ON THIS PAGE Introduction Part I. Who Were "The Sons of God"
Three Opinions
Noblemen, Aristocrats or Kings
Seth's Descendants
OR
Angelic Beings
(Includes Were The Fallen Angels Demonic Beings? 'Strange' Flesh, Additional Points to Consider,
And Objections to The Fallen Angel Scenario) One Often Overlooked But Very Disturbing Reality The Term "Daughters of Men". Part II. "Blameless" Noah And 120 Years
Was There a Reason Noah Was Considered Blameless?
A Hundred And Twenty Years? Before? Part III. The Nephilim.
Introduction
There is much support (both Biblical and non Biblical) that points to them being The Offspring Of Angels and Women 1.) The Nephilim Were Giants and Giants Occupied Canaan
2.) The Patriarchs Knew There Was Something Very Wrong With the Canaanites
3.) The Book of Enoch
4.) Myths And Folklore - Based On Factual History?
5.) Occult Writings Part - IV. What All This Could Very Well Mean For The Future
The Personal Pronoun in Daniel's Prophecy The Imminent End of The Age
Introduction
In warning of the suddenness of His second coming and the need to stay alert and watchful the Lord Jesus said this
""For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matthew 24:37-39 NASB) (Also Luke 17:26-27)
In other words just as it was prior to the flood, in the end times it would be business as usual with literally no one expecting the catastrophe that was about to descend on the planet. It is true that in Noah's time man was completely corrupt. As The Bible says his "wickedness was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). However, neither eating, drinking and marrying nor widespread evil were not unique to that period of time but pretty much the story of man through his history. This raises the question of whether there was something else about the pre-flood conditions that Christ was telling us would be duplicated in the days before His return. What caused Him to specifically linked these two epochs together? The relevant verses in Genesis say this... (1) Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, (2) that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. (3) Then the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." (4) The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. (5) Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (7) The Lord said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." (8) But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:1-8 NASB) Note: As an aside verses 5-7 put paid to the Post-millennialism belief that the church will bring about "peace on earth" for 1,000 years. Then, as is believed by some, this period of tranquility will be followed by a brief time of tribulation after which Christ will return and establish a new heaven and a new earth for all eternity. See Dominionism - An umbrella term for a number of related groups usually made up of conservative often politically active supporters from a wide range of Christian denominations. Not only are they are the most extreme faction of the Religious Right, but the sheer arrogance of this man centered ideology is staggering.
An understanding of these verses is not one of the critical issues that affect salvation. However, accurate information is exceedingly important to prepare us for what is to come in the not too distant future. Thus it is imperative that we understand who these sons of God were and what behavior they will replicate. It will not serve us well to gloss over these verses nor blindly accept the commonly proffered 'sanitized' version. An accurate interpretation of Genesis 6:1-6 hinges upon the definition of three key terms, the sons of God, the daughters of men, and the Nephilim. However, this has to be done honestly... letting the text tell us what it means instead of attempting to force it into saying what we consider palatable or even possible.
Part I - Who Were "The Sons of God"
In the verses below, "Sons of God" was translated from the Hebrew B'nai HaElohim (Sons of Elohim). In the Old Testament Elohim (god) most often referred to the one God of the Israelites.
As to who they were. there are three possible answers. 1. The least likely theory is that they were noblemen or aristocrats of the land who intermarried with women who were not highborn. 2. The second theory advanced by many conservative scholars is that they sons of God were the descendants of Adam and Eve's third son Seth who married unbelieving ungodly women. 3. The third - the view of both the translators of the Septuagint and the early church - is these sons of God were fallen angels who through cohabitation with human women produced hybrid offspring called the "Nephilim.
Since all three viewpoints cannot be true we need to examine the pros and cons of each one.
1.) Noblemen, Aristocrats or Kings
In the ancient Near East it was common practice for the pagan ruler to be called the son of one of their deities. For example Egyptian pharaohs like Tutankhamun were called the son of the god Ra. However, besides Adam no one in the Old Testament including kings and nobles was ever called "son of God" simply because the term has a very precise definition. More about that below.
Although, on at least one occasion the judges of Israel were referred to as gods, when read in context the term "gods" was used as irony. The judges in Psalm 82 were being condemned for showing partiality to the wicked instead of delivering the weak and needy out of their hands. The statement, "Nevertheless, you will die as men" indicates that far from being gods, they were condemned to death. I said, "You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High." Nevertheless you will die like men And fall like any one of the princes." (Psalm 82:6-7)
Also see Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 4:8.. "you have already become rich, you have become kings without us" that was dripping with sarcasm, and written to admonish them. Vs. 14).
2.) Seth's Descendants
Possibly because Seth was born to Adam and Eve to replace the righteous Abel who was killed by Cain (Genesis 4:25) many hold that Seth's descendants remained holy and faithful. But, following in their father's footsteps, Cain's descendants were ungodly and rebellious. It is therefore often believed that the sons of God refer to the Seth's male descendants and the daughters of men Cain's female descendants. The resulting marriages blurred an inferred separation between them.
However, this is based on a series of assumptions that have absolutely no Scriptural support. Although Cain was a murderer there is no evidence, stated or implied that all Cain's descendants were ungodly or that all Seth's descendants were godly. Were All Cain's Descendants Ungodly?
In ancient Israel, names were very important and were generally descriptive of their nature, position, some factor that affected them, or even a hope that his or her family held out for them. In other words, the meaning behind a person's name often disclosed key information about him or her. Some of Cain's descendants had names that implied the bearer both recognized and revered God. For example, Methushael, Cain's son's name meant man of God and Mechujael - his great grandson's name meant smitten of God. However, about five generations down from Cain, Lamech had three sons who were the inventors of many things that both benefit and greatly enrich life. Jabal - father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock, Jubal- father of all those who play the lyre and pipe, and Tubal-Cain - forger of all implements of bronze and iron (metal working). It has been said that these were "material pursuits" because the Cainites had a "worldly character" and paid more attention to the practical side of life than the Sethites. I wonder what would be said about the "worldly pursuits" of the modern day Christian.. baseball, concerts, and manufacturing anyone? In reality, some of Lamech's family seemed remarkably inventive and talented. Also note that Noah who was descended from Seth had either natural ability and/or some previous training that stood him in good stead when he built the ark. It is true that Lamech admitted to his wives that he had killed a man which many have taken as a proud boast. However, we need to stop reading into the text details that are neither explicitly stated, nor even implied. The text reads as if Lamech slew the man in self defense. It could just as well be that Lamech was seeking to reassure his wives that he had done no wrong, comforting them with the thought that if Cain who had murdered Abel would be avenged sevenfold, he who had killed in self-defense would be avenged seventy and seven-fold. (Genesis 4:17-24) Were All Seth's Descendants Righteous?
