Nephilim in some other
Web Pages and Old Books:
In some other writtings by Bullinger and collaborators.
“Sons of God” = “Angels” according with the understanding of the
next early writers:
Philo of Alexandria, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Athenagoras,
Tertullian, Lactantius, Amrose, Julian.
The mythologies:
The Greek Titans = Partly Terrestrial, Partly Celestial;
Rebelled against their father, After prolongued contest were defeated and
condemned into Tartarus.
“Titan” (Greek word) = Sheitan (Chaldean); Satan (Hebrew,
according to Chuck Missler, who will speak by himself in the next articles.))
“Titans” present in the traditions of Sumer, Assyria,
Egypt, Incas, Mayan, Olmecas, Gilgamesh, Pascua Island, Tolteca, Tula,
Teothiuacan, Gilgamesh, Persia, India, Bolivia, Greece, South Sea Islands, Thaití,
Sioux Indians, etc…
Personal
Update Article
Textual Controversy:
Mischievous Angels or Sethites?
by Chuck
Missler
Why
did God send the judgment of the Flood in the days of Noah? Far more than simply
a historical issue, the unique events leading to the Flood are a prerequisite
to understanding the prophetic implications of our Lord's predictions regarding
His Second Coming.1
The
strange events recorded in Genesis 6 were understood by the ancient rabbinical
sources, as well as the Septuagint translators, as referring to fallen
angels procreating weird hybrid offspring with human women-known as the
"Nephilim." So it was also understood by the early church
fathers. These bizarre events are also echoed in the legends and myths of every
ancient culture upon the earth: the ancient Greeks, the Egyptians, the Hindus,
the South Sea Islanders, the American Indians, and virtually all the others.
However,
many students of the Bible have been taught that this passage in Genesis 6
actually refers to a failure to keep the "faithful" lines of Seth separate
from the "worldly" line of Cain. The idea has been advanced that
after Cain killed Abel, the line of Seth remained separate and faithful, but
the line of Cain turned ungodly and rebellious. The "Sons of God" are
deemed to refer to leadership in the line of Seth; the "daughters of
men" is deemed restricted to the line of Cain. The resulting marriages
ostensibly blurred an inferred separation between them. (Why the resulting
offspring are called the "Nephilim" remains without any
clear explanation.)
Since
Jesus prophesied, "As the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the
Son of Man be,"2 it becomes essential to understand what these days
included.
Origin of the Sethite View
It
was in the 5th century a.d. that the "angel" interpretation of
Genesis 6 was increasingly viewed as an embarrassment when attacked by critics.
(Furthermore, the worship of angels had begun within the church. Also, celibacy
had also become an institution of the church. The "angel" view of
Genesis 6 was feared as impacting these views.)
Celsus
and Julian the Apostate used the traditional "angel" belief to attack
Christianity. Julius Africanus resorted to the Sethite interpretation as a more
comfortable ground. Cyril of Alexandria also repudiated the orthodox
"angel" position with the "line of Seth" interpretation.
Augustine also embraced the Sethite theory and thus it prevailed into the
Middle Ages. It is still widely taught today among many churches who find the
literal "angel" view a bit disturbing. There are many outstanding
Bible teachers who still defend this view.
Problems with the Sethite View
Beyond
obscuring a full understanding of the events in the early chapters of Genesis,
this view also clouds any opportunity to apprehend the prophetic
implications of the Scriptural allusions to the "Days of Noah."3 Some of the
many problems with the "Sethite View" include the following:
1.
The Text Itself
Substantial
liberties must be taken with the literal text to propose the
"Sethite" view. (In data analysis, it is often said that "if you
torture the data severely enough it will confess to anything.")
The
term translated "the Sons of God" is, in the Hebrew, B'nai
HaElohim, "Sons of Elohim," which is a term consistently
used in the Old Testament for angels,4 and it is never
used of believers in the Old Testament. It was so understood by the ancient
rabbinical sources, by the Septuagint translators in the 3rd century before
Christ, and by the early church fathers. Attempts to apply this term to
"godly leadership" is without Scriptural foundation.5
The
"Sons of Seth and daughters of Cain" interpretation strains and
obscures the intended grammatical antithesis between the Sons of God
and the daughters of Adam. Attempting to impute any other view to the
text flies in the face of the earlier centuries of understanding of the Hebrew
text among both rabbinical and early church scholarship. The lexicographical
antithesis clearly intends to establish a contrast between the
"angels" and the women of the Earth.
If
the text was intended to contrast the "sons of Seth and the daughters of
Cain," why didn't it say so? Seth was not God, and Cain was not Adam. (Why
not the "sons of Cain" and the "daughters of Seth?" There
is no basis for restricting the text to either subset of Adam's descendants.
Further, there exists no mention of daughters of Elohim.)
And
how does the "Sethite" interpretation contribute to the ostensible
cause for the Flood, which is the primary thrust of the text? The entire view
is contrived on a series of assumptions without Scriptural support.
The
Biblical term "Sons of Elohim" (that is, of the Creator Himself), is
confined to the direct creation by the divine hand and not to those born to
those of their own order.6 In Luke's genealogy of Jesus, only Adam is called a
"son of God."7 The entire Biblical drama deals with the tragedy that
humankind is a fallen race, with Adam's initial immortality forfeited. Christ
uniquely gives them that receive Him the power to become the sons of God.8 Being born
again of the Spirit of God, as an entirely new creation,9 at their
resurrection they alone will be clothed with a building of God10 and in every
respect equal to the angels.11 The very term oiketerion,
alluding to the heavenly body with which the believer longs to be clothed, is
the precise term used for the heavenly bodies from which the fallen angels had
disrobed.12
The
attempt to apply the term "Sons of Elohim" in a broader sense has no textual
basis and obscures the precision of its denotative usage. This proves to be an
assumption which is antagonistic to the uniform Biblical usage of the term.
2.
The Daughters of Cain
The
"Daughters of Adam" also does not denote a restriction to the descendants
of Cain, but rather the whole human race is clearly intended. These daughters
were the daughters born to the men with which this very sentence opens:
And
it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and
daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men
that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Genesis
6:1,2
It is
clear from the text that these daughters were not limited a particular family
or subset, but were, indeed, from (all) the Benoth Adam, "the daughters of
Adam." There is no apparent exclusion of the daughters of Seth. Or were
they so without charms in contrast with the daughters of Cain? All of Adam's
female descendants seem to have been involved. (And what about the "sons
of Adam?" Where do they, using this contrived dichotomy, fit in?)
Furthermore,
the line of Cain was not necessarily known for its ungodliness. From a study of
the naming of Cain's children, many of which included the name of God,13 it is not
clear that they were all necessarily unfaithful.
3.
The Inferred Lines of Separation
The
concept of separate "lines" itself is suspect and contrary to
Scripture.14 National and racial distinctions were plainly the result
of the subsequent intervention of God in Genesis 11, five chapters later. There
is no intimation that the lines of Seth and Cain kept themselves separate nor
were even instructed to. The injunction to remain separate was given much
later.15 Genesis 6:12 confirms that all flesh had corrupted His
way upon the earth.
4.
The Inferred Godliness of Seth
There
is no evidence, stated or implied, that the line of Seth was godly. Only one
person was translated from the judgment to come (Enoch) and only eight were
given the protection of the ark. No one beyond Noah's immediate family was
accounted worthy to be saved. In fact, the text implies that these were
distinct from all others. (There is no evidence that the wives of Noah's sons
were from the line of Seth.) Even so, Gaebelein observes, "The designation
'Sons of God' is never applied in the Old Testament to believers," whose
sonship is "distinctly a New Testament revelation."16
The
"Sons of Elohim" saw the daughters of men that they were fair and
took them wives of all that they chose. It appears that the women had little
say in the matter. The domineering implication hardly suggests a godly approach
to the union. Even the mention that they saw that they were attractive seems
out of place if only normal biology was involved. (And were the daughters of
Seth so unattractive?)
It
should also be pointed out that the son of Seth himself was Enosh, and there is
textual evidence that, rather than a reputation for piety, he seems to have
initiated the profaning of the name of God.17
If
the lines of Seth were so faithful, why did they perish in the flood?
5.
