The Court Is In Session.Who Will Face Judgment?
A biblical-theological response to Michael Heiser's The Unseen Realm and the divine council worldview reading of Psalm 82.
Almost everyone agrees on the setting. Almost no one agrees on what it means.
The Unseen Throne is a careful, fair response to Michael Heiser’s The Unseen Realm and the Divine Council worldview it popularized. Rather than beginning from a finished framework, it works from the ground up and asks a different question: not what the worldview concludes, but what it has to assume before it can conclude anything, and whether Scripture actually carries those assumptions.
- Genesis 11
- Deuteronomy 32
- The throne room scenes
- Psalm 82
- John 10
A fresh reading of the Old Testament's most debated psalm.
Psalm 82 has long stood at the center of theological debate. The Unseen Throne critically engages Michael Heiser’s The Unseen Realmand the Divine Council worldview it popularized, with insights from biblical and ancient Near Eastern scholarship. While affirming the Bible’s supernatural framework, it challenges long-held assumptions about the psalm and offers a more textually grounded understanding of Yahweh’s court.
- 01
Who are the “gods” of Psalm 82, and how do they relate to Yahweh's divine council?
- 02
Who exactly stands accused in the psalm, and how would we know?
- 03
How do other divine council passages shape the way we read Psalm 82?
- 04
How does the psalm fit the larger biblical vision of God's rule over the nations?
- 05
What does it reveal about Yahweh's justice and His ultimate plan for the world?
Recent Writing
Articles, responses, and exegetical notes drawn from the book and the conversations around it.
The Courtroom of Yahweh Is Not an Ancient Near Eastern Divine Council
Divine councils were a familiar feature of the ancient Near Eastern world. The question is whether the Hebrew Scriptures adopt that model, adapt it, or something else entirely.
Essay
Did Deuteronomy 32 Describe the Disinheritance of the Nations?
The claim that Yahweh forsook the nations at Babel has become so common that many readers assume Deuteronomy 32 simply teaches it. A close look at whether it does.
Essay
Standing to Judge: Psalm 82:1 and the Courtroom of Yahweh
Psalm 82:1 sets a courtroom and a judge. What it does not do, and what nearly every reading assumes it does, is identify who stands accused.
EssayCareful with the text. Serious, yet readable.
Dempsey demonstrates that he has the discerning exegetical hand in turning the pages of scripture, a thorough breakdown of practically every key text used for fantastical conclusions.
Academically serious while remaining very readable and genuinely helpful. At no point did I feel he was rushing to conclusions.
He makes a very niche topic digestible for anyone, from a layman to a graduate-level professional, without dismissing the unseen realm.
Brian A. Dempsey
Brian Dempsey is a lifelong student of Scripture with a deep passion for biblical theology and the historical and theological context of God's word. As an elder in his church, he taught, preached, and led theological discussions for many years.
Now, as an educated layperson, he seeks to serve the church by engaging in theological study, participating in men’s discipleship, and writing for the glory of God.
Read the full study.
The complete biblical-theological case for the courtroom of Yahweh, from Genesis 11 to John 10.