The Disturbing Reason Behind Why the Bible Prohibits ‘the Eating of Blood’ | Enoch 7 & Genesis 9
Weird Stuff in the BibleShow Notes
You get to the Book of Acts, chapter 15, and the church is already having some major problems getting along. You have the Jewish sect of the church; they think it would be appropriate to keep following the Law of Moses from the Old Testament, even though we are now officially in the New Testament era by this point. Then you’ve got the Gentile portion of the church; they think that the Mosaic Law was obsolete by that point, that new believers- especially those from outside the Jewish traditions- were under no obligation to follow it. And that leads to the Council of Jerusalem, where the bigwigs put their heads together and come up with this pronouncement: Acts 15:19-20
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
So these are four things that, regardless of who you are, where you are, what culture you grew up in, that all believers should follow. Four things that are the starting place for sanctification. #1 is not committing idolatry. Makes perfect sense. You’re a Christian now, so you shouldn’t be worshipping any false gods. Obviously. #2 is about sexual immorality. Again, makes sense. If you don’t follow the Bible’s design for sexuality, you’ll get yourself into all kinds of trouble. This is a major emphasis of the Bible; it makes sense why this would be one of the four cardinal rules that the Council of Jerusalem laid down. But then…it says new believers should abstain from things strangled…and from blood? Which basically means not to consume blood. What is that all about? Why not ban lying, or stealing, or cheating at your Wordle? Well, as we investigate this, we’ll find that the prohibition on consuming blood goes beyond the Law of Moses; it’s actually one of the first rules that God placed on mankind right after Noah got off the Ark. Now why is that? To figure out the answer to that question, we’ll be learning about what was going on in the pre-flood world according to the Book of Enoch. Yes, consuming blood is gross…but that sounds like more of a sanitation or dietary issue, not a moral issue, right? Yet it seems to be one of the top 4 most important things believers should avoid in the Book of Acts. I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. Turn to Acts 15, and let’s get weird.
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0:00 - Introduction 2:30 - The Jerusalem Council’s Question 6:20 - After the Flood 9:35 - Enoch 7 15:40 - Somehow, the Nephilim Returned 18:30 - Next Time
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If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
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Interview today with Will Blesch, author of the 2026 book In the Shadow of Goliath. Will digs deep into history and archaeology, unlocking ancient mysteries by approaching these topics from a biblical framework. He joins me on a video call from where he lives in Israel in this episode. Learn more about his book and his library of work at his website: https://www.williamblesch.com/in-the-shadow-of-goliath/ —— Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here: https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.... Check out the website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com Visit the Weird Stuff store! https://luketaylorpodcasts.creator-sp... You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one. If you want to get in touch, my email is [email protected] Hosted by Luke Taylor If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!
I know the podcast is called Weird Stuff in the Bible, but today, I want to start with something that’s weird in our world: ziggurats. A ziggurat is a pyramid-like structure. It starts with a massive base, and every level going up gets a little bit smaller. They often have steps up the sides so you can climb to the top. You’ve probably seen pictures before of ziggurats in ancient Babylon, Mesopotamia, from the Aztecs, from the Mayans—there’s even one in Collinsville, Illinois. And here’s what’s so weird about it: this structure is replicated in all kinds of societies all around the world. Different nations, different languages, different cultures—and yet we keep seeing ziggurats repeated across the planet. My question is: why? Well, where do all ancient nations, languages and cultures come from? According to the Bible, they all got started at this event called the Tower of Babel. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the Tower of Babel was a ziggurat. I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible. Turn to Genesis 11, and let’s get weird.
Listen here, or watch the interview right here: https://youtu.be/PpolOnhpvvs The interview today is with Derrick Warfel, author of UFOS AND GOD, as well as the creator of a new documentary by the same name. Learn more about the book here: https://ufosandgodbook.com And the documentary here: https://www.ufosandgod.com Derrick Warfel was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton, a Master of Theology from Dallas, and an MFA from USC. After eight years on staff with CRU, Derrick spent the next four decades in the film industry, creating and teaching media from a biblical worldview. This interview is part of celebrating the third year anniversary of this podcast! Look for another interview or two to drop this month.
Last fall I did an episode asking “What was the big deal about a tower that reaches to heaven?” And that episode ended up setting records. At the time, it was probably my most popular episode ever, and it held that position for many months. If I were smart, I probably would have followed it up with 10 more episodes right then about the Tower of Babel. There was clearly a lot of interest in this subject to know what exactly was going on there. And yet, for me, that was one of my not-so-favorite episodes. Why? Because I really asked more questions than I provided answers. I was questioning why the builders at Babel thought they could somehow make it to heaven by building a tower all the way up there. Were they really that stupid- or was there something more spiritual going on with this tower? And most puzzling to me of all: what was it about this structure that caused God to say in Genesis 11:6
I made this podcast to answer all those questions your Sunday School teacher hoped you’d never ask. But today, I remember being a Sunday School teacher myself, and I remember teaching Revelation chapter 20, and here’s the question I was afraid of being asked. Revelation 20:14 says