The Nephilim-Part Two

In part one of this series, I presented some definitions of Hebrew words found in Gen. 6:1-4 and what the Encyclopedia Judaica had so say on the Nephilim.  I concluded by presenting the controversy that it is not even certain that the “sons of God” in the passage are the same as the Nephilim as many so confidently assert.  I also provided a biblical definition of the phrase “sons of God,” found in Rom. 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (NKJV).  Also, it seems the Bible provides a definition of the word “Nephilim” in Num. 13:33,

“There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”  

Here, the Nephilim are clearly being related to giants and also related to the sons of Anak, who was a human.  We are told in Josh. 21:11 that Arba was the father of Anak and that he was a man in Jos. 14:15, “And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim) (Josh 14:15 NKJV).  The Heb. word for “man” in this passage is adam.

I will start this article by presenting what the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible and The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia have to say on this and end with what the book of Enoch and the book of Jasher have to say about them.

    “NEPHILIM.   The word occurs in the Heb. Bible only in Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33, tr. In KJV as “giants,” as found in the LXX.  The modern revision have transliterated the Heb. Word.  Etymological derivation of the word from the naphal root does not lead to satisfactory solutions.  
        There are hints in the OT that great physical stature is implied in the word “nephilim.”  Numbers 13:32 says the Nephilim were of the “great stature,” and connects their descent with the Anakim.  Deuteronomy 2:21 compares yet another pre-Israelite people, the Rephaim, with the Anakim in physical stature.
        “The idea that the Nephilim sprang from cohabitation of angels and mortal does not fit other Biblical indications.  Angels do not have sexual functions (Luke 20:34, 35).  This interpretation is possible only if one puts the Scripture on a level with Gr. Mythology were anthropomorphic polytheism makes possible unions between gods and men.
        “. . . The Nephilim may be regarded as wither contemporary with the marriages of Genesis 6:4, or the product of the marriages. . . .” [Bold mine.]   (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 4, p. 406.)    

This Bible encyclopedia brings out the controversy of the Nephilim being the same as the “sons of God” or just contemporary with them, as also does the ISBE,

        “NEPHILIM [Heb. n’pilim (Gen. 6:4; Nu. 13:330)], AV GIANTS.  The etymology of n’pilim is uncertain.  The following explanations have been advanced with mixed reception.  First, it may derive from the niphal of the verb pala, meaning “be extraordinary,” i.e., “extraordinary men.”  Second, it may derive from the verb napal, “fall,” in one of the following senses: (1) the “fallen ones” – from heaven, i.e., supernatural beings; (2) morally “fallen men”; (3) “those who fall upon,” in the sense of invaders or hostile, violent men; (4) “those who fell by” the sword (cf. Ezk. 32:20f.); (5) “unnaturally begotten men”; or bastards (cf.nepel, “abortion” or “miscarriage”).  None of these satisfies all scholars, and some consider n’pilim an unexplainable relic from an ancient, now-forgotten language.  Contextual information is unfortunately limited to two enigmatic passages.”
        “. . . Genesis 6:1-4, while meaningful to the original recipients, has become obscure with the passing of time.  It is impossible to be certain whether the Nephilim were the same as the “mighty men” (gibborim) at the end of v. 4 or a separate group that overlapped chronologically.” [Bold mine.] (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol.3, pp.518-519.)

It seems to me a no-brainer that the Bible would not mention the Nephilim in the same passage with the “sons of God” marrying the daughters of men just because they were contemporaneous with them.  There must be some connection even if they are not the same.

Next are some excerpts from fragments of the book of Enoch in the Dead Sea Scrolls (14:25-15:12) about the fallen angels cohabiting with the daughters of men.  In this vision Enoch was called up to the throne of God and the Lord began to speak to him,

