The Return of the Nephilim – Dun, Dun Dun, Dun… – NUMBERS 13 – (Part 1of 2)

March 25, 2015March 27, 2015buildafoundation 1 Comment

Recently, I received a thought-provoking, and challenging comment from the post, Names and Roles of Angels (Part 2). Original post link – http://wp.me/p5nZpi-gA, to which I replied in the post, Female Angels?? Giants?? – Replying to a Reader’s Comment – ANGELS [6], http://wp.me/p5nZpi-h7.

Since that post a follow-up question was asked about the reappearance of the Pre-Flood Nephilim mentioned in Numbers 13:33. I was puzzled and intrigued by this question, and thought…

IF ALL THE NEPHILIM DIED DURING THE FLOOD, HOW IS IT THAT THEY SHOWED UP 1,000+ YEARS LATER IN CANAAN??

PRE-FLOOD

POST-FLOOD

The Hebrew word used to describe the Nephilim occurs in only two verses of the Old Testament,

Genesis 6:4 – 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.
Numbers 13:33 – “We even saw giants, Nephilim, there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

From the book of Numbers, we find that the descendants of Anak are part of the Nephilim. Ummm!!

What’s interesting is that there is no description of the Nephilim other than what the scouts, the men sent to explore the land of Canaan – Numbers 13:1-2, reported back to Moses in Numbers 13:30-32.

The scouts described the people they saw as strong and huge…

³⁰But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”

³¹BUT the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” ³²So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge.

SO WERE THESE THE SAME NEPHILIM WE READ ABOUT IN GENESIS 6?

The word Nephilim does not describe a race of people. In the Bible, races of people were classified by their founding male ancestor. So, the Anakim, not the Nephilim, were descendents of Anak.

Also the term Nephilim (giants) in Gen.6:4 has an interesting history. Nephil means fallen one, (im at the end of any Hebrew word changes it to a plural, nephillim-fallen ones.) This does not mean giant, or monstrous in size but someone who possesses super human ability in strength and intelligence, not stature. This word is taken from its root word of nephal and nephel which means to fall. In 250 BC. the Rabbis that wrote the Septuagint, which is a Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, changed the word Nephillim to giant. This is the word most translations currently have (giant in Greek gigentes implies earth born men of great stature Num.13:33 ). This was a significant change which has obscured the meaning even to today. While some contend the Nephilim were still around in the time of Numbers, the giants were not the same species of the Nephilim of Genesis 6. Since the Nephils recorded in Genesis were not Giant in size, but were “giant” in strength, intelligence and ability. – http://www.letusreason.org/Doct11.htm

A CONTRADICTION OF SCRIPTURE?

Since the Old Testament describes Nephilim both before and after the flood, if the Nephilim were a race, this would contradict the rest of Scripture. However, the Bible clearly says that there were only eight survivors of the flood. That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives. With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind. Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them. – Genesis 7:13-16

All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people. Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. – Genesis 7:21-23

Also if you look at Genesis 10, which records the descendants of Japheth, Ham, and Shem – Noah’s sons, and there is no mention the Nephilim, post-Flood. – Genesis chapter 10 link – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2010

SO WHY DID THE SCOUTS REFER TO THE PEOPLE THEY SAW IN CANAAN AS NEPHILIM?

<Look for Part 2 – The Return of Nephilim – Dun, Dun, Dun, Dun… coming soon>

The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions. – Deuteronomy 29:29

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Female Angels?? Giants?? – Replying to a Reader’s Comment – ANGELS [6]

March 9, 2015March 25, 2015buildafoundation 2 Comments

…When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Mark 19:25-26

In this post I will be replying to a comment made on my post Names and Roles of Angels (Part 2). Original post link – http://wp.me/p5nZpi-gA

I’m replying as a post rather that replying directly to the comment on the initial post, for 2 reasons:

The question/comment posted was very challenging and thought-provoking. It was something I hadn’t thought of, and I would like to learn more about.
I wanted my readers to know that there is a section below every post where you can leave comments, suggestions, questions, etc. All are welcome!! 🙂

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Here is the reader’s comment/question:

There is no mention of female angels anywhere in Scripture. Jesus said, “…in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Mt. 22:30). Do you think the absence of females in heaven was one reason the sons of God married the daughters of men, giving birth to the ancient giants called the ‘Nephilim’?

Gen 6:4 “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days … when the sons of God were having sexual relations with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.”

If this is true, then it is possible for angels to sin. But most theologians say that the angels who did not fall with Satan are sealed by God and cannot sin. What do you think?

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The word angel appears over 175 times in the New Testament and over 200 times in the Old Testament. And you are correct, that there is no mention of female angels anywhere in Scripture.

The Greek word for “angel” in the New Testament, angelos, (messenger) is in the masculine noun form. In the Old Testament, the word used for angel (messenger) is malak. It is also used in the masculine noun form. In fact, a feminine form of angelos or malak does not exist in the Bible.

