-: Hey, this is Jon at BibleProject
and welcome to the premiere of The Chaos Dragon.
We're so excited for you to be here and to see it.
Stick around afterwards
because when The Chaos Dragon is over,
we're gonna share with you a sneak peek
of a new 10-part series
that's gonna start releasing next year, starting in January.
It's a 10-part series on the Sermon on the Mount.
And you're gonna get a first look
after The Chaos Dragon. Enjoy.
In the ancient world, many cultures told stories
about a monster of death that lurks in the deep, dark sea.
(ominous music)
In these tales,
the dragon and the sea it lives in represent the chaos
that threatens to drag creation back into nothingness.
The ancient authors of the Bible
not only knew about these symbols,
they also used them
in stories and poems all over the Bible.
Really? Dragons in the Bible?
Yes. On the first page of the Bible,
God brings order by separating the dry land
from the chaotic sea,
and there, he contains the sea dragon.
And this monster is connected to that dragon-like snake
that confronts Adam and Eve in the garden,
a spiritual being using the power of chaos and death
to lure humans into their own self-destruction.
Biblical authors also use dragon imagery
to describe violent human kings like Pharaoh,
who enslaved and murdered the ancient Israelites.
Even the famous Goliath,
the details of his armor and weapons depict him
as the scaly snakey giant.
(sword whooshes) (rocks tumble)
So the sea dragon is loose in all these forms,
but it can be defeated.
Yes, but be careful
because the power of the dragon is strangely appealing.
A dragon slayer can be enticed to use the dragon's power.
And so become a dragon themselves.
Right. (ominous music)
In fact, entire empires can become like dragons.
During Israel's exile in Babylon,
the prophet Daniel has a dream about four monstrous beasts
rising up out of the sea.
Whoa, mutant dragons?
They represent violent kingdoms
in league with dark spiritual powers.
But then, a new character appears rising up from the land
to sit beside God's throne.
And as the dream ends, Daniel sees those monsters destroyed.
So who is this dragon slayer?
Well, Daniel calls him "one like a Son of Man."
The Son of Man, that's what Jesus calls himself.
Yes. In fact,
the gospel authors depict Jesus confronting the dragon
in many ways,
like when he tramples over the stormy sea,
or when he resists the tempter in the wilderness,
or when he overcomes death and sickness in others.
And even when the power of the dragon
does its best to entice Jesus ...
Jesus doesn't give in.
Jesus resists the dragon in a surprising way.
He surrenders his life
and willingly enters the belly of the beast.
(soft ominous rumbling)
Wait, the dragon slayer is slain by the dragon?
Well, that's how it seemed.
But Jesus trusted in God's power
to create new life on the other side of chaos and death.
And he called his followers to confront the dragon
in the same way.
Which means?
Resist the temptation
to use the violent, destructive ways of the dragon,
and also don't be afraid of it.
Jesus' victory over the beast
has created a way to escape its power.
And trust in the power of God,
who will one day defeat the dragon once and for all.
(soft ominous rumbling) (water gurgling)
Thanks for joining us
for the premiere of The Chaos Dragon.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Now, without further ado,
here's a first look at our new series coming up this January
on the Sermon on the Mount.
(gentle music)
If you've ever heard of Jesus of Nazareth,
you probably know he was a famous teacher.
"Love your neighbor as yourself."
"Do to others what you would have them do to you."
Those sayings come from a collection
of Jesus' teaching called The Sermon on the Mount.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of the skies."
Jesus uses this phrase
to talk about a new kind of reality.
For Jesus, there is a realm where love is the final word,
which might seem far off.
But Jesus was claiming that Heaven was coming to Earth,
beginning with these people.
That's unexpected.
And so is what he says next.
(gentle music fades out)
So that's it. That's "The Sermon on the Mount,"
starting this January.
We're so excited.
We're gonna spend the entire year
in the largest block of teachings in the gospels,
the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew.
We're gonna do a lot with the Sermon on the Mount,
this 10-part series, a lot of other clips
that help you read through it slowly.
We're gonna do it together as a community,
so stay tuned to this channel, or our social channels,
or on our website and our app.
We're gonna be walking through
the Sermon on the Mount together.
Thanks for being a part of this with us.