Gilbert House Fellowship

THE PSALMS in our study this week reflect the mood of David after his sin in sending Uriah the Hittite to his death. Continue reading →

JESUS IS in Jerusalem and, knowing that his time is short, begins to speak of his return, both directly and in parables. We discuss the parable of the wedding feast and what it means that some at the feast will be bound and cast into outer darkness, the abomination that causes desolation (another "already but not yet" fulfillment of prophecy), Jesus' condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees, and...

DAVID IS at the high point of his kingship, and -- as happens all too often with us mortals -- he decides he isn't satisfied with the blessings that God has bestowed. Continue reading →

OUR NEW Testament study moves to the events of the final week of Jesus' ministry before the Crucifixion. We discuss the Kingdom of God, the prophetic nature of the parable of the ten minas, the salvation of Zacchaeus the tax collector, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the growing plot to kill Jesus (and Lazarus!), and the significance of the Mount of Olives.

The War of the Beards is the core event of this week's Old Testament study. Continue reading →

MARRIAGE AND divorce can be sensitive topics, so it's no wonder the scribes and Pharisees tried to use them to trip up Jesus. As with every encounter between them, however, Jesus turned the tables and discredited his antagonists. We discuss the request by James and John to sit at Jesus' right hand in his kingdom, the cursing of the fig tree, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and several well-...

DAVID CONSOLIDATES control over his kingdom, extending his control from the border with Egypt to the Euphrates River. We also study a number of Psalms, including one that is clearly a polemic against Ba'al. Continue reading →

THE PLOT against Jesus moves to a new level as the Sanhedrin responds to accounts of Lazarus being raised from the dead in a curious way: Rather than admitting that Jesus is the Messiah, they decide to have him killed so the Romans won't put them all out of a job! Also: The faith of little children, the stumbling block of wealth, and the failure of those nearest to Jesus to understand his mission.

More references to the divine council, this week in the context of Yahweh's establishment of His covenant with David and His holy mountain, Zion. Continue reading →

THE TROUBLES of this world can be a huge obstacle to following Christ. Money, family, social status, possessions, and even religious tradition can distract us from prioritizing our lives in the proper order. Continue reading →

THIS WEEK'S Old Testament study is another lesson in how much depth the scriptures contain when we actually look. Continue reading →

JESUS POKES the rebellious Fallen in the eye again this week as he sends out 72 disciples (or 70–and we discuss the difference) to witness and cast out demons. This episode was Jesus serving notice to the bene elohim that were allocated to the nations after Babel (of which, according to Deuteronomy 32:8-9, there were 72) that they were no longer welcome in Israel, which is ground holy to God. We a...

PSALMS OF thanksgiving and a retrospective of Israelite history are the focus of our Old Testament study this week. Continue reading →

THE CONSPIRACY to kill Jesus of Nazareth gains momentum as the Pharisees begin to look for reasons to stone him. Twice in this week’s reading Jesus hid himself because the time for him to be lifted up was not yet. We also discuss the disbelief of his brothers, how allegorizing John 7:10 led to the heretical eschatology of the Latter Rain movement, and why Jesus’ reference to Psalm 82:6 (“I said yo...

DAVID'S CORONATION as king over all Israel is the focus of this week's Old Testament study. Continue reading →

JESUS TAKES command of the enemy’s holy mountain, demonstrating his authority through the Transfiguration on Mount Hermon–the place where the Watchers descended and initiated their plan to corrupt humanity in the days of Noah’s great-great-grandfather Jared. We also explore several import aspects of Bible doctrine: The hierarchy of the entities in the supernatural realm, the long war between Yahwe...

MORE GENEALOGIES and a recap of the death of Saul, as well as several psalms from the period around the time of Saul's demise, are the focus of our Old Testament study this week. Continue reading →

PARALLEL ACCOUNTS of Peter’s declaration of faith at Caesarea Philippi, a site sacred to Pan at the base of Mount Hermon, are featured in our New Testament study this week. We also see another feeding of a multitude, Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees and Sadducees who demanded a sign, and the healing of the demon-possessed daughter of a Gentile woman in the region of Tyre.

PSALMS OF ASAPH are featured this week in our Old Testament study. Continue reading →

TODAY WE revisit the accounts of Jesus walking on Sea of Galilee and feeding the five thousand, this time from the perspectives of Luke and John. We learn from John that the miracle of the loaves and fishes was so impressive to the crowd that they tried to take Jesus by force to make him king. Since today is Palm Sunday, we also read the four gospel accounts of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusale...

PSALMS AND genealogies again this week in our Old Testament study, but even here we find some very interesting nuggets. Continue reading →

THREE OF the most iconic moments of Jesus’ ministry are the focus of this week’s New Testament study: Jesus walking across the Sea of Galilee, the feeding of five thousand men (plus women and children) with five loaves of bread and two fish, and the decapitation of John the Baptist on the orders of the cowardly Herod Antipas. We discuss the mission of the twelve disciples to heal the sick and driv...

THE PSALMS of David take center stage this week. The tone of the psalms changes as well, as David's circumstances have shifted from running and hiding to ascending to the throne of Israel. Continue reading →

OUR SIDE-BY-SIDE comparison of Jesus’ ministry continues with our chronological study of the New Testament. This week, Jesus calms the storm, drives out the demons who call themselves Legion (“for we are many”), and brings back the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue leader, from the dead. We also examine several of Jesus’ best-known parables, including the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of th...

OUR OLD Testament study this week moves to a new phase of David's life as he is declared king of Judah. Continue reading →