Certainly among Seth's descendants were righteous men who found favor with God. For example both Enoch and Noah were direct descendants of Seth (Enoch was Methuselah's father and Noah's great grandfather). However, much of the argument in favor of Seth's righteous line stems from the last verse of Genesis 4. To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord. (Genesis 4:26 NASB)
The verse above seems straightforward enough but, on reflection, poses more than one problem. To begin with, the usual understanding of this verse does not make sense. If it was only in the time of Enosh that men began to call on God and worship Him, who did Adam and the righteous Abel call upon? Who did Seth himself call upon and worship? In fact, the Bible tells us that Eve praised the Lord after Abel's birth.. "I have gotten a man child with the help of the Lord." (Genesis 4:1) Additionally, the text does not say that the line of Seth began to call upon the name of the Lord. It says that in Enosh's time, men began to call upon the name of the Lord, with absolutely no indication of who was being referred to. We have assumed it means Seth's descendants. There is however, another possibility - one that paints exactly the opposite picture - that the time of Enosh was the beginning of idolatry The Hebrew Word Châlal
Lets look at Genesis 4:26 again To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began (Heb. châlal) to call upon the name of the Lord. (NASB)
The English word 'began' has been translated from the Hebrew chalal that, according to both Brown-Driver-Briggs and Strong's Hebrew and English Lexicons, means "to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate" etc. There is no question that the word can also mean "to begin (as if by an opening-wedge)". However, of the roughly 130-140 instances of châlal in the Old Testament it has, more often than not, been rendered, profaned, polluted, defiled etc. If you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane (Heb. châlal) it. (Exodus 20:25 NASB) Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem. Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning (Heb. châlal) the sabbath day? (Nehemiah 13:16-17 NASB) I will first doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted (Heb. châlal) My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and with their abominations." (Jeremiah 16:18 NASB)
It is entirely possible that the verse in question can be simply translated as "Then men began to profane the name of the Lord". This is amply supported by Genesis 6:12, that says ALL flesh was corrupted. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. (Genesis 6:12 NASB)
In his commentary, Adam Clarke acknowledges "that many eminent men have contended that huchal (châlal), which we translate began, should be rendered began profanely, or then profanation began, and from this time they date the origin of idolatry." [01 ]
Further support is found in Jewish commentaries and other old texts ... Josephus:
In chapter three of his Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus says that for seven generations the sons of Seth regarded the name of the Lord but fell into moral decay from the seventh generation on and began to worship other gods NOW this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord of the universe, and to have an entire regard to virtue, for seven generations; but in process of time they were perverted, and forsook the practices of their forefathers; and did neither pay those honors to God which were appointed them, nor had they any concern to do justice towards men. But for what degree of zeal they had formerly shown for virtue, they now showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness, whereby they made God to be their enemy. [02]
The Targums
According to Eliezer Segal who holds a Ph.D in Talmud from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and who serves as Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Calgary A "Targum" is a translation, but the term is usually used specifically to designate Aramaic translations of the Bible. According to an ancient Jewish tradition, the public reading of the Bible in the synagogue must be accompanied by a translation into Aramaic which was the spoken language of most Jews in Israel and Babylonia during the Talmudic era ... As the use of Aramaic declined, the practice of reciting the Targum in the synagogue fell into disuse in most Jewish communities. [03]
According to NTCS – the Newsletter for Targumic and Cognate Studies, the Targum of Onkelos reads: (Emphasis Added) And Adam knew yet his wife, and she bare a son, and called his name Sheth; Because, said she, the Lord hath given me another son instead of Habel, whom Kain slew. And to Sheth also was born a son, and he called his name Enosh. Then in his days the sons of men desisted (or forbore) from praying in the name of the Lord. [04]
And the Targum of Jonathan says: (Emphasis Added) And Adam knew his wife again, at the end of a hundred and thirty years after Habel had been slain; and she bare a son, and called his name Sheth; for she said, The Lord hath given me another son instead of Habel whom Kain slew. And to Sheth also was born a son, and he called his name Enosh. That was the generation in whose days they began to err, and to make themselves idols, and surnamed their idols by the name of the Word of the Lord. [05]
In Summary
There is absolutely no Biblical evidence, stated or implied, that the line of Cain was particularly ungodly or the line of Seth particularly godly. In fact, if all of Seth's line were so pure why were Noah and his sons the only ones saved and the rest of Seth's descendants left out of the Ark to die in the flood? (But then there may be more to this than first meets the eye). Considering that both his father Seth and his uncle Abel were considered righteous men, it doesn't make a whit of sense to say it was only in the time of Enosh that men began to call upon the name of the Lord. In fact the underlying cause of Abel's murder was his offering unto God a more excellent sacrifice than his brother, Cain. Abel obviously did something right. The weight of evidence points to the fact that men did not start turning to God in the time of Enosh but, quite to the contrary. began profaning His name. The verse "Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26) could just as well be translated 'this is when men began to profane the name of the Lord'. Just before God told Noah to build the ark Genesis 6:12 says "all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth" (Genesis 6:12). Also, the Targums and Jewish commentators agree that it was in the days of Enosh that man began to make themselves idols calling them by the name of the Lord. Finally, Seth's descendants would not have been referred to as "the sons of God" as shown in the next section.
3.) Angelic Beings
The Biblical term "Sons of Elohim" (son of the Creator Himself) is only used of someone who is born of a specific divine act of creation.