I believe it would be impossible for angels to reproduce with people because it goes against the physical laws God established in “the beginning”, at creation. God said that species would reproduce after their own kind, Genesis:1:11-12, 21-25). Angels are one “kind”, and people are another kind.

I DON’T THINK THAT THE ABSENCE OF FEMALES IN HEAVEN HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE SONS OF GOD MARRYING THE DAUGHTERS OF MEN, AND HERE’S WHY:

It would seem more likely to me that the “sons of God” referenced in Genesis 6:1 were the descendents of Seth, who worshiped God – Genesis 4:26, and intermarried with Cain’s descendents, those who did not worship God. It is assumed that Cain had no post-Flood descendants. All his descendents were destroyed in the Flood, and that Noah and his sons were descendants of Adam’s son Seth.

Because of these “unequally yoked” marriages – 2 Corinthians 6:14, godly influence was weakened, while depravity increased. A result was similar to Solomon’s intermarrying, 1 Kings 11:2 – The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway.

AS FOR THE NEPHILIM:

The Nephilim were not a result of the intermarrying, but were present prior to the intermarrying.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days–AND also afterward–when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. – Genesis 6:4

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ANGELS TO SIN?

I believe that when God created the angels He gave them free will. I believe this because when I read the story of creation, Genesis 1:1-31, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1, I read that everything God created was good – Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! – Genesis 1:31. I believe that He also created the angels “good”. As angels were created before the creation of earth based on Job 38:4-7, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+38%3A4-7&version=NLT

Therefore, if the angels did not have free will they would not have been able, as Satan and his followers did, to choose to rebel against God. Without free will they would have essentially been robots created by God to “fan” and “worship” Him.

ARE THE ANGELS, THAT DID NOT FALL WITH SATAN, SEALED BY GOD?

I believe the answer to this question in yes. I think we can compare the angels to people in this respect. While we are still on planet earth it is possible for us to repent of our sins and “choose” to follow God. – (For more on choosing to follow God, see my tab in the menu – The Cornerstone) However, once we have “passed” from our earthly lives we will move on to one of two destinations – eternal separation from God – Hell = each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment – Hebrews 9:27,or eternally present with God – Heaven.

In the book of Genesis the Garden of Eden is synonymous to heaven. Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, God drove out the man and the woman, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. – Genesis 3:24 If they would have stayed in the garden and eaten from the Tree of Life, they would have lived forever. Forever, though, in a sinful/separated from God state.

The angels that rebelled against God were forever banished from Heaven -…the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. – Revelation 12:9 Whereas, the angels who “choose” to stay and obey God were sealed by God, and will eternally remain in His presence.

Hope this answered your questions 🙂 Thanks again for reading my blog 🙂 Keep those questions coming!! 🙂

Some of the above material was adapted from : gotquestions.org, and Strong’s Concordance, and wordwise-bible-studies.com

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Messengers and Archangels – Names and Roles of Angels (Part 2) – ANGELS [5]

March 6, 2015March 11, 2015buildafoundation 2 Comments

“No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD. – Isaiah 54:17

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MESSENGER:

Another familiar reference to angels is the visitation of Mary, by the angel Gabriel, who told her she would be the mother of God’s son – …God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. – Luke 1:26-27

Gabriel was a “MESSENGER angel”. His role was to bring important messages from God to people, and to reveal truth about the Messiah. He appeared in a visible form and spoke words that could be heard. He was not a vision or dream.

He also appeared to Zechariah, ¹¹While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. ¹²Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. ¹³But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! – Luke 1:11-13, 19

Gabriel also appeared to Daniel, 500 years before he appeared to Zechariah. As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. – Daniel 9:21

ARCHANGEL:

Then there’s Michael, the ARCHANGEL, a “protector angel”. Michael was called the archangel in Jude 1:9 – But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!

Archangel means “chief of the angels”. He’s the defender of the nation of Israel.

In Revelation 12:7 we see Michael in his protector role. Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels.

A bit of trivia – There are only 3 angels mentioned by name in the Bible. Michael, Gabriel, and Satan.

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Cherubim and Seraphim – Names and Roles of Angels (Part 1) – ANGELS [4]

March 5, 2015March 11, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.
The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
Psalm 121:7-8

NAMES AND ROLES OF ANGELS:

CHERUBIM

From the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis, we hear mention of angels. When God banished Adam and Eve from the garden, He placed angels in front of the entrance so no one could reenter the garden. After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. – Genesis 3:24

Cherubim was a word to describe “mighty angels”, who served as guardians. These “mighty angels” were also part of the Ark of Covenant – Exodus 25:18-22.

SERAPHIM

The seraphim or seraphs are described as “God worshiping angels”. They bring attention to God’s glory and majesty. They are mentioned in Isaiah’s vision when God calls him to be a prophet. “Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” – Isaiah 6:2-4

A bit of trivia: Isaiah chapter 6 is the only place in the Bible where seraphim are mentioned.

Resources: Angels: Elect & Evil by C. Fred Dickason and gotquestion.org.