The Unnatural Offspring
The
most fatal flaw in the specious "Sethite" view is the emergence of
the Nephilim as a result of the unions. (Bending the translation to
"giants" does not resolve the difficulties.) It is the offspring of
these peculiar unions in Genesis 6:4 which seems to be cited as a primary cause
for the Flood.
Procreation
by parents of differing religious views do not produce unnatural offspring.
Believers marrying unbelievers may produce "monsters," but hardly
superhuman, or unnatural, children! It was this unnatural procreation and the
resulting abnormal creatures that were designated as a principal reason for the
judgment of the Flood.
The
very absence of any such adulteration of the human genealogy in Noah's case is
also documented in Genesis 6:9: Noah's family tree was distinctively
unblemished. The term used, tamiym, is used for physical
blemishes.18
Why
were the offspring uniquely designated "mighty" and "men of
renown?" This description characterizing the children is not
accounted for if the fathers were merely men, even if godly.
A
further difficulty seems to be that the offspring were only men; no
"women of renown" are mentioned. (Was there a chromosome deficiency
among the Sethites? Were there only "Y" chromosomes
available in this line?)19
6.
New Testament Confirmations
"In
the mouths of two or three witnesses every word shall be established."20 In Biblical
matters, it is essential to always compare Scripture with Scripture. The New
Testament confirmations in Jude and 2 Peter are impossible to ignore.21
|
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them
down to hell [Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved
unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth
person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of
the ungodly; 2
Peter 2:4-5 |
Peter's
comments even establishes the time of the fall of these angels to the days of
the Flood of Noah.
Even
Peter's vocabulary is provocative. Peter uses the term Tartarus, here
translated "hell." This is the only place that this Greek term
appears in the Bible. Tartarus is a Greek term for "dark abode of
woe"; "the pit of darkness in the unseen world." As used in
Homer's Iliad, it is "...as far beneath hades as the earth is below
heaven`."22 In Greek mythology, some of the demigods, Chronos and
the rebel Titans, were said to have rebelled against their father, Uranus, and
after a prolonged contest they were defeated by Zeus and were condemned into
Tartarus.
The
Epistle of Jude23 also alludes to the strange episodes when these
"alien" creatures intruded themselves into the human reproductive
process:
|
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left
their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness
unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the
cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and
going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire. |
The
allusions to "going after strange flesh," keeping "not their
first estate," having "left their own habitation," and
"giving themselves over to fornication," seem to clearly fit the
alien intrusions of Genesis 6. (The term for habitation, oiketerion,
refers to their heavenly bodies from which they had disrobed.24 )
These
allusions from the New Testament would seem to be fatal to the "Sethite"
alternative in interpreting Genesis 6. If the intercourse between the
"sons of God" and the "daughters of men" were merely
marriage between Sethites and Cainites, it seems impossible to explain these
passages, and the reason why some fallen angels are imprisoned and others are
free to roam the heavenlies.
7.
Post-Flood Implications
The
strange offspring also continued after the flood: "There were Nephilim in
the earth in those days, and also after that..."25 The
"Sethite" view fails to meaningfully address the prevailing
conditions "also after that." It offers no insight into the presence
of the subsequent "giants" in the land of Canaan.
One
of the disturbing aspects of the Old Testament record was God's instructions,
upon entering the land of Canaan, to wipe out every man, woman, and child of
certain tribes inhabiting the land. This is difficult to justify without the
insight of a "gene pool problem" from the remaining Nephilim,
Rephaim, et al., which seems to illuminate the difficulty.
8.
Prophetic Implications
Another
reason that an understanding of Genesis 6 is so essential is that it also is a
prerequisite to understanding (and anticipating) Satan's devices26 and, in
particular, the specific delusions to come upon the whole earth as a major
feature of end-time prophecy.27 We will take up these topics
in Part 2, "The Return Of The Nephilim")
In Summary
If
one takes an integrated view of the Scripture, then everything in it should
"tie together." It is the author's view that the "Angel View,"
however disturbing, is the clear, direct presentation of the Biblical text,
corroborated by multiple New Testament references and was so understood by both
early Jewish and Christian scholarship; the "Sethite View" is a
contrivance of convenience from a network of unjustified assumptions
antagonistic to the remainder of the Biblical record.
It
should also be pointed out that most conservative Bible scholars accept the
"angel" view.28 Among those supporting the "angel" view are:
G. H. Pember, M. R. DeHaan, C. H. McIntosh, F. Delitzsch, A. C. Gaebelein, A.
W. Pink, Donald Grey Barnhouse, Henry Morris, Merril F. Unger, Arnold
Fruchtenbaum, Hal Lindsey, and Chuck Smith, being among the best known.
For
those who take the Bible seriously, the arguments supporting the "Angel
View" appear compelling. For those who indulge in a willingness to take
liberties with the straightforward presentation of the text, no defense can
prove final. (And greater dangers than the implications attending these issues
await them!)
For
further exploration of this critical topic, see the following:
George Hawkins Pember, Earth's Earliest Ages, first published by
Hodder and Stoughton in 1875, and presently available by Kregel Publications,
Grand Rapids MI, 1975.
John
Fleming, The Fallen Angels and the Heroes of Mythology, Hodges,
Foster, and Figgis, Dublin, 1879.
Henry
Morris, The Genesis Record, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids MI, 1976.
Merrill
F. Unger, Biblical Demonology, Scripture Press, Chicago IL, 1952.
Clarence
Larkin, Spirit World, Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate, Philadelphia PA,
1921.
Notes:
1. Matthew 24:37.
2. Matthew 24:37.
3. Matthew 24:37;
Luke 17:26, as well as Old Testament allusions such as Daniel 2:43, et al.
4. Cf. Job 1:6;
2:1; 38:7 (where they are in existence before the creation of the earth). Jesus
also implies the same term in Luke 20:36.
5. A footnote in
an edition of the famed Scofield Bible, in suggesting that "sons of
Elohim" does not always denote angelic beings, points to one ostensible
exception (Isaiah 43:6) but the term in question is not there used! God simply
refers to Israel as "my sons" and "my daughters." Indeed,
all of Adam's race are termed God's "offspring" in Acts 17:28
(although Paul is here quoting a Greek poet).
6. The sons of
Elohim are even contrasted with the sons of Adam in Psalm 82:1, 6 and warned
that if they go on with the evil identified in verse 2, they would die like
Adam (man). When our Lord quoted this verse (John 10:34) He made no mention of
what order of beings God addressed in this Psalm but that the Word of God was
inviolate whether the beings in question were angels or men.
7. Luke 3:38.
8. John 1:11, 12.
9. 2 Corinthians
5:17.
10. 2 Corinthians
5:1-4.
11. Luke 20:36.
12. This term
appears only twice in the Bible: 2 Corinthians 5:2 and Jude 1:6.
13. Genesis 4:18.
14. Genesis 11:6.
15. This
instruction was given to the descendants of Isaac and Jacob. Even the presumed
descendants of Ishmael cannot demonstrate their linkage since no separation was
maintained.
16. A.C.
Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (Penteteuch), p. 29.
17. Gen 4:26 is
widely regarded as a mistranslation: "Then began men to profane the name
of the Lord." So agrees the venerated Targum of Onkelos; the Targum of
Jonathan Ben Uzziel; also the esteemed rabbinical sources such as Kimchi,
Rashi, et al. Also, Jerome. Also, the famed Maimonides, Commentary on the
Mishnah, 1168 a.d.
18. Exodus 12:5,
29; Leviticus 1:3, 10; 3:1, 6; 4:3, 23; 5:15, 18, 25; 22:19, 21; 23:12; Numbers
6:14; et al. Over 60 references, usually referring to the freedom from physical
blemishes of offerings.
19. Each human
gamete has 23 pairs of chromosomes: the male has both "Y" (shorter)
and "X" (longer) chromosomes; the female, only "X"
chromosomes. The sex of a fertilized egg is determined by the sperm fertilizing
the egg: "X+Y" for a male child; "X+X" for a female. Thus,
the male supplies the sex-determining chromosome.
20. Deut. 19:15;
Matthew 18:16; 26:60; 2 Corinthians 13:1; et al.
21. Jude 6, 7; 2
Peter 2:4-5.
22. Homer, Iliad,
viii 16.
23. Jude is commonly
recognized as one of the Lord's brothers. (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; Gal 1:9;
Jude 1:1.)