         “And the Lord called me with his own mouth and said to me, ‘Come near to me, Enoch, and to my holy Word.’  And he lifted me up and brought me near to the gate, but I (continued) to look down with my face.  
        15  But he raised me up and said to me with his voice, ‘Enoch.’  I (then) heard, ‘Do not fear, Enoch, righteous man, scribe of righteousness; come near to me and hear my voice.  
    And tell the Watchers of heaven on whose behalf you have been sent to intercede: “Is it meet (for you) that you intercede on behalf of man, and not man on your behalf.  For what reason have you abandoned the high, holy, and eternal heaven; and slept with women and defiled yourselves with the daughters of the people, taking wives, acting like the children of the earth, and begetting giant sons?  Surely you, you [used to be] holy, spiritual, the living ones, [possessing] eternal life, but (now) you have defiled yourselves with women, and with the blood of the flesh of begotten children, you have lusted with the blood of the people, like them producing blood and flesh, (which) die and perish.  On that account, I have given you wives in order that (seeds) might be sown upon them and children born by them, so that the deeds that are done upon the earth will not be withheld from you.”  Indeed you formerly you were spiritual, (having) eternal life, and immortal in all the generations of the world.  That is why (formerly) I did not make wives for you, for the dwelling of the spiritual beings of heaven is heaven.’
        “But now the giants who are born from the (union of) the spirits and the flesh shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, because their dwelling shall be upon the earth and inside the earth.  Evil spirits have come out of their bodies.  Because from the day that they were created from the holy ones they became the Watchers; their first origin is the spiritual foundation.  They will become evil upon the earth and shall be called evil spirits.  The dwelling of the spiritual beings of heaven is heaven, but the dwelling of the spirits of the earth, which are born upon the earth, is in the earth.  The spirits of the giants oppress each other, they will corrupt, fall, be excited, and fall upon the earth, and cause sorrow.  They eat no food, nor become thirsty, nor find obstacles.  And these spirits shall rise up against the children of the people and against the women, because they have proceeded from (from them).”  (From: The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by James H. Charlesworth, Doubleday, New York, 1983, Vol. 1, pp. 21-22.)

    The book of Jude, when he actually says he was quoting from the book of Enoch, was speaking of evil men and false brothers who go to church—although he had previously mentioned angels who did not keep their “proper domain,”

But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.  And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.  Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.  Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”  But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.  Woe to them!  For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.  These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.  Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 1:5-15 NKJV).

    The book of Jasher (which the Bible mentions twice) has much to say about Enoch.  It says he became a righteous king upon the earth before the flood and reigned for over 200 years.  We really have no way of knowing if any of the so-called book of Enoch today was actually written by him.  Professor Charlesworth, says the book of Enoch is a composite written by many people over many years.  He gives as a date for the section I quoted as the early pre-Maccabean period, which is from 333-175 B.C.  I will now quote what the book of Jasher has to say about the “sons of God” marrying the daughters of men, which maybe the oldest source we have.  

        And the child grew up and was weaned, and he went in the ways of his father Methuselah, perfect and upright with God.  And all the sons of men departed from the ways of the Lord in those days as they multiplied upon the face of the earth with the sons and daughters, and they taught one another their evil practices, and they continued sinning against the Lord.  And every man made unto himself a god, and they corrupted the earth, and the earth was filled with violence.  And their judges and rulers went to the daughters of men and took their wives by force from their husbands according to their choice, and the sons of men took from the cattle of th earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other in order therewith to provoke the Lord; and God saw the whole earth and it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon earth, and all men and all animals.  And the Lord said, I will blot out man that I created from the face of the earth, yea from man to the birds of the air, together with the cattle and beasts that are in the field, for I repent that I made them.  (The Book of Jasher, translated by Albinus Alcuin [800 A.D.], Pub. 2000 in English, The Book Tree, Escondido, CA.)

Here, those who the Bible calls the “sons of God” are called “rulers and judges.”  They were the rulers and judges of the time who became corrupt and began to take other men’s wives as they chose and began to treat the people violently.  It is also interesting that it mentions that they began to crossbreed different kinds of animals.  

The word for “God” in the phrase in Gen. 6 for “sons of God” is Elohim.  This word is at times used to refer to false gods, and it is also used for human judges and rulers such as in the following  Psalm where Asaph is comparing the faulty judging of men with the just judging of God.

A Psalm of Asaph.
God stands in the congregation of the mighty;
He judges among the gods.
How long will you judge unjustly,
And show partiality to the wicked?
Selah
Defend the poor and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.
They do not know, nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are unstable.
I said, "You are gods,
And all of you are children of the Most High.
But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes."
Arise, O God, judge the earth;
For You shall inherit all nations
(Ps. 82:1-8 NKJV).

Notice he calls these human judges “gods,” or elohim in the Hebrew, just as the book of Jasher, instead of calling the them “sons of god,” called them “rulers and judges.”  Jesus, of course, quoted this verse in referring to God calling men “gods.”

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ‘?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”  (John 10:34-36 NKJV).

Another place a judge is called an elohim is in 2 Samuel when Saul went to a medium, and she brought up the judge Samuel,

Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.  And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me?  for thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou?  And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.  And he said unto her, What form is he of?  And she said,  An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle.  And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself (1 Sam. 28:11-14 KJV).  

The word “gods” here is always in the plural, even when referring to the One True God and referring to only one God or man.

