Gilbert House Fellowship

THE DESTRUCTION of the kingdom of Moab by the Assyrians was prophesied by Isaiah, although God took no pleasure in it.

At the time Isaiah wrote, the Assyrians were expanding their empire to the west and swallowing up smaller kingdoms like Israel, Ammon, Edom, and Moab. The Moabites had been enemies of Israel and Judah for centuries by the time of Isaiah. Through the prophet, God warned Moab of its imminent destruction.

We discussed the possibility that Isaiah chapters 15 and 16 is an "already but not yet" prophecy, with final fulfillment to come as part of a...

The Secret Oath

The secrets of creation were contained in an oath—and one of the fallen Watchers demanded that Michael reveal to him the "secret name" so that those who heard the oath would quake before it.

That's one of the revelations in this week's study of 1 Enoch. Bear in mind, this section of the book was written just before the birth of Jesus so any specifics regarding the names of fallen angels and their abilities or misdeeds must be taken with a grain of salt.

However, it is in...

Dead Gods and Dragons

Isaiah’s polemic against the king of Babylon is, in our view, also a condemnation of the entity who led the rebellious sons of God in Genesis 6.

We discuss the connections between “Lucifer” and the netherworld, especially the references to the “branch,” which is actually a loan word from Egyptian that means "dead god," and the “dead body trampled underfoot” (Isaiah 14:9). We believe these refer to the entity called El, Enlil, Dagon, and Molech—i.e., Shemihazah, not Satan.

We also discuss a potential reference to the Watchers in...

Punishment of Angels and Kings

A DAY is coming when fallen angels and evil rulers throughout the centuries will regret their decisions to rebel against God.

The chapters we read from the book of 1 Enoch prophesy a time when kings and the mighty plead for a respite from their torment so they might come before the throne and worship God. Sadly, their opportunity to repent has passed.

Likewise, punishment for the fallen Watchers has been decreed and is being carried out with no hope of reprieve—at least not until th...

Lucifer is not Satan.

In this week study, we dig into the Hebrew name translated Lucifer in the king James Bible, Helel Ben Shachar. Scholar William Gallagher showed in a peer reviewed paper more than 30 years ago that Helel was the West Semitic (i.e., Hebrew) transliteration of the Akkadian deity Ellil.

This entity was known by many names in the ancient Near East, including Dagon, Assur, El, and Milcom (and thus Molech). All of these entities were connected to the underworld whereas Satan is nowhere in the Bible linked to Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, or the...

Giants Are Coming

GIANTS AND WATCHERS will execute God's judgment on the prophesied Day of the Lord. 

Isaiah 13 is, on the surface, a prophecy of judgment on Babylon. But there are clues in this chapter that there's more to this prophecy than meets the eye. First, the Hebrew verb translated "consecrated" (as in "consecrated ones," Isaiah 13:3) is based on the same root behind the words “holy one/s” in Daniel 4:13 and 17, used in parallel with "Watcher/s” in those verses.

Given that the Septuagint translates Hebrew gibborim ("mighty men") as “giants," it's possible...

After 200 years of idolatry, God finally allowed the northern kingdom of Israel to be destroyed and the people carried off by Assyria.

Meanwhile, the southern kingdom of Judah was being ruled the young, foolish, idolatrous King Ahaz. After being defeated in battle by the Aramean Kingdom of Damascus, Ahaz decided to worship the gods of Syria rather than turning to God for help. He also sacrificed his son to Molech in the Valley of Hinnom southwest of Jerusalem.

Then he turned to the Assyrians for help against Israel, Syria, and Edom, cutting up fixtures in the...

After several chapters of prophecies of destruction at the hands of the Assyrians, Micah concludes his book with a promise of restoration for the people of Israel.

Although there are some differences between the Masoretic text on which the old Testament of our English Bibles is based and the Septuagint, which was translated from Hebrew into Greek by about 200 BC, the overall message is the same: God will chastise His people for their behavior, but He will bless the remnant who repent and return to Him.

Sharon’s niece, Sarah Sachleben, has been battling stage 4 bowel ca...

Who is the Assyrian?

The Bible foretells a mysterious character called “the Assyrian” who seems to have a role in the end times war against Israel. Who is he?

What’s odd is the Hebrew text of Micah 5:5–6 (and Isaiah 14:25, 31:8, and 52:4) lacks the definite article “the.” In other words, there is no "the Assyrian" in the Old Testament.

The Hebrew word Assur can referred to Assyria, its capital city, or its chief deity, who was the equivalent of the Sumerian/Babylonian god Enlil (called Ellil in Akkad), El of Canaan, Dagon of the...

Judgment of the Kings and the Mighty

The Book of 1 Enoch prophesies a day when evil kings and rulers would be judged by a messianic figure called the Elect One—the Son of Man. 

As we’ve mentioned previously, this section of 1 Enoch is the first Jewish text in which “the Son of Man” is used as a title—a title Jesus applied to himself 78 times.

We also discuss the differences between “angels” and cherubim, seraphim, and ophanim (Ezekiel’s wheels): and the identity of the Son of Man as one with the Lord of Spiri...

Woe to the Oppressors!

The ruling elites of ancient Israel were compared to cannibals eating the flesh of those they were supposed to protect.

We continue with the prophet Micah's polemic against ancient Israel's ruling class, who apparently took advantage of the poor and downtrodden. For that reason, God told Micah to prophesy a day of judgment that would bring destruction on the rich and powerful.

Because Micah used the phrase, "in that day," we view this as an "already but not yet" prophecy—one that was fulfilled when Assyria co...

The Coming Destruction

The prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, prophesied the coming judgment of God on the kingdoms of Israel and Judah at the hand of the Assyrians. 

Our chronological reading order brings the book of Micah into the middle of our study of Isaiah. While Isaiah prophesied a day when the kingdom of Judah would declare, "God is my salvation," Micah's prophecy is a warning of God's imminent judgment for the sins of Judah and Samaria.

We see both prophecies as being of the "already but not yet" type, fulfilled i...

A VISION of Noah's was inserted into the Book of 1 Enoch, with interesting references to Leviathan and Behemoth.

These are chaos monsters. Leviathan, described as female and from the sea, and Behemoth, male and occupying the wilderness—possibly the same one into which the Watcher Azazel was thrown as punishment for his role in corrupting humanity.

We discussed the "already but not yet" prophecies of 1 Enoch 57–59 and the end times fulfillment of the vision ascribed to Noah in chapter 60.

As a reminder, this month's study comes from the Book of Parables, the prophetic section of 1...

Pentecost

Today Is Pentecost, fifty days after Passover. It’s the day the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Jesus and the day Moses descended Mount Sinai with the Law. 

We discussed the similarities and differences between those two events. For example, the fire on Mount Sinai and the tongues of fire over the heads of the followers of Jesus; and the 3,000 saved on Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 contrasted with the 3000 who were put to death when Moses returned from Sinai to find the Israelites engaged in debauchery around the golden cal...

The LORD Has Chosen Zion

The arrival of the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem in the time of David is a foreshadowing of the prophesied return of our King to his earthly throne. 

This week, we flash back about 250 years to study four psalms we overlooked during the life of David. These Psalms of praise would have been written just after the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem, as described in 1 Chronicles 13–16. 

We also discuss the covenants between God and Abraham, Moses, and David, and the difference between the...

The Reign of the Branch

The messianic prophecy of the one called "the Branch" is the focus of this week’s study.

We explore the “already but not yet” fulfillment of the promises of the restoration of Israel and judgment against Israel's neighbors—which May have already found partial fulfillment in the wars fought by Israel since 1948. We discuss the seven Spirits of Isaiah 11:2 and the references to those Spirits in the book of Revelation and their relationship to Jesus.

We also discussed these so-called Mandela verse, Isaiah 11:6. This is a refere...

ASSUR WAS a name that referred to Assyria, the capital city of Assyria, and the chief deity of Assyria. Knowing which was which means relying on the context in which it's used.