24. The only other
use in the New Testament is 2 Corinthians 5:2, alluding to the heavenly body
which the believer longs to be clothed.
25. Genesis 6:4.
26. 2 Corinthians
2:11.
27. Luke 21:26; 2
Thess 2:9, 11; et al.
28. The
International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Vol
V, p.2835-2836.
Taken from: http://www.khouse.org/article.phtml?article_code=110
Personal
Update Article
'And Also After That':
The Return of the Nephilim?
by Chuck
Missler
In
the last article, "Mischievous Angels or Sethites?" we explored the
importance of understanding Genesis 6. The straightforward presentation of the
text seems to clearly portray a strange union of fallen angels with women to
produce a hybrid race called the "Nephilim," or fallen ones.
We
enumerated the reasons we accept the "angel" view and why the liberal
"Sethite" view is inadequate.
Far
beyond simply a misunderstanding of the forthright presentation of the text,
the "Sethite" view also obscures apprehension of the prophetic Scriptures.
Post-Flood Occurrences
Regarding
the Nephilim, Genesis 6:4 also includes the haunting phrase, "...and also
after that...." Apparently these strange events were not confined just to
the period before the Flood.
We
find that there seems to be some recurrence of those things which resulted in
unusual "giants" appearing in subsequent periods later in the Old
Testament narrative, specifically the giant-races of Canaan.
There
were a number of tribes such as the Rephaim, the Emim, the Horim, and
Zamsummim, that were giants.1 The kingdom of Og, the King of
Bashan, was the "land of the giants."2 Later, we also
find Arba,3 Anak, and his seven sons (the "Anakim") also
as giants, along with the famed Goliath4 and his four brothers.5
When
God had revealed to Abraham that the land of Canaan was to be given to him,
Satan had over 400 years to plant his "mine field" of Nephilim!6
When
Moses sent his twelve spies to reconnoiter the Land of Canaan, they came back
with the report of giants in the land.7 (The term used was Nephilim.)
Their fear of those terrifying creatures resulted in their being relegated to
wandering in the wilderness for 38 years.
When
Joshua and the nation Israel later entered the land of Canaan, they were
instructed to wipe out every man, woman and child of certain tribes.8 That strikes
us as disturbingly severe. It would seem that in the Land of Canaan, there
again was a "gene pool problem."
These
Rephaim, Nephilim, and others seem to have been established as an advance guard
to obstruct Israel's possession of the Promised Land. Was this also a stratagem
of Satan?
The Days of Noah
Perhaps
the most direct prophetic reference involving these things was the peculiar
warning of our Lord Jesus Himself:
And
as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of
man.
Luke 17:26
What
does that mean? He also warned:
And
there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon
the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for
looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers
of heaven shall be shaken.
Luke 21:25,26 (emphasis added)
(The
late Walter Martin loved to include a "flying saucer" gesture with
his hand when quoting this verse!)
Is it
possible that the UFOs - and their occupants - are part of an end-time
scenario?
The Miry Clay of Daniel 2
The
famous dream of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel Chapter 2 appears to lay out all of
Gentile history until God ultimately intervenes and sets up His own kingdom.
The
various metals which make up the image in the dream are well known to serious
students of prophecy.9 Even our common expression, "the idol has feet of
clay," comes to us from this classic passage.
But
what is represented by the "miry clay" in this image? It
seems to be strangely mixed-but not completely-with the iron in the dream. The
term "miry clay" refers to clay made from dust,10 a Biblical
idiom which suggests death.11)
When
Daniel interprets this for us he makes an especially provocative allusion in
verse 43:
And
whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle
themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to
another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Daniel 2:43
As he
switches to a personal pronoun, they, "shall mingle themselves with
the seed of men..." This is extremely suggestive when viewed in light
of the warning of our Lord in Luke 17:26, ostensibly directing us to look more
closely at Genesis 6.
Just
what (or who) are "mingling with the seed of men?" These would seem
to refer to some beings who are not the seed of men themselves!
Could
this be a hint of a return to the mischief of Genesis 6? It staggers the mind
to consider the potential significance of Daniel's passage and its implications
for the future global governance.
Are
these "aliens" so prolific that they constitute a political
constituency?
Will
there be UFO incidents as part of a carefully orchestrated program to lead us
toward a political agenda? Or has it started already? Are the UFOs, and the
increasingly widespread abductions, part of the preparations for this scenario?
UFO Abductions?
There
seems to be a growing concern within the psychiatric community from the strange
(and far too frequent) reports from people who claim to have been
"abducted" by the occupants of UFOs. These reports are too bizarre to
accept, and yet too frequent-and consistent-to ignore. What is particularly
disturbing is the estimate from some national polls that as much as 3% of the
population may be involved!
Perhaps
the most well-known researcher in this area is Dr. John E. Mack, who is professor
of psychiatry at The Cambridge Hospital, Harvard Medical School. A contributor
to over 150 articles in professional (peer-reviewed) journals and a former
Pulitzer Prize winner, he certainly appears to have impressive credentials.
He
has been involved in almost a hundred of these cases personally, and has
shocked the professional community by declaring that he believes these beings
may be real and that they appear to have an agenda to develop a hybrid race!12
At a
professional conference on abductions at M.I.T., Dr. Mack asked the provocative
question, "If what these abductees are saying is happening to them isn't
happening, then what is?"13
Could
all this involve a return to the strange events of "the Days of
Noah?"
Can A Christian Be "Abducted?"
In
our publication, The Return of the Nephilim, I ventured the opinion,
based on demonology considerations, that a Christian cannot be abducted. In
response, I have received several letters of rebuttal, and also an interesting
phone call from a senior executive at Universal Studios who apparently has
extensive background in this area.
He
indicated that he had participated with Dr. John Mack in some of his sessions,
as well as with other researchers, and declared that I was wrong. He suggested
that I investigate the Andreasson affair.
The
Andreasson case involved a spirit-filled Christian; however, the reports
indicate that she accepted an invitation to participate.14 It still
appears to me that a Christian cannot be abducted unwillingly.
This
opens up the entire subject of demonology and is beyond our scope here. (Our
book does include a "Checklist for Potential
Abductees" for those who are concerned with this issue.)
* * *
Dr.
Mark Eastman and I have just published a new book, Alien Encounters,
which attempts to explore the Biblical implications of the increasing reports
of UFOs and their occupants, and their potential prophetic significance.
It
will prove to be the most controversial thing we have done and we truly request
your prayers!
Notes:
1.
Genesis 14:5; 15:20; Deuteronomy
2:10-12, 22.
2.
Deuteronomy 3:11, 13; Joshua
12:4;13:12.
3.
Joshua 14:15; 15:13; 21:11.
4.
1 Samuel 17:4ff.
5.
2 Samuel 21:16-22.
6.
Genesis 15:13-21.
7. Numbers 13:33.
8. 8. Joshua 6:21;
9:24; 10:28, 39; 11:24; Deut 2:34; 7:2, 3; 20:16-17; et al. Cf. 1 Sam 15:3, 8,
18, 19; Ps 137:8, 9.
9. See our
briefing package Iron Mixed With Clay (out of print - see An
Empire Reborn?) for a complete discussion.
10. Mire [Aramaic
in the text] is from a root meaning to be swept away; thus, dust, dirt.
11. Rephaim
(giants) also translated "dead": Ps 88:10; Prov 2:18; 9:18; 21:16;
Isa 14:9; 26:14.
12. John E. Mack, Abduction:
Human Encounters with Aliens, Ballantine Books, NY, 1994, p.411.
13. C.D.B. Bryan, Close
Encounters of the Fourth Kind: Alien Abduction, UFOs, and the Conference at
M.I.T., Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1995, p.4.
14. Jim Marrs,
Alien Agenda, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, p.213-218.
Taken from: http://www.khouse.org/article.phtml?article_code=22
Personal
Update Article
Return of the Aliens?
As The Days of Noah Were
by Chuck
Missler
There
continues to be a flow of articles, books, and entertainment programs dealing
with UFO's, aliens, and the like.1 Many wonder if there is a
connection or relationship to the prediction of our Lord in Luke 17:26:
"And
as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of
Man." The emergence of the "Nephilim" was what brought
about the Flood of Noah. Who were they? Is the current interest in the
possibility of "alien" involvements some how of Biblical relevance?