So we have established that the word “gods” can refer to mere men who were judges and rulers, giving more credence to what the ancient book of Jasher says about these “gods” marrying the daughters of men.

We still have a long way to go, however, to find out–if they were mere men–why they produced giants.  We will keep on researching and seeking the Holy Spirit on these things in upcoming blogs.  I am a firm believer in not just researching alone, but also seeking the Holy Spirit on any Scriptural matter.  If I don’t get any revelation from the Spirit on these things, I will never know for sure.  But the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth concerning biblical doctrine.
    
 

I will bring to a conclusion my findings on the Nephilim in this blog.  I said in Part One of this series that I also wanted to examine what governments are reportedly doing with DNA of Nephilim.  I have not done that research yet and don’t know when I will get to it since I now have more pressing subjects on my heart that I want to write about.  However, there is no doubt that governments are experimenting with human and animal DNA.  

I recently heard a teaching on the Nephilim by a popular teacher.  He was teaching the usual thing about the “sons of God” being angels marrying human women and having children by them.  To support that position he stated that the Hebrew word for perfect in the phrase “Noah was perfect in his generation” referred to him and his family not being tainted by the DNA of fallen angels.  He also stated that the Greek word in the passage in Jude referring to the fallen angels as leaving their first place meant that they took on human form and mated with women.  However, like most he made no attempt to deal with the Scriptures that contradict this position.  I will begin by looking at these Hebrew and Greek words.

The Hebrew word for “perfect” used in the passage in Gen. 6:9 is tamiym, “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations.  Noah walked with God.”  It is used about 40 of its 91 times to refer to sacrificial animals “without blemish” in a physical sense.  The above mentioned teacher said it was only used in a physical sense.  However, it is also translated several other words in a moral sense such as in Ps. 119:1, Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! (NKJV).  This is not referring to untainted DNA, but to moral righteousness.  It is often translated as “upright” such as in Ps. 15:2, He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart (NKJV).  It is also translated several times as “perfect”in the sense of righteousness, You shall be blameless before the Lord your God (Deut 18:13 NKJV).  In fact, it is translated upright or blameless in a moral sense a couple dozen times.  While I like some of this man’s teachings, he is misleading in stating it only refers to physical perfection—must less meaning untainted by fallen angel’s DNA!

The Greek words in question which he said and others teach mean angels taking on the form of human flesh so they can impregnate women is found in Jude 6, And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day (NKJV).  The English words are “domain” and “abode.”  The word for domain is arche and can mean “rule,” “origin,” or “beginning”
and is most likely referring to the fact that the fallen angels left their high position they had in the beginning as angels of God.  The word for “abode” is oiketerion and means “a dwelling place” or “habitation” and is referring to the fact they left their heavenly dwelling place because of their sin.  To hyper-extend this verse to mean they became humans to co-habitat with women is quite a stretch besides contradicting several verses I have already mentioned in Parts One and Two such as the following:

Jesus Himself said angels do not marry (Luke 12:34-36).

Paul gave the definition of “sons of God” as those who are led by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14).

The writer of Hebrews said God never called an angel a “son.” (Heb. 1:5).
 
Hebrews said angels are “spirits” not flesh (Heb. 1:14).

Besides these Greek words, some teachers erroneously misinterpret verses 6 and 7 in Jude.

6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire (NKJV).

Verse 7 says “as Sodom and Gomorrah . . . in a similar manner to these having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh.”  These teachers have broken basic grammatical rules by interpreting “these” to mean that the angels also went after strange flesh as Sodom and Gomorrah.  They can only do this by ignoring the basic rule of antecedents.  According to this rule, a pronoun refers back to the last noun it is replacing.  In other words, when verse 7 says “in a similar manner to these,” “these” refers not to angels, but rather to “the cities” around Sodom and Gomorrah that did similar sins in going after strange flesh.  Besides being a basic grammatical rule, it is also common sense for the pronoun to refer back to the last noun it is replacing; or else no one would ever know which antecedent is being substituted by a pronoun.

The “as” at the beginning of verse 7 is referring to the similar judgment that came on Sodom and Gomorrah (not the same type of sins) as that of the angels being reserved for everlasting fire.  For this is the main topic in this passage.  Jude is listing three examples of groups that came under judgment and condemnation for their sins.  

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.  For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 1:3-4 NKJV).

