Radiant Midweek

God Starts Over: Abraham, an Idol Maker’s Son
The garden. The flood. The tower. Three times humanity rebelled, and three times the story fell apart. So God starts over. Not with a nation, not with an army, but with one man from a city that worshiped the moon.
Three of the world’s great faiths trace their story back to Abraham. Jews call him father. Christians call him the father of faith. Muslims call him Khalil Allah, the friend of God. But who was he before God called him?
In Episode 24 of Into the Gap, we meet Abram before he was Abraham. We walk through Ur of the Chaldeans, one of the great cities of the ancient world, with its giant temple tower and its moon god. We follow his family to Harran, where they stopped halfway. And we read Joshua 24:2, where the Bible tells us something most people miss: Abraham’s family served other gods.
We also explore the famous legends: the boy who smashed his father’s idols, the showdown with King Nimrod, and the star the king’s astrologers saw the night he was born. These stories are fascinating, but they aren’t Scripture, and we’ll show you where they come from.
Here’s the twist. The legends say Abraham found God. The Bible says God found him.
Key passages: Genesis 11:26-32, Genesis 12:1-4, Joshua 24:2-3, Acts 7:2-4, Isaiah 51:1-2, Romans 4:2-5, Hebrews 11:8, Genesis 15:5
Into the Gap: exploring biblical mysteries without losing our minds.
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Why did Jesus send out exactly 70 (or 72) disciples in Luke 10? And why, when they came back, did He say, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven"? The answer goes all the way back to the Tower of Babel.
In Part 2 of The Scattering, we trace one of the Bible's most overlooked storylines: the 70 nations of Genesis 10, the "sons of God" in Deuteronomy 32:8, and the divine council of Psalm 82, where God puts the gods of the nations on trial.
In this episode:
The Table of Nations (Genesis 10) and why 70 matters
Deuteronomy 32:8 and the two manuscript readings: "sons of Israel" or "sons of God"
Psalm 82: God judges the gods. "You will die like mere mortals."
Antiochus Epiphanes, "God Manifest," and the backstory of Hanukkah
John 10: why Jesus quoted "You are gods" at the Feast of Dedication
The Melchizedek Scroll (11Q13) from the Dead Sea Scrolls
Luke 4: "Today this scripture is fulfilled"
Daniel 10: the prince of Persia and Michael
Ephesians 6:12 and Colossians 2:15: the powers disarmed at the cross
Matthew 28:18: all authority, and the mission to all nations
Revelation 2 and 3: the faithful given authority and a seat on the throne
The nations were handed over at Babel. Jesus came to take them back.
Read this week: Psalm 82 and Luke 10, side by side.
Next episode: we go back to Ur, to where Abraham came from.
Into the Gap explores biblical mysteries without losing our minds. Scripture quotations are from the NIV.
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If you grew up in church, you were taught the Tower of Babel as the story of where languages came from. It's not. It's the third rebellion in Genesis, and what God did in response is the most overlooked turning point in the whole Bible.
Genesis opens with three rebellions. Adam and Eve reach for the fruit. The sons of God cross a line on Mount Hermon and the Nephilim are born. And then the whole human race gathers on the plains of Shinar and builds a tower. But what were they building? A stairway up to God, a refuge above the next flood, or a gate to bring heaven down on their own terms? Genesis doesn't say. And that's the first mystery.
The second is hidden in a footnote. Deuteronomy 32:8 says that when God divided the nations at Babel, He gave them an inheritance "according to the number of the sons of God." Michael Heiser called it the divine allotment: God let the nations go and handed them over to lesser heavenly beings. Then, one chapter later, He reached into Babylonia and pulled out one man. Abraham.
In this episode we look at why God washed His hands of humankind, why He started over with a single family, and how all of it sets up the story of Jesus, the Seed who was offered every kingdom on earth and asked His Father for the nations instead.
Scriptures in this episode: Genesis 3:5, 3:15, 6:1-4, 9:1, 9:11, 11:1-9, 11:31, 12:1-3, 28:12; Deuteronomy 1:28, 7:7-8, 32:8-9; Joshua 24:2-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Daniel 4:30; Psalm 2:8; Luke 4:5-6; John 14:30; Acts 2:5-6, 14:16, 17:26-27; Romans 1:28; Galatians 3:8, 3:16; Matthew 28:18-19; Revelation 7:9; Ephesians 1:9-10.
This is Part 1 of a new series, The Scattering: How the World Got Divided. Next time: the gods who were given the nations, and the day God put them on trial (Psalm 82).