Genesis
6 indicates that the "sons of God" (B'nai Elohim) took wives
of the "daughters of men," which gave birth to the "Nephilim."
What on earth was going on?
The B'nai
Elohim is a term that refers to angels. It occurs four times in the Old
Testament 2 and is rendered "Angels of God" in the ancient
Septuagin translation.3 The intrusion of certain angels into the human family
resulted in unnatural offspring termed Nephilim, which derives from the
Hebrew naphal (to fall), or the Fallen Ones. (The Greek Septuagint
renders this term gigantes, which actually means "earth-born."
This is often misunderstood to mean "giants"--which they also happen
to have been, incidentally.)
The
early church viewed the B'nai Elohim as angels up through the late
fourth century: Justin, Athenagoras, Cyprian, Eusebius, et al. (also Josephus,
Philo, Judeaus, and the Apochrypha regard this view).
Celsus
and Julian the Apostate exploited the older common belief to attack
Christianity. Cyril of Alexandria, in his reply, repudiated the orthodox
position. Julius Africanus (a contemporary of Origen) introduced the theory
that the "sons of God" simply referred to the genealogical line of
Seth, which was committed to preserving the true worship of God.
Seemingly
more appealing, the "Sethite theory" prevailed into the Medieval
Church, and many still hold this view.
This
view, however, has several serious problems. There is no indication that the
Sethites were distinguished for piety; they were not exempted from the charge
of general wickedness which brought on the flood. In fact, Seth's son Enosh was
the one who introduced apostasy to that world. This is masked by a
mistranslation of Genesis 4:25, which should read:
"...then
men began to profane the name of the Lord."4 Furthermore,
when the faithful marry the unfaithful, they do not give birth to unnatural
offspring! And the "daughters of men" were not differentiated with
regard to the Flood. All were lost.5
(Incidentally,
the Nephilim didn't completely end with the flood. Genesis 6:4 mentions, "...and
also after that..." We find the sons fo Anak, the Anakim, later
in the Old Testament.)6
It
was the infusion of these strange beings into the human predicament that
brought on the Flood of Noah. The Flood was preceded by four generations of
prophets/preachers warning of the coming judgment: Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
and Noah.
It
seems that this was part of Satan's stratagem to corrupt the line of Adam to
prevent the fulfillment of the Messianic redemption. Noah was apparently unique
in that his genealogy was still uncorrupted.7
The
strange events which led to the flood are also alluded to in ancient
mythologies.8 The legends of the Greek "titans"--partly
terrestrial, partly celestial--embrace these same memories.9 (The Greek titan
is linguistically linked to the Chaldean sheitan, and the Hebrew satan.)
There
is a great deal revealed in the Bible about angels. They can appear in human
form,10 they spoke as men, took men by the hand, even ate men's
food,11 are capable of direct physical combat,12 some are the
principal forces behind the world powers.13 They don't
marry (in Heaven),14 but apparently are (or were) capable of much mischief.15
The
strange events of Genesis Chapter 6 are also referred to in the New Testament.
Peter refers to events preceding the flood of Noah:
"For
if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and
delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment..." 2 Peter 2:4
(Peter
uses the term tartarus, here translated as hell. This was a Greek term
for "the dark abode of woe, the pit of darkness in the unseen world."
Homer's Iliad portrays tartarus "as far below hades as the earth is
below Heaven...")
Also,
in Jude, it mentions them:
"And
the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he
hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like
manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh,
are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Jude 6,7.
Scripture
warns against meddling with the spirit world. The punishment which overtook the
angels that sinned was to emphasize the serious nature of apostasy: beings of a
higher order than ours have been hurled down into a dark place of confinement
where they have remained for thousands of years.
God
has not changed His attitude toward them; time has not mitigated the
seriousness of their sin. False teachers are prewritten into condemnation.
There
are many who believe that the recent "alien" involvements are also
demonic and are just another precursor to the end-time. Some also believe that
the Coming World Leader (for more information on the Coming World Leader, see
our Briefing Package) may boast of an "alien connection." It would be
consistent from what else we can infer from Scripture.
(The
Restrainer of II Thessalonians 2 may be restraining far more than we have any
suspicion of! When He is removed, the world is in for some astonishing
surprises!)16
In
the meantime, what are our weapons of protection against such things? We do,
indeed, "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Our
armor is well defined in Ephesians 6:10-17.
The
unprepared are in for some unpleasant surprises. Always. Have you done your
homework?
Notes:
1. The recent video
puporting to be an autopsy of an alien (regarded by most experts as a clever
hoax) is an example. Books include:
William M. Alnor, UFO's in the New Age, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids
MI, 1992;
I.D.E. Thomas, The Omega Conspiracy, Growth Publishing, Herndon VA,
1986;
Timothy J. Dailey, The Millennial Deception, Baker Book House, Grand
Rapids MI, 1995;
David Allen Lewish and Robert Shreckhise, UFO: End-Time Delusion, New
Leaf Press, July 1991 (3rd printing in August 1993).
2. Job 1:6; 2:1;
38:7, as well as Genesis 6. They are said to have "shouted for joy"
at the creation.
3. This is the
translation of the Old Testament into Greek in the third century before Christ.
Many of the New Testament quotes are from this translation.
4. Targum of
Onkelos: "...desisted from praying in the name"; Targum of Jonathan:
"surnamed their idols in the name..."' Kimchi, Rashi, and other
ancient Jewish commentators agree. Jerome indicated that this was the opinion
of many Jews of his day. Maimonides, Commentary on the Mishna (a constituent
part of the Talmud), A.D. 1168, ascribes the origin of idolatry to the days of
Enosh.
5. 2 Peter 2:5.
6. Numbers 13:3;
Dueteronomy 3:11; Amos 2:9; 2 Samuel 21:15-22.
7. Genesis 6:9.
8. Fallen Angels
and the Heroes of Mythology, by John Fleming.
9. They rebelled
against their father Uranus (Heaven) and after a prolonged contest were
defeated by Zeus and condemned into Tartarus, the term used by Peter to refer
to hell (2 Peter 2:4).
10. Genesis 19:5,
10, 16.
11. Genesis 18:8;
19:3, 16.
12. Death of the
Firstborn in Egypt, Exodus 12; Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis 19; 185,00 troops
slaughtered, 2 Kings 19:35.
13. Daniel 10.
14. Matthew 22:30.
15. Genesis 6:1-2;
2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6.
16. See our Thessalonians
Commentary for a complete study.
Taken from: http://www.khouse.org/article.phtml?article_code=43
“Is there a
connection between the Greek and Roman pantheon of Gods, the Flood, and a
planet that perhaps once exploded? Writing of the Nephilim-who sprang from the
illicit union of fallen angels with Antediluvian daughters of Eve-Ray Stedman
says:
It
is clear that the result of this union...was a race of mighty men, "men of
renown." Here, I think, is the explanation for the stories of mythology
with which many of you are familiar, the demi-gods-half man and half god- such
as Hercules, and others. Mythology is no mere invention of the mind of man; it
grows out of the traditions, memories, and legends which were a corruption and
perversion of primitive truths. We are told in this passage that this occurred
"also afterward." This "also afterward" means that after
the Flood a similar incursion of demonic beings took place. This second
invasion resulted in the presence in the land of Canaan of certain gigantic
races which are called in our Bible, the Canaanites. Many of you who have
stumbled over those long lists of "ites" in the Old Testament are
familiar with these various races-the Jebusites, the Geshurites, the Hittites,
etc. All of these are divisions of the Nephilim (they are also called the
Rephaim in the Old Testament) who were already in the land when Abraham came to
the promised land. They represent an attempt on the part of demonic powers to
derail the divine program of bringing a Redeemer into the world through the
human race.”
“CONCERNING THE FLOOD; AND AFTER
WHAT MANNER NOAH WAS SAVED IN AN ARK, WITH HIS KINDRED, AND AFTERWARDS DWELT IN
THE PLAIN OF SHINAR,
1.
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. For many angels (11) 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…”
(11) This notion, that the fallen angels were,
in some sense, the fathers of the old giants, was the constant opinion of
antiquity.
