Radiant Midweek

The Serpent in the Wilderness | E10

What happened in the wilderness was bigger than temptation.
In Part 3 of The Serpent in the Garden series, we follow Jesus from the Jordan River into the desert where He faces the same enemy from Eden. The serpent returns with the same ancient strategy: question identity, twist truth, and demand allegiance.
This episode explores:• Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness• The connection between Eden, Babel, and the kingdoms of the world• Why Satan says authority was “delivered” to him• The meaning behind “If you are the Son of God…”• The difference between temptation and sin• Gethsemane as the true turning point of the war• Why “Not my will, but Yours be done” changed everything• Repentance as surrender to the true King
From Eden to the wilderness to the Cross, the Bible tells one unified story: the battle between rebellion and the Kingdom of God.
The serpent in the garden.The devil in the wilderness.The dragon in Revelation.
Same enemy. Many names. One war.
📖 Key Scriptures:Matthew 4:1–11Genesis 3Luke 22:42Colossians 1:13–21Philippians 2Ephesians 1:10
If this episode encouraged or challenged you, like, subscribe, and share it with someone exploring the deeper story of Scripture.
#IntoTheGap #BiblePodcast #SpiritualWarfare #Genesis3 #JesusInTheWilderness #DivineCouncil #BiblicalTheology #MichaelHeiser #ChristianPodcast #Ephesians1 #KingdomOfGod #Gethsemane #Satan #BibleStudy

The Serpent and the Cosmic Battle | E9

"Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven."
Most of us have heard that line. Most of us assume it's from the Bible. It isn't. It was written by an English poet — John Milton — in 1667. And most of what you picture when you hear the word Satan came from him too.
In Part 2 of our series on the Serpent in the Garden, we do something harder: we read the actual Bible. And we find that yes, there IS a war. But it doesn't start the way Milton tells it. And it doesn't end the way Milton tells it.
We walk the entire war — from Eden through the Watchers and the Flood, through Babel and the divine council, through Abraham and Christ, all the way to the cross where the rebel powers were disarmed once and for all.
In this episode:• Why the name "Lucifer" doesn't appear in the original Hebrew or Greek• What Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are actually about• Genesis 6 — the Sons of God, the Watchers, the Nephilim• Why the Flood was a reset, not a failure• Babel and the divine council (Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 82)• The seed of the woman from Abraham to Christ• Colossians 2:15 — the cross as the disarming of rebel powers• Ephesians 1:10 — the Bible's hidden mission statement
Chapters (timestamps are estimates — adjust after recording)0:00 — "Better to reign in Hell"1:30 — Welcome3:00 — The Mission Statement (Ephesians 1:10)5:30 — A Name We Need to Deal With (Lucifer)11:00 — Move One: Eden12:00 — Move Two: The Watchers15:30 — The Flood: A Reset, Not a Failure17:30 — Move Three: Babel21:30 — God Starts Over With One Old Man23:30 — Christ: The Head Who Unites All Things24:30 — The Cross: Disarming the Rebel Powers25:30 — Closing
Series — The Serpent in the Garden (3 parts)Part 1: Who Was the Serpent? → [link]Part 2: The Cosmic War Behind the Bible (this episode)Part 3: Coming next week — how the story ends.
Resources mentioned:First Enoch (quoted by Jude in Jude 14-15)Paradise Lost by John Milton
If this has been helpful, please like, subscribe, and share with someone who'd benefit.
Keep seeking truth. Stay in the gap.— Pastor Jason Shanks
#IntoTheGap #BibleStudy #BibleMystery #CosmicWar #SerpentInTheGarden #Genesis #Revelation #BiblicalTheology #BookOfEnoch #DivineCouncil #Christianity #PastorJason

Who Was the Serpent in Eden? | E8

Most of us were taught the same story. A snake. An apple. A bad decision.But the text never says snake. It never says apple. And it never says Satan.So who was the serpent in the garden?
In Part 1 of this two-part series, we follow the Bible's slowest reveal; a character introduced in one sentence in Genesis, then almost completely silent across the Old Testament, named only a handful of times in thousands of years. Then Jesus arrives and treats him as obviously real. Paul ties him back to Eden. And Revelation 12 finally pulls the curtain all the way back: "the great dragon, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan."Same enemy. The whole time.
We'll look at what Genesis actually says (and doesn't say), the Hebrew word nachash and its triple meaning, why Adam's silence in Genesis 3 matters as much as Eve's choice, why "the silence is theology," and how the whole story lands at Genesis 3:15, the first promise of the gospel, preached not to the man or the woman, but to the enemy.
A heel came down on a skull. And the war the serpent started in a garden was lost on a hill.
Coming next, Part 2: The Cosmic War Behind the Bible. Watchers, Nephilim, the flood, Babel, Abraham, and the long road from Eden to the empty tomb.
Scriptures referenced: Genesis 3 • Job 1–2 • 1 Chronicles 21 • Zechariah 3 • Matthew 4 • 2 Corinthians 11 • 1 John 3 • Colossians 2 • Revelation 12
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.Subscribe so you don't miss Part 2.
#IntoTheGap #BibleMystery #Genesis #SpiritualWarfare #BiblicalTheology

