When Good gods Go Bad: Understanding the Divine Council (Elohim Series)

How the biblical idea of the Divine Council reshapes our understanding of spiritual warfare, justice, and humanity's role in God's world. Mike Erre and Tim Stafford continue the Elohim Series by exploring the spiritual realm of the Old Testament—the "sons of God," the supernatural rulers of the nations, and how their corruption contributes to the brokenness of the world we inhabit. This episode challenges conventional Christian views of spiritual warfare and dives deep into why justice, lament, and truth are essential responses to systemic evil. Key Takeaways: • Understanding the Divine Council – How the "sons of God," or Elohim, were created to rule the nations and why their corruption matters in the biblical worldview. • The Link Between Justice and Worship – Why biblical justice isn't optional, but a core expression of loyalty to Yahweh, and how this ties directly to idolatry and sacred resistance. • Rethinking Spiritual Warfare – It's not a battle against individuals, but against systems, ideologies, and cultural norms corrupted by fallen spiritual beings. • Scripture's Epic Cosmic Vision – From Psalm 82 to Daniel 10 and Deuteronomy 32, discover how geographically connected spiritual powers play into biblical history and theology. • The Gospel Is Unthreatened – A passionate call to reject fear-based "threat to the gospel" rhetoric and instead lead with confession, lament, and repentance as countercultural acts of new creation. Resources Mentioned: • Psalm 82 – blueletterbible.org • Deuteronomy 32 – biblegateway.com • Michael Heiser – Scholar who popularized Divine Council theology (The Unseen Realm) • Greg Boyd – On spiritual warfare and systemic injustice • Tim Gombis – Faith Improvised podcast • Daniel 10 – The prince of Persia and spiritual conflict between nations Call to Action: Let this episode sharpen your spiritual imagination. What would it look like to consciously live in resistance to corrupt spiritual systems? Share your thoughts or questions by emailing us at [email protected] and join our growing community on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and follow the podcast to stay updated. We're on YouTube: VOXOLOGY TV Merch Store: ETSY Learn more: Voxology Podcast Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Support the podcast on Patreon Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast Like us on Facebook Follow Mike on Twitter: @mikeerre Music by Timothy John Stafford – Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV. Our Merch Store! ETSY Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy