THE STORY of Esther, a Jewish woman who became queen of Persia, is the origin of the Purim holiday, celebrating the salvation of the Jewish people from Haman, a key advisor to Xerxes, the king.

In today's #MeToo culture, however, the story has been hijacked by our 21st century Western worldview. We discuss the differences between Esther and the deposed queen Vashti; obvious changes to the Book of Esther in the Septuagint translation; and why Esther wouldn't have been in a position to help her people if she hadn't been subservient to Xerxes and her cousin and guardian, Mordecai.

Our free mobile app for iOS and Android brings these studies right to your smartphone or tablet! Links to the iTunes App Store and Google Play are on the main page at www.GilbertHouse.org.

Update: The 2019 SkyWatchTV Wars of the Gods Tour of Israel has added a special visit to Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered, where Jim Barfield of the Copper Scroll Project (www.CopperScrollProject.com) will show us some of the sites where he believes some of the most important religious artifacts in history may be buried.

The tour flies from New York City to Tel Aviv Sunday, May 12, 2019, and returns Thursday, May 23. If you want to extend your trip a few days to join us in Jordan, you'd return Monday, May 27, 2019. For more information, log on to LipkinTours.com -- but don't wait!

Download our free mobile app! Links to the App Store and Google Play store are posted at www.GilbertHouse.org.

'Realms of Stone,' the fourth in Sharon's series of supernatural thrillers The Redwing Saga is available now at Amazon! See www.TheRedwingSaga.com for more information.

Derek's new book 'Last Clash of the Titans' is shipping now! For more information, log on to www.LastClashOfTheTitans.com.

For the complete Gilbert House Fellowship archive, go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship.