THE SO-CALLED silent centuries between the Book of Malachi and the Gospel of Matthew weren’t as quiet as we’ve been taught.

This month, the Iron and Myth crew discusses a fictionalized account of Judea’s struggle for independence in the second century BC from the rule (and gods) of their Greek overlords by Iron and Myth regular and best-selling author Brian Godawa (Godawa.com), Judah Maccabee Part 1: Abomination of Desolation and Judah Maccabee Part 2: Against the Gods of Greece.  

Doug Van Dorn (DouglasVanDorn.com) and Dr. Judd Burton (BurtonBeyond.net) join Brian to discuss the historical and theological significance of the centuries between the Old and New Testaments, focusing on the story of Hanukkah and the Maccabees. We analyze the role of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Maccabean revolt, and the implications of these events on Jewish history and theology.  

Our conversation also explores the nature of historical fiction and how it can be approached from a truth perspective, emphasizing the importance of understanding divine authorities and principalities in the context of these narratives. Brian shares how he balances myth and history in biblical narratives, emphasizing the concept of ‘mytho-history’ as a blend of mythological and historical storytelling. He explores the role of fiction in understanding scripture, the importance of cultural context, and how integrating non-biblical stories can enhance biblical narratives.

Listen to this week’s podcast below, or watch the interview at the Gilbert House app or our YouTube channel:

Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! 

Derek’s new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible!

Join the Gilberts and their special guest Carl Teichrib in the Holy Land! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Please join Derek and Sharon Gilbert each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details.

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!

IT’S BECOMING more acceptable for pagans to proclaim their faith openly in America. 

Carl Teichrib (GameOfGods.ca), author of Game of Gods: The Temple of Man in the Age of Re-enchantment, shares his experiences at the 2025 Paganicon in Minneapolis. Carl tells us that many of the Neo-pagans there, who now follow gods of the Greek, Roman, Mesopotamian, and Norse pantheons, came out of Christian churches. 

We discuss the reasons these modern-day pagans abandoned Jesus and the responsibility we Christians share for failing to serve as effective ambassadors for our King. 

Follow Carl on X (@CarlTeichrib) and take advantage of his research at ForcingChange.org.

Listen to this week’s podcast below, or watch the interview at the Gilbert House app or our YouTube channel:

Join the Gilberts and their special guest Carl Teichrib in the Holy Land! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! 

Derek’s new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible!

Get our free app! It features all of our weekly content—this podcast, our weekly Bible study, the Gilbert House Fellowship, and our weekly program Unraveling Revelation. It’s free and available for iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, and for Roku and Apple TV. Find the link here: www.GilbertHouse.org/app/.

Please join Derek and Sharon Gilbert each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details.

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!

RED HEIFERS are back in Israel! But what does that mean, exactly? 

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, writer for Israel365News.com and author of the new book Return of the Red Heifers (israel365store.com/products/red-heifers), joins us to explain the significance of the heifers, why they’re important, and why a Third Temple isn’t necessary to begin the sacrifices on the Temple Mount. 

We also discuss the historical context of the relationship between Jews and Christians, the role of the Messiah, modern misunderstandings surrounding these topics and the potential for future collaboration between the two faiths. 

Follow Adam’s Substack here: AdamEliyahuBerkowitz.substack.com.

Listen to this week’s podcast below, or watch the interview at the Gilbert House app or our YouTube channel:

Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! 

Derek’s new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible!

Join the Gilberts and their special guest Carl Teichrib in the Holy Land! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Get our free app! It features all of our weekly content—this podcast, our weekly Bible study, the Gilbert House Fellowship, and our weekly program Unraveling Revelation. It’s free and available for iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, and for Roku and Apple TV. Find the link here: www.GilbertHouse.org/app/.

Please join Derek and Sharon Gilbert each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details.

Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. Thank you for making it possible! If you are so led, you can help out by clicking here.

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!

IT’S CALLED the world’s oldest temple. While only a small portion of the site has been excavated, the clues point to one solid conclusion: It was built as a point of contact with the gods. 

Our usual Iron and Myth crew is joined by special guest Dr. Aaron Judkins (aaronjudkins.com, aaronjudkins.substack.com), co-author with Dr. Judd Burton (burtonbeyond.net) of the best-selling book Decoding Göbekli Tepe: Biblical Anatolia and the Watchers (https://amzn.to/4hcbvyX). 

Rounding out the discussion are Doug Van Dorn (douglasvandorn.com), author, pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Northern Colorado in Boulder and host of the Giant Steps podcast, and Brian Godawa (godawa.com), best-selling author and award-winning screenwriter, whose new novels Judah Maccabee, Part 1: Abomination of Desolation and Judah Maccabee, Part 2: Against the Gods of Greece will be the topic of next month’s Iron and Myth.

Our conversation digs into the significance of Göbekli Tepe, exploring its classification as the world’s oldest temple and the cultural implications of its construction. The discussion highlights the mysterious influences that may have contributed to the site’s creation, including supernatural elements and connections to biblical narratives. 

