Did you know I published my first book last year?
The Unseen Throne grew out of several years of study, teaching, and sustained engagement with the Divine Council worldview, particularly as it has been articulated and popularized by Michael Heiser. Like many others, I read widely, listened extensively, and worked carefully through the arguments as they were presented. Heiser has been a polarizing figure. Some readers found his work clarifying and transformative. Others found it deeply problematic. I was less interested in choosing sides than in understanding what was actually being argued and why.
As I spent more time with the material, something kept nagging at me. It wasn’t a single verse or a single conclusion. It was the growing realization that a number of unstated presuppositions had to be in place for many of the claims associated with the Divine Council worldview to hold together. Those presuppositions were often assumed rather than argued, and they quietly shaped how entire passages of Scripture were being read.
The Unseen Throne is the fruit of digging into those assumptions.
Rather than beginning with Psalm 82 or with a fully formed system, the book works from the ground up. It engages the biblical text directly, interacts with a range of ancient Near Eastern scholarship, and evaluates how certain interpretive moves became foundational to the broader worldview.
A significant portion of the book is devoted to the Tower of Babel and what is actually taking place in Genesis 11. It is clear that God judges the nations by confusing their languages and dividing them. What is far less clear is the often-assumed claim that Yahweh relinquished direct governance of the nations or turned them over to be ruled by lesser elohim. That idea functions as a critical premise in much of the Divine Council framework, so it deserves careful scrutiny. The book examines whether that claim is consistent with the biblical text itself and with Yahweh’s continued relationship to the nations in the chapters that follow.
From there, the study turns to Deuteronomy 32 (and Deut 4) and the broader question of how Scripture speaks about the division of the nations. Rather than importing later conclusions into the passage, the book asks what the text actually supports and how it fits within the larger biblical portrayal of Yahweh’s sovereignty and rule.
The book also examines the primary divine council scenes in the Hebrew Scriptures. These courtroom settings are real and important, but they also exhibit striking consistency. Yahweh presides. Judgment belongs to Him. Decrees are announced and carried out in the presence of the heavenly assembly. The Unseen Throne evaluates how these scenes function and whether they support the governing or deliberative roles often attributed to the council within the broader worldview.
Only after this groundwork is laid does the book turn to Psalm 82 itself. That chapter forms the core of the study and contains one of the most detailed exegetical treatments of the psalm currently in print. The charges, the courtroom setting, the verdict, and the final appeal are examined carefully in light of the Hebrew text, the prophetic tradition, and relevant ancient Near Eastern material. The goal is not to force the psalm into a preconceived system, but to allow it to be read within the patterns already established elsewhere in Scripture.
Finally, the book addresses Jesus’ use of Psalm 82 in John 10. Claims made about this passage play an important role in how the Divine Council worldview is defended, so The Unseen Throne offers a detailed exegetical evaluation of the passage, paying close attention to its legal, rhetorical, and textual features.
Throughout the book, I worked hard to represent Michael Heiser’s views accurately and fairly. The goal was never to caricature or dismiss, but to engage seriously with the arguments as they are actually made. Where I disagree, the disagreement is focused, textual, and methodological, not personal.
The Unseen Throne is written for readers who enjoy digging into Scripture, who care about careful exegesis, and who want to examine not just conclusions, but the assumptions that make those conclusions possible.