First, he lists the Israelites who rebelled in the desert; second, the angels who rebelled; and third; Sodom and Gomorrah with their sexual sins.  His point is that all three groups came under judgment, not that all three groups had the same sins.  That is why he ended his list by saying these groups “are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

I have found in researching this controversial subject that those who uphold that angels had sex with women, have violated several of the most rudimentary rules for interpreting Scripture.  Some of these include mis-translating the Hebrew or Greek words; throwing out basic rules of grammar; exalting extra-biblical works above the Bible; not examining passages in their context; ignoring what the Living Word, Jesus Himself, said; not even bothering to find biblical definitions of controversial words or phrases; not seeking to allow the Bible to interpret itself; and other things.  Some of the people teaching on this subject should not even be Bible teachers.

When it comes to the ancient sources I have already cited, it comes down to which one you want to believe: the book of Jasher, which the Bible mentions twice; or the book of Enoch, from which Jude quoted when speaking of the judgment of the wicked.  I have already shown that Professor Charlesworth, an expert on the pseudepigraphia writings, said the book of Jude has been written by many authors over centuries.  Today we have no way of knowing what the original book of Enoch said.  The same could be said of the book of Jasher.  Now we have two ancient books that the Bible mentions that contradict each other.  I choose to go with the book of Jasher since its comments on the “sons of God marrying the daughters of men” do not contradict other Scriptures like the book of Enoch does.

I will now address the issue of these marriages between the “sons of God marrying the daughters of men” producing giants.  First, let me say that to just look at this passage in a physical sense is to totally miss the point of why it is in the Scriptures.  A good Bible expositor will show how the Old Testament types relate to our spiritual lives as Christians like the writers of the New Testament did.

It is no surprise to me that ancient rulers and judges (as the book of Jasher calls them) marrying daughters of men produced giants.  For in ancient times rulers were often big or tall people already.  We can see this in Scripture itself.  When Israel wanted a king, God gave them what they wanted: Saul, who was a head taller than anyone else.  Naturally big people can produce even bigger people.  All my life at many jobs and workplaces I have seen tall and big men advance quickly into leadership positions while the average person had to work harder to go up the ladder.  If you were unfortunate enough to be shorter that average, you really had to work hard to advance.  Thus the phrase was coined, “The Napoleon Complex.”  We have seen how many almost worship tall people such as NBA players.  It is a common fact that many tall people (giants) get in leadership positions–for everyone else already has to look up to them!

The fact that the marriages between the sons of God and daughters of men produced giants is quite natural.  When the originally righteous rulers, “sons of God,” lessened their morals and began to marry ungodly daughters of men because of beauty instead of character, sin became more prevalent.  Along with it came sickness that could cause even bigger people and mutations. Thus, we are told Goliath’s brother had six toes and fingers.  A genetic mutation does not equal mixing the race of humans with angels.

However, all this misses the spiritual lesson as I said.  Bigger people means they had more FLESH!  In the New Testament “flesh” usually represents carnality and sin.  When our “son of God” (spirit) co-mingles with a daughter of man (soul), it produces giants of flesh and trouble in our lives.  This is the lesson we are to take from the passage in Gen. 6.  

We have a great lesson of this later in the book of Genesis as the Bible interprets itself.  Abraham was a son of God who co-habituated with a daughter of man–Hagar, an Egyptian.  What did that produce?  Ishmael, who became a problem for Abraham’s household.  The Muslim nations even today have become a giant of a problem with Islam waging war against Christians and others.  As Paul said,

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you (Rom. 8:5-9 NKJV).

and futher,

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Rom.8:12-14 NKJV).

Did you catch that last phrase, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God,” not fallen angels.  After the righteous ruler Enoch died in the Old Testament (Jasher says he ruled the earth for 140 years), the righteous sons of God began marrying carnal women; and their children became increasingly evil.  Some of the rulers became evil giants of flesh and corrupted those under their rule.  God had to destroy the world with the flood to rid it of the evil,  but then it began to happen again (no surprise there).  Finally God raised up the nation of Israel to destroy the giants of flesh.  These types, we are told, were all examples for us today.

 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.  And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.  Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Cor. 10:6-12 NKJV).

Notice at the end of this passage, Paul says, “to him who thinks he stands to take heed lest he fall.”  Remember the probable meaning of the word Nephilim is “fallen ones.”  Rather than being concerned about the Nephilim in the end-times, we need to be wary of our own flesh!


                       

One of the primary aims for my blog is to present controversial biblical teachings and try to shed some light on them.  In this study I want to present both sides of the age old question, “Who were the Nephilim?”  Wikipedia presents only some of the controversy,

The nature of the nephilim is complicated by the ambiguity of Genesis 6:4, which leaves it unclear whether they are the "sons of God" or their offspring who are the “mighty men of old, men of renown”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephilim

The greater controversy is:  “Are the Nephilim fallen angelic beings who cohabited with the “daughters of men,” or are they mighty men who lived at the same time as the Nephilim?”  

