Podcast
Rabbit Holes & Meditations - Christian Bible Study
Hosted by gregenewell · EN
Tired of preachy, judgmental sermons? Rabbit Holes & Meditations is a Bible study podcast that trades performance for honest Christian conversation. We walk through Jesus’ words chronologically (this season), chase down the “rabbit holes” most people avoid, and let Scripture interpret Scripture.
This show is for intentionally curious Christians who want depth without the drama. Sometimes we’ll spend 30 minutes on two verses—because careful reading matters. You’ll get biblical references, cross-references, deep dives, and real-life application around faith, fear, forgiveness, judgment, prayer, and hope—without being told what to think.
We follow a strict “Bible interprets the Bible” approach we call the Berean Bible Study Filter, designed to keep teaching grounded and unencumbered by third-party commentary. Bring your questions—nothing is off the table. Come curious, leave grounded.
65episodes
Episodes
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The Allure of the Counterfeit - Playing on the Devil's Court
Yesterday00:40:31Tap to summarizeWhat is it about the word “No”? I don’t know about you, but for most people, the minute they are told they can’t have something, they want it. Or at the very least, they are curious. A friend of mine has a two-year-old, and up until now, he’s gotten everything he’s asked for. Now, he’s learning the word “no”. There is a reason we call this age the “terrible twos”! Inevitably, when the boundary is set, a person wants to see what is on the other side of the barrier. And that doesn’t stop at the age of two. It begins there! That very nature is the devil's playground. And that’s where we’re going today. What is man’s response when God says “No!”? Notes for the Allure of the Counterfeit Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-allure-of-the-counterfeit-playing-on-the-devils-court/
Transcribe →The Air War - The Spiritual Battle in the Heavens That is Still Raging
2d ago00:34:12Tap to summarizeYou might have thought that winning the ground was the grand finale. That should have been it. But the battle we fight is far deeper and far more pervasive. The battle you and I face as Christians is in the spiritual realm. Paul stated it plainly: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” — Ephesians 6:12 Notes for the Air War Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-air-war-the-spiritual-battle-in-the-heavens-that-is-still-raging/
Transcribe →The Ground War - Teaching Faith Against All Odds
3d ago00:37:30Tap to summarizeI think by this point, many of our listeners might be scratching their heads. I thought this season was about the end times! The inspiration for this season was that we think, and I believe the scriptures will get us there, is that most present-day biblical scholars on the end times are following the same dispensational track that is not supported by scripture. We’re not inventing or, rather, re-inventing doctrine. I don’t believe in the need for a secret return that the text never supports. With all deference to those who teach along that track, our mission is, on the surface, simpler and underneath very deep. Our hope for this podcast is two-fold. First, go back to the text and do not rely on interpretive commentary - support is driven by what the text says, not by what the reader thinks or by how some third-party commentary has somehow obfuscated the text. We actually learn this lesson firsthand today. God told Abram one thing. Abram tells Sarai. Sarai then thinks she knows how that is supposed to play out. Sarai is telling Abram how to interpret what God said. Abram listens to Sarai and So, our approach, as always is driven by our Berean approach. Second, we hope the listener is inspired to do the same thing. Listen but don’t take our word for it. Challenge everything with the text. Notes to the Ground War Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-ground-war-teaching-faith-against-all-odds/
Transcribe →The War Has Begun - Understanding the Spiritual Warfare of the Ancient Texts
5d ago00:52:20Tap to summarizeYou can read the Bible as a historical text, but if you do that, you’ll be hard-pressed to explain several passages that God-fearing people are often pressed with. One such question that often goes unanswered is how a loving God can command the utter destruction of entire races. One such example: Deuteronomy 20:16-18 - However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. 17 Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you. 18 Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God. We are early in Season 5 of the podcast, and today’s podcast is titled: The War Has Begun. We deviate from the scriptural text here, not because we think the text is wrong; it’s not. One of the Berean tenets is that there are no contradictions in scripture. We have a well-supported theory that explains the text. It is not doctrine as far as the canon goes, but it is supported by extra-canonical text and by some hefty biblical scholars like Michael Heiser, Author of The Unseen Realm. We present a theory that helps the reader walk through the entire Bible with a consistent theology that helps explain much of the text. Theories like the one presented here stand only as long as the biblical text supports it. We happily retract any statement if it can be disproven. So far, we have not found any contradictory text and are happy to consider the opinions and contributions of readers and listeners who may think otherwise. Ultimately, season 5 will lead readers and listeners to an eschatological view that escapes more modern-day interpretations. This journey is to that end. To understand it, we must have a cohesive picture of what is happening in the spiritual realm. Paul states in Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” We are still in Genesis and “The War Has Begun”. We don't have to wait for Paul to tell us something we should have known all along. Notes to The War Has Begun Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-war-has-begun-understanding-the-spiritual-warfare-of-the-ancient-texts/