Adam: Adam was the only one to be created directly by God which is why he was the only human in the Old Testament to ever be called a Son of God. He is also called a son of God in Christ's genealogy as recorded by Luke (Luke 3:38). Jesus was referred to as the Son of God throughout the New Testament because in His human form He was a direct creation of God conceived by the Holy Spirit. As the angel told Mary ... 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35) Believers in The New Testament are called Sons of God because they, being born again of the Spirit of God, are considered to be a new creation. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, (John 1:11, 12) but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. (Luke 20:35-36 NASB)
Since Jesus, Adam, and believers can be safely eliminated as the sons of God spoken of in Genesis 6:4, the only remaining option is that the verse is speaking of angels an option that has much in the way of support... The Angels directly created by the Father were referred to as B'nai HaElohim or sons of God. Job 1:6 and Job 2:1 tell us that Satan was among the sons of God who came to present themselves before the Lord, which makes it certain that the sons of God were angelic beings. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. (Job 1:6 NASB) Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. (Job 2:1 NASB)
The "sons of God" in the verse below is speaking of the time when God laid the foundations of the world long before man was created thus has to mean angels (Vs 4). In Daniel 3:25, when king Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fiery furnace and saw four men, he said "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!" (Daniel 3:25 NASB). The king used the words bar elohim... a similar form of the phrase B'nai HaElohim used in Genesis 6. In other words, the pagan king applied the term to a being who probably looked majestic enough to be ranked among the gods. Additionally, it may be worth noting that when the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek in the third century before Christ (what we know as The Septuagint) the term sons of God was translated as angels. Josephus, like many of the ancient Jewish commentators, believed that Genesis 6 was talking about literal angels. In chapter three of his Antiquities of the Jews, he wrote... For many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength; for the tradition is, that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians call giants. But Noah was very uneasy at what they did; and being displeased at their conduct, persuaded them to change their dispositions and their acts for the better: but seeing they did not yield to him, but were slaves to their wicked pleasures, he was afraid they would kill him, together with his wife and children, and those they had married; so he departed out of that land. [06] I Corinthians: There is a very intriguing verse in I Corinthians which has given rise to no end of speculation and conjecture. In this verse, Paul instructed women to cover their heads as a sign of subjection to her husband but also because of the angels. for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake. Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. (1 Corinthians 11:9-10 NASB)
Why this sudden and unexpected reference to angels? Jewish tradition maintained that it was the beauty of the women's long hair that attracted the angels which Paul may very well have believed.
Were The Fallen Angels Demonic Beings?
We simply can not assume that the fallen angels were the same as the demonic beings who rebelled against God and were chucked out of heaven. The fallen angels of Genesis 6 left Heaven of their own volition to intermarry with the daughters of man which does not necessarily make them "evil" in the same sense as demons are 'evil'.
1 Peter 3:18-19 brings up the interesting possibility that Jesus after His resurrection went and preached to these fallen angels who were confined to prison after what they did. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation (Gk. kerusso) to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. (1 Peter 3:18-20 NASB)
Because the text refers solely to Noah's generation many who assume the captive spirits are people conclude that Jesus went and preached to the people of Noah's generation. However, the text itself reads that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison, not to anyone in Sheol/Hades - the abode of the dead (And yes they are the same place. See Sheol/Hades ). This brings up the strong possibility that this message was delivered to the fallen angels. However, since it is not made explicit in the text, we can not be sure about is what message Jesus proclaimed to the angels. In the 60 plus times it is used in the New Testament kerusso was most often used to proclaim the Gospel. However, in Revelation 5:2 it is means a proclamation or announcement. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming (Gk. kerusso) with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?" Revelation 5:2 NASB
'Strange' Flesh
Jude explicitly used the Greek word ekporneuo that literally means to indulge in unlawful lust. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality (Gk. ekporneuo) and went after strange (Gk.heteros) flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:6-7 NASB)
The Greek word heteros translated strange simply means 'other' or 'different' and is not necessarily a reference to homosexuality. For example 1 Timothy 1:10 says for fornicators, for abusers of themselves with men, for men stealers, for liars, for false swearers, and if there be any other (heteros) thing contrary to the sound doctrine:
Jude was comparing the sin of the fallen angels with the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). In both cases an unnatural sexual union was the issue. In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah the strange flesh referred to homosexuality; in the case of the angels, the strange flesh was female.
Additional Points to Consider
There was Never A Command to Remain Separate There is no evidence that the lines of Seth and Cain were ever instructed to kept themselves separate. Not until Exodus 34 was there a direct command from God to to remain apart from the unbelieving world and avoid intermarriage. The reason for the prohibition being the strong probability that the Israelites would have been enticed to worship idols and bow down to strange gods (Numbers 25:1-2).
Reverse Intermarriage? And why was this supposed intermarriage a one way street? Supposedly male Sethites married female Cainites, but male Cainites never married female Sethites. Were Seth's Female Descendants all Ugly? If the verse is referring to the sons of Seth one has to ask why they did not find any of the women in their own line attractive. What was so special about the daughters of Cain? Sin Big Enough to Cause the Flood: It is impossible to reconcile not unusual or unnatural intermarriage between the Sethites and Cainites with the destruction of the entire earth, especially since God had never instructed them to remain separate. In fact, at no time, either before the flood or since, has God destroyed or threatened to destroy the human race for the sin of "mixed marriages". Conclusion: As should be perfectly obvious by now, the hypothesis of the sons of God being Seth's descendants is completely unconvincing. The drastic step of drowning the entire human race presupposes an infinitely more sinister situation than marriages between good and bad people. On the other hand, cohabitation between angels and humans would be reason aplenty to destroy what would have become an unbelievably tainted gene pool (Genesis 6:12 states that all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth) Besides which Jesus Himself said that the events of Genesis 6 would parallel the days preceding His return (Matt 24:37 and Luke 17:26). I fail to see how the Sethite - Cainite scenario could duplicate itself.
Objections to The Fallen Angel Scenario
Fallen Angels Can Not Be Sons Of God
However, read the text carefully. It simply says the sons of God noticed that the daughters of man were attractive. Because no one is considered a criminal before they commit a crime, it is only after the angels acted on their desires and left their heavenly abode to intermarry with women that they could actually be considered fallen.
Angels Do Not Marry
In answering the Sadducees who tried to trip Him up, Jesus spoke about the state of man after the resurrection of the body. He said For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. (Matthew 22:30-31; Mark 12:25)
When Jesus said people in the world to come would be like angels and would not marry it does not necessarily mean that they were unable to cohabit with whom they chose after they left their proper habitation. As Jude wrote And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode (Gk. oiketerion), He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, (Jude 1:6 NASB)
It is in heaven they do not marry, but neither will we. All of whihc hich brings us to... One Often Overlooked But Very Disturbing Reality
It is generally accepted by believers that the one man and one woman created by God became the parents of all humans who live on earth. However, we seem to be overlooking one unequivocal fact pointed out in the book of Genesis. Although Adam and Eve were intended to be the sole parents of the human race, it didn't exactly work out that way. It wasn't very long after they left the garden of Eden that a second non-human strain was added to the human gene pool, a strain that may never have been completely eliminated.
"Daughters of Men".
