The Bible Bard examines what the literature of the Bible says about who is God and who are human beings. The Bible Bard is a public service presenting Bible literature to an audience that has never heard what this book actually says. The Bible texts that I’m reading out are so clear that regardless of translation, they all say the same thing! The Bible Bard is not trying to convert listeners to a religion. The thoughts presented are in fact what the Bible itself actually says - you decide wh ...
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Rev James E Matteson Podcasts
For the last 10,000+ years or more, human beings who become aware of their own often poor decisions have turned to priests, magicians, and holy men for guidance. This episode of the Bible Bard podcast looks at what the Bible says directly about using occult actors to affect the supernatural world. The Bible Bard provides a literary analysis of key …
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This episode of the Bible Bard podcast continues the discussion from BB-99 of what the Bible teaches when it asserts that God has no favorites. The Bible Bard provides a literary analysis of key ideas from the Bible that describe who God is and who are human beings. The texts chosen are self-explanatory but offered because their clarity describing …
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This episode of the Bible Bard podcast discusses the popular topic Bible Prophecy and End Times. While the Bible Bard does not take a position on ideas or concepts from the Bible that are disputable - this episode provides listeners with the background of what others Bible promoters and End Times prognosticators are talking about. The Bible Bard pr…
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This episode of the Bible Bard podcast deals with what the Bible teaches about the source of human knowledge: 1) The creation we observe around us by using our senses and our powers or reasoning; 2) Revelation from God either through written text or directly to the mind and heart of a human being. The Bible Bard provides a literary analysis of key …
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This episode of the Bible Bard podcast looks at what the Bible says about hidden or secret believers in the God of the Bible or in Jesus Christ. The Bible Bard provides a literary analysis of key ideas from the Bible that describe who God is and who are human beings. The texts chosen are self-explanatory, but offered because their clarity describin…
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This is the Bible Bard’s 101st English podcast episode where we examine from a literary point-of-view what the Bible says about who is God and who are human beings. The podcast is published in eight (8) languages including English, Bengali, Chichewa, Hindi, Spanish, Swahili, and Urdu, with additional languages in process. If you or someone you know…
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A bard is a storyteller who recites traditional texts associated with a cultural tradition. I’m here to recite and to amplify what the literature of the Bible says about who is God and who are human beings. There are plenty of Bibles around, but no one reads them. It’s a post-Christian culture because the religious history, the wars, the arguments,…
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In today's episode we're looking at the thought that God is not human. This is such an important idea. To understand the Bible teaching, we listen to what the Bible says about this concept. We find in three sample statements, two negative and one positive, what God isn’t and what he is. If God is not human, what is he? The answer the Bible gives, h…
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In today's episode we are looking at the thought that the Bible considers its God the only God. Per our methodology, we listen to what the Bible says about ideas in sample texts. These texts are very clear. There is no ambiguity. The biblical thought is the same in the original languages and in any translation - it says the same thing. But some Bib…
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In this episode, the Bible teaches that God is omniscient, he knows everything. As we always do, the Bible Bard looks inductively at sample Bible texts that declare who God is and what God is like. And remember, we are looking for what the Bible says. It doesn't matter if you or I agree with a statement. What we need to have clear is what the text …
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In our last podcast we heard that God knows everything. In this week’s reading we hear about where God lives, and his attribute called omnipresence. The Bible texts we examine are clear; its God is present everywhere at the same time all the time. Omnipresence means God is here in this room with me, he is present wherever you are, and he is present…
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In our last podcast, we heard that God lives everywhere at the same time. In this week’s reading we hear that God has unlimited power, He is omnipotent. Up to this point, the Bible Bard has enumerated three great, unique, abilities or qualities of God, as stated in the Bible: He knows everything, He is present everywhere, and in today's lesson He h…
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God's Positive and Negative Emotions, Part 1
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In this episode, first of a two-part podcast, we are discussing God’s positive and negative emotions. In past podcasts we have looked at attributes of God that describe God as a very strange, abstract character. If all we knew about the Bible's God were these six things, he would be too difficult for us to relate to. Throughout its contents, the Bi…
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God's Positive and Negative Emotions, Part 2
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This is the second of a two-part podcast about God’s emotions. Previously, we looked at six (6) core qualities that separate God from humanity making him too difficult to relate to. For example, the idea that of God's omnipresence, that He is everywhere at the same time, is difficult for us as human beings to understand or relate to. But God’s core…
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In the previous couple of podcasts, we’ve looked at God’s ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ emotions. In this lesson we are quoting several passages in the Bible that speak of God's justice and his righteousness. As a human being, how I feel about an event that happens to me, or I witness, depends on the morality I’ve been taught or not taught. In this epi…
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The word spirit has more than one application in English. Sometimes we mean by spirit a quality of courage or enthusiasm. However, when the word is applied to a being, a spirit is an incorporeal, invisible, and intelligent personality; but it doesn't have a body, and in its natural state, it has no form. A spirit being is, more like God, than like …