Let US make man | E7

Episode 7: Who Is the “Us” in Let Us Make Man?
What does Genesis 1:26 really mean when God says, “Let us make mankind in our image”? In this episode of Into the Gap, we explore one of the Bible’s most fascinating mysteries. Is God speaking within the Trinity… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Or is this a glimpse into a heavenly council, an unseen realm alive with spiritual beings under God’s authority?
We trace this thread through Job, Psalms, Daniel, Revelation, Deuteronomy 32, and Ephesians 6, uncovering a worldview many modern readers miss: the Bible presents a universe that is layered, spiritual, and alive with conflict, worship, purpose, and mystery.
We also compare ancient stories like Prometheus, the Watchers of Enoch, and flood traditions from surrounding cultures to ask a deeper question: are these myths, or echoes of something humanity once knew but no longer fully remembers?
Most importantly, this episode reminds us that while mystery remains, one truth stands firm: Jesus Christ reigns above every throne, ruler, power, and authority. You were not created by accident. You were created on purpose, in the presence of heaven itself.
If you’ve ever wrestled with strange passages in Scripture, wondered about angels, divine beings, spiritual warfare, or the hidden world behind the Bible, this episode is for you.

Angels and the Unseen Realm | E6

What do you picture when you hear the word angel?
Chubby babies with wings?Hollywood warriors fighting in the sky?
Both images are familiar… but neither comes straight from the Bible.
In this episode of Into the Gap, we step back and take a closer look at what Scripture actually says about angels—and what it doesn’t. Because when you read carefully, something surprising happens.
The Bible gives us less detail than we think… and more mystery than we expect.
We explore:
Why the word “angel” doesn’t mean what most people think
The mysterious “Angel of the Lord” who speaks as God
Whether cherubim are actually angels—and what they really are
What angels look like (and why the Bible doesn’t focus on it)
What angels actually do—from caring for people to executing judgment
Fallen angels, spiritual rebellion, and what Scripture actually confirms
Why angels always point away from themselves… and toward God
Along the way, we separate Scripture from tradition, and truth from imagination—without losing the sense of awe that these passages were meant to carry.
Because the goal isn’t to become fascinated with angels…
It’s to understand the God they serve.
Welcome to Into the GapExploring biblical mysteries without losing our minds.
Like, subscribe, and share if this episode helped you see Scripture in a deeper way. It really does help more than you think.

PreFlood World Part 2 | E5

What if the world before the flood wasn’t primitive… but advanced?
In this episode of Into the Gap, we explore a question most people never ask:
What could humanity become if given enough time?
Using biblical timelines, population modeling, and ancient accounts, we step into the possibility of a pre-flood world that was:
Growing rapidly
Highly populated
Structurally complex
And increasingly corrupted
From massive ancient structures like Göbekli Tepe and Baalbek…to the long lifespans recorded in Genesis…to flood stories found in over 200 cultures worldwide…
We follow the tension between time, knowledge, and power—and what happens when human advancement outpaces alignment with God.
This isn’t about proving a theory.It’s about exploring a mystery without losing our minds.
Because if humanity lived for centuries…
Would population explode?
Would knowledge compound beyond what we imagine?
And what happens when power grows—but the human heart doesn’t change?
As Matthew 24 reminds us:
“As it was in the days of Noah… so it will be.”
In This Episode:
Could the pre-flood world have had millions… or even billions of people?
What ancient structures suggest about early human capability
Why long lifespans change everything about population growth
The connection between knowledge and corruption
The warning hidden in the story of Noah
Key Scriptures:
Genesis 5 (long lifespans)
Genesis 6 (the condition of the world)
Matthew 24:37–39 (days of Noah)
Jeremiah 17:9 (the human heart)
About the Podcast
Into the Gap explores biblical mysteries with curiosity, clarity, and grounded thinking.
No hype.No wild speculation.Just thoughtful exploration of the tension between what we know… and what we don’t.
If this episode made you think:
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Question for You:
What do you think the world before the flood was really like?

