Gilbert House Fellowship

Gilbert House Ministries
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Since March 2005, Derek and Sharon Gilbert have shared their take on cryptopolitics and things that go bump in the night. Those first podcasts, back when podcasting was a brand new idea, were rough–recorded through a jury-rigged setup of string, wire, duct tape, and a durable little Mac laptop. Always ready to share a laugh and an opinion, the Gilberts emphasize the joy of living for Christ in the midst of doom and gloom news. Their first podcast, PID (Peering Into Darkness) Radio connected Derek and Sharon to Tom Horn, L. A. Marzulli, Gary Stearman and Bob Ulrich (Prophecy Watchers), Steve Quayle, Dr. Michael Heiser, and too many others to mention. Those relationships developed into research, writing, and broadcasting for SkyWatchTV, which spawned the programs SciFriday, Unraveling Revelation, and The Bible’s Greatest Mysteries, as well as cutting-edge books on theology and end-times prophecy like The Great Inception, Last Clash of the Titans, Bad Moon Rising, The Day the Earth Stands Still, Veneration, Giants Gods & Dragons, and The Second Coming of Saturn, as well as Sharon’s critically-acclaimed series of supernatural thrillers, The Redwing Saga. Since 2014, the Gilberts have produced the weekly Gilbert House Fellowship, a verse-by-verse study of the Bible in chronological order.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Woe to Those at Ease in Zion

    PROPHESYING DOOM and destruction during a time of peace and prosperity does not make one popular with the ruling elites.   Amos discovered this while declaring God’s judgment on the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (reigned 793–753 BC), the time of Israel’s greatest power. The prophet was confronted by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, and told to flee to the southern kingdom of Judah, which prompted the Lord to tell the priest that his wife would be forced into prostitution, his children would fall by the sword, Amaziah would die in a foreign land, and Israel would be taken away into exile. These things did come to pass in 732 BC, when Assyria conquered Israel and captured the capital city of Samaria. We also discuss the strange reference in the Septuagint to “King Gog” or “Agag, the king” in Amos 7:1, which is quite different from the ESV rendering, “the king’s mowings” (or the NET translation, “the royal harvest”). Apparently the LXX translators didn’t know what to make of the literal Hebrew (“the mowings of the king”) but recognized the context as a prophecy of destruction.  Agag was the Amalekite king spared by Saul (and then executed by Samuel). In the book of Esther, Haman, the Persian official who plotted the genocide of the Jews (and thus a symbol of hatred toward Jews), was called “the Agagite.” Gog, a reference to Ezekiel 38–39, is the great end times enemy of God—essentially the Old Testament conception of the Antichrist.  Thus, the Septuagint translators who struggled to interpret an archaic reference simply plugged in a similar-sounding word (Gog or Agag) that preserved the context of a prophesied supernatural enemy of God and Israel.

    1hr 39min

  2. 29 MAR

    Repentance of the Gentiles

    JOHN THE BAPTIST taught a radical new idea: Forgiveness of sins came through repentance, not ritual—even for Gentiles. And this new doctrine was first introduced in the Book of 1 Enoch.   John’s teaching came from 1 Enoch 50:2–3:  He heaped evil upon the sinners; but the righteous ones shall be victorious in the name of the Lord of the Spirits. He will cause the others to see this so that they may repent and forsake the deeds of their hands. There shall not be honor unto them in the name of the Lord of the Spirits. But through his name they shall be saved, and the Lord of the Spirits shall have mercy upon them, for his mercy is considerable. (James H. Charlesworth translation)  The “righteous ones” were the Essenes. Scholars generally agree now that this section of 1 Enoch, the Book of Parables (chapters 37–71 of 1 Enoch), was written by one or more Essenes living in a community near the city of Magdala on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee in the last quarter of the 1st century BC—in other words, just before the birth of Jesus.  “The others” referred to Gentiles (and Jews who didn’t follow the Law). The idea that Gentiles could be saved was a radical departure from traditional Jewish (and Essene!) teachings, which is why priests and Levites from Jerusalem came to interrogate John.   We also find a prophecy of resurrection—including the resurrection of “the Elect (or Chosen) One.”