Recent discoveries at Göbekli Tepe, including evidence of habitation and the symbolism of the vulture stone, are examined, alongside the ongoing research and future excavations that may further illuminate this ancient site. Judd and Aaron explore the historical and spiritual significance of Göbekli Tepe, discussing its connections to biblical narratives, the influence of supernatural entities known as the Watchers, and the site’s implications for understanding ancient burial practices and archaeoastronomy.  

Finally, they share the links between Göbekli Tepe and the first humans, Adam and Eve, emphasizing the site’s role in the broader context of ancient history and its relevance to modern biblical studies. 

Listen to this week’s podcast below, or watch the interview at the Gilbert House app or our YouTube channel:

Join the Gilberts and their special guest Carl Teichrib in the Holy Land! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! 

Derek’s new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible!

Get our free app! It features all of our weekly content—this podcast, our weekly Bible study, the Gilbert House Fellowship, and our weekly program Unraveling Revelation. It’s free and available for iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, and for Roku and Apple TV. Find the link here: www.GilbertHouse.org/app/.

Please join Derek and Sharon Gilbert each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details.

And check out our weekly video program Unraveling Revelation (www.unravelingrevelation.tv)!

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!

IT’S DIFFICULT enough explaining why we Christians believe in Jesus, but doing so with our Jewish brothers and sisters requires tact and patience made necessary by almost 1,900 years of mutual animosity. 

We’re joined this week by Dr. Igal German, founding director of the Institute of Biblical Apologetics (BibleApologist.org) and Yesod Bible Center (YesodBibleCenter.com). We discuss Dr. German’s journey from rabbinic Judaism to faith in Jesus as the Messiah, his work in apologetics, and the current state of Christian responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  

Dr. German emphasizes the importance of understanding apologetics as a defense of faith, the need for a strong Christian voice in support of Israel, and the mission to reach the Jewish community with the gospel. There is a complex historical and theological relationship between Judaism and Christianity, and we explore the implications of supersessionism, the interpretation of Messianic prophecies, and the role of education in bridging the divide between Christians and Jews—especially the importance of understanding the Jewish roots of the Christian faith and the need for compassion and sensitivity in evangelism. 

NOTE: Apologies for the audio issues with my mic this week! 

Listen to this week’s podcast below, or watch the interview at the Gilbert House app or our YouTube channel:

Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! 

Derek’s new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible!

Join the Gilberts and their special guest Carl Teichrib in the Holy Land! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. Thank you for making it possible! If you are so led, you can help out by clicking here.

Get our free app! It features all of our weekly content—this podcast, our weekly Bible study, the Gilbert House Fellowship, and our weekly program Unraveling Revelation. It’s free and available for iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, and for Roku and Apple TV. Find the link here: www.GilbertHouse.org/app/.

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!

IN THE ANCIENT Near East, the dead never really went away. And if you didn’t care for them properly, they could make your life hell. 

With us to discuss the cult of the dead in the lands around ancient Israel is our Iron and Myth crew: Dr. Judd Burton(www.BurtonBeyond.net), author of Interview with the Giant; Doug Van Dorn (www.douglasvandorn.com), author of Giants: Sons of the Gods; and Brian Godawa (www.Godawa.com), best-selling author of the theological thriller Cruel Logic, and a new novel based on the period of the Maccabees in Judea. 

We explore the cult of the dead in ancient Israel, examining its practices, rituals, and the influence of ancestor worship. The discussion delves into archaeological findings, biblical references, and comparative analysis with other cultures, particularly focusing on the Rephaim and the significance of rituals like the Marzeah feast.  

The pervasive nature of these beliefs and practices in ancient societies is evident in biblical references to the Rephaim and the cult of the dead, and we discuss how these concepts have influenced modern spiritual practices. We also discuss how Jesus’ ministry and the Last Supper serve were spiritual warfare against the cult of the dead, drawing parallels to contemporary practices that echo these ancient beliefs. 

Listen to this week’s podcast below, or watch the interview at the Gilbert House app or our YouTube channel:

Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! 

Derek’s new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible!

Join the Gilberts and their special guest Carl Teichrib in the Holy Land! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Get our free app! It features all of our weekly content—this podcast, our weekly Bible study, the Gilbert House Fellowship, and our weekly program Unraveling Revelation. It’s free and available for iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, and for Roku and Apple TV. Find the link here: www.GilbertHouse.org/app/.

Please join Derek and Sharon Gilbert each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details.

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!

PRESIDENT TRUMP made more heads explode this week with his announcements about Gaza and the creation of a White House Faith Office. 

Leftists and Muslims are incensed by Trump’s proposal to rebuild Gaza, which they’re calling “ethnic cleansing,” conveniently forgetting that negotiations for a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli problem have yet to yield results after about 90 years of trying. Meanwhile, liberals, atheists, and many conservative Christians object, for various reasons, to the appointment of Paula White-Cain to head up the new White House Faith Office. 

