Authors and analysts Derek and Sharon Gilbert host a weekly Bible study, going verse by verse through the scriptures in chronological order. Each study is about an hour in length and posted Sundays around Noon Central Time.
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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 abyss. The other clue pointing to Ellil e
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 that the “consecrated ones” of Isaiah 13:3 are W
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 Temple to send to Assyria as tribu
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 cancer and the medical bill
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 Philistines, and Milcom of Ammon—and thus Molech, the netherworld god who demanded the
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 Spirits, God the Father—Yahweh. Sharon’s niece, Sarah Sachleben, has been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bi
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 conquered the northern Kingdom in 722 BC, and will be fulfilled again in the last days.
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 in the eighth century BC, but with a future fulfillment still to come. Bear in mind when re
A VISION of Noah 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 Enoch written j
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 calf. We also discuss the change between the law on tablets of ston
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 unconditional covenants made with Abraham and David and the Sinaitic covenant with Moses. Thoug
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 reference to the Mandela effect, an Internet meme from a few years ago that
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 Ebla and Mari.
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 Ezekiel 39 (es
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; and second, when the Romans scattered the Jews after the rebellion of Simon bar Kokhba in 136 AD. And yet, God told Amos
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 tak
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 m
THE 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 o
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 o
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 Hermon and the Sea of Galilee. Isaiah 9 also includes
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
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
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
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. Then, after hearing the Lord ask, “Who
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 prophecy of God’s judgment the