    1hr 28min

  3. 22 MAR

    Prepare to Meet Your God, O Israel

    THE IMMINENT DESTRUCTION of the northern kingdom of Israel by Assyria was prophesied by Amos.  Israel’s failure to repent despite God’s repeated efforts to get the attention of the people is highlighted in Amos 4, and chapter 5 is a warning of the punishment to come upon Israel and God’s rejection of their feasts and sacrifices.   We also explain why the “cows of Bashan…on the mountain of Samaria” (Amos 4:1) are divine, not bovine, and why the reference to “Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god” (Almost 5:26), quoted by the apostle Stephen in Acts 7:43 (“You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan”), is not connected to the Star of David.

    1hr 36min

  4. 15 MAR

    For Three Transgressions, and for Four

    AMOS WASN’T a trained prophet, yet his words resonate today, highlighting the injustices and moral decay of society. It’s a stark reminder that the rich must not oppress the poor, a message as relevant now as it was then.   This week, we begin to explore the Book of Amo, focusing on its key messages and relevance today. Amos addressed social injustice and religious corruption in ancient Israel. Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, delivered his messages during a time of relative peace and prosperity in Israel, specifically around the 8th century BC. However, this prosperity came at a cost, as the rich oppressed the poor, and religious practices deviated from true worship.  The Book of Amos begins with God’s proclamation of judgment on the neighbors of Israel and Judah: Aram, Ammon, Moab, Edom, Tyre, and Gaza (the Philistines). But His harshest words were reserved for Judah and especially the northern kingdom of Israel.

    1hr 33min

  5. 8 MAR

    Those Who Dwelt in a Land of Deep Darkness, On Them Has Light Shone

    ISAIAH’S PROPHECY of a coming, Messiah included for seeing where Jesus would declare war on the fallen realm.  Chapter 9 of the book of Isaiah picks up where the prophet left off, condemning the people of Israel, for consulting the dead on behalf of the living. His prophecy that a light would shine on those dwelling in a land of deep darkness was cited by Matthew as fulfilled when Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum. We connect this to Psalm 23 in the valley of the shadow of death, which in our view is the Jordan River Valley between Mount Hermon and the Sea of Galilee.  Isaiah 9 also includes the prophecy of a coming Savior who is called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). We discussed the interesting rendering of this verse in the Lexham English Septuagint, in which “Wonderful Counselor” is translated “Messenger of the Great Council.”  The second half of this chapter is devoted to God's judgment on the northern Kingdom of Israel, which was fulfilled when the Assyrians overran and conquered Samaria in 722 BC. Here is a link to a PDF copy of the R. H. Charles translation of The Ascension of Isaiah (link opens PDF document).

    1hr 34min

  6. 8 FEB

    They Shall Curse by Molech

    ISAIAH REPEATEDLY condemned the practice of summoning spirits from the netherworld.  It’s not always apparent because translators often didn’t have an understanding of the cult of the dead that surrounded ancient Israel, and the impact it had on the Israelites. After prophesying the imminent destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel by Assyria, the prophet condemned the people of Judah for turning to mediums and necromancers to ”inquire of the dead on behalf of the living”.  Derek wrote about Isaiah 8:18–22 in The Second Coming of Saturn:  The prophet described those who looked to the spirit realm for oracles as people who were already dead: They live in darkness, and they’re “greatly distressed and hungry,” like the pagan dead of Mesopotamia who are not properly cared for by their descendants. In verse 21, Isaiah makes the connection to the dead explicit, writing that these unhappy souls will “pass through” the land. The Hebrew verb ‘ābar is based on the same root, ʿbr, from which we get ʿōberim—“Travelers,” as in the spirits of the dead who “travel” or “cross over” from the land of the dead to the world of the living; it’s the same word used by the pagan Canaanites to describe the Rephaim summoned from the underworld through rituals to the threshing-floor of El on Mount Hermon.  What Isaiah described is the punishment for those who defied God by using ritual pits to summon the spirits of the dead—they become like the unhappy dead themselves. When they realize their fate, “they will be enraged.” But in the context of the passage, with an understanding of the cult of the dead and the role of the “king” god in it, a better translation of the following sentence is this: “And they shall curse by Molek and by their ghosts.” (Elohay, the word translated “ghosts,” isn’t always a reference to God. The basic meaning is “one who lives in the spirit realm.” Context is king, and here “ghosts” or “spirits” is a more accurate reading than “God.”)  -- The Second Coming of Saturn, p. 188.