The phrase "daughters of men" was translated from the Hebrew Benoth Adam, or daughters of Adam.
If the Bible had said "daughters of Cain", we would have quite correct in assuming the phrase referred to women directly descended from Cain. However Daughters of Adam indicates all Adam's natural female descendants. The terms are quite simply not interchangeable. Reading "daughters of Cain" into a verse that clearly says "daughters of Adam" is an attempt to force the text to fit our hypothesis Then there is an interesting question..
Part II - "Blameless" Noah And 120 Years
Was There a Reason Noah Was Considered Blameless?
Both archaeological and literary evidence point to the fact that ancient man was exceptionally violent. See Footnote I. However, was it possible that prior to the flood Noah was found to be the only righteous person on earth? Or apart from moral goodness was there another reason Noah and his family were spared? Genesis 6:9 says that Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time and that he walked with God. The word "blameless" was translated from the Hebrew tâmîym used some 40 times in the New Testament. What is interesting is that it has very often been used to describe the lambs and bulls that were offered in sacrifice. For example Your lamb shall be an unblemished (Heb. tâmîym) male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. (Exodus 12:5 NASB) He shall present his offering to the Lord: one male lamb a year old without defect (Heb. tâmîym) for a burnt offering and one ewe-lamb a year old without defect (Heb. tâmîym) for a sin offering and one ram without defect (Heb. tâmîym) for a peace offering, (Numbers 6:14 NASB)
Because animals cannot be morally sound or unsound, the word tâmîym indicates they were to be without physical defect. Although there is little question that Noah was a righteous man (he walked with God), one has to wonder whether he was also without physically perfect ie. had untainted genes. We tend to forget that Noah was not the only one saved. His wife, three sons and their wives were as well. So if their family had managed to or happened to steer clear of the "sons of God" they might have been the only humans alive free of genetic contamination. Christ, the Son of God was promised to be the "seed of the woman" who would defeat Satan and destroy his power over mankind. If the entire human race had been corrupted the Messiah could not have been born on earth to a woman. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." (Genesis 3:15 NASB)
It thus makes perfect sense that the gene pool had to be 'cleansed' and the Father specified how much time many had before He took action. The time limit He set was...
A Hundred And Twenty Years
Immediately after saying that the sons of God were attracted to the daughters of men and took wives from among them, the Lord said,
"My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." (Genesis 6:3 NASB)
This verse is often taken to refer to the length of man's life before the flood. In other words, prior to this man often lived several hundred years however, the individual's life span was now limited by God to a hundred and twenty years. However, considering the context, this is quite certainly a reference to how long the entire human race was going to be allowed to live. In other words, God's long-suffering would endure only for one hundred and twenty more years before He put an end to the then prevalent conditions... It was a period of grace. But even in that relatively short period of time God did not leave humankind without a warning which, in this case, came in the person of Noah, a righteous man who walked with God. Although it probably took Noah a long time to build the Ark (120 years?), it was apparently ignored by people who had nothing but evil in their hearts. At the end of the set number of years the cataclysmic flood came.
Part III. The Nephilim.
The Nephilim (nephil) were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty (gibbôr) men that were of old (ôlâm), the men of renown (shêm). (Genesis 6:4. All Emphasis Added)
Nephilim was transliterated from the Hebrew nephil but, because of some uncertainty in the exact meaning of the Hebrew word, many Bible versions now leave the original word untranslated. That they were men of immense stature is borne out by the fact that nephil was used in Numbers 13:33 by the spies sent to scout out the promised land inhabited by several tribes. And there we saw the Nephilim (nephil), the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim (nephil): and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:33)
One school of thought is that the union of angels and the daughters of men produced hybrid, unnatural, superhuman offspring... a new race of beings that were neither human nor angelic called the Nephilim. Others believe that these unlawful and improper marriages took place at the same time the Nephilim were on earth. In other words, the presence of the Nephilim preceded any offspring born of the illicit marriages. This belief is supported by the fact that the Bible never specifically says the Nephilim were the progeny of these unions however, there is much that point towards the first option. Either way one question we cannot answer is how although the Nephilim had to have been completely wiped out in the flood with the rest of humanity, Genesis 6:4 indicates that they were again found on the earth later on and Numbers 13:33 clearly mentions their presence in Canaan. The three word used to describe the Nephilim are... gibbôr translated "mighty men" was commonly used to describe warriors in the Old Testament - Gibbôr denotes strength and power used for example to describe Joshua's fighting men (Joshua 6:2), Jericho's army (Joshua 8:3), and angels (Psalms 103:20). Note Peter also talked about the power and might of angels. whereas angels who are greater in might and power (Gk. dunamis) do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. (2 Peter 2:11 NASB) Note: Supernatural beings can impart superhuman strength to the human body. An example of this is found in Luke 8:27-36 which tells of a possessed man who was kept under guard and bound with chains and fetters, but who seemed to have little problem snapping his restraints.
ôlâm translated of old was used over 400 times in the Old Testament. It is defined by Strong's Lexicon as being "generally time out of mind (past or future), practically eternity" which is why it was translated into the English everlasting, for ever, perpetual etc.' Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever (Heb. ôlâm) " (Genesis 3:22 NASB)
However, ôlâm cannot always be understood as literally referring instead to a long, indefinite period. For example, then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently (Heb. ôlâm) . (Exodus 21:6 NASB)
shêm is a common word used some 800 times in the Old Testament but was only translated into the English 'renown' less than seven times. It was otherwise rendered name. For example The name (Heb. shêm) of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. (Genesis 2:11 NASB) "But for you who fear My name (Heb. shêm), the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. (Malachi 4:2 NASB)
In Summary, It appears that the Nephilim were physically extremely large, powerful, renowned and in some way, of old or eternal. But were they...
The Offspring Of Angels and Women?
