen realm seem to be literary in nature， or purely about bashing Babylon， etc。， but in many cases he simply assumes the Israelite view of the supernatural realm is fully affirmed as truth， rather than as the context for some other truth the Bible does indeed affirm。 He offers no criteria for distinguishing these categories， which is essential。 In this regard， John Walton does a much better job on similar topics。Second， he is willing to draw very significant conclusions from single verses， such as his crucial assumption that at Babel God disinherited the nations and put them under fallen divine beings as judgement， purely based on one verse in Deut 32， and that being a song （so much more likely to be artistic/metaphorical/literary rather than literal）。 Similarly， he assumes the elohim are in God’s image like humans from one verse in Genesis 1， despite the fact that the verse is unclear on this point and it makes little sense for God to have two separate sets of images intended to rule different spaces since the whole point is that heaven and earth were always meant to be a joined， single space， and humans were originally created to rule that joined space。 Why did he need other divine images if humans were intended to rule all of it （as Heiser acknowledges we will eventually do）？Such assumptions drive many other spurious or at least very questionable theological claims。 Heiser would have done well to do exactly what he says not to do - namely， better understand the Old Testament in light of the New， and also in light of the wisdom present in the thought of Christians through the ages。 So while he offers some linguistic and cultural insights into the text that readers may not have encountered before （though many of the same insights are in fact found in the Fathers）， his theological conclusions are so questionable that I would hesitate to recommend the book to anyone。 。。。more
Cari Miller
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This book rocked my world- it upended all I thought I “knew” about the Bible。 I’m so glad。 The months it took me to read it and restudy the Bible were life changing。
Jessie Filer
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Fascinating book on the topic of the ancient Hebrew worldview， which sets the context for the Old Testament。 I would love to read more books on this topic。
James Ordonez
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Heiser's thesis on the Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32 worldview has made me appreciate scholarly works on ancient languages that can be useful on elucidating our understanding the Bible。 Being raised in a Filipino evangelical church， what I have often noticed is that preachers and teachers of the word often tend to depend on white mainstream theology: this phenomenon inevitably opens cans of worms of problems like replacement theology， prosperity gospel， American-nationalism gospel， rapture， etc。Th Heiser's thesis on the Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32 worldview has made me appreciate scholarly works on ancient languages that can be useful on elucidating our understanding the Bible。 Being raised in a Filipino evangelical church， what I have often noticed is that preachers and teachers of the word often tend to depend on white mainstream theology: this phenomenon inevitably opens cans of worms of problems like replacement theology， prosperity gospel， American-nationalism gospel， rapture， etc。The divine council worldview should be slapping every Christian's faces right now but I guess， we （yes that includes me） always forget that we should love the Lord with all our mind and not just our heart and soul。 We all have our biases， for sure， and I choose to take this author's side because he promotes a theology stripped off of denominational lenses and a theology of church community who should be yearning to participate in the kingdom that Jesus has established right now （and not yet fully complete until he comes back）。 。。。more
Adam
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Great insightBroder has provided great insight and connections among the cultures of the ANE explaining how the writers politicised the mythologies of cultures around them
Michelle
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Mind blown 🤯。 This book challenged the modern lens I previously read the Bible through。 Submitting， instead， a lens of Old Testament Judaism that is rich with supernatural understanding。 It’s a lens that aids in context， imagery understanding and overarching unseen realities。 It is a heavy read， one that had me flipping my Bible open to read for myself， and regularly re-reading to make sure I “read that right”。 It is also one that has helped answer many questions and piece together portions of t Mind blown 🤯。 This book challenged the modern lens I previously read the Bible through。 Submitting， instead， a lens of Old Testament Judaism that is rich with supernatural understanding。 It’s a lens that aids in context， imagery understanding and overarching unseen realities。 It is a heavy read， one that had me flipping my Bible open to read for myself， and regularly re-reading to make sure I “read that right”。 It is also one that has helped answer many questions and piece together portions of the biblical puzzle that until now have seemed to just not fit with the whole。I found myself regularly exclaiming “Omg， this makes so much sense”。 And seriously I can’t wait to re-read the Bible with this new lens。 。。。more
Ethan Ross
，
This book was incredibly lengthy for me。 Not just in page numbers， but in the sheer amount of content。 Dr。 Heiser makes an abundance of great point， elaborates heavily on plenty of good ideas， and challenges Christians to actually learn why they believe what they do and how to handle tough ideas in Christian theology。 It can be hard to get through， but I recommend it for anyone！
Micah Brown
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Concerning theology， I can’t recommend this book enough！ Top of the line。 An illuminating and enjoyable read。
Phil
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Very good introduction。 Plenty of footnotes and rabbit trails to follow。
Grace Hawkins
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This was really great。 Definitely has a lot of information。 If you’re not familiar with etymology it can be difficult to follow， but I learned a lot reading it。
Ryan Wagoner
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By far one of the best books I've ever read。 Dr。 Heiser does a phenomenal job of putting the Bible into its historical context in both a captivating and well laid out way。 If you have questions about the Bible and want peer reviewed scholarly information presented for both the layman and the scholar， this is a must read。 By far one of the best books I've ever read。 Dr。 Heiser does a phenomenal job of putting the Bible into its historical context in both a captivating and well laid out way。 If you have questions about the Bible and want peer reviewed scholarly information presented for both the layman and the scholar， this is a must read。 。。。more
Jamison Phelps
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