We will examine the text of Gen. 6 going into the Hebrew from several top Hebrew lexicons and examine the ancient original sources of both sides of the controversy and see what this doctrine has evolved into in modern times and what is said in modern commentaries about it.

I will present the material from both sides so that you can make your own decision about which side is right.  I will also admit to you up front that I have not yet come to a conclusion on the matter.  I keep on hearing about the Nephilim and even that various governments are using ancient DNA of the Nephilim and mixing it with human DNA to create disposable super soldiers, so I decided to do my own study on it and share it with the readers of my blog.  Hopefully, we will both learn something in the process.  I will begin by presenting the passage and the pertinent Hebrew words and what one authoritative source has to say on it, the Encyclopedia Judaica.

Here is the passage:

Gen. 6:1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,
Gen. 6:2  that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.
Gen. 6:3  Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
Gen. 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.
Gen. 6:5  Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen. 6:6  The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart (NASB).

Num. 13:33 is the only other place where the word “Nephilim” is found,

“There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (NASB)

Some Bible versions simply translate the word “Nephilim” as giants although the etymology of the word is itself uncertain.  According to one of the most authoritative Hebrew lexicons, Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, the word is derived from naphal, which means “to fall.”  Thus Nephilim has the idea of “fallen ones” and does not in itself mean “giants” if they are right.  Nevertheless, the above verse seems to show the Israelites used the word to refer to giants.  TDOT says about the Nephilim,

     “The Nephilim (Gen. 6:4; Nu. 13:33) should be interpreted analogously.  The noun seems to embody the notion, so characteristic of ancient Israel, that something gigantic, something exalted, must necessarily fall” Vol. IX, p. 497.

We will look at other possibilities of the meaning of this word from other Hebrew lexicons and commentaries in future blogs.

TDOT’s definition brings up this question:  From what have they fallen?  Many believe they are the fallen angels who followed Lucifer and were cast down from heaven.  Or are they once righteous “sons of God” who have fallen morally by marrying women based on beauty rather than moral character?  Those who believe they are fallen angels often use Jude (quoting from the book of Enoch) in defense of their belief,

And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day (Jude 1:6 NKJV).

The phrase “did not keep their proper domain” is interpreted by the book of Enoch and others as marrying humans.  We will look at what the book of Enoch has to say in another article.  The detractors from this theory see other verses in the New Testament that go against this such as Hebrews 1:5-6:

For to which of the angels did He ever say:  “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”?  And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”?  But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:  “Let all the angels of God worship Him” (Heb. 1:5-6 NKJV).

Although verse five is a rhetorical question, it seems to be saying that God never called an angel a “son.”

Those who believe this also quote Jesus himself,

“The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.  But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection (Luke 20:34-36 NKJV).

This passage seems to be implying that the angels do not or cannot marry.  Jesus is also making a distinction between the sons of God and angels here.  Furthermore, Paul gives us a definition of “sons of God” in Romans,

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Rom. 8:14 NKJV).  

The biblical definition of “sons of God” is “Those led by the Spirit of God.”  This is certainly not the definition of a fallen angel.  When trying to figure out the truth of a biblical teaching, many fail to search for a definition in the Bible itself.  The importance of trying to find a biblical definition of a word or phrase cannot be over emphasized.  It should be one of the first things we do when testing a doctrine.  In all of the commentaries and articles I have read on the Nephilim being the “sons of God,” I have never seen any of them offer the biblical definition of “sons of God.”

These are some of the Scriptures that have kept me from swallowing whole the doctrine of the fallen angels marrying daughters of men without chewing on it.  However, I do find some of the arguments from that camp compelling; and like I said, I have not yet come to a conclusion on it.  I have no doubt that giants lived on the earth before and after the flood.  I am just not convinced they were offspring of fallen angels, but I’m still searching for the truth on the issue.  The Bible presents no evidence that Goliath was the offspring of a fallen angel and woman, but it does say his brother had six fingers and toes–a clear sign of genetic mutation that happens in mere humans.

Let’s read the passage again,

Gen. 6:1  Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,
Gen. 6:2  that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.
Gen. 6:3  Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
Gen. 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.

Verse 4 can and has been interpreted as the Nephilim being different than the “sons of God.”  While many take the Nephilim as being the same as the “sons of God,” others see this passage as saying that they lived on the earth at the same time that the sons of God lived on the earth, before and after the flood.  So here is another controversy:  Are the Nephilim the same as the “sons of God?”   