There is much support (both Biblical and non Biblical) that points to them being exactly that. Consider the following 5 points
1.) The Nephilim Were Giants and Giants Occupied Canaan
Flavius Josephus the noted Jewish historian of the first century A.D., said In Hebron there were till then left the race of giants who had bodies so large, and countenances so entirely different from other men, that they were surprising to the sight and terrible to the hearing. The bones of these men are still shown to this very day. [07] According to Numbers 13:21-25 the spies spent some 40 days traveling around Canaan. When they returned they reported to Moses and Aaron telling them that And that all the people that they saw were "men of great stature" or giants. They also said that they saw the sons of Anak (the Anakim) who were part of the Nephilim So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. "There also we saw the Nephilim (Heb. nephil) (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." (Numbers 13:32-33 NASB) "Hear, O Israel! You are crossing over the Jordan today to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, great cities fortified to heaven, a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, 'Who can stand before the sons of Anak?' (Deuteronomy 9:1-2 NASB)
However, they were not the only people the Israelites found occupying different areas of the territory they had been promised. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan. (Numbers 13:28-29 NASB)
Deuteronomy 7:1 mentions seven nations who inhabited the land of Canaan from the time of Abraham to the time of Joshua. When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, (Deuteronomy 7:1 NASB)
At least four of these tribes whose names are in bold in the quote immediately above were directly descended from Canaan - Ham's son and Noah's grandson. Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad. (Genesis 10:15-18 NASB)
Not only did these tribes band together to fight the Israelites ... Now it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it, that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel. (Joshua 9:1-2)
... But according to the Old Testament they widely practiced child sacrifice, incest, and bestiality, that everyone rightly regards as unspeakable, grossly immoral sins. You shall not give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. 'You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. 'Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. 'Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 'For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. 'But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you (Leviticus 18:21-26 NASB)
More support is found in the fact that ...
2.) The Patriarchs Knew There Was Something Very Wrong With the Canaanites...
We need to pay attention to the fact that, when it came time for two of the Patriarchs to find wives for their sons both men very specifically instructed that no wife would be chosen from the Canaanite women. Abraham made his servant swear that he would not pick a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites and in turn, Isaac instructed his son Jacob not to choose a wife from the daughters of Canaan.
Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, "Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac." (Genesis 24:2-4 NASB) So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, and said to him, "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. "Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother's brother. (Genesis 28:1-2 NASB)
The Patriarchs obviously had some very unfavorable knowledge about the Canaanites. Apart from Genesis 6:4, the word Nephilim is used only one other time in Numbers 13:33 making it reasonable to surmise that the giants seen in the land of Canaan could very well have been the result of the sons of God once again interbreeding with the daughters of men. This should make it very clear why God instructed Joshua to completely exterminate the inhabitants of Canaan.... man, woman, and child It is thus no surprise that some time later the Lord God gave the Israelites some very specific instructions before they went into Canaan ... "Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. "But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you, (Deuteronomy 20:16-17 NASB)
If the interbreeding was on a more limited scale than the first time around, God did not need to again destroy the entire earth. However, as so often happened, Israel failed to obey God and allowed some of the Nephilim to survive. In fact Goliath (whom David Slew) was a giant as were his sons. See Footnote II - The Size of The Giants Who Lived On Earth After The Flood Then Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab and from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod some remained. (Joshua 11:21-22 NASB) But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and they became forced laborers. (Joshua 16:10 NASB) It came about when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely. (Judges 1:28 NASB) All of the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, namely, from their descendants who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel had not destroyed, them Solomon raised as forced laborers to this day. (2 Chronicles 8:7-8 NASB)
3.) The Book of Enoch
Please note that although in the New Testament Jude quotes Enoch (Compare Enoch 1:9 with Jude 1:14-15), it does not necessarily validate the entire book which is not considered part of the canon. On the other hand nor does it mean that the entire book is hogwash. As an example, Maccabees is known for much historical authenticity but for various reasons is also absent from Protestant Bibles.
In chapters six, seven and fifteen Enoch wrote this And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto 2 them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men 3 and beget us children
And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms 2 and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they 3 became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon 9 the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men and from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; 10 they shall be evil spirits on earth, and evil spirits shall they be called. [As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling, but as for the spirits of the earth which were born upon the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling.] And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth, and cause trouble: they take no food, but nevertheless 12 hunger and thirst, and cause offenses. [08]
4.) Myths And Folklore - Based On Factual History?
Physical relationships between spirit beings and mortals are found in the myths and folklore of cultures around the world - the amorous adventures of the Greek gods possibly the best known.
They are not necessarily fairy stories that originated in fertile imaginations but, very possibly, in the memories of various people around the globe. Considering the common elements that often run through these stories it is not hard to believe that the core was based on primitive truths. In other words, factual history embellished and corrupted over time, eventually evolved into the 'myths' that we are familiar with today. For example, numerous ancient civilizations tell of a worldwide global flood that destroyed most of mankind, and was survived by only a few individuals and animals. All these 'myths' have striking parallels to the Biblical story of Noah's flood. See Legends of The Flood www.inplainsite.org/html/ancients_accounts_of_flood.html Similarly, numerous myths and legends of many major cultures speak of the gods impregnating human women. The resulting half-god, half-man offspring were called demigods and often themselves became legendary figures. These hybrids were said to be stronger, braver, and quicker than other mortals, accomplishing superhuman feats only possible because of their divine parent. For example, Greeks Mythology
The Greek divine hero Heracles was called Hercules by the Romans. In classical mythology Hercules, famous for his strength and his numerous far-ranging adventures, was the son of Zeus (the Roman Jupiter) and the mortal Alcmene. Achilles who fought in the Trojan War was the hero of Homer's Iliad. He was the son of the mortal Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis. Perseus who slew Medusa was the son of Zeus and the mortal Danae. Hinduism
The five Pandava brothers, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, also fit the Western definition of demigods, since the two wives of king Pandu were impregnated by several different gods. The legend of the Titans has even closer parallels to the Biblical story The Titans
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of 12 powerful deities, sons and daughters of primordial deity Gaia (who was believed to have created or given birth to the Earth and all the Universe) and Uranus, the god of the sky. Cronus, the leader of the Titans, was Zeus' father. The Titans were defeated by Zeus and condemned to Tartarus when they rebelled against their father Uranus. In Greek mythology, Tartarus is both a deity and a place in the underworld said to be the lowest place of imprisonment in the Greek underworld, even lower than Hades. The sole occurrence of this word in the Bible is in 2 Peter 2:4. Peter uses terms that were familiar to people much exposed to ancient Greek culture and language. He uses the verb tartarosas i.e. sending someone to Tartarus. [09] There are no Biblical references to people going to Tartarus which points to the fact that it is a different place from Sheol/Hades apparently reserved for non-humans. Even more tellingly, the Greek Titan is linguistically linked to the Chaldean Sheitan, the Hebrew Satan and the Hindi Shaitan, all of which mean the devil. This is no coincidence. Note: Both the King James and NASB version unfortunately render 2 Peter 2:4 as "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell". Tartarus is a proper name and one does not translate proper names. Sadly, because of pre-bias even Sheol and Hades have also been rendered 'hell' which has led to a completely erroneous view of what and where hell is. (Incidentally Sheol and Hades are the same place.) See What and Where is Hell? For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell (Gk. tartarosas ) and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; (2 Peter 2:4 NASB) For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (Gk. tartarosas ) , and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; (2 Peter 2:4 KJV)
The parallels are by no means exhausted.
