Entries by Derek Gilbert

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Lord of the Dead Part II

The title “lord of the dead” was probably some kind of honor in the minds of the pagan Canaanites. The spirits of the Rephaim were called “warriors of Baal” and […]

Lord of the Dead

Chapter 14 of the Book of Isaiah is absolutely fascinating. It’s long been interpreted as a condemnation of the rebel in the Garden of Eden. It certainly is that; Jerome’s […]

Order from Chaos: God Defeats the First Divine Rebel

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably read enough of the Bible to know that the serpent in Eden was the first character in the Bible to reject the authority of […]

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Petra was Mecca

The history of Mecca before the rise of Islam is obscure. With all due respect to Muslims, their historians have tended to retcon—shorthand for “retroactive continuity,” a Hollywood term for […]

The Spiritual Origins of Islam

The pagan gods of the ancient world did not humbly submit after the Resurrection. They’ve continued in their rebellion. Maybe they figure they’ve got nothing to lose. Like Inanna in […]

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Infernal Infighting

The pagan gods of the ancient world did not humbly submit after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead, they’ve continued in their rebellion. Maybe they figure they’ve got nothing to […]

Nimrod was Not the King of Babylon

  Nimrod gets a bad rap. Many of us were taught that because the Tower of Babel was at Babylon, Nimrod is the villain responsible for the evil associated with […]

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Sons of the Titans!

Scholar Amar Annus has linked the name Sheth/Seth, found in the prophecy of Balaam recorded in Numbers 24:17, to an infamous Amorite tribe well known in the ancient Near East, […]

Seth, Sheth or Set the Egyptian “god of chaos”?

The victories over Og of Bashan and his ally, Sihon of Heshbon, were the last two battles fought by the Israelites under Moses. Since you’ve read your Old Testament, you […]

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The Second Coming of Hercules

The gods of Greek mythology are real. They’re angry, and they’re coming back. Wait, you’re thinking. I thought this guy was a Christian. Exactly. The Greek tales of their deities and […]

Who is Baal, Really?

Texts from the Canaanite kingdom of Ugarit name Mount Zaphon as the site of Baal’s palace, but the capital of Yamḥad, Halab (Aleppo), was the City of Hadad, so called […]

Storm-god Rising

Baal (properly spelled Baʿal) was the main enemy of Yahweh in the Old Testament. One could argue that he was even more of a villain in the Bible than Satan, […]