FEEDING THE dead was an integral part of the world in which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived.
We’ve previously discussed Abraham’s distress at not having an heir to provide for him in the afterlife; this week, we explain why Jacob’s father-in-law, Laban, was so upset about losing his teraphim, the small idols that represented dead ancestors who had to be summoned to a meal every month with a necromancy ritual called kispum.
Continue readingFiled under Bible Study, Old Testament
HISTORY, PROPHECY, and a glimpse of a future war in heaven — what more could we pack into this week’s Bible study?
We discuss the historic context of this week’s reading — Assyria’s destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel, the imminent invasion of Judah, and Judah’s bad decision to turn to Egypt for an alliance instead of trusting in God. Then we get into some fascinating references to the divine council, flying fiery serpents (seraphim), a possible mention of a demon or deity called Destruction, and finally we read that the land of Edom will be allotted to goat-demons and the she-demon Lilith.
Get $20 off registration or 20% off the live video stream for the Sign in the Heavenlies Conference August 18-20 in Boise! Click here and use the promo code GILBERT20.
Breaking news! The Gilberts are going to Israel!
Derek and Sharon Gilbert along with Dr. Michael S. Heiser present the Year 70 Tour of Israel, May 6-16, 2018. Our tour will include Mount Hermon, the Grotto of Pan, the Golan Heights (Bashan, the kingdom of Og), Qumran (Dead Sea scroll caves), and, of course, the important sites in Jerusalem, including the holy mountain of God, Zion.
For information and to register, click here.
Sharon’s new supernatural thriller Blood Lies: Book One of The Redwing Saga is now available! Click here to order Blood Lies in paperback, and click here to buy Blood Lies as a Kindle e-book.
Derek’s new book The Great Inception: Satan’s PSYOPs from Eden to Armageddon is the #1 New Release in Christian Prophecy at Amazon! For free samples, click here for a series of articles drawn from material in the book, or click here for a series of short (5-10 minute) videos based on the book.
Click here for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here for the Old Testament studies to date.
Filed under Bible Study, Old Testament
WE CONTINUE our study of the most remarkable books of the Bible, 1 Corinthians. This week, we cover Paul’s instructions to the church concerning sexual immorality, lawsuits against fellow believers, the right of those in full-time ministry to earn their living in that calling, marriage and divorce, eating food sacrificed to idols, and taking the Lord’s Supper with an unrepentant heart.
We also discuss what Paul meant when he told the Corinthians that “we are to judge angels” (1 Cor. 6:3), and the puzzling verses (1 Corinthians 11:2-16) telling wives to “have a symbol of authority” on their heads, “because of the angels.”
Filed under Bible Study, New Testament