    1hr 20min

  7. 1 FEB

    Behold, the Virgin Shall Conceive

    THE PROPHET ISAIAH lived through turbulent times, with kings of Judah who ranged from the good (Hezekiah, Jotham. Uzziah) to the evil (Ahaz, Manasseh, Amon). In Isaiah 7, the prophet is sent to Ahaz by God with a word about the invasion of his land by the combined forces of Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel. This was despite the fact that Ahaz “made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering” (2 Chr. 28:3, ESV), a reference to the sacrifice of children to Molech. God gave Ahaz a sign, an already-but-not-yet prophecy:  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. (Isa. 7:14–16, ESV) This was a promise that Judah would not be conquered by his northern neighbors, but it was also a promise that a virgin in the future (Mary) would give birth to “God with us”—the meaning of the name Immanuel.

    1hr 30min

  8. 25 JAN

    The Son of Man

    THE ESSENES who wrote the second section of the Book of 1 Enoch, chapters 37–71 (called The Book of Parables), foresaw a coming Savior called the Son of Man.  This was a new doctrine for Jews in the 1st century AD. The Zadokite priesthood in Jerusalem believed that faithful adherence to the Law would redeem the world. The Essenes of the Upper Galilee taught that the world had been so corrupted by the rebellious Watchers that only God’s direct intervention could make things right.  1 Enoch is the first Jewish writing to put forward this doctrine, and the first to called the agent of God’s divine judgment the Anointed One, the Chosen One, and The Son of Man. And it’s clear in the text that the Son of Man is God Himself:  For this purpose he became the Chosen One; he was concealed in the presence of (the Lord of the Spirits) prior to the creation of the world, and for eternity. (1 Enoch 48:6, Charlesworth translation  Here are the Bible verses about angels Derek referred to:  “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven…” (Matt. 18:10, ESV)  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Heb. 13:2, ESV)

    1hr 36min
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About

Since March 2005, Derek and Sharon Gilbert have shared their take on cryptopolitics and things that go bump in the night. Those first podcasts, back when podcasting was a brand new idea, were rough–recorded through a jury-rigged setup of string, wire, duct tape, and a durable little Mac laptop. Always ready to share a laugh and an opinion, the Gilberts emphasize the joy of living for Christ in the midst of doom and gloom news. Their first podcast, PID (Peering Into Darkness) Radio connected Derek and Sharon to Tom Horn, L. A. Marzulli, Gary Stearman and Bob Ulrich (Prophecy Watchers), Steve Quayle, Dr. Michael Heiser, and too many others to mention. Those relationships developed into research, writing, and broadcasting for SkyWatchTV, which spawned the programs SciFriday, Unraveling Revelation, and The Bible’s Greatest Mysteries, as well as cutting-edge books on theology and end-times prophecy like The Great Inception, Last Clash of the Titans, Bad Moon Rising, The Day the Earth Stands Still, Veneration, Giants Gods & Dragons, and The Second Coming of Saturn, as well as Sharon’s critically-acclaimed series of supernatural thrillers, The Redwing Saga. Since 2014, the Gilberts have produced the weekly Gilbert House Fellowship, a verse-by-verse study of the Bible in chronological order.

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