Taken from: http://www.fellowlaborers.com/library/josephus/ant-01.htm
“…but
David carried the head of Goliath into his own tent, but dedicated his sword to
God [at the tabernacle]… The high priest said that he had no such weapons; but,
he added, "Here is the sword of Goliath, which, when thou hadst slain the
Philistine, thou didst dedicate to God."”
Taken from: http://www.fellowlaborers.com/library/josephus/ant-06.htm
“Would
not Cain's city before the flood answer to the people of that day, the same end
as Babylon did afterwards (Gen. iv. 17)? Each would be the capital of their
respective idolatrous systems. The words "Cain went out from the presence
of the Lord" are very significant. So is the name of Cain's city. He
called it "Enoch," which means initiated.* The corruption of
mankind spoken of in Gen. vi. must have led to abnormal forms, which would
account for the half-human, or super-human beings, which became the Nephilim,
the Rephaim, and Anakim of Scripture; the Titans of the Greeks. It would
account for the worship of Ishtar, Isis, Ashtaroth, and all the abominations of
spiritual harlotry.
From the root (...) (chahnak),
to initiate, to dedicate.”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-ta/6VisionE.htm
“Forty
days successively, as the opposing armies had stood marshaled in battle-array,
Goliath of Gath - a descendant of those giants that had been left at the time
of Joshua (Joshua 11:21, 22) - had stepped out of the ranks of the Philistines
to challenge a champion of Israel to single combat, which should decide the
fate of the campaign, and the subjection of either Israel or the Philistines.
Such challenges were common enough in antiquity. But it indicated a terrible
state of things when it could be thrown down and not taken up, - a fearful
"reproach" when an "uncircumcised Philistine" could so
"defy the armies of the living God" (1 Samuel 17:8-10, 26, 36). And
yet as Goliath left the ranks of his camp, and "came down" (ver. 8)
into the valley that separated the two hosts, and, as it were, shook his hand
in scorn of high heaven and of Israel, not a man dared answer; till at last the
Philistine, rendered more and more bold, began to cross the wady, and "came
up" the slopes towards where Israel stood (ver. 25), when at sight of him
they "fled," and "were sore afraid."
For,
where the realizing sense of God's presence was wanting, the contest would only
seem one of strength against strength. In that case, the appearance and bearing
of the Philistine must have been sufficiently terrifying to Orientals.
Measuring about nine feet nine inches,* he was covered front and back by
a coat of mail of brass, consisting of scales overlapping each other, such as
we know were used in ancient times,** but weighing not less than about
one hundred and fifty-seven pounds.***
* This measurement is of course
approximative, as we are not quite sure of the exact equivalent of Hebrew
measures and weights. Pliny mentions an Arab giant who measured exactly the
same as Goliath, and a man and a woman in the time of Augustus who were even an
inch taller (Hist. Nat., 7. 16). Josephus speaks of a Jew who was even taller
(Ant., 18. 4, 5); and Keil refers to a giant of nearly the same proportions who
visited Berlin in 1859. The LXX. however, characteristically change the
measurement from six to four cubits.
** A corselet of this kind, belonging
to Rameses III., is in the British Museum.
*** A mediaeval corselet preserved in
Dresden weighs more than a third of that of Goliath, which seems proportionate
to his size.
…God, Whom Goliath had blasphemed and
defied, would presently take up the challenge. He would fight, and deliver the
giant into the hand of one even so unequal to such contest as an unarmed
shepherd. Thus would "all the earth" - all Gentile nations - see that
there was a God in Israel; thus also would "all this assembly" (the
kahal, the called) - all Israel - learn that too long forgotten lesson which
must underlie all their history, that "not by sword or spear, saith
Jehovah: for Jehovah's is the war, and He gives you into our hands." ”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-bhot/vol_IV/ch10.htm
'There
were giants in the earth in those days.' These words seem to be spoken, to shew
us the hazards that Noah ran, while he preached the truth of God: He incurred
the displeasure of the giants, which doubtless made all men tremble, and kept
the whole world in awe. But Noah must engage the giants, he must not fear the
face of a giant. This way God took also with Moses, and with his people of
Israel, they must go to possess the land of the giants, a people high and tall
as the cedars, a people of whom went that proverb, 'Who can stand before the
children of Anak?" (Deu 9:2). They must not be afraid of Og the king of
Bashan, though his head be as high as the ridge of a house, and his bedstead a
bedstead of iron (Deu 3:11).
'And when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and
they bare children to them, the same became mighty men'; much
like to the giants. The fruit therefore of ungodly communion is monstrous, and
of a very strange complexion…of whom Nehemiah speaks, that had mixed themselves
with the children of Ashdod, Ammon and Moab, whose children were a monstrous
brood, that spake half the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the Jews'
language (Neh 13:23,24).
… Giants, the sons of the giant; but David and his servants must
engage them, and fight them, though they were giants (1 Chron 20:4-8).
'Men
of renown.' Not for faith and holiness, but for some other high achievements,
may be, mighty to fight, and to shed man's blood; or to find out arts, and the
nature of things; both which did render them famous, and men to be noted in
their place. Such kind of men might be Corah, Dathan, and their company also;
yet they opposed Moses and Aaron, yea, God, his way and worship, and perished
after an unheard of manner (Num 16:1,2). As also did the opposers of righteous
Noah, in the day of the flood.”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-jb/Genesis/gen06.htm
Alexander Hislop, “The Two Babylons”
“…The rebellion of the Giants is
represented as peculiarly a rebellion against Heaven. To this ancient
quarrel between the Babylonian potentates and Heaven, there is plainly
an allusion in the words of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, when announcing that sovereign's
humiliation and subsequent restoration, he says (Dan 4:26), "Thy kingdom
shall be sure unto thee, when thou hast known that the HEAVENS do rule."
Thus,
then, it appears that Atlas, with the heavens resting on his broad shoulders,
refers to no mere distinction in astronomical knowledge, however great, as some
have supposed, but to a quite different thing, even to that great apostacy in
which the Giants rebelled against Heaven, and in which apostacy Nimrod,
"the mighty one," * as the acknowledged ringleader, occupied a
pre-eminent place. **
* In the Greek Septuagint, translated
in Egypt, the term "mighty" as applied in Genesis 10:8, to Nimrod, is
rendered the ordinary name for a "Giant."
** IVAN and KALLERY, in their account
of Japan, show that a similar story to that of Atlas was known there, for they
say that once a day the Emperor "sits on his throne upholding the world
and the empire." Now something like this came to be added to the story of
Atlas, for PAUSANIAS shows that Atlas also was represented as upholding both earth
and heaven.”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-ttb/sect223.htm
“…Cush was Nimrod's father. Turn now to Layard, and see
how this land of ours and Assyria are thus brought into intimate connection. In
a woodcut, first we find "the Assyrian Hercules," that is
"Nimrod the giant," as he is called in the Septuagint version of
Genesis…him who first began to be mighty in the chase and in war, and who,
according to all ancient traditions, was remarkable also for bodily power, as
being the leader of the Giants that rebelled against heaven…”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-ttb/sect221.htm
“…Centaurus
is represented as having been taken up to heaven (DYMOCK "Ixion"),
that is, as having been highly exalted through special favour of heaven; then,
in that state of exaltation, he is said to have fallen in love with Nephele,
who passed under the name of Juno, the "Queen of Heaven." The story
here is intentionally confused, to mystify the vulgar, and the order of events
seems changed, which can easily be accounted for. As Nephele in Greek
signifies "a cloud," so the offspring of Centaurus are said to have
been produced by a "cloud." But Nephele, in the language of
the country where the fable was originally framed, signified "A fallen
woman," and it is from that "fallen woman,"
therefore, that the Centaurs are really said to have sprung. Now, the story of
Nimrod, as Ninus, is, that he fell in love with Semiramis when she was another
man's wife, and took her for his own wife, whereby she became doubly
fallen--fallen as a woman *-- and fallen from the primitive faith in which she
must have been brought up; and it is well known that this "fallen
woman" was, under the name of Juno, or the Dove, after her death,
worshipped among the Babylonians.
