Episode Overview

Podcast: Focus on the Family with Jim Daly
Episode: Best of 2025: What Does the Bible Say About the Supernatural? (Part 2 of 2)
Date: December 19, 2025
Featured Guest: Lee Strobel
Main Theme:
This episode continues the exploration of the supernatural from a biblical perspective, focusing on angels, demons, miracles, near-death experiences, and the unseen world. Lee Strobel shares investigative insights and personal stories that highlight the reality and relevance of the supernatural, encouraging Christians to approach these topics both biblically and with healthy curiosity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why the Supernatural Fascinates Us

• Widespread Belief: A large majority of people believe in something beyond the physical world, such as angels and demons, though belief has slightly declined in recent years.
  • "Eight out of ten believe in something beyond this world... a sizable percentage believe in angels and in demons and in Satan. Although, interestingly, that number has gone down in the last 10 years or so." — Lee Strobel (03:28)
• Innate Curiosity: The hosts and Strobel discuss humanity's persistent curiosity about the supernatural—what exists beyond what we can see (03:15–04:21).

2. The Biblical Foundation of Good and Evil

• Absolute Standards: Good and evil are defined by God’s nature. Without God, there is no ultimate standard.
  • "Absent God, if there is no God, then there is no standard of good and evil." — Lee Strobel (04:25)

3. Angelic Encounters and Protection

• Biblical & Modern Stories: Angels can appear in human form and intervene miraculously—citing missionary stories and biblical events (Elisha’s servant in the Old Testament).
  • Story: Missionaries in the South Hebrides, surrounded by a mob, were protected by "muscular men with drawn swords"—interpreted later as angels (05:23–07:10).
• Personal Experience: Lee Strobel recounts a vivid childhood dream where an angel told him, "good deeds don't matter" for salvation, a lesson he only understood years later after converting to Christianity (08:04–09:36).
  • "The angel looked at me, said, that doesn't matter. And a chill went through my body... [Sixteen years later], I flashed back to that angel, and he was right." — Lee Strobel (09:00–09:36)

4. Demons: The Fallen Angels

• Nature and Power: Demons are fallen angels—not God’s equals. Satan is not all-knowing or all-powerful.
  • "Satan is the counterpoint to God... No, he's a fallen angel. He's not omniscient like God is." — Lee Strobel (10:58)
• Modern Evidence: Case studies from psychiatrist Dr. Richard Gallagher, where demonic possession included supernatural knowledge and phenomena (e.g., a possessed woman knowing about the host’s cats' fight the previous night) (10:58–12:38).
  • "This woman looked at Dr. Gallagher and said, how’d you like those cats last night?" — Lee Strobel (12:34)

5. Christian Attitudes Toward the Supernatural

• Cessationism and Skepticism: Some Christians believe miracles and gifts of the Spirit have ceased, others are open but cautious, and some are actively seeking supernatural experiences (07:10–08:04).
• Spiritual Warfare: Christians cannot be possessed but can be oppressed or "hectored" by demons, requiring spiritual vigilance and the armor of God (13:32).

6. Deathbed Visions and Near-Death Experiences (NDEs)

• Biblical Foundation: Stephen’s vision of heaven in Acts and Jesus’ story of Lazarus and the rich man as examples of glimpses into the afterlife (14:32).

• Modern Corroboration: Many cases of dying individuals seeing angels, loved ones, or heavenly scenes. Examples given:

  • Charles Templeton: Agnostic on his deathbed saw and heard angels (15:41).

  • Vita Story: A dying woman saw her deceased father and, to everyone’s surprise, her recently deceased (and unknown to her) sister—a detail she could not have known naturally (16:06–17:22).

  • NDE Verifications: Mary, who was clinically dead, correctly described a red sticker atop a ceiling fan only visible from above (17:44–18:46). Similarly, stories of children identifying objects (like a tennis shoe) visible only from vantage points they couldn’t have physically reached (18:46–18:59).

  • "That’s the kind of corroboration when people in a near death experience see things or hear things that are impossible for them to have seen and heard unless they had an authentic out of body experience." — Lee Strobel (18:44)

• Consistency With Scripture: Research (notably by John Burke) finds NDEs and deathbed visions show strong alignment (47 points of correspondence) with biblical descriptions of the afterlife (19:01–19:36).

7. The Reality and Purpose of Hell

• God’s Justice and Mercy: God doesn’t ‘send’ people to hell; rather, it is the natural outcome of a life rejecting Him. Hell is not a torture chamber but a place of separation from God and self-inflicted torment through regret (20:15–21:45).
  • "God doesn’t send people as much as people ... it’s an outcome of a person’s life of rejection of God..." — Lee Strobel (20:15)
• Scripture as a Warning: The biblical teaching on hell is a kind warning, much like a parent warning a child not to touch a hot stove (22:07–22:22).

8. A Call to Salvation and Prayer

• Gospel Invitation: Strobel offers a clear, heartfelt prayer for those wanting to receive Christ, summarizing the gospel in “21 words,” and inviting listeners to place their repentance and faith in Jesus (23:27–24:54).
  • "Lord Jesus, as best I can. I do believe that you are the Son of God. You proved it by returning from the dead. And right now I confess the obvious. I’m a sinner... I want to receive that free gift of forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus, you purchased for me on the cross when you died as my substitute to pay for all of my sins..." — Lee Strobel’s prayer (23:47–24:54)

Memorable Quotes

• On why miracles matter:
  "If we're still seeing miracles today, then they certainly could have taken place in the first century."
  — Lee Strobel (01:06)

• On the supernatural’s appeal:
  "Is there something beyond what I can see and touch and how do I know that there really is?"
  — Lee Strobel (03:28)

• On corroborated angelic encounters:
  "[The angel] told me something I didn't know... and made a prediction that came true 16 years later. So that's two forms of corroboration."
  — Lee Strobel (09:24)

• On evil and free will:
  "We're sending ourselves to hell... it’s a natural consequence of a life lived contrary to God’s teachings..."
  — Lee Strobel (20:56–21:45)

Notable Timestamps

• Curiosity about the supernatural: 03:15–03:46
• Angelic protection of missionaries: 05:23–07:10
• Strobel’s childhood angel dream: 08:04–09:36
• Demons, Catholic exorcism, and Richard Gallagher: 10:33–12:38
• Types of Christians regarding the supernatural: 07:10–08:04
• Deathbed visions & NDE verification: 14:09–19:01
• Explaining hell and God’s kindness: 20:15–22:22
• Invitation prayer for salvation: 23:27–24:54

Tone and Takeaways

The hosts and guest retain a compassionate, practical, and biblically-rooted tone throughout, emphasizing investigation, evidence, and the centrality of the gospel. The episode encourages listeners to approach supernatural topics with faith, discernment, and openness—without dismissiveness or sensationalism.

For Further Resources

• Book: Seeing the Supernatural: Investigating Angels, Demons, Mystical Dreams, Near Death Encounters, and Other Mysteries of the Unseen World by Lee Strobel
• Further Listening: Full archive and resources at Focus on the Family’s website

This summary provides a comprehensive, timestamped outline of key content, stories, quotes, and insights for listeners and non-listeners alike.