The Hebrew word for “mighty men” is the word gibbor.  According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, this word means,

    “Mighty, strong, valiant, mighty man. (RSV often translates “warrior.”) The heroes or champions among the armed forces.”

It is in fact derived from one of the Hebrew words for “man,” geber.  TWOT says about this word,

    “As distinct from such more general words for man as adam, ish, enosh, etc., this word specifically relates to a male at the height of his powers.  As such it depicts humanity at its most competent and capable level.”

Let us also not miss that fact that the text tells us these gibborim or “mighty men” are called “men of renown” opposed to “angels of renown” or even “Nephilim of renown.” The Hebrew word for men in this phrase is ish–a very common word for “man” in the Hebrew and never used of an angel.  The Hebrew word for “renown” here is shem, “name.”

Now from the Encyclopedia Judaica,

    “NEPHILIM, a race of giants said to have dwelt in pre-Israelite Canaan (Num. 13:33).  Genesis 6:1-2 relates that the ‘sons of gods,’ i.e., divine or angelic beings, took mortal wives; verse 4 continues, ‘it was then and later too, that the Nephilim appeared [lit. were] on the earth–when the divine beings cohabited with the daughters of men, who bore them offspring.  They were the heroes [Heb. gibborim] of old, the men of renown.’  This could mean that the Nephilim were contemporaneous, but not identical with the offspring of divine beings and earthly women, who were called gibborim.  The above translation, however, follows an ancient tradition in equating the Nephilim and the gibborim as offspring of the union of angels and mortal.”

    It would appear that this was the general interpretation of the Nephilim and sons of God by the Jews.  However, as the article goes on to explain, this was not the only interpretation of the Jews.

    “. . . As this dualistic myth does not appear in the apoclalypeses of Baruch and Esdras nor in the aggadah of the talmudic period, it was apparently rejected as incompatible with Jewish monotheism.  The “sons of God” are explained in the Targum to Genesis and the Midrash (Gen. R. 26:5) [these are Jewish commentaries on Scripture, note mine] as young aristocrats who married the daughters of commoners.”  

    “. . . In post-talmudic literature (cf. Rashi, Yoma 67b) the long-suppressed myth came to the surface again.  The Palestinian Targum gives the orthodox rendering of Genesis 6:1, but translates verse 4 as: ‘Shamhazzai and Uzziel fell from heaven and were on earth in those days’ –identifying the Nephilim as the fallen angels rather than their children.  The same identification is found in late Midrash, which calls the fallen angels Uzza and Uzziel; another passage in the same document say the Nephilim were descendants of Cain (Aggadat Bereshit, ed. S. Buber, introd., p. 38).  [Here we see a clear cut case of Jews differing from other Jews in the same commentary, note mine.] The Zohar (1:58a) also identifies the Nephilim with the fallen angels.  The standard medieval Bible commentators generally followed the classical aggadah in rejecting the mythological interpretation and asserting that the marriges in Genesis 6 were human.  Some variant opinions about the “sons of God” are offered–e.g., that their distinction was not only social, but physical and even moral, and that the offspring were called Nephilim because they “fell short” of their fathers in these respects (Nahmanides, Abrabanel; see also Anak).” Vol. 12, 962-963, 1972 edition.

This article shows that the Jewish people had many differing views on the Nephilim over the centuries and never had a unified interpretation of them.  Therefore, it is somewhat surprising to me that many are so dogmatic when it comes to asserting their belief on the Nephilim.    One thing this blog shows is that whatever the Nephilim were, it is not even certain they were the  same as the “sons of God”; and it seems even improbable they were.

I answered the phone and my friend told me the SUV her children and my son were in was demolished and upside down.  She didn’t know the status on anyone.  I had to wait for about an hour for them to get to the crash site to find out if my son was dead or alive.  

He had flown to AZ to visit good friends of the family, who had moved out there to go to a missionary school.  Their sons, with whom my son grew up, had also moved out there. They were on the way to take him to see the Grand Canyon.  His friend, his friend’s pregnant wife, their three small children and his friend’s sister were in the Yukon.  It began to rain, then sleet, and the road became slippery.  The girl who was driving lost control and hit the medium going the speed limit at 75 mi. per hour.  The vehicle flipped six times.  My son, Isaac, was sleeping in the cargo area.  He was ejected from the back.  