* Nephele was used, even in
Greece, as the name of a woman, the degraded wife of Athamas being so
called. (SMITH'S Class. Dict., "Athamas")
Centaurus,
for his presumption and pride, was smitten with lightning by the supreme God,
and cast down to hell (DYMOCK, "Ixion"). This, then, is just
another version of the story of Phaethon, Aesculapius, and Orpheus, who were
all smitten in like manner and for a similar cause...”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-ttb/sect222.htm
“John
Williams, the well known missionary, tells us that, according to one of the
ancient traditions of the islanders of the South Seas, "the heavens were
originally so close to the earth that men could not walk, but were compelled to
crawl" under them. "This was found a very serious evil; but at length
an individual conceived the sublime idea of elevating the heavens to a more
convenient height. For this purpose he put forth his utmost energy, and by the
first effort raised them to the top of a tender plant called teve, about
four feet high. There he deposited them until he was refreshed, when, by a second
effort, he lifted them to the height of a tree called Kauariki, which is
as large as the sycamore. By the third attempt he carried them to the summits
of the mountains; and after a long interval of repose, and by a most prodigious
effort, he elevated them to their present situation." For this, as a
mighty benefactor of mankind, "this individual was deified; and up to the
moment that Christianity was embraced, the deluded inhabitants worshipped him
as the 'Elevator of the heavens.'" Now, what could more graphically
describe the position of mankind soon after the flood, and the proceedings of
Nimrod as Phoroneus, "The Emancipator," * than this Polynesian fable?
…So long as the
influence of the great father of the new world was in the ascendant, while his
maxims were regarded, and a holy atmosphere surrounded the world, no wonder
that those who were alienated from God and godliness, felt heaven and its
influence and authority to be intolerably near, and that in such circumstances
they "could not walk," but only "crawl,"--that is, that
they had no freedom to "walk after the sight of their own eyes and the
imaginations of their own hearts." From this bondage Nimrod emancipated
them….For this, such men could not but regard Nimrod as a high benefactor.
Now,
who could have imagined that a tradition from Tahiti would have illuminated the
story of Atlas? But yet, when Atlas, bearing the heavens on his
shoulders, is brought into juxtaposition with the deified hero of the South
Seas, who blessed the world by heaving up the superincumbent heavens that
pressed so heavily upon it, who does not see that the one story bears a
relation to the other? *
* In the Polynesian story the heavens
and earth are said to have been "bound together with cords," and the
"severing" of these cords is said to have been effected by
myriads of "dragon-flies," which, with their "wings,"
bore an important share in the great work. (WILLIAMS) Is there not here a
reference to Nimrod's `63 "mighties" or "winged ones"?
The deified "mighty ones" were often represented as winged serpents.
See WILKINSON, vol. iv. p. 232, where the god Agathodaemon is
represented as a "winged asp." Among a rude people the memory
of such a representation might very naturally be kept up in connection with the
"dragon-fly"; and as all the mighty or winged ones of
Nimrod's age, the real golden age of paganism…”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-ttb/sect223.htm
“…Nimrod,
as Head and Captain of those men of war, by whom he surrounded himself, and who
were the instruments of establishing his power, was "Baal-aberin,"
"Lord of the mighty ones." But "Baal-abirin"
(pronounced nearly in the same way) signified "The winged one,"
* and therefore in symbol he was represented, not only as a horned bull, but as
at once a horned and winged bull--as showing not merely that he was mighty
himself, but that he had mighty ones under his command, who were ever ready to
carry his will into effect, and to put down all opposition to his power; and to
shadow forth the vast extent of his might, he was represented with great and
wide-expanding wings.
* This is according to a peculiar
Oriental idiom, of which there are many examples. Thus, Baal-aph,
"lord of wrath," signifies "an angry man"; Baal-lashon,
"lord of tongue," "an eloquent man"; Baal-hatsim,
"lord of arrows," "an archer"; and in like manner, Baal-aberin,
"lord of wings," signifies "winged one."…
Now,
the understanding of this equivocal sense of "Baal-aberin" can alone
explain the remarkable statement of Aristophanes, that at the beginning of the
world "the birds" were first created, and then after
their creation, came the "race of the blessed immortal gods." This
has been regarded as either an atheistical or nonsensical utterance on the part
of the poet, but, with the true key applied to the language, it is found to
contain an important historical fact. Let it only be borne in mind that
"the birds"--that is, the "winged ones"--symbolised
"the Lords of the mighty ones," and then the meaning is clear, viz.,
that men first "began to be mighty on the earth"; and then,
that the "Lords" or Leaders of "these mighty ones" were deified.
The knowledge of the mystic sense of this symbol accounts also for the origin
of the story of Perseus, the son of Jupiter, miraculously born of Danae, who
did such wondrous things, and who passed from country to country on wings
divinely bestowed on him. This equally casts light on the symbolic myths in
regard to Bellerophon, and the feats which he performed on his winged horse,
and their ultimate disastrous issue; how high he mounted in the air, and how
terrible was his fall; and of Icarus, the son of Daedalus, who, flying on
wax-cemented wings over the Icarian Sea, had his wings melted off through his too
near approach to the sun, and so gave his name to the sea where he was supposed
to have fallen. The fables all referred to those who trode, or were supposed to
have trodden, in the steps of Nimrod, the first "Lord of the mighty
ones," and who in that character was symbolised as equipped with wings.
Now,
it is remarkable that, in the passage of Aristophanes already referred to, that
speaks of the birds, or "the winged ones," being produced before
the gods, we are informed that he from whom both "mighty ones"
and gods derived their origin, was none other than the winged boy Cupid.
*
* Aristophanes says that Eros or Cupid
produced the "birds" and "gods" by "mingling
all things." This evidently points to the meaning of the name Bel, which
signifies at once "the mingler" and "the
confounder." This name properly belonged to the father of Nimrod, but, as
the son was represented as identified with the father, we have evidence that
the name descended to the son and others by inheritance.
Cupid,
the son of Venus, occupied, as will afterwards be proved, in the mystic
mythology the very same position as Nin, or Ninus, "the son," did to
Rhea, the mother of the gods. As Nimrod was unquestionably the first of
"the mighty ones" after the Flood, this statement of Aristophanes,
that the boy-god Cupid, himself a winged one, produced all the
birds or "winged ones"…”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-ttb/sect221.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Next
References Are Even More And More Intertwined With Fantasy (So “Caveat
Emptor” = Beware):
Louis Ginzberg, “Legends of the Jews”
“Unlike
Istehar, the pious maiden, Naamah, the lovely sister of Tubal-cain, led the
angels astray with her beauty, and from her union with Shamdon sprang the devil
Asmodeus.[11] She was as shameless as all the other descendants of Cain, and as
prone to bestial indulgences. Cainite women and Cainite men alike were in the
habit of walking abroad naked, and they gave themselves up to every conceivable
manner of lewd practices. Of such were the women whose beauty and sensual
charms tempted the angels from the path of virtue. The angels, on the other
hand, no sooner had they rebelled against God and descended to earth than they
lost their transcendental qualities, and were invested with sublunary bodies,
so that a union with the daughters of men became possible. The offspring of
these alliances between the angels and the Cainite women were the giants,[12]
known for their strength and their sinfulness; as their very name, the Emim,
indicates, they inspired fear. They have many other names. Sometimes they go by
the name Rephaim, because one glance at them made one's heart grow weak; or by
the name Gibborim, simply giants, because their size was so enormous that their
thigh measured eighteen ells; or by the name Zamzummim, because they were great
masters in war; or by the name Anakim, because they touched the sun with their
neck; or by the name Ivvim, because, like the snake, they could judge of the
qualities of the soil; or finally, by the name Nephilim, because, bringing the
world to its fall, they themselves fell.[13]
THE
GENERATION OF THE DELUGE
While
the descendants of Cain resembled their father in his sinfulness and depravity,
the descendants of Seth led a pious, well-regulated life, and the difference
between the conduct of the two stocks was reflected in their habitations. The
family of Seth was settled upon the mountains in the vicinity of Paradise,
while the family of Cain resided in the field of Damascus, the spot whereon
Abel was slain by Cain.