Transcribe →The Serpent and Silicon Valley
6d ago00:48:21Tap to summarizeWe begin a new series today in Season Five. We are going to walk with God through the bible. It’s a huge endeavor, but the goal is simple. To understand what God wants for mankind and how He actually accomplishes it. We’re not presenting systems or charts. We’re not inventing theology and secret returns to fit a narrative. We are listening and interpreting with the only thing we need, God’s word. You may recognize this as our Berean strategy. Welcome to season 5. It starts right where God started. Notes for The Serpent and Silicon Valley Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-serpent-and-silicon-valley/
Transcribe →The Vatican Discusses AI - And the Berean Juxtaposition
1w ago00:40:33Tap to summarizeI happened to catch Pope Leo and the Catholic Church discussing concerns about AI. I thought this might be a good opportunity to weigh in as well. We’ve been very open about our use of AI on this podcast. Included in the source material is a recent Vatican discussion on AI and our response to it. I was particularly triggered by the idea that an institution heavily using AI is telling its members not to use AI. This is mentioned briefly in the paper. I think, ultimately, like with any technology the is use and abuse. AI is no different. Your own smart phone gives you more computing power than that used to land the astronauts on the moon. Technology itself is not inherently good or evil. By definition, it is inherently human - in that it can be used for both good and evil. And no, I’m not saying AI is human in the real sense though there is a lot of anthrophonic rhetoric out there with the discussion of AI as sentient or conscious. We digest the information in Pope Leo’s discussion, discuss our own use of AI and how the Berean Filter we use was just to combat many of the very problems that unfiltered AI can lead to, and then issue our own warning about the use of AI. This is also a good opportunity to talk about the content on this podcast. We’re not shy about our use of AI. We embrace it. But I also want to point out, because you see it a lot, that we’ve decided not to put my personal name on the articles written using AI. I think this is a more honest approach in a world where people heavily lean on AI for writing. What you’ll see in our publish documents is “Directed, Produced, and Edited by Greg Newell”. Credit is given to the AI structure we’ve developed for creating the material we publish. Collectively we give the writing credit to the AI system that helps us produce the content - an author we refer to as “the Berean Teacher”. The best way to think about how we produce content is exactly how we state it in our articles. We Direct, Produce and Edit. Our AI system is an amazing ghost writer, and we give the ghost writer credit. Notes - Disarmed But Not Dismissed - the Vatican and AI Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-vatican-discusses-ai-and-the-berean-justaposition/
Transcribe →The Temple Evolution - From the Garden Back to the Garden
1w ago00:45:36Tap to summarizeWhen you engage with the Bible and the Holy Spirit, you never know where it is going to lead you. This morning, in my quiet time, I sought to understand the relationship between the old temple and the new temple. That led me to seek a deeper understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit. As you dig into these questions, you can't avoid the garden metaphors that are everywhere, so we chased those metaphors. That led to one of the coolest revelations of all. God is Growing a Garden. Well, it all connects, and it turns out to be one beautiful story.... from Beginning to End. Today, I would urge you to read Revelation 22:1-5. Cap that off with: God saw all that he had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1:31). Notes for the Temple Evolution Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-temple-evolution-from-the-garden-back-to-the-garden/
Transcribe →Daniel's 70 Weeks - Debunking Darby and the Premillennial Rapture Theory
