Les Feldick completely rejects Dr. Thiering's interpretation of the virgin birth and the crucifixion.
Les points to the Biblical Archaeology Review article 'Did Jesus Really Die on the Cross?' and the University of Sydney scholar who wrote the book, calling her a 'quote, unquote scholar' whose work 'casts all this doubt on the Scriptures.' He places such 'big-wheel scholars' among the false teachers behind the 'spiritual wickedness in high places' of Ephesians 6:12, and he applies Romans 1:22's warning that those who profess themselves to be wise become fools.
Matthew 1:23 — This verse records the prophecy and fact of the virgin birth that Dr. Thiering's two-level reading denies.
Romans 1:22 — Les applies this warning — professing themselves to be wise, they became fools — to scholarship like Dr. Thiering's.
The Bible presents the virgin birth as a direct supernatural fulfillment of prophecy, not a symbolic story. Matthew 1:23 records, 'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us,' quoting the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 that 'a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.' The text names no other human father; the child is conceived by the Holy Spirit. The Bible also presents the crucifixion as a real, completed death. John 19:30 says that after Jesus 'received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.' Paul states that 'Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures' (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Acts 1:3 adds that after His passion Jesus 'shewed himself alive... by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days.' No passage in these texts hints at a second, hidden meaning reserved for those with special knowledge; they read as straightforward, historical accounts.
In the course of responding to the Biblical Archaeology Review's featured question, 'Did Jesus Really Die on the Cross?', Les recounts a television interview with the author, a woman he pointedly introduces as a 'quote, unquote scholar' laboring at the University of Sydney in Australia, 'almost totally committed to studying the Dead Sea Scrolls' [Clip 0]. He immediately concedes, 'Nothing wrong with that, is there?' — his objection is 'what they can come up with.' As Les characterizes the interpretation, the Gospel accounts are said to function on two levels: an apparent story for ordinary readers and a hidden meaning available only through special knowledge drawn from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Essene marriage rules. In that system the virgin birth is dismissed as a miracle story for those who need it, and Joseph is maintained to be Jesus' actual father; the crucifixion narrative is treated as fiction for simple believers; and the post-Easter appearances are read not as resurrection events but as the still-physical Jesus meeting with his ministers. Because the framework denies both the supernatural birth and the true death of Christ, it 'casts all this doubt on the Scriptures.' Les rejects the whole construct completely. He describes her conclusions as a farce from beginning to end, and the book as deceptive even though it carries the weight of scholarship. He groups this with the false teaching of 'big-wheel scholars' and 'spiritual wickedness in high places' (Ephesians 6:12), and applies Romans 1:22 — 'Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.' He also ties such ideas to the growing antagonism Christians face for their faith, especially in the university setting.
Les teaches the crucifixion as a historical event with present relevance. He opens one lesson by saying he wants to take 'another look at all the ramifications of the crucifixion and all that it pertains to us' [Clip 1], and in another he reviews 'all that was completed when Christ died and shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead' [Clip 4]. For Les the death on the cross is not a Gospel-level story; it is the event that accomplished redemption. His unwavering affirmation of the crucifixion and bodily resurrection stands in direct opposition to any theory that makes the cross appearances a fiction or merely physical meetings.
Les devoted a full lesson to 'those 40 days of Christ in His post resurrection' [Clip 2]. The same Paul who wrote 1 Corinthians 15 grounds the gospel in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) — the very bodily reality that Dr. Thiering's two-level reading redefines away.
Les is careful to say he is not talking about sincere local pastors who proclaim the Word. When he speaks of false teachers and 'spiritual wickedness in high places' (Ephesians 6:12), he means 'the big-wheel scholars' — academics with substantial platforms who use Dead Sea Scrolls research or similar tools to undermine the Scriptures. Dr. Thiering's article in Biblical Archaeology Review is his case in point.
No. Les says plainly, 'Nothing wrong with that, is there?' The study itself is legitimate; what matters is 'what they can come up with' from the material. The error, in his view, is not the artifact but the interpretive conclusions that contradict the biblical record.
The Scholar Behind 'Did Jesus Really Die on the Cross?'
Les identifies the author of the Biblical Archaeology Review article as a 'quote, unquote scholar' at the University of Sydney who is committed to Dead Sea Scrolls research, and he treats her work as false teaching that casts doubt on Scripture — 'spiritual wickedness in high places' (Ephesians 6:12).
The Reality of the Crucifixion
Les frames the crucifixion as a real, historical event by taking 'another look at all the ramifications of the crucifixion and all that it pertains to us' — the opposite of treating it as fiction for simple believers.
Forty Days in a Post-Resurrection Body
Les teaches Christ's bodily post-resurrection appearances over forty days, directly contradicting any view that the appearances were merely the physical Jesus meeting with his ministers.
What Happens to Satan, the Antichrist & the Dead?
Hello, and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick.
Christ Died, Was Buried, and Rose
Les summarizes all that was completed at the cross — Christ's death, bloodshed, burial, and resurrection — affirming the very events Dr. Thiering's interpretation redefines.
Where Will Jews Flee During the Tribulation? Revelation 12
Hello, and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick.
Christ the Firstfruits of the Resurrection
Les teaches the resurrection of Christ as the firstfruits, along with those who came out of the graves in Matthew 27, grounding the historical reality that Thiering's theory undermines.
Revelation 9 Explained: Demonic Locusts & God's Wrath Unleashed
He said, last, he said, I'm just thrilled with everything you're teaching, but he said, I've still got some questions about the rapture of the church. And I'm sure he was wondering, is the church going to go into the tribulation? Well, those of you who were with me, what, several months ago now, I think I made the statement, I could probably stand here for an hour or two and give you references th…
Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
The Old Testament prophecy that a virgin would conceive — the scriptural foundation that Thiering's denial of the virgin birth contradicts.
Matthew 1:23: Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Matthew quotes Isaiah to affirm the virgin birth explicitly, which Thiering's two-level reading dismisses as a miracle story.
John 19:30: When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Records Jesus' actual death on the cross, directly refuting the idea that the crucifixion account is fiction.
Acts 1:3: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
Records the forty days of post-resurrection appearances that Les teaches (see Clip 2), showing the appearances were bodily and provable.
Romans 1:22: Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
The warning Les applies to scholars who profess wisdom while teaching foolishness — his commentary on Thiering's approach.
Ephesians 6:12: 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.
The verse Les cites when identifying spiritual wickedness in high places with 'big-wheel scholars' who cast doubt on Scripture.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
The gospel creed — Christ died, was buried, and rose again — the historical core that Thiering's theory rejects.
Les describes the author of the book behind the article 'Did Jesus Really Die on the Cross?' as a 'quote, unquote scholar' at the University of Sydney in Australia who is almost totally committed to studying the Dead Sea Scrolls. Her work, as Les presents it, casts doubt on the Scriptures.
Yes. Les teaches all 'the ramifications of the crucifixion' and reviews 'all that was completed when Christ died and shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead.' Scripture records Jesus saying 'It is finished' and giving up the ghost (John 19:30), and Paul grounds the gospel in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Nothing, in itself. Les says, 'Nothing wrong with that, is there?' The problem is what scholars come up with from the Scrolls — interpretations like Dr. Thiering's that cast doubt on the Scriptures.
He applies it to scholars who cast doubt on Scripture while holding themselves out as wise: 'Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.' It is his verdict on the kind of big-wheel scholarship that denies the biblical record.
Watch the Teaching: What the Bible Really Says About the Times of the Gentiles