Nick Thompson reviews The Naked Bible Podcast by Dr Michael Heiser 

In a landscape saturated with spiritual commentary, theological hot takes, and self-proclaimed experts, Dr Michael Heiser’s Naked Bible Podcast stands apart as a rare blend of academic rigour, faithful exegesis and fearless curiosity. For listeners yearning for a deeper understanding of the Bible that goes beyond surface readings and doctrinal oversimplifications, The Naked Bible Podcast offers a feast of insight, challenge and intellectual honesty. It’s a podcast that doesn’t patronise the layperson, nor does it dilute the Bible’s ancient context to make it more palatable for modern ears. Instead, Dr Heiser invites his audience into the rich world of biblical scholarship, equipping them to wrestle with Scripture on its own terms.

The Mind Behind the Mic

Dr Michael S. Heiser, who sadly passed away in 2023, was a well-respected biblical scholar with a PhD in Hebrew Bible and Semitic Languages from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Best known for his books The Unseen Realm, Supernatural, and Reversing Hermon, which explore the supernatural worldview of the ancient Near East and Second Temple Judaism as vital to understanding the Bible, Heiser was not only a scholar, but also a teacher deeply committed to making complex academic material accessible to the general public – an ethos that permeates every episode of The Naked Bible Podcast.

Heiser’s tagline, “the Bible is stranger than we think,” could serve as a thesis for the entire show. He repeatedly emphasised the importance of reading the Bible in its own historical, cultural and linguistic context rather than through the lens of modern assumptions or denominational traditions. He frequently pointed out that our theological systems often impose meanings on the biblical text that the original authors never intended.  The Naked Bible Podcast was, in essence, an ongoing effort to strip away those layers and get to the core of what the Bible really says.

Format and Approach

The podcast launched in 2015, runs to over 400 episodes, and typically featured instalments ranging from 30 minutes to over an hour.  Early episodes focused heavily on Heiser’s own book The Unseen Realm, essentially walking listeners through its chapters and unpacking the biblical and scholarly rationale behind his arguments.  From there, the podcast expanded into verse-by-verse expositions of biblical books, thematic studies, Q&A sessions, guest interviews, and deep dives into theological and historical topics.
 

He assumed his listeners were capable of learning and thinking critically, and he equipped them accordingly.

One of the standout features of the show is its refusal to dumb things down.  Heiser would routinely reference academic articles, Hebrew and Greek grammar, ancient Near Eastern texts, and scholarly debates, yet he did so in a way that was remarkably digestible for non-specialists.  He assumed his listeners were capable of learning and thinking critically, and he equipped them accordingly. In a world where theology is often reduced to slogans and proof texts, The Naked Bible Podcast was, and remains, a breath of fresh air.

Scripture in Context: Heiser’s Scholarly Method

Dr Heiser’s approach was unapologetically contextual.  He insisted that the Bible be interpreted in light of the ancient world in which it was written, not the modern theological categories that often dominate contemporary preaching. This commitment to contextual reading was especially evident in his lengthy series on biblical books like Leviticus, Job, Psalms and Revelation.

For example, in his series on the book of Leviticus, arguably one of the most avoided books in the Bible, Heiser unpacked the logic and structure of the sacrificial system, temple purity, and priesthood, showing how they functioned within ancient Israelite society and theology. Rather than dismissing these texts as obsolete or barbaric, Heiser highlighted their theological significance and continuity with broader biblical themes, particularly the idea of sacred space and the presence of God.
 

Heiser routinely challenged the tendency to downplay or rationalise the Bible’s supernatural elements in order to fit contemporary sensibilities.

In his Revelation series, Heiser pushed back against the popular dispensational and futurist interpretations, grounding his interpretation instead in Second Temple Jewish apocalyptic literature. He showed how Revelation draws heavily on Old Testament imagery and themes, particularly from books like Daniel, Isaiah and Ezekiel, and how understanding these sources can dramatically shift one’s reading of the text. By doing so, he helped listeners see Revelation not as a code to crack about the end times, but as a theological statement about God’s victory over chaos and evil through Jesus Christ.

