SciFriday

With this, our 300th episode, SciFriday goes on indefinite hiatus.We've had a wonderful time producing this program over the last seven years, but with a busy 2023 schedule that includes three weeks in Israel, three books, and two documentary videos to produce, something in our schedule had to give.We close out this seven-year run with a look at the Roman god of transitions, Janus, the realSt. Nicholas, and an explanation of how the early church settled on December 25 as the date for Christmas. Here's the hard, historically documented truth: It had nothing to do with Saturn, the winter solstice, Sol Invictus, Nimrod, or Baal. In fact, the origins of Christmas were not pagan in any way, shape, or form.We may produce SciFriday specials in the future, but they will be available only through our app (gilberthouse.org/app) and our YouTube channel (YouTube.com/@SciFridayTV).Join us in Israel! For details on our Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

Loch Ness is best known as the home of a cryptid--the mysterious, serpentine creature called the Loch Ness Monster.We didn't see Nessie during our visit to Scotland in 2019, but we did see a site that played an important role in the spread of occult teachings in the 20th century: Boleskine House, which overlooks Loch Ness, was the home of occultist Aleister Crowley a little over a century ago. Crowley, who called himself the Great Beast 666, was so influential that his image appears three times on the album cover for the Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.'Sharon explains why the late 19th and early 20th centuries were a transitional period for the world in terms of spirituality and the supernatural, which is why she set her series of supernatural thrillers The Redwing Saga right in the middle of this era. Watch for Crowley, Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin, and the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to appear in future entries of The Redwing Saga.Join us in Israel! For details on our Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

Sharon's research for The Redwing Saga, her series of supernatural thrillers, turned up a historic link between the Watchers, Mount Hermon and Jack the Ripper.Sadly, the British Museum doesn't keep the inscription discovered by Sir Charles Warren in 1869 on display. Warren was later appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, where he oversaw the unsuccessful Scotland Yard investigation into the Ripper murders of 1888.We also discuss our visits to Pendragon Castle and Glencoe, sites that figure prominently in The Redwing Saga, and you can see for yourself why the landscape of the Eden Valley and Loch Leven has so inspired Sharon's imagination.Join us in Israel! For details on our Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

This week, we share some of the background for Sharon's series of supernatural thrillers, The Redwing Saga. The eighth novel in her series, The Poisoned Pawn, is available now, and Sharon explains why we traveled to the UK in 2019 to visit some of the sites we discuss this week.What was so unique about Jack the Ripper, and why did Sharon decide use his killing spree as a starting point for her series? Is it possible that eyewitness descriptions were so different from one another because the killer was a demon using different men to carry out his hideous crimes? And to what end?Join us in Israel! For details on our Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

The region between the Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon in Israel is covered with megalithic monuments to the dead.We discuss the dolmen fields and megalithic sites of the Golan Heights and Hula Valley, like Gilgal Refaim and the Serpent Mound of Bashan, and connect them to the places where Jesus was baptized, based his ministry, and declared his divinity.And you can see those sites with us this coming spring! For details on our Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

New DNA research shows that Neanderthals and Denisovans, supposedly extinct distant cousins of modern humans, traveled much farther than previously thought.Is it possible that the science isn't as settled as paleontologists think? And that the global distribution of Neanderthals and Denisovans might have an explanation that defies conventional science?We also explore a possible link to the ancient land of Bashan and Jesus' choice to begin his ministry there.

NASA recently smashed a spacecraft into an asteroid to test a concept for a future planetary defense system. Is it a coincidence that asteroid Dimorphos is about the same size as Apophis, which will make a near-pass of Earth in 2029?We also discuss the way social media algorithms shape our society. Here's a disturbing thought: What if social media addiction leads to mental health problems by design? And what if that design is imposed on the algorithms by outside (i.e., spiritual) forces?

China's President Xi Jinping was given a third term in office at the recent Chinese Communist Party congress, elevating him to the status of Mao Zedong, the leader of communist China from 1949 until his death in 1976. We discuss an article by a Chinese expat who believes China might use a targeted bioweapon against Taiwan and whether that could even work, given that the island's population is genetically very similar to mainland China, and reasons other than national pride that the Chinese Communist Party may want to take control of Taiwan.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY are creating new ways for us to engage with the unseen realm. We discuss the use of pharmaceuticals to ease depression, manage pain, and treat psychosis, which may actually make problems worse by opening gateways to entities who want to cause harm. In the same way, augmented and virtual reality may create entries for entities to engage with the unprepared in ways they don't expect.