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Are Angels and God the Same Thing??? – ANGELS [3]

March 2, 2015March 6, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19

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Angel followers??

Back in the 1960’s a New Age movement began calling itself, “the Age of Aquarius”. Along with this movement came angel followers. The leaders of the movement led people to believe that angels could see all , hear all, and know all.

Ummm, do those characteristics that sound familiar to you? Perhaps, similar to all powerful (omnipotent), all present (omnipresent), all knowing (omniscience)?

Perhaps they sound like characteristics used to describe God?

So the New Age Movement was basically saying that angels were God???

The angels of the Age of Aquarius were thought to be either messengers of God, or spirits of deceased humans who could impart learning and understanding from “the other side” on us “earthlings”. They watch over every aspect of our lives, and death, everything. They loved us. Ummm…

Does this sound just a little bit too good to be true? Maybe so, but is sure sounds appealing.

Wouldn’t it be great if someone did love you that much? Watched over you. Cared about every aspect of your life. That nothing was too big or too small for them to deal with.

In fact, they would welcome the opportunity to help you. They would want to communicate all their knowledge freely to you, no strings attached. They would be willing to guide, protect, and direct you. That they would give you a “guide-book” to help you navigate through life as an “earthling”.

If you were thinking as you read, “Hey, we do have someone who promises to do all those things”. You’re correct, we do. But it’s not angels, it’s GOD, the creator of everything, including angels.

Keep in mind, that the “created” will never see more, hear more, or know more than the one who created it

So are angels real, or are just another made-up human idea seeking to fill the void God has put in hearts each one of us?

As you may know, angels (and demons) are mentioned in the Bible, and it is from this source that we will be learning about them. Not from unstable, unfounded speculation or superstitions, but from the stable and trusted Word of God.

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Spirit World – Proceed with Caution – ANGELS [2]

February 27, 2015March 6, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him. – Psalm 34:7

The information we will be talking about in the discussion of angels will be adapted from the book, Angels, Elect and Evil by C. Fred Dickason

People have long since been intrigued by the possibility that an unseen spirit world exists. And interestingly enough, people often seek out these things because something inside them seems to be calling them to fill a “hole”.

It is when we feel this pull, that we need to proceed with caution. Take the time to engage your reasoning skills, while putting your emotions on the back burner for a bit.

Remember the Garden of Eden? It was described as a place of safety and beauty. A place where animals and people lived together as friends. You may also remember that Satan, in the form of a serpent, enticed and led astray Adam and Eve with lies. Although subtle lies, they were still a distortion of God’s Truth.

These are the same subtle lies Satan used on people in the past, us today, and will he will continue to use in the future. Why? Because they work. These lies successfully pull people away from the love, security, and guidance of God, towards chaos, insecurity, fear, and confusion.

Satan doesn’t entice people over to his “team” so that he can love and provide for them. On the contrary, he just doesn’t want you to be on God’s “team”. So when you choose not to follow God, who are you following? The culture? Your friends? TV personalities? Who or what? When you don’t follow God, you end up lost, flaying around, bouncing from one popular idea to the next. Seeking and searching. All the while knowing something is missing, but not knowing what.

Let’s use the internet as an example. It is a fantastic resource. It allows us to network with people, to stay connected, to get information, to make purchases, it provides a platform to get our ideas heard, like my blog :), to get recipes, to learn to play guitar, to learn what’s going on in other parts of the world, etc.

But, with all the good, there’s comes all the bad. Seems like there is always two sides to every story. The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him. – Proverbs 18:17

In the example of the internet there’s pornography, reconnecting with “old” lovers or “new” lovers when your spouse is no longer “exciting” to you, or anonymity when you post pictures and/or comments you never would in “real life”.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.

So keep this in mind: have cautious awareness when discussing angels.

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Angels ??? – ANGELS [1]

February 25, 2015March 6, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the fortress of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? – Psalm 27:1

Some time ago I asked my children, “What would you like to learn more about from the Bible?” My son answered, “angels”.

As a result of his request, angels will be the topic of my next few posts.

When you think of angels, does this painting from the famous Italian painter Raphael come to mind?

A bit of trivia – These two angels, we typically see alone, however, they are actually part of the painting, Sistine Madonna. Raphael was commissioned by Pope Julius II, in 1512, to create an altarpiece of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child for the newly built Benedictine Monastery of San Sisto in Piacenza, Italy. It was the last painting he did in his own hand before his death in 1520.

Or, do you think of Jacob’s Ladder, from the vision Jacob had in Genesis 28:12?

…and as he (Jacob) slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.

(I was unable to determine the artist of this painting. If anyone knows, could you please write it in the comments section? Thanks 🙂 )

Or, do you think of angels as great warriors?

Or, ever-present protectors?

Or, perhaps guardian angels?

Or, maybe as your conscience?

Or, cupid?

When it comes to the depiction of angels, you can see that there are a variety of interpretations.

Let’s dive into the Word of God together, and see what God tells us about angels.

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