A View from the Bunker
Discussions that matter!
Return of the Red Heifers
March 23, 2025 • Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
RED HEIFERS are back in Israel! But what does that mean, exactly? Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, writer for http://israel365news.com/ and author of the new book Return of the Red Heifers (http://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: http://adameliyahuberkowitz.substack.com/http://substack.com.
Iron and Myth 38: The Gods of Göbekli Tepe
March 16, 2025 • Dr. Aaron Judkins, Dr. Judd Burton, Brian Godawa
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 meant as a point of contact with the gods. Our usual Iron and Myth crew is joined by special guest Dr. Aaron Judkins (http://aaronjudkins.com, aaronjudkins.http://substack.com), co-author with Dr. Judd Burton (http://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 (http://douglasvandorn.com), author, pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Northern Colorado in Boulder and host of the Giant Steps podcast, and Brian Godawa (http://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.
Defending the Faith and Sharing it With Jews
March 2, 2025 • Dr. Igal German
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 (http://bibleapologist.org/) and Yesod Bible Center (http://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!
Iron and Myth 37: Care and Feeding of the Dead
February 16, 2025 • Brian Godawa, Dr. Judd Burton, Doug Van Dorn
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(http://www.burtonbeyond.net/), author of Interview with the Giant; Doug Van Dorn (http://www.douglasvandorn.com/), author of Giants: Sons of the Gods; and Brian Godawa (http://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.
Trump! Gaza! Antichrist!
February 9, 2025
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.
Not Everything is a Conspiracy
February 2, 2025
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. https://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujtdd7hy-_e 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 answer is simply a tragic case of human error.
Trump, Stargate, and our Future AI Overlord
January 26, 2025
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.
Decoding Göbekli Tepe
January 19, 2025 • Dr. Aaron Judkins, Dr. Judd Burton
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.
The Abomination of Desolation
January 12, 2025 • Brian Godawa
THE SO-CALLED silent centuries between the books of Malachi and Matthew in the Bible were not as quiet as we’ve been told. Award-winning screenwriter and best-selling novelist Brian Godawa (http://godawa.com) joins us to discuss the latest entries in his Chronicles of the Watchers series, Judah Maccabee Part 1: The Abomination of Desolation and Judah Maccabee Part 2: Against the Gods of Greece. Brian tells us why he chose this period of relatively unfamiliar Jewish history (unfamiliar to Christians, anyway) to dramatize spiritual warfare, explains why the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament is relevant to Christians, and reveals where in the Apocrypha we find accounts of angels fighting against the Greeks for the Jews.
Mark of the Beast, World War 3, and Trump – What You'll See in 2025
January 5, 2025
WE LIVE in interesting times. And 2025 promises no end of excitement. What’s ahead for the coming year? The two biggest economic blocs on Earth, the G7 and BRICS, will launch pilot programs for Central Bank Digital Currencies, the closest thing we’ve seen to what the mark of the Beast will look like. In the Middle East, Turkey has overthrown the Assad regime in Syria, but what that means for regional security is still unknown, as is Russia’s response to Ukraine’s use of long-range British and American missiles. Meanwhile, China is looking more ready than ever to try to reintegrate Taiwan into the mainland. Politically, Donald Trump will become the second American president to serve two non-consecutive terms (the other was Grover Cleveland in 1885–89 and 1893–97). Will he be able to outmaneuver the deep state the second time around?
Iron and Myth 36: Answering Ancient Apocalypse
December 22, 2024 • Doug Van Dorn, Brian Godawa, Dr. Judd Burton
IF YOU’RE looking for evidence of a global catastrophe followed by a mysterious civilization that somehow survived, you might not start with the Americas. However, contrarian investigator and author Graham Hancock has done just that with season 2 of his Netflix series Ancient Apocalypse. Our Iron and Myth crew gather to discuss Hancock's work in this second season. Joining us at the virtual round table is Dr. Judd Burton (http://www.burtonbeyond.net), author of Interview with the Giant, Doug Van Dorn (http://www.douglasvandorn.com), author of Giants: Sons of the Gods, and Brian Godawa (http://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. Ancient Apocalypse is very well done. We discuss the questions it raises about lost civilizations, and the implications of new archaeological discoveries. We critique the documentary's potential biases and the role of propaganda in shaping narratives. The discussion also touches on the connections between ancient myths, geometric patterns, and the use of hallucinogenic substances in historical contexts, ultimately emphasizing the importance of understanding different worldviews in interpreting archaeological findings. We appreciate Hancock for asking the right questions. However, he’s got a great big blind spot right in front of the answers.