WE WRAP our six-week series based on our last tour of Israel with a look at the incredible city of the Nabataean Arabs, Petra. Petra was a cult center, a pilgrimage destination for pagans of the ancient world until the time of Muhammad in the early 7th century. That's because Petra was the site of the original Mecca—and may have been the location of Mount Sinai, as well. Join us in Israel! For details on our Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

AT THE SOUTHERN END of the Jordan River, Sodom and Jericho were destroyed, Moses was buried, and Elijah was carried up to heaven in a whirlwind. But there's also a link to the other end of the Jordan, which in ancient times belonged to Og, king of Bashan. Our video tour of Israel continues east of the Jordan as we show you what Moses saw, explain why God called Mount Nebo “this mountain of the Travelers,” and take you out into the desert of ancient Edom. It's easy to see why the Israelites complained, looking at mostly sand and scrub for forty years!

WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS of Abraham, Joshua, David, and Jesus. Literally. That's the short version of this week's program. Our 2019 tour of Israel took us from Joshua's altar, site of the recent discovery of an ancient curse tablet written in archaic Hebrew at a time when the Israelites weren't supposed to be in the land of Canaan, to the Mount of Olives and the Temple Mount. Messianic Rabbi Zev Porat showed us the historic locations of the crucifixion and burial tomb of Jesus on the Mount of Olives, and he explained why “Golgotha” on the Mount of Olives doesn't just mean “place of a skull”—it's where David buried Goliath's skull! And you can see those places with us next spring! For details on our Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel. Our new dates for our tour of Turkey: Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we've moved our tour back to October of 2023. Exact dates will be finalized by January. For more information, visit www.gilberthouse.org/travel. Please subscribe and share our new YouTube channel: www.YouTube.com/scifridaytv!

OUR VIDEO TOUR of Israel continues this week with stops at several places that played key roles in history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAiVxtj4mA4 First, we enter the Jordan River and explain why we baptize. Next, we tour Masada, site of the final battle between Jewish rebels and the Roman legions in A.D. 70. Then it's on to Ein Gedi, where David cut the hem from Saul's robe while the king relieved himself in a cave. Then we visit Qumran, where Jim Barfield of the Copper Scroll Project shared highlights of his research—which, if he's right, could spark a geopolitical earthquake! Finally, we stopped at Shiloh, where messianic Rabbi Zev Porat showed us “Jesus” and “Messiah” in the prayer of Hannah (1 Samuel 2), and where we saw in an otherwise cloudless sky what we can only describe as the wings of the cherubim—right over the place where the Tabernacle stood for more than 300 years. Also: A camel nearly bucks our good friend and cameraman, Taylor Joseph. Join us in Israel! For details on our Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

ONE OF THE MOST MYSTERIOUS sites on earth is even weirder than previously thought. Less than ten years ago, Pastor Doug Van Dorn, author of Giants: Sons of the Gods, using Google Earth, spotted a strange, serpent-shaped ridge on the Golan Heights just one-quarter mile from Gilgal Refaim, a megalithic site much bigger and much older than Stonehenge. Independently of Doug, we found it again after our 2019 tour of Israel. The ridge, which is three times longer and five times higher than the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio, is covered with more than 140 megalithic tombs. And besides being a five-minute walk from Gilgal Refaim, it's within plain view of Mount Hermon. Who turned this site into a necropolis nearly 6,000 years ago? Why there? And is the serpent-shaped ridge the reason the land was called Bashan—“place of the serpent”? Join us in Israel! For details on our Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

ISRAEL IS GROUND ZERO in the long supernatural war in which we all play a part. This week, we begin a series of programs to show you Israel through our eyes. In 2019, we traveled across the country and captured the adventure on video (special thanks to our friend, Taylor Joseph, who did most of the video work). Our tour began at the town where Jesus spent his childhood, Nazareth, where you can find a working first-century village today that helps you see what life was like for Jesus and his family. From there, we traveled to the Jezreel Valley and visited Megiddo—which, contrary to popular teaching, is not where Armageddon will be fought—and Mount Carmel, the site of Elijah's epic confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Join us in Israel! For details on our Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE is being deployed in weapons systems all over the world, from small, robotic dogs with guns attached to a terrifying Russian underwater drone called Poseidon that may carry a nuclear warhead twice as powerful as the largest device ever tested.
 We also discuss a warning by vulcanologists that the earth has a 1 in 6 chance of a major eruption by the end of this century—something like the Mount Tambora eruption in April of 1815 that caused the “year without a summer,” leading to crop failures, famine, and disease outbreaks worldwide.

GOD FOUND IT NECESSARY to destroy Sodom and its neighbors. 400 years later, He sent a plague against the Israelites for worshipping Baal-Peor, whose temple may have been inside the city of Sodom. What was it about Sodom and the cities of the plain that provoked God to respond so forcefully? We discuss the dolmens around Sodom, megalithic funerary monuments dedicated to the cult of the dead, and evidence from an even older city that hints at religious rites involving very large people with six fingers.