1w ago00:51:49Tap to summarizeIn our last study, we addressed the question of the rapture head-on. This taught me a lesson that I sometimes forget. Read the text! Understand the context. It seems that no matter what denomination and no matter how well-versed the pastor is, the theory of the rapture changes like changing the channel on the television. The pastor is the news anchor. If you don’t like CNN’s version, flip over to Fox. If you don’t like Fox’s version, flip over to MSNBC. Nobody seems to be reporting the event. There is always a spin in the “no-spin zone”! It’s like somehow the news cycle has found itself caught up in the Rapture discussion. Say Jared Kushner has just secured a peace deal in the Middle East. Pastors who have been engaging with the political narrative are being interviewed across the country. The story on your first news channel is classic dispensational warnings. The rapture will happen at any moment. Expect chaos and confusion to spread across the globe after millions reportedly vanished without warning, an event the dispensational theologians have long identified as the rapture taught by John Nelson Darby. Supporters of the doctrine expect that Jesus Christ will secretly remove the Church from the earth before the beginning of a seven-year tribulation period foretold in prophecy. Governments will be scrambling for explanations as economic systems falter and world leaders call for unity amid growing instability. Dispensational teachers will claim this marks the moment when God resumes His prophetic dealings with national Israel, paving the way for the rise of the Antichrist, global judgments, and ultimately the visible return of Christ to establish a literal thousand-year kingdom in Jerusalem. Flip the channel to the other news station. Pastors and reporters there will dispute the interpretation, pointing to Jesus’ words: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days… they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” — Matthew 24:29–30, and Paul’s warning: “That day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed” — 2 Thessalonians 2:3. As debate intensifies, many are turning again to the Scriptures to examine whether these things are so. Flip the channel to yet another news station and Pastors and reporters will be discussing why the rapture won’t happen for three and a half years. They are mid-tribulationalists. And Now the Weather. So, we took the approach as we should have all along. We assigned the task to our Berean Teacher, giving him the task of a investigational news report. He is required to go to the source or the narratives and to rebuild the story from the ground up. That is today's deep dive. Notes for Daniels 70 weeks Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/daniels-70-weeks-debunking-darby-and-the-premillennial-rapture-theory/
Transcribe →Rapture - It's Not What They Keep Telling You It Is!
1w ago00:18:59Tap to summarizeProbably nothing is debated more among Christians than the Rapture. I was just watching a sermon by Pastor David Jeremiah, and I think even he is caught up in the systems developed to predict and explain the rapture of the church. Frankly, while I love this pastor and, like so many others, I think he gets it wrong on this issue. Full disclosure. If you follow me through this podcast, from the beginning, I present all the angles. It is really a hard question, and if you rely on Pastors and Teachers who are wedded to a particular interpretation, you're going to get that interpretation with all the hallmarks of absolute certainty. So I decided to step back from all the teaching and just assume the Berean approach to the question. What I found is a far simpler, much more consistent answer than any pre-trib, mid-trib dispensational teacher will try to convince you of. So let's take on the Rapture heading straight into the text, bypassing all the rhetoric. We are beyond the cliché raised in this discussion. You’ll hear it from every teacher on the subject. The word "rapture" is not in the Bible. Neither is the word trinity, but we get it. The concept is there even if the word is not spelled out. So moving beyond that. Is there a Rapture? This is perhaps the wrong question. The simple answer to that question is YES! It is not up for debate. What seems to be up for debate is not if, but when. Perhaps it might be better to reframe the question. One question unlocks the entire discussion: ***What happens to Christians who are still living at the time of Christ's return?*** When you ask that question, all of the answers associated with that question harmonize. No systems, no pre-tribulation, no mid-tribulation conjectures (which by the way are in the bible either!). Instead, we are told simply that if you happen to still be alive when Christ returns, you will not be forgotten. Notes for Rapture Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/rapture-its-not-what-they-keep-telling-you-it-is/
Transcribe →The UAP Disclosure - Thinking Biblically
2w ago00:52:35Tap to summarizeYou know, 10 years ago we would see the stories on the front page of the National Enquirer with headlines like: My Dad is an Alien. Now, the people who were once on the fringes of the News headlines are testifying to the US Congress. Americans are bracing themselves for disclosure. So far, there’s a lot of testimony, some pretty interesting videos, and random smartphone videos pepper the web. Whether real or not, it's common. I don’t think it will be long before we are presented real actual undeniable proof. This article discusses just that. You are Christians in this discussion. The article presents a way to stay centered amidst all of the possibilities. We don’t know what the nature of the disclosure will be but there is one thing one should consider. NONE of THIS removes Christ. I’m not sure how wild things are going to get but staying in Christ is perhaps the best advice we can give throughout the disclosure process. Consider that your reality and define what you are seeing with a Biblical center. Notes for Disclosure Episode Link: https://www.rabbitholesandmeditations.com/the-uap-disclosure-thinking-biblically/
Transcribe →