In Derek's book The Second Coming of Saturn, he shared research, showing that the word used by the prophet Isaiah for idols, ellilim, derives from the Akkadian name for Assur, Elllil (also known as Enlil, El, Dagon, Molech, Kronos, and Saturn, among others). These idols, then, were spirit beings—underworld spirits equivalent to the Rephaim, or malakim, as they were known at the ancient Amorite kingdoms of...

JUDGMENT ON evil kings and fallen angels is a major theme of the section of 1 Enoch called the Book of Parables. 

This week, we discuss the vision of a deep valley where “angels of punishment” prepare “instruments of Satan” for kings and mighty men who’ve rebelled against God—and a second valley where “iron chains of immeasurable weight” are “prepared for the hosts of Azazel.”

Our reading today ends with the prophecy of the final war against heathen powers. We discussed the historical background of the reference to the Parthians and Mead, and note comparisons to the prophecies of...

I Will Raise Up the Booth of David That is Fallen

THE DESTRUCTION of Israel is a theme throughout the book of Amos, but it ends with a prophecy of restoration.

The northern kingdom of Israel had engaged in idolatry since the time of Jeroboam, who split the kingdom of Solomon about 200 years before the time of Amos. For this, and for the treatment of the poor by Israel's elites, God decreed the destruction of the kingdom. This was to be fulfilled more than once – first, when Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom in 722 BC; an...

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 learned 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 f...

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...

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...

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 cos...

ISAIAH’S PROPHECY of a coming Messiah included foreseeing 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 Her...

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...

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 Mo...

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 firs...

ISAIAH WAS commissioned as a prophet in the year King Uzziah of Judah died—and it was a mindbending sight.

One of the seraphim descended from the altar with a burning coal in a pair of tongs and touched Isaiah’s lips to absolve him of sin so that he could remain in the presence of God. We discuss the seraphim, who were probably winged, radiant beings of serpentine appearance. The word “seraphim” literally means “burning ones,” in the sense that they destroyed enemies by incinerating them, suggesting that the seraphim may have been what we’d call dragons.

PROPHECIES OF the coming Messiah are woven throughout the Book of Isaiah.

The one we encounter in this week’s study, chapter 4 of Isaiah, is not as well known as the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1 (“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit”), but the reference to “the Branch” (Hebrew tsemach) is also found in Jeremiah 23:5 and 33:15, and Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12.

The rest of this week’s study is a sharp contrast to the prophecy of a savior who will restore “the survivors of Israel.” Isaiah 3:1–4:1 and 5:1–30 is a pr...

ENOCH’S TOUR of the spirit realm continues with a view of the throne room of God.

He describes the four archangels—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Phanuel—and their responsibilities. Interestingly, Phanuel is the archangel believed to fend off “the satans” to keep them from approaching God to “accuse them who dwell on the earth.” Apparently, there were Jews during the Second Temple period who believed that there were multiple satans (“accusers” or “adversaries”), a concept most Christians today find odd to say the least.

Our purpose in going through the Book of 1 Enoch is to better understand the...

ISAIAH WAS a wordsmith. And the word he used translated “idols,” ʾĕlîlim, identifies the spiritual nature and origin of the idols he condemned.

Dr. Christopher B. Hays, citing the work of A. T. Clay published in 1907, identified the origin of ʾĕlîlim as the name of the Mesopotamian deity Ellil, which was the Akkadian form of the Babylonian/Sumerian god Enlil.

As Derek documented in The Second Coming of Saturn, Ellil/Enlil was the equivalent of the Canaanite father-god El, and thus “the abomination of the Ammonites,” Milcom (i.e., Molech). He was also known as Assur, chie...

THE PRIDE of a king who elevated himself above what God ordained left King Uzziah with a debilitating disease.

Uzziah, also called Azariah, ruled the kingdom of Judah 792–742 BC. He was a good king for most of his reign until pride got the better of him. He dared to offer incense in the Temple, a function reserved for the priests. As a result, he was afflicted with leprosy the rest of his life.