AMONG THE MYSTERIES of ancient Sodom are the fields of megalithic funerary monuments called dolmens clustered around the city. Dr. Steven Collins, chief archaeologist at Tall el-Hammam, explains why the dolmens of Sodom, unlike those elsewhere on earth, were not tombs, but probably used in ancient rituals connected to the cult of the dead.

THE SITE of biblical Sodom was overlooked by archaeologists for decades because the hill on which it was built was too obvious. Seriously. Dr. Steven Collins, chief archaeologist at Tall el-Hammam, explains why he chose to dig at the site near Mount Nebo more than fifteen years ago, why the traditional sites southeast of the Dead Sea don't fit the biblical description of Sodom, and how political unrest in the West Bank led to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in history.

A NEW BILL being considered by the U.S. Senate would create an interdepartmental committee to plan for a global catastrophe—the kind that could mean the end of humanity. The U.S. has had continuity of government plans in effect for decades, but those are intended to preserve the government through a nuclear attack. Why expand the scope to surviving a potentially world-ending event? Why now? More to the point, is this in any way connected to the arrival of asteroid Apophis in 2029?

Somebody really, really wanted the ruler of Jerusalem 1,300 years ago to die. And the curse was written in Hebrew. Dr. Doug Petrovich, author of The World's Oldest Alphabet and Origins of the Hebrews, explains why a recently translated curse inscription found at Jerusalem and dated to about 1300 BC is not, as has been reported, an example of porto-Canaanite script, but rather more evidence that the Israelites had a written language centuries earlier than previously thought.

A big space rock is heading for Earth. NASA says it will miss us by about 24,000 miles on April 13, 2029, but that's only 1/10 the distance from the earth to the moon—closer than some of our orbiting satellites. Filmmaker Josh Peck joins us to discuss his new documentary Ragnarok: Humanity's Last Stand, based on Tom Horn's best-selling book The Wormwood Prophecy. The film explores the science behind the projected orbit of Apophis, questions about the assumptions and calculations, and the scientific and supernatural significance of the object named for the Egyptian god of chaos. It leads to some big questions: Is asteroid Apophis the third trumpet judgment of Revelation 8? If so, what does that mean for us? And if not, what do we take away from this?

The 35 acres of the Temple Mount is the most hotly contested piece of real estate on Earth. We suggest it's because God has chosen Zion for His dwelling place (Psalm 132:13). Dr. Scott Stripling joins us again this week to explain why alternate theories placing the Temple in the City of David don't hold up.

Archaeology continues to confirm the history recorded in the Bible. We may be on the verge of another major discovery connected to a critical time in Israel's history. We talked with Dr. Scott Stripling, provost of The Bible Seminary in Katy, Texas, last September at the International Symposium on Archaeology and the Bible. He discussed the dig he leads at ancient Shiloh and explains why he thinks they may have found the spot where the Tabernacle stood for more than 300 years.

A senior software engineer at Google believes the company has created a sentient artificial intelligence. Have they really, and if so, what are the consequences? Then Dr. Phillip Silvia, Director of Scientific Analysis at Tall el-Hammam, returns to share evidence from the dig at ancient Sodom of significant changes in the earth's rotational axis—which may explain the story of the reversing shadow on the sundial of Ahaz in 2 Kings 20:8–11! Join us in Israel! For details on the 2023 SkyWatchTV Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, visit www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

A growing body of evidence points to an archaeological dig just northeast of the Dead Sea as the site of ancient Sodom. Dr. Phillip Silvia, Director of Scientific Analysis at Tall el-Hammam, explains why bits of pottery flash-glazed on one side and chemical analysis of salt from the destruction layer at the site not only identify it as Sodom, it makes sense of the Bible's story about Lot's wife being turned to a pillar of salt.

A very large city across the Jordan River from Jericho was destroyed during the Middle Bronze Age, the time of Abraham, by something that exploded in the air over the north end of the Dead Sea. Dr. Phillip Silvia, co-author of a peer-reviewed paper about the site, joins us to explain why the evidence has convinced him that the site called Tall el-Hammam is the biblical Sodom.

Believers in the existence of extraterrestrial life were thrilled by a photo from NASA's Curiosity rover that appeared to show a doorway in the side of a cliff. The “door” is smaller than it appears, roughly the size of a doggie door, and experts say it's not an unusual formation in that type of rock, even here on Earth. (Which raises another interesting question…) We also discuss an exceptionally large comet that's headed into the solar system from the Oort Cloud, the theoretical trans-Neptunian bodies that orbit the Sun at such a distance that they're nearly impossible to see. (Don't worry; Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein won't get any closer to us than the orbit of Saturn, and not until 2031.)

Disturbing new research in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence points to a dystopian future of autonomous killer drones and robots. While some are sounding an alarm over the dangers of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS), militaries and universities around the world continue to develop new ways of killing by remote control—or with no control at all.