Tackling the Supernatural Head-On

Perhaps no topic is more closely associated with Dr. Heiser than the supernatural worldview of the Bible.  In The Naked Bible Podcast, he routinely challenged what he called the “modern evangelical filter”, the tendency to downplay or rationalise the Bible’s supernatural elements in order to fit contemporary sensibilities.

For instance, Heiser often emphasised the role of the divine council, a concept rooted in Psalm 82 and echoed throughout the Hebrew Bible, as crucial for understanding biblical theology.  He argued that God’s heavenly host is not merely metaphorical or symbolic, but a real, spiritual bureaucracy through which God governs the cosmos.  This idea, while jarring to many modern Christians, makes coherent sense when read in light of ancient Near Eastern texts and Jewish literature like the Book of Enoch, both of which Heiser frequently referenced.
 

He consistently modelled a kind of faithful scholarship that embraced mystery without collapsing into relativism.

He also explored topics such as the Nephilim (Genesis 6:1–4), the Watchers, cosmic geography, demons, and spiritual warfare, not in the sensationalised way often found in fringe Christian media, but with scholarly precision and balance.  Heiser’s mantra was that we should not fear these topics, nor should we sensationalise them.  Instead, we should strive to understand what the biblical writers believed and how those beliefs inform the message of Scripture.

A Podcast of Breadth and Depth

The sheer breadth of material covered in The Naked Bible Podcast is staggering.  In addition to verse-by-verse studies and supernatural themes, Heiser tackled a wide range of subjects, including:

• Biblical theology and canonical themes;
• Ancient Near Eastern religions and cultures;
• The Dead Sea Scrolls and Second Temple Judaism;
• Textual criticism and manuscript traditions;
• The development of doctrine in church history;
• Modern biblical scholarship and hermeneutics;
• Christian apologetics and worldview discussions.

Heiser was also a generous host.  The podcast regularly featured interviews with scholars, theologians and authors across a range of disciplines and perspectives.  These guests enriched the dialogue and exposed listeners to viewpoints both within and outside Heiser’s own theological orbit.
 

The podcast regularly featured interviews with scholars, theologians and authors across a range of disciplines and perspectives.

Even the Q&A episodes, where Heiser fielded questions from listeners, offered a masterclass in intellectual humility and honesty.  When he didn’t know something, he said so.  When the evidence pointed in multiple directions, he explained why and didn’t force a tidy conclusion.  He consistently modelled a kind of faithful scholarship that embraced mystery without collapsing into relativism.

A Legacy that Endures

Dr Heiser’s passing was a deep loss to the Christian intellectual community, but his work lives on through the podcast, his books, academic papers, and the various ministries he supported.  The Naked Bible Podcast remains online and continues to be an invaluable resource for pastors, Bible teachers, students and anyone hungry for more than just theological milk.

What sets the podcast apart is not just Heiser’s brilliance, though that is undeniable, but his passion for empowering ordinary people to read the Bible well.  His tone was never condescending or elitist.  He spoke with the heart of a teacher who truly believed that the Bible was meant to be understood, but that understanding required work, discipline, and a willingness to challenge our assumptions.

It’s a podcast that asks more questions than it answers, and that is precisely its strength.

The Naked Bible Podcast is not for those looking for quick devotional thoughts or spiritual platitudes.  It’s for those willing to wrestle, study and rethink.  It’s a podcast that asks more questions than it answers, and that is precisely its strength.

Dr Michael Heiser’s contribution to biblical literacy and theological depth cannot be overstated.  He treated the Bible with reverence, but not with kid gloves. He took the text seriously enough to let it speak, even when it unsettled us, even when it contradicted our theological comfort zones.

For anyone serious about digging into the Bible’s ancient context, wrestling with its supernatural worldview, and learning from one of the most gifted biblical scholars of the 21st century, The Naked Bible Podcast is, in my view, essential listening.  It is, in many ways, the audio legacy of a man who dared to ask, “What if we just let the Bible be what it is?”