Unfortunately,
at the time of Methuselah, following the death of Adam, the family of Seth
became corrupted after the manner of the Cainites. The two strains united with
each other to execute all kinds of iniquitous deeds. The result of the
marriages between them were the Nephilim, whose sins brought the deluge upon
the world. In their arrogance they claimed the same pedigree as the posterity
of Seth, and they compared themselves with princes and men of noble
descent.[14]”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-lotj/vol1/four.htm
“Goliath,
it will be remembered, was the son of the Moabitess Orpah, (27) the
sister-in-law of David's ancestress Ruth, and her sister as well, both having
been the daughters of the Moabite king Eglon. (28) David and Goliath differed
as widely as their grandams, for in contrast to Ruth, the pious, religious
Jewess, Orpah had led a life of unspeakable infamy. Her son Goliath was jeered
at as "the son of a hundred fathers and one mother." (29) But God
lets naught go unrewarded, even in the wicked. In return for the forty steps
Orpah had accompanied her mother-in-law Naomi, (30) Goliath the Philistine, her
son, was permitted to display his strength and skill for forty days, and in
return for the four tears Orpah had shed on parting from her mother-in-law, she
was privileged to give birth to four giant sons. (31)
Of
the four, Goliath was the strongest and greatest. What the Scriptures tell
about him is but a small fraction of what might have been told. The Scriptures
refrain intentionally from expatiating upon the prowess of the miscreant. Nor
do they tell how Goliath, impious as he was, dared challenge the God of Israel
to combat with him, and how he tried by every means in his power to hinder the
Israelites in their Divine worship. Morning and evening he would appear in the
camp at the very time when the Israelites were preparing to say the Shema. (32)
…For
Goliath was intent upon doing away with Saul. His grievance against him was
that once, when, in a skirmish between the Philistines and the Israelites,
Goliath had succeeded in capturing the holy tables of the law, Saul had wrested
them from the giant. (34) In consequence of his malady, Saul could not venture
to cross swords with Goliath, and he accepted David's offer to enter into
combat in his place…
…Jerusalem
having been acquired, David had to prepare for war with the Philistines, in
which the king gave proof at once of his heroic courage and his unshakable
trust in God. The latter quality he displayed signally in the battle that took
place in the Valley of the Giants…”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-lotj/vol4/p04.htm
“Some of the Cainites are giants, some of them are dwarfs…
… Two hundred angels descended to the summit of Mount Hermon,
which owes its name to this very occurrence, because they bound themselves
there to fulfil their purpose, on the penalty of Herem, anathema. Under the
leadership of twenty captains they defiled themselves with the daughters of
men, unto whom they taught charms, conjuring formulas, how to cut roots, and
the efficacy of plants. The issue from these mixed marriages was a race of
giants, three thousand ells tall, who consumed the possessions of men…
… "Go forth and say to the watchers of heaven who have sent
thee hither to intercede for them: Verily, it is you who ought to plead in
behalf of men, not men in behalf of you I Why did ye forsake the high, holy,
and eternal heavens, to pollute yourselves with the daughters of men, taking
wives unto yourselves, doing like the races of the earth, and begetting giant
sons? Giants begotten by flesh and spirits will be called evil spirits on
earth, and on the earth will be their dwelling-place. Evil spirits proceed from
their bodies, because they are created from above, and from the holy watchers
is their beginning and primal origin; they will be evil spirits on earth, and
evil spirits they will be named. And the spirits of heaven have their dwelling
in heaven, but the spirits of the earth, which were born upon the earth, have
their dwelling on the earth. And the spirits of the giants will devour,
oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and cause destruction on the earth, and
work affliction. They will take no kind of food, nor will they thirst, and they
will be invisible. And these spirits will rise up against the children of men
and against the women, because they have proceeded from them. Since the days of
murder and destruction and the death of the giants, when the spirits went forth
from the soul of their flesh, in order to destroy without incurring
judgment--thus will they destroy until the day when the great consummation of
the great world be consummated. And now as to the watchers who have sent thee
to intercede for them, who had been aforetime in heaven, say to them: You have
been in heaven, and though the hidden things had not yet been revealed to you,
you know worthless mysteries, and in the hardness of your hearts you have
recounted these to the women, and through these mysteries women and men work
much evil on earth. Say to them therefore: You have no peace!"…”
Taken from: http://philologos.org/__eb-lotj/vol1/three.htm
THE SONS OF
GOD AND THE DAUGHTERS OF MEN. Notes from the Books of Ysrael. From Hebrew Myths
(related with the Genesis). By Robert Graves and Raphael Patai
Note C: “The Sons of God… for three hundred years did indeed
teach Cain's son Enoch all the secrets of Heaven and Earth. Later, however,
they lusted after mortal women and defiled themselves by sexual intercourse.
Enoch has recorded not only their divine instructions, but also their
subsequent fall from grace; before the end they were indiscriminately enjoying
virgins, matrons, men, and beasts. (2 Jubilees 4:15, 22; 5:1;
Tanhuma Buber Gen. 24).
Fragments of “The Jubilees”:
Chapter 5
1 “And it came to pass when the children
of men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born
unto them, that the angels of God saw them… that they were beautiful to
look upon; and they took themselves wives of all whom they 2 chose, and they
bare unto them sons and they were giants.
And lawlessness increased on the earth
and all flesh corrupted its way, alike men and cattle and beasts and birds and everything
that walks on the earth -all of them corrupted their ways and their orders, and
they began to devour each other, and lawlessness increased on the
earth and every imagination of the thoughts of all men 3 (was) thus evil
continually. And God looked upon the earth, and behold it was corrupt, and all
flesh had corrupted its orders, and all that were upon the earth had
wrought all manner of evil 4 before His eyes. And He said that He would destroy
man and all flesh upon the face of the earth 5,6 which He had created. But Noah
found grace before the eyes of the Lord.
And against the angels whom He
had sent upon the earth, He was exceedingly wroth, and He gave commandment to
root them out of all their dominion, and He bade us to bind them in the depths of
the earth, and
7 behold they are bound in the midst
of them, and are (kept) separate. And against their sons went forth a command
from before His face that they should be smitten with the sword, and be removed
8 from under heaven…. 10b they were bound in the depths of the earth for
ever, until the day of the great condemnation, when judgment is executed on all
those who have corrupted their ways and their works before 11 the Lord…
Chapter 7
21b …For owing to these three things
came the flood upon the earth, namely, owing to the fornication wherein the Watchers
against the law of their ordinances went a whoring after the
daughters of men, and took themselves wives of all which they
22 chose: and they made the beginning of uncleanness.
And they begat sons the Naphidim, and they were all unlike, and they
devoured one another: and the Giants slew the Naphil (Naphelim), and the 23
Naphil slew the Eljo (Elioud), and the Eljo mankind, and one man another. And
every one sold himself 24 to work iniquity and to shed much blood, and the
earth was filled with iniquity. And after this they sinned against the beasts
and birds, and all that moves and walks on the earth: and much blood was shed
on the earth, and every imagination and desire of men imagined vanity and evil
25 continually. And the Lord destroyed everything from off the face of the
earth; because of the wickedness of their deeds, and because of the blood which
they had shed in the midst of the earth…27 For I see (“Noah
speaks”), and behold the demons have begun (their) seductions
against you and against your children and now I fear on your behalf, that after
my death (says Noah) ye will shed the blood of men upon the earth…
Chapter 20
5b …And he told them of the judgment
of the giants, and the judgment of the Sodomites, how they had
been judged on account of their wickedness, and had died on account of their
fornication, and uncleanness, and mutual corruption through fornication.
Chapter 29
9b… wherefore the name of that place
is called: 'The Heap of Witness,' after this heap. But before they used to call
the land of Gilead the land of the Rephaim; for it was the land of the Rephaim,
and the Rephaim were born (there), giants whose height was ten, nine, eight
down to 10 seven cubits. And their habitation was from the land of the children
of Ammon to Mount Hermon, 11 and the seats of their kingdom were Karnaim and
Ashtaroth, and Edrei, and Misur, and Beon. And the Lord destroyed them because
of the evil of their deeds; for they were very malignant, and the Amorites
dwelt in their stead, wicked and sinful, and there is no people today which has
wrought 12 to the full all their sins, and they have no longer length of life
on the earth.”
Note F: Islamic mythology: “Harut and Marut are first mentioned in the Qur'an (2:102) as
two angels purveying evil in Babylon, and the legend probably appeared
to explain how they happened to be in that position. The story itself parallels
a Jewish legend about the fallen angels Shemhazai, 'Uzza, and 'Aza'el.
The names Harut and Marut appear to be etymologically related to those of
Haruvatat and Ameretat, Zoroastrian archangels.”