The PreFlood World Part 1 | E4

What Was the World Like Before the Flood? | The Antediluvian World Explained
What if the world described in Genesis wasn’t just spiritually different…but structurally different too?
In this episode of Into the Gap, we step into one of the most mysterious periods in the Bible—the antediluvian world… the world before the flood.
A world where:
People lived for hundreds of years
A mist watered the earth instead of rain
Humanity advanced in culture, music, and technology
Two distinct paths emerged: one that built… and one that worshipped
And yet… beneath the surface, something was going very wrong.
We explore:
Why Genesis feels different from the world we know
What Eden reveals about God’s original design
The rise of cities, culture, and human control
The tension between the line of Cain and the line of Seth
The strange and unexplained moments leading into Genesis 6
This isn’t about wild speculation.It’s about understanding what Scripture actually shows us…and asking better questions about what we might be missing.
Because if we don’t understand that world…we won’t fully understand our own.

The Garden of Eden | E3

What if everything you thought you knew about Eden… isn’t the full picture?
In this episode of Into the Gap, we step back into the opening pages of the Bible and take a slower, closer look at the Garden of Eden. Not through tradition, artwork, or imagination—but through what Scripture actually says… and what it quietly reveals.
Because when you read Genesis carefully, something begins to shift.
Eden isn’t just a peaceful garden.It’s something more.Something sacred.Something that echoes through the entire story of the Bible.
In this episode, we explore:
What Genesis actually tells us—and what it doesn’t
Why Ezekiel calls Eden “the mountain of God”
How Eden may have been the first temple
The priestly role of Adam and what was lost in the fall
How the temple, the cross, and Jesus all connect back to Eden
Why the story of the Bible is ultimately about restoring God’s presence with His people
This isn’t just about understanding a place.It’s about rediscovering what we were made for.
Because the story of Eden isn’t just where we began…It’s pointing to where we’re going.
Welcome to Into the GapExploring biblical mysteries without losing our minds.
If this episode helped you see Scripture differently, take a moment to follow, share, and leave a review—it really does help more people discover the conversation.
Key Scriptures:
Genesis 2–3
Ezekiel 28:13–14
Exodus 25–40
1 Peter 2:9
Revelation 21–22

Did the Bible Copy Ancient Myths | E2

In the nineteenth century archaeologists uncovered thousands of ancient clay tablets buried beneath the ruins of Mesopotamian cities like Nineveh and Babylon.
As scholars slowly deciphered the ancient writing system known as cuneiform, they discovered stories that sounded strangely familiar. Stories about creation. Stories about great floods. Stories about divine beings interacting with humanity.
One of those discoveries shocked the academic world. Inside the British Museum, Assyriologist George Smith translated part of an ancient epic known as the Epic of Gilgamesh.
The story described a man who survived a catastrophic flood by building a massive vessel, bringing animals aboard, and releasing birds to search for dry land. The similarities to the biblical story of Noah's Flood in Genesis were impossible to ignore. So the question quickly followed: Did the Bible copy ancient myths? Or were ancient civilizations remembering fragments of something that actually happened?
In this episode of Into the Gap, we explore:
The discovery that shocked the academic world
The Epic of Gilgamesh flood story
The Babylonian creation story Enuma Elish
The Atrahasis Epic and its version of the flood
Flood traditions found around the world
The mysterious archaeological site Göbekli Tepe
Ancient Jewish writings like Enoch and Jubilees •
Why the book of Genesis was radically different from every other ancient creation story.
We will also address modern theories about the Anunnaki, the Watchers, and why many popular "ancient alien" interpretations misunderstand the ancient texts.
When we place Genesis in its ancient context, something fascinating emerges.
The Bible was not simply repeating the stories of its neighbors. It was telling a completely different story about God, creation, and humanity. And that difference may reveal far more about the ancient world than we ever expected.
 

Genesis and the Deep Past | E1

Episode 1 – Genesis and the Deep Past
Genesis begins with one of the most influential sentences ever written: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” For generations many Christians understood that beginning through a clear timeline. But discoveries in archaeology, geology, and astronomy have made the human past appear deeper than many people once imagined. Does that challenge the Bible, or could it mean Genesis is doing something richer than we first assumed? In this opening episode of Into the Gap, we explore the timeline many Christians inherited, the discoveries that expanded the conversation, and what Genesis is actually revealing about God, creation, and the story that ultimately leads to Christ.