5.) Occult Writings
Alice Bailey, under the guidance of an ectoplasmic apparition from hell who called himself Djwhal Khul - 'The Tibetan' - wrote some 24 books. Her book Initiation, Human And Solar, contains the following statement.
After the great descent of the spiritual Existences (the Masters) to the earth, the work they planned to do was systematised. Offices were apportioned, and the processes of evolution in all the departments of nature were brought under the conscious wise guidance of this initial Brotherhood. This Hierarchy of Brothers of Light still exists, and the work goes steadily on. They are all in physical existence, either in dense physical bodies, such as many of the Masters employ, or in etheric bodies, such as the more exalted helpers and the Lord of the World occupy ..." [10]
Compare this to the book of Revelation, chapter 9 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Revelation 12:7-9 NASB)
However, there is more. In her book Externalization of the Hierarchy, Alice Bailey made it clear that she believed that "for the first time" mankind is "intelligently participating and cooperating" in the "entire evolutionary process." Therefore, the spiritual Hierarchy can "bring to an end the long silence which has persisted since Atlantean days" and "renew an ancient sharing of secrets." [11]
and "in the immediate future," the "Masters will walk openly among men." With a "return to the situation which existed in Atlantean days," when "the Members of the spiritual Hierarchy were openly guiding and directing the affairs of humanity," [12] Emphasis Added
Bailey believed that the civilization of Atlanta was destroyed by the great Flood... there was a "great war between the Lords of form and the Lords of Being", and "the Hierarchy was forced to intervene potently" by bringing "the Atlantean civilization to an abrupt end after a long period of chaos and disaster" by means "of a culminating catastrophe which wiped hundreds of thousands of human beings off the face of the earth. This historical event has been preserved for us in the universal legend of the great flood." [13]
...Therefore when she spoke about the "situation which existed in Atlantean days" she was obviously referring to the days immediately preceding the Great Flood. Albeit with a different slant, Alice Bailey's demonic sources are only reiterating what the Scriptures said thousands of years ago.. Also See Overview of The New Age, Alice Bailey and The Lucis Trust
Under the guidance of an ectoplasmic apparition from hell who called himself Djwhal Khul, Aka 'The Tibetan', wrote some 24 books and founded the Lucis Trust (formerly Lucifer Publishing Co.) which enjoys "Consultative Status" with the United Nations. Lucis Trust has not only spawned several other organization... the Arcane School, Triangles, World Goodwill, Lucis Publishing, Lucis Productions, Lucis Trust Libraries, the New Group of World Servers, but also maintain the UN meditation room. And the purpose of these groups? At their core ALL of them exist for one purpose. In their words "the helping of the Great Ones and the rendering to Them of that intelligent assistance which will make Their plans for humanity materialise". Their "plans" are centered around making conditions suitable (By occult meditation and reciting of the Great Invocation) for what they call "The Reappearance of The Christ. Except that this Christ has nothing to do with Jesus Christ of the Bible. Summary
Both Greek "mythology" and occult literature tell very similar stories to those related in the Bible. a) Not only do myths and legends of numerous cultures speak of the gods impregnating human women, but the resulting half-god, half-man offspring were said to be stronger and braver than other mortals. b) The Titans of Greek mythology rebelled against their father Uranus and were condemned to Tartarus. The apostle Peter speaks of angels who were thrust into the gloomy caverns of Tartarus. Additionally, Peter links the time of the fall of these angels with the days of the Flood of Noah For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; (2 Peter 2:4-6 NASB)
c) Occult literature tells us that the "masters" descended to earth where they systematized the work they planned to do. Revelation 12:9 says after a war in heaven, Satan and his angels were "cast to the earth' where they continued their work of deceiving mankind.
Part - IV. What All This Could Very Well Mean For The Future
The Personal Pronoun in Daniel's Prophecy
Let's return for a moment to where this all started... Christ's specific teaching that the days of Noah and the days of the Son of Man parallel each other. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man," (Matthew 24:37, Luke 17:26).
As a reminder, He linked these two epochs together and said that one is the parallel of the other. In other words, in the days immediately preceding the return of Jesus Christ, we should expect to find conditions similar to those that existed just before the flood. The Bible tells us that the wickedness of man was great on the earth in Noah's day. However, we are also told that in those days, "the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose" (Genesis 6:1-5) There is little question that one aspect of the pre-flood days is already being paralleled in our day.. the earth is full of violence. However, the million dollar question is exactly how the second event will repeat itself and who will be behind the physical infiltration of our world. Remember that according to 2 Peter 2:4-6 the original angels who cohabited with the 'daughters of men' are bound in Tartarus and are "reserved unto judgment" therefore are unlikely to be part of the coming intrusion. This leaves us with one very chilling possibility... the next time around it will be the other group of fallen angels, i.e. those who rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven but are still free to roam the earth doing whatever damage they can. In short, Satan and his demonic hordes will seek to physically take over this world. This scenario not only seamlessly blends with much occult literature (below) but brings to mind the words of the prophet Daniel. We do not as yet understand all details, but when Daniel came down to the feet of the statue in his interpretation of king Nebuchadnezzar's dream his unusual but highly significant statement brings up a very grim dimension. "And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery. (Daniel 2:43 NASB)
Daniel uses the personal pronoun "they"... "they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men...". The phrase certainly indicates that whoever or whatever it is that will 'mingle with the seed of men' are not the seed of men themselves. However, Daniel also very specifically says they will mingle but not cleave one to another. The clue is in exact meaning of the original words that have been translated mingle and cleave. This portion of Daniel was written in Aramaic, therefore the corresponding Hebrew word has been given in Strong's Lexicon. Mingle: The word translated mingle is arab, used some 18 times in the Old Testament and which means to braid, or intermix; However, this is a difficult word since it has also been used in the sense of surety or a mortgage (See for example Genesis 44:32 and Nehemiah 5:3). In Ezra 9:2 mingle is definitely used in the sense of interbreeding. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the peoples of the lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
Cleave: While the word translated cleave is debaq, used some 52 times in the Old Testament and defined by Strong's as to impinge, that is, cling or adhere; In this sense it is used to describe the marriage relationship and, more than once, of man clinging to God. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined (Heb. dabaq) to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 NASB) "Thus no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another tribe, for the tribes of the sons of Israel shall each hold (Heb. dabaq)to his own inheritance." (Numbers 36:9 NASB) "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling (Heb. dabaq)to Him, and you shall swear by His name. (Deuteronomy 10:20 NASB) And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung (Heb. dabaq)to her. (Ruth 1:14 NASB)
It is easy to see from the above examples that the word translated cleave pretty much means to stick to which makes it difficult to know exactly what Daniel was talking about... The unholy "they" shall mingle themselves (interbreed?) with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave (stick) one to another. However, there is no question that, when viewed in light of the warning of our Lord in Luke 17:26, Daniel's suggestive words leads to a mind boggling conclusion... in the near future, the events of Genesis 6 are going to repeat themselves or are possibly already repeating themselves. This time around, demonic beings are not only going to walk openly among men but are likely to once again try and infect the human gene pool. Is it any wonder that when evil spirits attempted genetic control and produce hybrids that not only threatened the race but tried to thwart His ultimate plan that the Father intervened by eliminating humans with a devastating flood (all except for the very possibly genetically untainted Noah and his family). But when evil once again rears its ugly head to this extent not only will judgment on cooperating humans be even more severe but, this time around, the demons will be destroyed for all time. Also See A Dragon and Two Beasts
The Imminent End of The Age
Sadly almost every Christian that I know thinks the end is coming - sometime in the vague future. Much to the contrary events are set to take a very nasty turn... not 100 or 200 years away but now, in our lifetimes. If you are below fifty and manage not to be hit by a bus next week, it is more than likely that you will witness at least the beginning of the end of the age. This is watching the times and seasons not date setting.
