Michael S. Heiser - What Does God Want?

What Does God Want?

Other Books by the Same Author

Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World and Why it Matters

The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible

Angels: What the Bible Really Teaches About Gods Heavenly Host

Demons: What the Bible Really Teaches About the Powers of Darkness

I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible

The Bible Unfiltered: Approaching Scripture On Its Own Terms

Reversing Hermon: Enoch, the Watchers, and the Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ

Brief Insights on Mastering Bible Study (The 60-Second Scholar series)

Brief Insights on Mastering the Bible (The 60-Second Scholar series)

Brief Insights on Mastering Bible Doctrine (The 60-Second Scholar series)

The Faade (fiction)

The Portent (fiction)

What Does God Want?

Michael S. Heiser

2018 Michael Heiser

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2016 Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Occasionally Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-0692199046 (Blind Spot Press) ISBN-10: 0692199047

All rights reserved.

Cover: Molly Joy Heiser

Typesetting: ProjectLuz.com

Dedication

To all those beginning their journey of faith in Jesus, and to those who began it long ago, but feel like theyre still at the same place.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations of the Names of the Books of the Bible (where necessary)

Old Testament

Gen (Genesis)

Exod (Exodus)

Lev (Leviticus)

Num (Numbers)

Deut (Deuteronomy)

Josh (Joshua)

Judg (Judges)

Ruth

1-2 Sam (1-2 Samuel)

1-2 Kings

1-2 Chron (1-2 Chronicles)

Ezra

Neh (Nehemiah)

Esther

Job

Psa (Psalms)

Prov (Proverbs)

Eccles (Ecclesiastes)

Song (Song of Solomon)

Isa (Isaiah)

Jer (Jeremiah)

Lam (Lamentations)

Ezek (Ezekiel)

Dan (Daniel)

Hos (Hosea)

Joel

Amos

Obad (Obadiah)

Jon (Jonah)

Mic (Micah)

Nahum

Hab (Habakkuk)

Zeph (Zephaniah)

Hag (Haggai)

Zech (Zechariah)

Mal (Malachi)

New Testament

Matt (Matthew)

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Rom (Romans)

1-2 Cor (1-2 Corinthians)

Gal (Galatians)

Eph (Ephesians)

Phil (Philippians)

Col (Colossians)

1-2 Thess (1-2 Thessalonians)

1-2 Tim (1-2 Timothy)

Tit (Titus)

Philem (Philemon)

Heb (Hebrews)

James

1-2 Pet (1-2 Peter)

1-2-3 John

Jude

Rev (Revelation)

PrefacePlease Dont Skip This

I hope that caught your attention. I know... prefaces are the reading equivalent to waiting in line (for anything), watching C-Span, and being stuck in traffic. I wont promise this one will be a thrill, but its important.

This book is an introduction to what the Bible is really aboutGods love, how God wants you to have eternal life with him, and how God wants you to help others learn about those first two items. Pretty simple... but likely not what youre used to in that regard. This isnt your run-of-the-mill Christianity 101 book. It will cover some things youve not heard before, and Ill have a bit of a different angle for a lot that might be familiar.

I have two kinds of readers in mind. The first is someone who has very recently come to faith in Jesus. If thats you, youre probably already a little intimidated by the Bible. Theres a lot in it that sounds strange and isnt easy to understand. Trust me, I know how you feel. When I came to believe in Jesus as a teenager I knew next to nothing about the Bible. I had heard of Jesus, Noah, and Adam and Eve. That was it. This is a book I wish someone had handed me right after I embraced the gospel. It would have helped me make sense of the story of the Bible and some pretty important concepts. I believe it will do that for you.

The second reader I have in view is the person who has known Jesus for a while, but who somehow feels stuck. You believe in Jesus, youve been engaged in church for a while (maybe a long time). But you have this nagging sense that there must be more to it allthere just has to be more to the Bible than what youve picked up on to this point. You feel a little lost when it comes to what it really means to follow Jesus. There has to be more to that than Sunday worship, hanging out with Christian friends, and getting involved in groups at church. I want you to know that your instincts are correct. This book will help you move forward.

It may sound contradictory, but this book aims to introduce (or perhaps re-introduce) some basic but important ideas to smart people. I always assume my readers are intelligent. For some of you, this book will help you re-learn some things in fresh ways. For others, just beginning, we all have to start somewhere. So here we are.

I am hoping this book prepares readers to move on to some other books I have written. After you finish this book, I recommend moving on to Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen WorldAnd Why It Matters . For English readers that book is available online, either through Amazon.com or the publisher, Lexham Press. There are also a number of free videos online where I discuss some of the important concepts in this book. For readers of other languages, that book is free for download at https://www.miqlat.org/translations-of-supernatural.htm.

After reading Supernatural I hope readers graduate to several other books Ive written that demonstrate theres a lot more to learn about the Bible and God than what you might hear in church: I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible ; The Bible Unfiltered: Approaching Scripture on Its Own Terms ; and The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible .

Im also hoping youll all become listeners to my Naked Bible Podcast. The name reflects my goal of giving listeners biblical content in its own, original ancient context, free from modern denominational filters and assumptions based on modern Western paradigms. I care only about what the biblical text, understood in its own context, can sustainnot what traditions have said about the text. Every month hundreds of thousands of listeners learn to read the Bible again for the first time. The thrill of discovery is something every believer should experience with regularity. Thats why I do what I do.

Thanks for reading this!

Introduction

W hat does God want?

Sounds like a simple question, but if you give it a bit of thought, its really not.

Why? Well, for starters, you have to know whos asking the question. People will ask it for a lot of different reasons. Is it a cry of anger from someone in pain? Perhaps its a barely audible whisper that surfaces from deep sadness. Is the motivation curiosity? Or is it just prompted by the desire to reflect and think deep thoughts? Its not difficult to see that giving the right answer depends on why the question is being asked.

Since Im the one asking the question, its easy to clear that up. But first let me tell you what isnt motivating me. Im not asking the question because I dont know the answer. I do. In fact, I know the answer for everyone, at least in terms of the answer God himself would give with respect to all of us. And thats precisely how Im asking it. Im asking it to help you think about some important things. When I ask, What does God want? Im really asking: What does God want when it comes to every person in the human race ? What does he want when it comes to me and my life and to you and your life?