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In today's podcast episode we come to something difficult. What does it mean that God is holy? Previous podcasts looked at Bible texts that were virtually self-defining: that is, the words in the context of the sentence were easy to understand. The meaning of the text was unambiguous and clear. But when we come to the idea of the holiness of God we…
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Holiness is difficult concept. The Bible Bard has presented what the Bible says about it. Today’s podcast discusses something even more difficult than the idea of God's holiness and that is what is the opposite of holiness. The opposite of holiness is the difficult concept called “sin”. It’s not that sin is hard to understand, it’s just that we don…
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The Bible compares God in his essence and actions to humanity. We see that God is all powerful, all knowing, and exists everywhere at the same time; but we also see that he is emotional. God has feelings. He responds to events as a whole person. The biblical text we look at in this episode reveals something very unique about the God of the Bible - …
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In this podcast we look at God’s attribute of faithfulness. We examine a few simple biblical statements about God and His attribute of faithfulness. According to the Bible, what does it mean to be faithful? As the statement from a sample text from Deuteronomy suggests, those who are faithful keep their word, they fulfil their agreements. In the bib…
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Today's podcast is a review of the first 14 episodes during which the Bible Bard has done an inductive search of what the Bible says about who is God. We’ve quoted statements from the Bible that describe God, and we've accumulated them so that we can draw some conclusions. . These conclusions come from the texts themselves and are in sharp contrast…
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The Bible is clear about who God is and what are his attributes, his emotions, and personality. In the first lessons we looked at what the Bible says about God. But the identity and attributes of humanity, which begin in the creation story, are a bit more complicated. This podcast turns to a new topic looking at what the Bible teaches about humanit…
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In our last podcast (BB-16) we began the discussion about humanity in the Bible. We examined what the Bible says about human origins. In today’s reading we hear what the Bible says about spirituality. We examine how the Bible describes the spiritual, beginning with the most spiritual Being - God. People often have trouble with the idea of spirit. T…
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In a previous podcast (BB-16) we began the discussion of humanity, its origins, current state, and its future according to the Bible. In our last podcast (BB-17) we looked at Spirituality in the Bible. In today’s lesson we try and understand more deeply the origins of humanity’s current condition. We do this using the techniques of literary critici…
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In our last podcast we looked at humanity’s first disaster. It’s a remarkable story with a plot far more sophisticated than often credited. From this first disaster, what appears to be a minor disobedience of humanity to a single command of God, events of enormous significance flow. In this literature, the Bible simply tells the story and leaves it…
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In today's podcast we look at how humanity should express their love to God. What does the Bible say we should do? As Lesson BB-02 taught, God is not human. He is a spirit. You cannot give a spirit a hug. The verses listed here make it clear, you love God by obeying him and keeping his commands; and his commands have two benefits: they are for our …
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Today’s podcast we look at the use of the term Holy Spirit in the Bible. Other monotheists, like those in Judaism and Islam, think of the term Holy Spirit as a synonym for God. Their God is indivisibly one. The monotheism of most Christians is more complicated. Their God is three distinct persons who are indivisibly one being! This is a very bizarr…
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In our episode today, we ask what the Bible teaches about how to live our lives? We look at a few things Jesus said about living the good life. The literature of the Bible can be divided by style or topic into six groups: Law (beginning of world to Moses), History (of Jews), Poetry, Prophets, Gospel, and Church. Therefore, when you read the Bible, …
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In previous podcasts we’ve talked about the Bible teaching about God and the Holy Spirit. Now the Bible Bard turns our attention to Jesus. The first teaching about Jesus in this literature is that in his humanity, Jesus is subordinate to the Father. This means that while living on earth, Jesus lived under the authority and willing control of God. T…
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In our last podcast (BB-23) we looked at the humanity of Jesus. In today’s discussion we investigate his deity. It is true that the Bible claims both deity and humanity for Jesus at the same time. The sample texts presented today, which we read inductively, present factual statements that proclaim the deity of Christ Jesus. It’s difficult to imagin…
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In our last couple of podcasts, we looked at the humanity of Jesus, then we examined the deity of Jesus, now we come to the Bible’s message about Jesus. That message is called the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is more than one Gospel in the New Testament. In this episode we look at the special gospel around Jesus, also called the Gospel of Grace.…
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Bible Symbolism - Figurative Language in the Bible
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In this episode we discuss the use of symbolism in the Bible. Remember, a major premise of ours is that the Bible is literature and as such can be analyzed using the tools of literary criticism. Sometimes, in reading the Bible, this can be a bit tricky; that happens, because the Bible is also a religious text and people have many ideas about how a …
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Bible Metaphors - Figurative Language in the Bible
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In this episode we examine the use of poetic language, simile, and metaphor in the Bible. Remember, a major premise of the Bible Bard is that the Bible is literature and as such can be analyzed using the tools of literary criticism. Sometimes, in reading the Bible, this can be a bit tricky; that happens, because the Bible is also a religious text a…