Into the Gap explores biblical mysteries without losing our minds. If this episode gave you something, hit like, subscribe, and tap the bell so the next one finds you.
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Did God really curse Ham? And does the Bible support the racial interpretation used to justify slavery?
In this episode of Into the Gap, we examine Noah’s words in Genesis 9, why the curse falls on Canaan, and how the story connects to Israel’s later encounters with the Canaanites.
We explore the research of David M. Goldenberg, author of The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, published by Princeton University Press. His work helps us trace how interpretations of this passage became tied to race and slavery.
Along the way, we consider what Scripture says about Canaanite sin, the treatment of the poor, and Rahab’s place in the genealogy of Jesus.
What does the text actually say? What have later readers brought to it? And what changes when we read the passage in its wider biblical context?
Join the conversation in the comments: Have you heard the “curse of Ham” taught before?
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What if Noah’s flood wasn’t only a story about judgment, but a revelation of what covenant love actually looks like?
In this episode of Into the Gap, we follow the first biblical covenant from Noah and the rainbow through Abraham, Moses, David, marriage, and ultimately Jesus. Along the way, we uncover the difference between a contract built on conditions and a covenant built on promise.
Why does Genesis describe the rainbow with the Hebrew word for a war bow? Why does God make His covenant before judgment comes? And what does any of this have to do with the promises we make in marriage?
From the ark to the upper room, Scripture tells one unfolding story of a God who makes promises, binds Himself to His people, and keeps His word.
The rainbow was more than a sign in the sky. It was a picture of covenant love.
Into the Gap: Exploring biblical mysteries without losing our minds.

How many times has the world ended?
Most debates about Noah focus on one question:
Was the flood global or regional?
But what if that's only the beginning?
In this episode of Into the Gap, Pastor Jason explores one of the Bible's biggest patterns, from Genesis to Revelation. Was Noah's flood simply a historical catastrophe, or does Scripture present it as one of several world-ending events that divide biblical history into ages?
We'll examine:
• The evidence for a global vs. regional flood• Why Noah built an ark instead of simply moving away• God's covenant after the flood• Why Jesus compared His return to the days of Noah• Peter's description of "the world of that time" and "the present heavens and earth"• The coming Day of the Lord• "Ages past," "this age," "the age to come," and the "coming ages"• How the Bible tells one unified story of judgment, renewal, and hope
Whether you're convinced the flood was global, regional, or you're still wrestling with the evidence, this episode looks beyond the size of the flood to the larger biblical pattern that stretches from Genesis to Revelation.
Welcome back to Into the Gap... where we explore biblical mysteries without losing our minds.

The animals weren't always afraid of us.
The morning they came to Noah — down out of the hills, in pairs, with nothing chasing them — the world got one last glimpse of something it had lost. And almost nobody stopped to look.
In this episode we ask a question almost nobody asks about Noah's ark: what were the animals actually doing there? Because this story isn't just about saving animals from a flood. It's about preserving something humanity had already lost — and once you see it, you'll never read Genesis the same way again.
We'll walk through:- The world before the flood — when nothing hunted, nothing ran, and nothing was afraid (Genesis 1–2)- What the ancient Jewish writers said about animals in Eden — and how it shaped C.S. Lewis and Narnia- Who taught the world to hunt: the Nephilim, the giants, and the first taste of blood- Could the ark really hold them all? The physics, the "kinds," and an honest word about dinosaurs- Why the ark was a floating Eden — one year of the peace we were made for- Fear and dread, the blood rule, and the promise of Isaiah 11: the wolf will live with the lamb
The ark was a preview. Isaiah is the promise. And the world we lost is the world He's bringing back.
📖 Key passages: Genesis 2:19, Genesis 6:20, Genesis 7:2–3, Genesis 9:2–4, Romans 8:22, Isaiah 11:6, 1 Peter 3:20–21
Special thanks to these creators, whose videos are featured in this episode:https://youtu.be/e6yUPuPTyzg?si=-f3X8Myr7g-2UMjr https://youtu.be/goa1R_c0CqY?si=cmKJrPHz4P7T2jJg https://youtu.be/usEkWtuNn-w?si=M3_2ws4r0C_SBxqA 
Welcome to Into the GapWhere we explore biblical mysteries without losing our minds.
Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss the next episode, where we ask the big one: just how big was this flood, really?