Let’s take a breath and wait to see how this plays out. Remember, what happens in your house is more important than who’s in the White House. And regardless of your view on eschatology, we can say with confidence that President Trump is not the Antichrist. 

Listen to this week’s podcast below, or watch the interview at the Gilbert House app or our YouTube channel:

Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! 

Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. Thank you for making it possible! If you are so led, you can help out by clicking here.

Get our free app! It features all of our weekly content—this podcast, our weekly Bible study, the Gilbert House Fellowship, and our weekly program Unraveling Revelation. It’s free and available for iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, and for Roku and Apple TV. Find the link here: www.GilbertHouse.org/app/.

Join the Gilberts and their special guest Carl Teichrib in the Holy Land! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Please join Derek and Sharon Gilbert each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details.

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!

THE TRAGIC midair collision of an American Eagle passenger jet with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter in Washington, D. C. this week was politicized and conspiracy theorized within hours. Neither response is appropriate.  

Our government and the media has created such a sense of distrust that many of us don’t believe anything we see, hear, or read anymore. That’s by design. Believing nothing will steer you wrong just as surely as believing everything. In the case of AA Flight 5342, it appears the simple explanation–human error–is correct.

A pilot friend of ours recommended this analysis of the crash by an experienced pilot who reviews the recording of communications between air traffic controllers at Reagan National Airport, which indicates that the pilot of the Blackhawk helicopter thought he had Flight 5342 in sight when, in fact, he was looking at the plane coming in behind it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfgllf1L9_4

Listen to this week’s podcast below, or watch the interview at the Gilbert House app or our YouTube channel:

Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! 

Derek’s new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible!

Get our free app! It features all of our weekly content—this podcast, our weekly Bible study, the Gilbert House Fellowship, and our weekly program Unraveling Revelation. It’s free and available for iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, and for Roku and Apple TV. Find the link here: www.GilbertHouse.org/app/.

Join the Gilberts and their special guest Carl Teichrib in the Holy Land! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Please join Derek and Sharon Gilbert each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details.

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!

THE AI genie is out of the bottle. The big question now is whether Skynet will be Chinese or American. 

We discuss the announcement this week of a half-trillion dollar joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank called Stargate to build an artificial intelligence infrastructure to make the United States the world’s leader in AI technology. The venture’s name evokes images of “ancient aliens,” thanks to the movie Stargate and its long-running TV spinoff, and the remote viewing experiments run by the Defense Intelligence Agency in the late ’70s. We don’t know whether President Trump is aware of these connections, but someone on his team surely is. 

However, China preempted the White House announcement by releasing DeepSeek R1, an AI platform that performs as well as, if not better than, OpenAI’s latest release and is offered to users at 3% of OpenAI’s price. In addition. DeepSeek is open source, meaning users can download it and run it themselves for the cost of the electricity. 

In short, the AI demon has been summoned, to quote Elon Musk. Just remember, this is being allowed by the Lord for His reasons, and we Christians need to understand time is growing short. 

Listen to this week’s podcast below, or watch the interview at the Gilbert House app or our YouTube channel:

Derek’s new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible!

Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! 

Get our free app! It features all of our weekly content—this podcast, our weekly Bible study, the Gilbert House Fellowship, and our weekly program Unraveling Revelation. It’s free and available for iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, and for Roku and Apple TV. Find the link here: www.GilbertHouse.org/app/.

Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. Thank you for making it possible! If you are so led, you can help out by clicking here.

Join the Gilberts and their special guest Carl Teichrib in the Holy Land! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Please join Derek and Sharon Gilbert each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details.

And check out our weekly video program Unraveling Revelation (www.unravelingrevelation.tv)!

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!

GÖBEKLI TEPE has been called the oldest temple in the world. Who—or what—was worshipped there?

Dr. Aaron Judkins and Dr. Judd Burton, authors of the new book Decoding Gobekli Tepe: Biblical Anatolia and the Watchers (https://amzn.to/3WpE3xu), join us to explore the significance of the ancient site. They discuss the archaeological evidence that supports biblical narratives, the spiritual connections to ancient Anatolia (modern Türkiye), and the cultural implications of the site’s findings. 

We delve into the role of the Watchers, the worship of the moon-god, and the anthropomorphic representations found at Göbekli Tepe, ultimately connecting these themes to the veneration of ancestors and the Rephaim.

Aaron and Judd also discuss cultural engineering by the Watchers and their astonishing discovery of a connection between iconography at Göbekli Tepe and the Luwians, a Bronze Age people who lived in what is now southern Türkiye—thousands of years after Gobekli Tepe was built.

Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! 

Derek’s new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible!

Listen to this week’s podcast below, or watch the interview at the Gilbert House app or our YouTube channel:

Please join Derek and Sharon Gilbert each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details.

Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. Thank you for making it possible! If you are so led, you can help out by clicking here.

Join the Gilberts and their special guest Carl Teichrib in the Holy Land! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel.

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!