Iron and Myth 35: The Bible and Mesopotamian Myth
November 24, 2024 • Doug Van Dorn, Brian Godawa
SKEPTICS OFTEN claim that the Hebrew Bible must have been copied from older Mesopotamian texts. Frankly, this is lazy thinking by people looking for excuses not to deal with God. Our Iron and Myth crew joins us to discuss the relationship between the Bible and Mesopotamian religion: Doug Van Dorn (http://www.douglasvandorn.com/), author of Giants: Sons of the Gods and Brian Godawa (http://www.godawa.com/), best-selling author of Chronicles of the Nephilim, Chronicles of the Watchers, the theological thriller Cruel Logic, and a forthcoming novel based on the period of the Maccabees in Judea. Sadly, Dr. Judd Burton (http://www.burtonbeyond.net/) was unable to join us this month. We discuss the parallels between creation stories from different cultures, including Mesopotamian and Mesoamerican myths, and the implications of these similarities for understanding the Bible. We dig into the nature of myth and history, the importance of context in biblical interpretation, and the need for a nuanced approach to understanding ancient texts. There is an intricate relationship between myth and history, particularly in the context of biblical narratives. It’s important to understand ancient texts through the lens of genre and cultural context, and at the end of the day the Bible's authority does not negate the value of other literature.
Our Long National Nightmare is Nearly Over
November 3, 2024
AND THEN a whole new one begins. This has been the most bizarre presidential campaign since the Civil War. Thankfully, the campaign ends this week with Election Day Tuesday, and—we hope—a winner declared shortly thereafter. Then comes a different kind of crazy as we prepare for whoever is inaugurated January 21, 2025. Whatever happens, however, remember that God is still on His throne, none of this takes Him by surprise, and our mission as Christians has not changed.
Shedding the Blood of Man
October 27, 2024 • Dr. Judd Burton
IT WAS a common practice in the ancient world. Sadly, it’s still practiced today—and closer to us than we’d think. Joining us for our annual Halloween episode, a tradition since 2010, is Dr. Judd Burton (http://burtonbeyond.net). We delve into the disturbing reality of human sacrifice in the modern world, exploring its historical roots, spiritual significance, and the ongoing practices that continue to occur around the world. Judd explains the connections between bloodlust, vampirism, and ritual magic, as well as the dark underbelly of human trafficking and modern slavery. We also discuss the implications of human sacrifice in ancient cultures, the legacy of figures like Vlad Dracula, and the ongoing relevance of these themes in modern society. The dialogue delves into the linguistic roots of vampirism, the significance of archaeological sites like Gobekli Tepe, and the dark legacy of biblical narratives such as Cain and Abel. This is an issue that is only properly understood through a biblical lens. These ancient practices and beliefs still influence the modern world. If you’ve missed our previous Halloween episodes with Dr. Judd Burton, here they are: https://www.vftb.net/?p=4060 https://www.vftb.net/?p=5414 https://www.vftb.net/?p=5989 https://www.vftb.net/?p=6646 https://www.vftb.net/?p=6957 https://www.vftb.net/?p=7352 https://www.vftb.net/?p=8064 https://www.vftb.net/?p=8724 https://www.vftb.net/?p=9041 https://vftb.net/?p=9960 https://vftb.net/?p=10349
Iron and Myth 34: Gods of Greece in the Bible
October 20, 2024 • Dr. Judd Burton, Brian Godawa, Doug Van Dorn
OLYMPIANS, Titans, and demigod heroes in the Bible? Yes, and the Jews of Jesus’ day knew it. Joining us to discuss what most of us call “mythology” is our Iron and Myth crew: Doug Van Dorn (http://www.douglasvandorn.com), author of Giants: Sons of the Gods, Dr. Judd Burton (http://www.burtonbeyond.net), director of The Institute of Biblical Anthropology and author of Interview with the Giant and The Nephilim Chronicles, and Brian Godawa (http://www.godawa.com), best-selling author of Chronicles of the Nephilim, Chronicles of the Watchers, the theological thriller Cruel Logic, and a forthcoming novel relevant to this month’s discussion based on the period of the Maccabees in Judea. We discuss the intricate relationship between Greek mythology and biblical narratives, particularly focusing on the influence of Greco-Roman religion on Jewish thought, and the significance of the Abomination of Desolation (Dan. 9:27, 11:31, 12:11; Matt. 24:15). We also explore the role of demigods and the Rephaim in ancient beliefs, the reality of ancient deities, and how the New Testament engages with Greek mythology. Doug highlights subversive storytelling in the Book of Acts, undermining Greek stories about the gods Zeus and Hermes. And we discuss the influence of ancient oracles on early Christianity; specifically, how the spread of the gospel silenced the oracles of Apollo, which provoked the most intense persecution of Christians in the history of the Roman Empire. Finally, we discuss the significance of the Septuagint and how it provides insights into biblical texts that may have been lost in translation, emphasizing the supernatural elements present in the Bible.