A piece of a milk bowl dropped by an Israelite 3,400 years ago adds more evidence to the story of the conquest of Canaan by Joshua and the Israelites. Dr. Douglas Petrovich, author of The World's Oldest Alphabet and Origins of the Hebrews, explains why a small piece of pottery has huge implications for the history of Israel.

AN OUTBREAK of monkeypox has taken Europe and North America by surprise. The disease normally isn't seen outside Africa, where the virus is endemic in animals. We explain why this is not the next pandemic, but we also share some history of the Soviet Union's research into monkeypox as a potential bioweapon during the Cold War.

One of the most mysterious artifacts in history is back in the news. An Italian scientist and his team used a new X-ray technique to date the shroud, purported to be the burial cloth of Jesus, to about the time of his crucifixion. This contradicts a 1988 study that used radiocarbon dating to place the shroud's creation in the year 1325, +/- 65 years. This week, we pull excerpts from a pair of interviews Derek conducted in July, 2013 at a Prophecy Watchers conference in Colorado Springs. Russ Breault, president and founder of the Shroud of Turin Education Project (www.shroudencounter.com), and Barrie Schwortz, president of the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association (www.shroud.com), explain why they believe the shroud is what believers claim it to be—a piece of linen that preserves the image of the pre-resurrected Jesus. Turkey is a land that's full of historic and prophetic significance—the churches of Revelation, Abraham's home city, and the oldest religious community on Earth, Göbekli Tepe. Join us on this adventure! Our tour runs October 18-November 3, 2022. Find out more at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com. Join us in Israel! For details on the 2023 SkyWatchTV Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, visit www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

As a fundamental misunderstanding of science convinces many that the Bible is a book of myths, the world is not turning to atheism, but returning to the old pagan ways. We discuss the celebration of Walpurgisnacht in Germany, which, ironically, is named for Saint Walburga, an 8th-century West Saxon missionary to the Franks. Also: Mystery hepatitis outbreak in children under 10 has scientists baffled. Turkey is a land that's full of historic and prophetic significance—the churches of Revelation, Abraham's home city, and the oldest religious community on Earth, Göbekli Tepe. See Turkey with us and join us on this adventure! Our tour runs October 18-November 3, 2022. Find out more at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com. Join us in Israel! For details on the 2023 SkyWatchTV Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, visit www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

SCIENTISTS HAVE veered out of their lane into the realm of metaphysics by questioning whether time and reality actually exist. We discuss the dangerous implications of such philosophical musings, because they often lead to the conclusion that since cause-and-effect are mere social constructs, we humans are not really responsible for our actions. Watch every episode of SciFriday at www.SciFriday.tv! We'll announce a new YouTube channel soon. Join us as we visit the cities of the churches of Revelation this fall. Our tour of Turkey is set for October 18-November 3, 2022! For more information, log on to www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com. Join us in Israel! For details on the SkyWatchTV Israel Tour (new dates: March 19-30, 2023), visit www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

High-tech science played a key role in deciphering the text on a small lead amulet found on Mount Ebal in Israel, the site of Joshua's altar. Archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling, provost of The Bible Seminary in Katy, Texas, and Aaron Lipkin, CEO of Lipkin Tours, an Israeli tour company based in Samaria (the West Bank), discuss the process by which the “curse amulet” was found and decoded, and the monumental significance of this discovery. Turkey is a land that's full of historic and prophetic significance—the churches of Revelation, Abraham's home city, and the oldest religious community on Earth, Göbekli Tepe. Join us on this adventure! Our tour runs October 18-November 3, 2022. Find out more at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com. Join us in Israel! For details on the 2023 SkyWatchTV Israel Tour March 19-30, 2023, visit www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

WE'RE BACK! SciFriday returns with a look at the mystical, pseudo-historical beliefs of “Putin's Rasputin,” Aleksandr Dugin. It's hard to believe, but the teachings of 19th century occultist Helena Petrovna Blavatsky have shaped the man who has convinced ultra-nationalist Russians like Vladimir Putin that it is their destiny to rule the “world island,” everything from Vladivostok to Dublin. Watch every episode of SciFriday at www.SciFriday.tv! We'll announce a new YouTube channel soon.

Technocrats and transhumanists are working hard to realize Gene Roddenberry's vision of a techno-utopia. Their vision may lead to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

It sounds crazy, but a woman in Moscow who went to bed playing Pokemon Go claims she woke up to find a Pokemon in her bed attempting to rape her. Not surprisingly, her husband and the police think she's nuts. But in Japan, a growing number of people are convinced that their pets can see the Pokemon showing on their augmented reality video screens. Considering the time and money government agencies have devoted to developing systems to weaponize the occult, and the recent murder and attempted murder cases against teens convinced that Slenderman and Laughing Jack are real, is this really as crazy as it sounds?