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In 1959, a Turkish army captain reviewing NATO aerial photos spotted something strange 6,500 feet up a mountainside: a boat-shaped mound, 18 miles south of Mount Ararat. This year, researchers with ground-penetrating radar say there are tunnels inside it, soil chemistry that shouldn't be there — and for the first time in decades, permission to drill.
So… did they find Noah's Ark?
In this episode we walk the Durupınar site honestly, from both sides of the net: the measurements and the cubit question, the anchor stones carved with ancient crosses, the pilgrim traditions going back 2,000 years, the salvage expert who believed, recanted under oath, and couldn't let it go — and the geologists (including committed creationists) who say it's just a rock. Then we ask the harder question the mound can't answer: if we found it — planks, pitch, and all — would a single hardened heart change?
My honest answer on whether this is the ark? An enthusiastic, confident… maybe.
Scriptures: Genesis 8:4 • Luke 16:31 • John 20:29
Last week: The Ark is not a Boat (E16). Next week: the animals — all of them? How many? And what about dinosaurs?
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We've all seen the children's version of Noah's Ark.
A smiling old man.Happy animals.A rainbow overhead.
But the Bible describes something entirely different.
Noah's Ark wasn't designed like a ship.
It had no sail.No rudder.No steering wheel.No way to navigate.
In fact, the Hebrew word doesn't even describe a boat.
It describes a box.
Why would God command Noah to build a vessel that couldn't be steered?
In this episode of Into the Gap, we slow down and examine every detail of God's blueprint in Genesis 6. Along the way we'll uncover fascinating engineering discoveries, explore ancient Hebrew words that most readers overlook, and discover how the Ark quietly points forward to one of the greatest themes in all of Scripture.
Sometimes the greatest mysteries aren't found on a mountain in Turkey...
They're hidden in words we've read our entire lives.
In this episode you'll discover:
• Why the Ark wasn't technically a ship• The mystery behind the Hebrew word tevah• Why the Ark had no rudder or sails• Ancient engineering that still surprises naval architects• The meaning of kaphar ("covering") and why it matters• How Noah's Ark points directly to Jesus Christ
Next Episode
Does Noah's Ark still exist?
We'll investigate the Durupınar formation in eastern Turkey, examine the latest discoveries, and ask whether finding the Ark would actually change anyone's faith.
If you enjoy exploring biblical mysteries with careful scholarship and a heart for Scripture, be sure to Like, Subscribe, and ring the bell so you never miss a new episode.
The mystery isn't just whether the Ark existed...
It's why God designed it the way He did.
Scriptures: Genesis 6:14-16 • Genesis 7:16 • 1 Peter 3:20-21 • Hebrews 11:7 • John 10:9
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Into the Gap — exploring biblical mysteries without losing our minds.
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We think we know Noah. The boat. The animals. The rainbow. A children's-room mural.
But the oldest writings about him don't start with a boat. They start with a baby — a newborn whose face was so radiant his own father wondered if the child even belonged to him.
So who was Noah, really?
In this episode we follow the man the flood was named around. We open with the strange birth legend preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls, then go back to the text itself — where grace shows up before righteousness does. Genesis says Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD one verse before it ever calls him blameless. The order matters. Favor came first. It always does.
We'll look at what "blameless in his generation" actually meant, why the invitation "Come" runs like a thread from the door of the ark all the way to the last page of the Bible, and the quiet, staggering line most people read right past — "and the LORD shut him in." Noah didn't seal the door. God did.
Then we set Noah beside his rivals. Every ancient culture remembered a flood and a survivor — Ziusudra, Utnapishtim, Xisuthros — and every one of them turned their hero into a god. Genesis does the opposite. It keeps Noah mortal. Flawed. A man who walks off the ark into a vineyard and falls. Because the point was never that Noah was great. The point was that God was gracious.
And that's the shadow. A herald of righteousness. A door held open for 120 years. One family carried through the water into a washed world — pointing forward to a greater Rest, and a greater invitation still open today: "Come to me… and I will give you rest."
The problem was never the world around Noah. When he stepped off the ark, sin stepped off with him.
Scriptures referenced: Genesis 5–9 • Hebrews 11:7 • 1 Peter 3:18–20 • 2 Peter 2:5 • Matthew 11:28 • Matthew 24:37–39 • Luke 3 • Revelation 22:17
Coming next: the ark itself, the dimensions, the door, and the vessel that was never really about wood and pitch.
Into the Gap is where we explore biblical mysteries without losing our minds — standing in the gap between shallow answers and skeptical dismissal. Hosted by Jason K. Shanks.
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