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There are many religions in the world, but only three basic monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Each of these has various internal denominations and sects. The major difference between these internal divisions is based upon how they read and understand their own sacred scriptures. In this episode, we look into these three (3) …
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For people who disbelieve the supernatural, the healings the New Testament described that Jesus performed are just mistaken conclusions of witnesses to events or at worst, simply lies in a conspiracy to elevate Jesus politically and religiously. This episode provides some of the actual text of the many healings Jesus performed. In these verses we s…
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About Heaven and Hell according to the Bible
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The recent ideas of physics, like string theory, bosonic, superstring, and M-theory promote the idea that there are more dimensions in the universe than the four (4) we are used to. In this episode we discuss from the Hebrew Scriptures God the fact that angels appear and disappear from our four (4) dimensions. In the New Testament we have descripti…
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When Jesus Christ speaks of peace, what does he mean? In this episode we perform an analysis of just two (2) verses spoken by Jesus to see what he says about peace. The text is John 14:24-25. There’s a lot in these two verses to discuss. We can experience the peace God gives, have peace in our relationships with others, and have peace with ourselve…
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In this episode we discuss some sample verses that describe the Bible’s goal for humanity. Ancient texts often describe a view of humanity and divinity. The Bible describes humanity as it sees it. It also describes goals of God for humanity and then provides the means to achieve that goal. A lot of nonsense is described under the topic of spiritual…
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There are several ways to approach the topic of prayer in the Bible. In this episode let's see how Jesus prayed. The prayers of Jesus were rational communications to God. In this episode we discuss his posture in prayer, the places he prayed, the topics he prayed about.
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The Bible is a compilation of 66 individual books written by over 40 authors over a period of about 1,600 years beginning about 1,500 BC – about 100 AD. In the 39 books that form the content for the Old Testament different persons, people groups, nations, and empires, different religions and philosophies all march past the reader. The content for t…
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This episode describes what the Bible say about life after death? We know from the teachings of other religions that some (like Hindus, Buddhists) want release from the cycle of death and rebirth, and release (moksha) from personality. The Bible expresses the view that God likes individuals and that people retain their individual personalities thro…
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n the last lesson (BB-34) we looked at life after death for believers in Jesus Christ. In this lesson we look at life after death for non-believers. The Bible speaks of the possibility of two (2) births and two (2) deaths for every human being. This is a wonderful Bible idea. This episode provides the clear literary text that describes how this con…
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God is invisible. He seems distant, because while we can talk to him (prayer), he doesn’t seem to respond immediately to us. This episode discusses verses believer's faith that communication with God is real and not just wishful thinking. The following sample texts explain why rational people can think, feel, and believe that their communications w…
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Jesus is reported in the Gospels to have made some important statements about God and human beings. This episode presents 12 of the most controversial things Jesus said. When religious people find out what Jesus says, many are offended. Little of what Jesus actually said is easy to hear, for that reason some even question whether Jesus actually sai…
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Jesus was a human being and therefore he had a human family. Christian teachers have had difficulty with this fact and denominational churches have often including this New Testament fact into their doctrine. Everyone is willing to agree that the virgin Mary was the human mother of Jesus. The Bible states that after Joseph married the pregnant Mary…
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A description of the New Testament church is a very difficult thing to provide. The Bible Bard podcast is based upon the idea of reciting only texts that provide a simple and clear description of a topic using words and sentences not difficult to understand. The church as described in the New Testament does not easily conform to those basic podcast…
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Summary Thoughts after 40 Bible Bard Episodes
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The point of this podcast is to present Bible content to a generation of listeners that, through no fault of their own, have had little or no contact with the best-selling book in all of publishing history. The Bible is a controversial book because it says things that shock and surprise human beings that take the time to listen or read it. It’s an …
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Achieving Peace with God, Ourselves, and Others.
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This episode discusses three (3) things we need to know if we are to obtain peace with God and ourselves. 1. Commit your just revenge and vengeance to God. 2. Forgive those who harmed you. 3. Receive forgiveness from God for our sins against him. None of this seems possible to most human beings and for many, #2 forgiving others seems the most diffi…
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In this lesson we're beginning a look at what the Bible teaches about sex. Sex is a powerful force in human life, so the Bible has a lot to say about it. The sexual part of marriage, the sexual activity within marriage, is not given any rules in the Biblical text except to say that if each partner consents to an activity, the marriage bed is “undef…
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As stated in Lesson 42 Sex and marriage, God has not placed rules around sexual activity within marriage. He has placed rules about sex within the family and extended family. God says, "No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations… " Human beings like sex and seem to want to have it with anyone they see. Because family members …
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