I later found out Isaac had a broken vertebra in his back, a broken collar bone, and six broken ribs.  The girl driving had broken some bones in her neck and finger.  The rest made it out with just scratches and bruises.  I called my pastor for prayer and then began to call others.

As I was sitting in my chair that night praying and meditating on everything, many thoughts came to mind.  One was that I told our 25-year-old son that he was our only child so don’t take any chances at the Canyon.  I had heard of people taking selfies and falling over the edge.  We also prayed protection over him before
I was tempted to ask the “why” question, but I knew better.  The “why” question over something like that never gets answered.  Of course, I knew the devil had tried to kill them—that was obvious.  My son and the girl driving were the two most spiritual people in the vehicle, and they were the only two who got serious injuries.  The girl driving had just gotten out of missionary school.  

A comforting thought came to me while I was praying—his skeletal system had done its job.  It protected everything it was supposed to.  Although he had a broken bone in his back, the spinal cord was not damaged.  Although he had a broken collar bone, his lungs and heart were protected.  Although he had six broken ribs, no internal organs were hurt.  I wondered what may have happened if we had not prayed for his protection before he left.  I was very thankful to not only have my only child still alive but with only broken bones that would heal in time.

The first night in the hospital they operated on his back.  The second day they operated on his collar bone.  By the third day he was not taking anything for pain.  On the fourth day both him and the girl walked out of the hospital.  Such a speedy recovery can only be attributed to all the prayers for them—especially since he had no pain.  They gave him a bottle of pain pills when he left, and he hasn’t taken any.  He only had tightness in his back if he sat too long and some pain the first couple of weeks breathing into the machine because of the broken ribs.

He went for a follow-up appointment with the orthopedic doctor in VA three weeks later.  They took x-rays of his ribs and the doctor did not believe they were ever broken.  However, we talked with the ER doctor the night of the accident, and she told us he went through a CT scan and that he had six broken ribs.  They had him breathing into a machine because of it.  Apparently God supernaturally healed his ribs within three weeks—bones normally take at least six weeks to heal.
Also we were originally told recovery from the back surgery would take 6 months to a year.  Now doctors are saying 3 months, and all doctors and nurses express surprise that he is not experiencing enough pain to take pain meds.  And now at least 95% mobility is expected.  He is certainly recovering quicker and better than the normal recovery.

My son and the girl had a great attitude about it from the beginning.  The girl is a singer.  She was unconscious; but when she came to at the ER, she began to sing praises to God.  Isaac overheard the ER doctor and a nurse talking saying something like, “I have never seen a group so positive.”  And the nurse answered, “Yeah, and this is the worse day of their lives!”  The ER doctor later called us and praised Isaac for being so nice and polite.   His attitude was that God was going to bring good out of it as the Scriptures say.  

As I said, there is no question in my mind that the devil was behind this accident; and he tried to kill everyone in the SUV.  All the adults were Christians.  However, I am equally convinced that God allowed it to happen.  Since I study the Bible a lot, many theological questions came to mind.  I don’t believe the devil can just bring evil against Christians without God allowing it in His wisdom.  As Graham Cooke says, “God allowed in His wisdom what He could have prevented by His power.”  We may never know the answer to the “why” questions concerning things like that.  However, we can know that God will bring good out of it for those who love Him.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28 NKJV).

We can already see some good that has come out of it.  In fact, my son has made up a list of about 10 good things so far.  One of the good things I see that has come out of it is that Isaac always had bad posture, and I used to get on him constantly about it.  As he got older, he would get angry with me if I mentioned it; so I just stopped.  Now he is wearing a back brace to help keep his back straight while it heals.  One of the first things he said to me after the operation is, “Now I have to keep my back straight.”  The doctor expected him to regain at least  90% mobility in his back.  I wonder how much he would have lost had he continued with the bad posture.  

I find it interesting how often God personally takes credit for evil in spite of some who seem to be embarrassed by such Scriptures.  Although He does not personally do the evil, He nevertheless often takes credit for it such as in the following verses:

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things (Isaiah 45:7 KJV).

He does not shy away from the fact that He created darkness and evil.  The Hebrew word for “evil” here is ra, the main Hebrew word for “evil.”  Then seemingly speaking of the devil He says,

“Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy” (Isa. 54:16).

Astonishingly, in the next verse he says no misfortunes occur unless He causes it!

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be alarmed and afraid?  Shall misfortune or evil occur [as punishment] and the Lord has not caused it? (Amos 3:6 AMP).

Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.  I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts (Rev. 2:22-23 NKJV).