While topics such as the pre or post-tribulation rapture, the so called 'mark of the beast', the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and the various aspects of the antichrist find a wide audience in today's church, I have to wonder how many have actually bothered to go beyond academic discussion and take a good hard look at the less than subtle events taking place in the world around them. And no, I am not talking about an increase in earthquakes, or wars and rumors of wars (What Jesus actually said was NOT to be disturbed at these events). What I am referring to is the fact that a movement has gradually been gathering momentum over the face of this earth, fueled by the unholy forces that oppose both God and man, shepherded by humans outside the church who have no comprehension of the dark forces they deal with, and by an "evil and adulterous generation" inside the church who ignore the warnings from the God they profess to serve. See The 'Rapture’ - Part V of End of the Age
This page has been confined to the reasons the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is a figment of the imagination.
Part IV - The Seventh Trumpet shows that the meeting the Lord in the air happens at the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet and explains why Jesus temporally takes His followers off the earth. While this seething cauldron comes to a head and the dark minions dig their tentacles further and further into human flesh, believers continue to trot off to their various conferences, watch TBN, read yet another leadership book, indulge in emerging dialogue, and argue about who Cain married... all the while waiting for a Rapture that isn't going to happen in time to save them. Much of the church cannot seem to tear themselves away from their endless round of usually unbiblical trivia ... television shows, conferences, courses, seminars, and books by the latest hot shot preacher unloading his doctrinally unsound ideas onto a very gullible public. It is a tragedy of epic proportions that not only are most Christians still unaware of the nature, power, and danger, posed by the New Age ideas among us but, like frogs being slowly brought up to the boil, this adulterous generation inside the church has gradually been acclimatized into accepting ideas and practices that any self respecting Berean would have run a mile from. See Doctrines of Demons
Foot Note I... Violence in The Ancient World
The Bible's statement that the earth was exceedingly violent in the pre flood days is backed up by both archeological and literary evidence. Although we can not positively and specifically link the prehistoric cultures discovered by archaeology with the pre-flood people, the data strongly indicates that ancient man was exceptionally violent.
The Archeological Data
In his book, War Before Civilization: The Myth of the Peaceful Savage, Oxford:1996 Anthropology professor Lawrence Keeley from the University of Illinois at Chicago says.. "The archeological evidence indicates instead that homicide has been practiced since the appearance of modern humankind and that warfare is documented in the archaeological record of the past 10,000 years in every well-studied region...If anything, peace was a scarcer commodity of members of bands, tribes, and chiefdoms than for the average citizen of a civilized state." [p.39] "Several of the rare burials of earliest modem humans in central and western Europe, dating from 34,000 to 24,000 years ago, show evidence of violent death. At Grimaldi in Italy, a projectile point was embedded in the spinal column of a child's skeleton dating to the Aurignacian (the culture of the earliest modern humans in Europe, ca. 36,000 to 27,000 years ago). One Aurignacian skull from southern France may have been scalped; it has cut-marks on its frontal (forehead). Evidence from the celebrated Upper Palaeolithic cemeteries of Czechoslovakia, dating between 35,000 and 24,000 years ago, implies--either by direct evidence of weapons traumas, especially cranial fractures on adult males, or by the improbability of alternative explanations for mass burials of men, women, and children--that violent conflicts and deaths were common. In the Nile Valley of Egypt, the earliest evidence of death by homicide is a male burial, dated to about 20,000 years ago, with stone projectile points in the skeleton's abdominal region and another point embedded in its upper arm (a wound that had partially healed before his death). The one earlier human skeleton found in Egypt bears no evidence of violence, but the next more recent human remains there are rife with evidence of homicide...The human skeletons found in a Late Palaeolithic cemetery at Gebel Sahaba in Egyptian Nubia, dating about 12,000 to 14,000 years ago, show that warfare there was very common and particularly brutal. Over 40 percent of the fifty-nine men, women, and children buried in this cemetery had stone projectile points intimately associated with or embedded in their skeletons. Several adults had multiple wounds (as many as twenty), and the wounds found on children were all in the head or neck--that is, execution shots. The excavator, Fred Wendorf, estimates that more than half the people buried there had died violently. He also notes that homicidal violence at Gebel Sahaba was not a once-in-a-lifetime event, since many of the adults showed healed parry fractures of their forearm bones--a common trauma on victims of violence--and because the cemetery had obviously been used over several generations. The Gebel Sahaba burials offer graphic testimony that prehistoric hunter-gatherers could be as ruthlessly violent as any of their more recent counterparts and that prehistoric warfare continued for long periods of time...In western Europe (and more poorly known North Africa), ample evidence of violent death has been found among the remains of the final hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic period (ca. 10,000 to 5,000 years ago). One of the most gruesome instances is provided by Ofnet Cave in Germany, where two caches of 'trophy' skulls were found, arranged 'like eggs in a basket,' comprising the disembodied heads of thirty-four men, women, and children, most with multiple holes knocked through their skulls by stone axes. Indeed, some archaeologists, impressed by the abundant evidence of homicide in the European Mesolithic, date the beginnings of "real" war to this period." [14]
The Literary Data
