Has anyone read The Unseen Realm by Michael S. Heisler?

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LisaJoe1986

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I just read the article, "How We Limit God-Part 1" by Gary Ritter. He mentioned a book that seems very interesting to me, The Unseen Realm by Michael S. Heiser. I read the summary of the book which sounds fascinating. I would love to learn about this topic. My concern is I do not want to get something so scholarly that I cannot understand it. I really don't know much at all about the topic. I also read in one of the reviews that he is very condescending toward the average Christian and what they believe. That would be a turn off, but I do recognize this is one person's opinion. There are, apparently, many books and authors who expound on this topic. With all this in mind, where am I to go for wonderful counsel? The forum, of course. Any thoughts and recommendations are greatly appreciated.
 

athenasius

Well-Known Member
Hi Lisa, it's Margery here, I just bought this book on the recommendation of Mikhen and Dan LMP from this thread conversation here: https://www.raptureforums.com/forums/threads/ruin-value.150879/#post-842829228

I haven't read it yet, because in that conversation Mike (mikhen) said he wrote the book Those Who Are Wise Will Shine on the same topic BUT BEFORE Heiser wrote his. (Mike wasn't meaning Heiser copied Mike, just that it was a good book too and kind of interesting that they both came to the same conclusions)

Now I ended up buying that Heiser book AND Mike's Those Who Are Wise Will Shine. I'd bought Heiser's Reversing Hermon the night before as a result of the conversation and I haven't yet dipped into either Heiser *(Lol it rhymes!) I think I should have bought The Unseen Realm first but I got confused at the Amazon Kindle store.

- I know Mike and I TRUST his point of view, so I'm carefully reading Mike's book first. I figure it this way, I've read Mike's Sifted book and love that, and really appreciate his solid step by step --no crazy side trips --approach. And I've known him online here for years now and really trust him.

I joked to a friend offline that I was treating Mike like a measles inoculation, stick his book in my head first so I have my head screwed on straight before sidling up to the same topics that Heiser covers in his books.

I'm sure I'll like Heiser, I trust Mike's and Dan's opinions, and I did watch a video he did that covers some of the subject matter, it made a LOT of sense.

It rips the ground out from under the so called "Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare" teachings of Cindy Jacobs and the other NARpostles! I was thrilled to see that coming out in the video, although I don't think Heiser meant to pull the rug out off the NAR movement just there in that little video-- he certainly didn't mention those teachings but knowing what I do about the theological underpinnings of strategic level spiritual warfare NARpostle versions I could see the possibilities opening up. Which left me happy to welcome Heiser into my bookshelves

So I'm looking forward to reading thru Heiser but I'm reading Mike first for a safe solid grounding on things FIRST. Because I'm overly cautious. And I know and trust Mike and I don't know Heiser yet at all.
 

LisaJoe1986

Active Member
I too am very cautious. I know what I believe now, but I want to be open to learning and changing IF it lines up with scripture. I did read that Heisler does not believe in a young earth and that he does not believe in a world-wide flood. I do not know what his stand is on rapture. He has a link on his website to something he wrote "Why a focus on end times is a waste of time" which I think contradicts biblical teaching to be watching.

I am afraid of getting too deep into bad teaching if I venture into this subject and this is why I ask for counsel from forum friends, but I want to understand how the ancient world would have understood the scriptures. I can see that we are filtering our understanding through very different eyes.

I will look into what you shared. Thank you.
 

RonJohnSilver

Well-Known Member
I read The Unseen Realm on Kindle and enjoyed it. I didn't pick up on any major biblical errors. That's not to say that he is absolutely correct on his thoughts, but he admits that. Reading about the angelic conflict is a lot of speculation and what ifs and detailed analysis of Hebrew, but he makes it readable. I also bought Reversing Hermon on Kindle as well. Haven't read that yet. I would read him with discernment as with all biblical/historical authors.
 

athenasius

Well-Known Member
I too am very cautious. I know what I believe now, but I want to be open to learning and changing IF it lines up with scripture. I did read that Heisler does not believe in a young earth and that he does not believe in a world-wide flood. I do not know what his stand is on rapture. He has a link on his website to something he wrote "Why a focus on end times is a waste of time" which I think contradicts biblical teaching to be watching.

I am afraid of getting too deep into bad teaching if I venture into this subject and this is why I ask for counsel from forum friends, but I want to understand how the ancient world would have understood the scriptures. I can see that we are filtering our understanding through very different eyes.

I will look into what you shared. Thank you.
Mikhen did warn me in that thread I linked to, the Ruin Value one, with a concern that Heiser who otherwise appears pre trib was avoiding the whole topic in the book in a spot that he could have dealt with it. That is a red flag, and I am 100% a young earth creationist and if the world wide flood didn't happen, then Jesus reference to it as such would be in error (which is why NOBODY should be silly enough to believe that it wasn't a world wide flood-- Jesus attests to that truth) so when I do read his books I will be watching out for that too.

I'm in the middle of Chapter 9 of Mike's book Those Who Are Wise Will Shine on the choosing of a leader-- Nimrod and the judgement on the nations, the languages and people being scattered and how fallen angelic beings like the Prince of Persia (who withstood Gabriel coming to Daniel) and the Prince of Greece were influential in the nations of the Gentiles, and how Michael and Gabriel withstood him, Michael being an angel that didn't fall, and stands up for the Israelites thru history. It's biblical and sound. Which is why I am reading his book first.
 

mikhen7

Freed By Christ to Serve Christ
Mikhen did warn me in that thread I linked to, the Ruin Value one, with a concern that Heiser who otherwise appears pre trib was avoiding the whole topic in the book in a spot that he could have dealt with it. That is a red flag, and I am 100% a young earth creationist and if the world wide flood didn't happen, then Jesus reference to it as such would be in error (which is why NOBODY should be silly enough to believe that it wasn't a world wide flood-- Jesus attests to that truth) so when I do read his books I will be watching out for that too.

I'm in the middle of Chapter 9 of Mike's book Those Who Are Wise Will Shine on the choosing of a leader-- Nimrod and the judgement on the nations, the languages and people being scattered and how fallen angelic beings like the Prince of Persia (who withstood Gabriel coming to Daniel) and the Prince of Greece were influential in the nations of the Gentiles, and how Michael and Gabriel withstood him, Michael being an angel that didn't fall, and stands up for the Israelites thru history. It's biblical and sound. Which is why I am reading his book first.
I have been told by several people that I should take chapters 4-9 and expound further in another book. I hope you enjoyed it. A little fact that most do not know. I wrote that book after a strong (very strong) conviction in the Spirit. I sat down one morning with a Bible and began to write what I was being convicted of and had learned in reading the Bible through many times. Many have said, if you read the Bible through with a Grammatical/Historical understanding and interpretation (Literal), you will become a premillennialist. I agree. I wrote feverishly for two straight weeks during all my time away from work. I couldn't stop writing. I hand wrote the entire first draft of the manuscript (over 200 pages). When finished, I knew there were some things I spoke of that needed validation and was led by the Spirit to shelve it until a few of the archaeological things mentioned were uncovered. I always knew the mss was in a file cabinet and had moved around several times since I penned it, being careful to not toss it. Then in 2010, around 20 years later, the Spirit of God convicted me to pull out out, re-read, edit and validate. It was published that same year.
 
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