This week’s question: What’s the context of Joel 2:25: 
I will restore to you the years
  that the swarming locust has eate...

THE SECOND SECTION of the Book of 1 Enoch isn’t as well known as the part that deals with the fallen Watchers, but it’s at least as important from a theological perspective. 

The Book of Parables, chapters 37–71 of 1 Enoch, deals specifically with how the world will be purified from the sin introduced by the rebellious Watchers. To the author(s) of this section of 1 Enoch, which was probably written by Essenes in the Galilee between 25 BC and the end of the first century BC (in other words, just before the birth of Jesus), the world had been so corr...

JONAH WAS a vindictive man who cared more about a plant than he did for the 120,000 people of Nineveh.

Reading the short Book of Jonah aloud makes it clear that the story is as much about Jonah’s desire for the destruction of Nineveh as it is about God’s mercy and desire that all people would repent and return to Him. Not only did Jonah try to run away from God, but when he finally did proclaim God’s imminent judgment on the great city (reluctantly), he was so upset that God spared the city that Jonah asked...

KING AMAZIAH of Judah is a classic example of someone whose pride got the better of him.

2 Kings 14 tells us that after Amaziah became king, he led a successful military campaign against Edom. He captured the stronghold of Sela, which was probably Petra in present-day Jordan, defeating an army of some 10,000 Edomites.

This led him to provoke a war with the northern kingdom of Israel. Despite a warning from King Jehoash to “be content with your glory, and stay at home,” Amaziah wouldn’t listen, the two kingdoms went to war, Judah was defeated, and Amaziah, like h...

THE TEMPLE in Jerusalem fell into disrepair within a century of the death of Solomon. The king who repaired it was a good man—mostly.

Joash (or Jehoash), son of Ahaziah, reigned in Judah 835–796 BC. He was made king at age seven by the high priest Jehoiada and is credited with restoring the Temple—even pushing the priests, who seemed rather slow to make repairs even after they were ordered to do so.

However, the account in 2 Chronicles 24 records that after the death of Jehoiada, Joash fell away and returned to the pagan gods of the Canaan...

THE FIRST SECTION of the Book of 1 Enoch concludes with Enoch’s travels to the ends of the earth, including a visit to Eden.

We discuss the author’s description of the portals through which the stars and winds pass, noting that evil winds came from the north, the direction from which bad things always came in Jewish thought (physical and supernatural). We also note Enoch’s travels proceeded counterclockwise from east to north, west, south, and back to east, and compare that to other counterclockwise rituals from ancient times, on the summit of Mount Hermon, to the presen...

THE END of Ahab’s line came within a span of seven years.

Jehu, an Israelite military commander under Ahab’s son, King Jehoram (or Joram), was anointed king over the northern kingdom at the direction of the prophet Elisha. Jehu moved quickly to eliminate Jehoram and the rest of the sons of Ahab. We explain why Ahab didn’t literally have 70 sons (the number 70 in the ancient Near East was not a quantity; it was a symbol that represented “all of them”).

Jehoram’s nephew, King Ahaziah of Judah, was also killed by Jehu as he fled in h...

A MIRACULOUS healing led to a Syrian warrior carrying mule loads of dirt from Israel back to Damascus.

Why did Naaman the Syrian do that? In the ancient world, it was understood that every nation had a patron deity. For Syria, that was the storm-god Hadad, better known to us as Baal. For Israel, it was Yahweh—although Jezebel and her children tried hard to replace the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with Baal, Astarte, and the rest of the Canaanite pantheon.

When the prophet Elisha instructed Naaman to wash in the Jordan to be he...

THE KING of Moab sacrificed his oldest son on the wall of his capital city, causing the combined armies of Israel, Judah, and Edom to withdraw from their siege. How do we process this?

Then he (King Mesha) took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath on Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land. (2 Kings 3:27, ESV)

On the surface, it appears the king of Moab’s sacrifice was successful. But that’s not how...