Traditions and Legends about the flood originating in many parts of the world uniformly speak of man's corruption and violence, many of them indicating that the flood was a judgment upon humanity's evil. The following examples are given by Glenn Miller "During the era of the fourth Sun, the Sun of Water, the people grew very wicked and ignored the worship of the Gods..." [Aztec, PM:128] "At a very early point in history, perhaps even before the end of the golden age, humankind grew very wicked and arrogant..." [Greece, PM:128] "Once there was a period called the Pachachama, when humankind was cruel, barbaric, and murderous. Human beings did whatever they pleased without any fear. They were so busy planning wars and stealing that they completely ignored the gods..." [Incas, PM:134] "The sun-god Ra, was warned by his father, the Watery Abyss, that humankind had grown too wicked and was on the verge of full rebellion against the gods." [Egypt, PM:135] "In time, the people began to misbehave, killing each other and ignoring their children, so Madumda sent a great flood..." [Pomo Indian, WR:MNNA:113] The Atrahasis epic, one of the oldest Flood traditions in the world, ascribe the Flood to humankind's being 'noisy' to their gods. Some see in this reference to noise a reference to violence. So, OT:BBCALL:36: "In the Atrahasis Epic's account of the flood the reason that the gods decide to send the flood is the 'noise' of mankind. This is not necessarily different from the biblical reason in that 'noise' can be the result of violence. Abel's blood cries out from the ground (4:10) and the outcry against Sodom and Gomorra is great (Gen 18:20). The noise could be generated either by the number of petitions being made to the gods to respond to the violence and bloodshed or by the victims who cry out in their distress" [PM] Parallel Myths, J.F. Bieflein, Ballantine: 1994. [OT:BBCALL]The IVP Bible Background Commentary--Old Testament. Walton, Matthews, & Chalvalas. IVP:2000 [WR:MNNA] The Mythology of Native North America, David Leeming and Jake Page, UoklahomaPress:1998. [15] {PLACE IN TEST}
Footnote II - The Size of The Giants Who Lived On Earth After The Flood
Goliath of Gath (the giant slain by David). Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. He also had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him. (1 Samuel 17:4-7 NASB) And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. (1 Chronicles 20:5 NASB) Note: A "weaver's beam" was probably the wooden pole used at the top of a loom to hold the warp, or vertical threads. There was no exact length of a cubit which was based on the distance from the elbow to the fingertips, therefore varied between different groups. However, it is likely that the Israelites, not being a very tall race, used a "short cubit" which would have been around 18 inches. If we figure 18 inches to the cubit, Goliath was over nine feet tall and Og's bedstead would have been thirteen to fourteen feet long. Goliath's coat of mail, weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. Among the ancient bronze weights that have been found those marked "one-quarter shekel" weigh between 2.54 and 2.63 grams which would make the shekel between 10.16 and 10.52 grams. If we use an average of 10.25 grams, Goliath's armour would have weighed over 100 pounds and his spear over 13 lbs. (For more information on these measurements, See How Long Was The Original Cubit?
Weights, Measures, and Coins from the Bible Through the Talmudic Period. Goliath's Four Sons (See 2 Samuel 21:15-22) {PLACE IN TEXT}
End Notes
All URL's Accessed August 9. 2024
[01] https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/106/eVerseID/106/RTD/clarke/version/AFV
[02] Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews, From The Creation To The Death Of Isaac. Book I. Chapter 3. Concerning The Flood; And After What Manner Noah Was Saved In An Ark, With His Kindred, And Afterwards Dwelt In The Plain Of Shinar, Translated by William Whiston. Christian Classics Ethereal library. http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-1.htm [03] Eliezer Segal. Targum "Onkelos" to the Torah. http://people.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudMap/MG/MGOnkelos.html (link is no longer valid) [04] J. W. Etheridge, M.A. The Targum of Onkelos. On The Book Berashith or Genesis. Section I. Bereshith Bara Elohim. First Published 1862. http://targum.info/onk/Gen1_6.htm [05] J. W. Etheridge, M.A. The Targum Of Palestine, Commonly Entitled The Targum Of Jonathan Ben Uzziel, On The Book Of Genesis. Section I. Berashith. First Published 1862. http://targum.info/pj/pjgen1-6.htm [06] Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews, From The Creation To The Death Of Isaac. Book I. Chapter 3. Concerning The Flood; And After What Manner Noah Was Saved In An Ark, With His Kindred, And Afterwards Dwelt In The Plain Of Shinar, Translated by William Whiston. Christian Classics Ethereal library. http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-1.htm [07] Josephus Antiquities of the Jews - Book V. Chapter 2. Translated by William Whiston. Christian Classics Ethereal library.
http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-5.htm [08] Book of Enoch https://www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/enoch/ENOCH_1.HTM [09] https://biblehub.com/interlinear/2_peter/2-4.htm [10] Alice Bailey. Initiation, Human And Solar. Chapter Iv - The Founding Of The Hierarchy Its appearance on the planet
https://www.lucistrust.org/online_books/initiation_human_and_solar_obooks/chapter_iv_the_founding_the_hierarchy [11] Alice A. Bailey, The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy. The Return Of The Christ - Part 4. https://tinyurl.com/2czpb6fb [12] Alice Bailey. The Reappearance Of The Christ Chapter Five - The Teachings Of The Christ - Part 1.
https://www.lucistrust.org/online_books/the_reappearance_the_christ/chapter_five_the_teachings_the_christ_part1 [13] Alice A. Bailey, The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy. Section Two - The General World Picture - Part 3.
https://www.lucistrust.org/online_books/the_externalisation_the_hierarchy_obook/section_two_the_general_world_picture_part3 [14] Lawrence H. Keeley. War Before Civilization: The Myth of the Peaceful Savage [Paperback]. Oxford University Press, USA; Reprint edition (December 18, 1997) Pgs. 37-38. As quoted by Glenn Miller. How likely is it that Noah was the only righteous person on the whole earth, at the time of the Flood? http://www.christian-thinktank.com/stealtime.html#noah] [15] Good Question...does God's judgment violate the free choice of His creatures? http://christianthinktank.com/stealtime.htm | 