Note H: “Certain angels… turned themselves into precious stones,
pearls, purple dye, gold and other treasures, which were at once stolen by
covetous men. They then took human shape, hoping to teach mankind
righteousness. But this asumption of flesh made them subject to human lusts:
being seduced by the Daughters of Men, they found themselves chained to Earth,
unable to resume their spiritual shapes… The Fallen Ones rejected God's manna,
slaughtered animals for food, and even dined on human flesh, thus fouling the
air with sickly vapours. It was then that God decided to cleanse Earth…” (The
Clementine Homilies, 8:11-17(pp. 142-45). 3rd cent.; Cf. also Enoch 6-8;
69; 106, 13f).
Fragments of The Clementine Homilies:
Chapter XII.-Metamorphoses of the
Angels.
"For of the spirits who
inhabit the heaven, the angels who dwell in the lowest region… metamorphosed
themselves into every nature; for, being of a more godlike substance,
they are able easily to assume any form.
So they became precious stones,
and goodly pearl, and the most beauteous purple, and choice gold,
and all matter that is held in most esteem. And they fell into the hands of
some, and into the bosoms of others, and suffered themselves to be stolen by
them.
They also changed themselves into beasts and reptiles, and fishes and
birds, and into whatsoever they pleased…”
Chapter XIII.-The Fall of the Angels.
"But when, having assumed these forms,
they convicted as covetous those who stole them, and changed themselves into
the nature of men, in order that, living holily, and showing the
possibility of so living, they might subject the ungrateful to punishment, yet
having become in all respects men, they also partook of human lust, and
being brought tinder its subjection they fell into cohabitation with women;
[Comp. Recognitions, i. 30.] and being involved with them, and sunk in
defilement and altogether emptied of their first power, were unable
to turn back to the first purity of their proper nature, their members
turned away from their fiery substance: for the fire itself, being extinguished
by the weight of lust, and changed into flesh, they trode the impious path
downward. For they themselves, being fettered with the bonds of flesh, were
constrained and strongly bound; wherefore they have no more been able to
ascend into the heavens.”
Chapter XIV.-Their Discoveries.
"For after the intercourse, being
asked to show what they were before, and being no longer able to do so, on
account of their being unable to do aught else after their defilement, yet
wishing to please their mistresses, instead of themselves, they showed the
bowel (marrow) of the earth; I mean, the choice metals, [flowers of metal]
gold, brass, silver, iron, and the like, with all the most precious
stones. And along with these charmed stones, they delivered the arts
of the things pertaining to each, and imparted the discovery of magic,
and taught astronomy, and the powers of roots, and whatever was
impossible to be found out by the human mind; also the reeking of gold and
silver, and the like, and the various dyeing of garments. And all things, in
short, which are for the adornment and delight of
women, are the discoveries of these demons bound in flesh.”
Chapter XV.-The Giants.
"But from their unhallowed
intercourse spurious men sprang, greater in stature than ordinary men,
whom they afterwards called giants; not those dragon-footed giants who waged
war against God, as those blasphemous myths of the Greeks do sing, but
wild in manners, and greater than men in size, inasmuch as they were sprung of
angels; yet less than angels, as they were born of women.
Therefore God, knowing that they were barbarized
to brutality, and that the world was not sufficient to satisfy them (for it was
created according to the proportion of men and human use), that they might not
through want of food turn, contrary to nature, to the eating of animals, and
yet seem to be blameless, as having ventured upon this through necessity, the
Almighty God rained manna upon them, suited to their various tastes; and they
enjoyed all that they would. But they, on account of their bastard nature, not
being pleased with purity of food, longed only after the taste of blood.
Wherefore they first tasted flesh.”
Chapter XVI.-Cannibalism.
"And the men who were with them
there for the first time were eager to do the like. Thus, although we are born
neither good nor bad, we become one or the other; and having formed habits,
we are with difficulty drawn from them. But when irrational animals fell short,
these bastard men tasted also human flesh. For it was not a long step to the
consumption of flesh like their own, having first tasted it in other forms.
Commentaries from the same source (above):
Commentary 3a: “Josephus's view, that the Sons of God
were angels, survived for several centuries despite Shimon Ben Yohai's curse.”
Commentary 3b: “As late as the eighth century A.D., Rabbi Eliezer records in a midrash: "The angels who fell from Heaven saw the daughters of Cain perambulating and displaying their secret parts, their eyes painted with antimony in the manner of harlots; and, being seduced, took wives from among them." Rabbi Joshua ben Qorha, a literalist... decided that "when these angels fell from Heaven, their strength and stature were reduced to those of mortals, and their fire changed into flesh." “
Commentary 11: “The Anakim
may have been Mycenaean Greek colonists, belonging to the "Sea
Peoples" confederation which caused Egypt such trouble in the fourteenth
century B.C. Greek mythographers told of a Giant Anax ("king"), son
of Heaven and Mother Earth, who ruled Anactoria (Miletus) in Asia Minor.
According to Appollodorus, the disinterred skeleton of Asterius
("starry"), Anax's successor, measured ten cubits. Akakes, the plural
of Nanx, was an epithet of the Greek gods in general”.
Commentary 12: “Megalithic
monuments, found by the Hebrews on their arrival in Canaan, will have encouraged
legends about giants…”
Commentary 13: “The Nephilim
("Fallen Ones") bore many other tribal names, such as Emim
("Terrors"), Repha'im ("Weakeners"), Gibborim ("Giant
Heroes"), Zamzummim ("Acheivers"), Anakim
("Long-necked" or "Wearers of Necklaces"), Awwim
("Devastators" or "Serpents"). One of the Nephilim
named Arba is said to have built the city of Hebron, called
"Kiriath-Arba" after him, and become the father of Anak whose three
sons, Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, were later expelled by Joshua's comrade
Caleb. Since, however, arba means "four" in Hebrew, Kiriath-Arba may
have originally have meant "City of Four," a reference to its four
quarters mythically connected with the Anakite clans: Anak himself and his
"sons" Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai”
Commentary 2: According
with Robert Graves and Raphael Patai, Josephus
interpreted it as follows (but in this Web Page we have read above the
actual writings by Josephus and doesn´t look like that, but let me anyway give
to you the quotation):
”Many angels of God now consorted with women, and begot sons on them who were
overbearing and disdainful of every virtue; such confidence had they in their
strength. In fact, the deeds that our tradition ascribed to them recall the
audacious exploits told by the Greeks of the giants. But Noah urged them to
adopt a better frame of mind and amend their ways.
These Greek giants were twenty-four violent and lecherous sons
of Mother Earth, born at Phlegra in Thrace, and the two Aloeids, all of whom
rebelled against Almighty Zeus.”
In the Note
N from the upper source we can read the alternative view regarding, Who
Where the Sons of God? (but you can see that this view is not based in any Biblical reference, but only in "traditional" imaginations):
“The Sons of
God where pious descendants of Seth, and the Daughters of Men sinful
descendants of Cain - explaining that when Abel died childless, mankind soon
divided into two tribes; namely the Cainites who where
wholly evil, and the Sethites who were wholly righteous. These Sethites
inhabited a sacred mountain in the far north, near the Cave of Treasure - some
take it for Mount Hermon. The Cainites lived apart in a valley to the westward.
Adam, on his deathbed, ordered Seth to separate his tribe from the Cainites;
and each Sethite patriarch publicly repeated this order, generation after
generation. The Sethites were extraordinarily tall, like their ancestor; and by
living so close to the Gate of Paradise, won the name "Children of
God." (PRE, ch 21(where mishem should be amended to read miseth) and
22; cf also Gen. Rab. 222; Adambuch, 75, 81-86; Adamschriften, 37; Schatzhohle,
10.)”
Taken from: http://www.feri.com/dawn/sons_of_god.html
To see some Neanderthal facts: http://www.oocities.org/fdocch/new.htm
Useful Links:
PalindromatiResearch on Intelligent Design
Tasters of the Word (YouTube), videos recientes: "Astronomía y Nacimiento de Jesucristo: Once de Septiembre Año Tres A.C.", "Estudio sobre Sanidades" (en 20 episodios), "Jesus Christ, Son or God?" and "We've the Power to Heal":
Tasters of the Word (the blog, with: "Astronomy and the Birth of Jesus Christ"):