We know from the book of Job that although Satan attacked Job, God allowed it.  So I believe nothing bad can happen to a believer unless God allows it for some reason or reasons unknown to us.  This gives me some comfort in times of personal tragedy instead of believing the devil can just randomly do whatever he wants in our lives.

In our case we got a warning sign.  The Lord often speaks to us through signs.  However, signs need to be interpreted, and often we don’t know what God is saying through them until it comes to pass.  

I was a founder of a Messianic Jewish congregation in Rich. VA and served there in leadership for seven years even though I am not Jewish.  I learned a lot about Jewish traditions.  One was that when a boy was born, some Jewish parents would plant a tree.  Then, when the boy got married, they would use branches from the tree for huppah poles (wedding canopy).  I did this when Isaac was born, and we have gotten signs from that tree previously concerning him.  A couple weeks before he went to Arizona, his tree fell over.  The first thing I thought was, “This does not look like a good sign.”  A friend and I pushed the tree up and tied it with three ropes to hold it straight.  I knew some roots broke, and I did not know if it would survive or not.  It did survive.

So it seems like God was speaking to us in advance about this, as He often does; but it was not enough information for us to know what it was about or to prevent him from going on the trip.  So what was the sign for?  Maybe we needed to pray about the sign much more than we did.  I really don’t know.  Nevertheless, after the fact we took some comfort in knowing that God knew about what was going to happen in advance and that He is in control.  Now, like the three ropes I have holding the tree straight, he is wearing a back brace with three points of contact to help keep his back straight.  

I got another sign shortly before the accident.  I broke a plastic fitting on a drawer and had to glue it.  It ran along a spine track in the middle of the top of the drawer, and the fitting was like a vertebra that wrapped along the spine.  I fused it back together with glue as his back was fused together with rods and screws.  These things are mysteries to me—why God chose to speak about these things through signs but not clear enough for any understanding until after the fact.  If you have any ideas on any of these things, please leave comments on this blog.

As for us, we are very thankful knowing we have in a sense received Isaac back from the dead.  We are also convinced that God is good, and good  is going to come out of this for our family and the other family involved.  

The northern tribes of Israel was already in a downhill slide when Ahab and Jezebel came to power.  Jeroboam had set up the golden calves to worship in Bethel and Dan after the kingdom split into separate nations.  Jezebel was the princess daughter of the Sidonian king and high priest of Baal worship.  Now Jezebel was installing Baal and Ashtoreth worship as the official religion of the northern kingdom and waging a war to wipe out all the true prophets of Yahweh.  All the prophets of Yahweh had converted to Baal or else they were in hiding.  This was an all-out assault on the true God and religion of Israel.  

Baal worship was essentially the worship of prosperity.  Baal was the Storm god and also the fertility god of cattle, flocks and crops.  In ancient Israel rain, good crops, along with flocks and herds determined wealth.  The religion had the added bonus of Ashtoreth worship, who was often depicted as the consort of Baal.  Ashtoreth was the fertility and sex goddess associated with the planet Venus.  Ashtoreth worship included shrine prostitutes (both male and female), who patriotically sold their services in honor of the goddess and helped to support the priestcraft.   The religion sanctioned immorality, adultery, and prostitution—crimes punishable by death under the Mosaic law; but it was very attractive to the lust of the flesh.

God wants his people to prosper but not worship prosperity itself as even many T.V. preachers seem to be doing.  When you see politicians, businessmen, movie stars and even Christians doing anything they can to get money, it is Baal worship.  Usually, the immorality of Ashtoreth worship is not far behind.  After this came the god of Molech in Israel to whom children were offered up as sacrifice.  Immorality has a way of producing the inconvenience of  children.   

The goddess Ashtoreth went by many different names in the ancient Middle East.  In Babylon she went by the name Astor or Esther.  From these names and religions we get our Easter    and its celebration of fertility with bunnies and eggs.  

The northern kingdom of Israel went astray from Yahweh worship as soon as it split from Judah.  It never had one good king according to the Bible.  The southern kingdom of Judah, since they had the temple and priesthood and five or six good kings, continued to worship Yahweh for a longer period.  This changed when Jehoshaphat, a good king, made the mistake of making an alliance with Ahab and took Jezebel’s daughter—a chip off the ole block—for his son’s wife.  Her name was Athaliah (Yahweh oppresses).  Then, in essence, both kingdoms had their Jezebels.  

Although we don’t know the motives for Jehoshaphat doing this, we can guess a few.  One was constant wars with Aram (Syria) right next to the northern kingdom.  For Ahab it was a political alliance against his neighbor.  Also the Assyrian empire was on the prowl wanting to gain the trade routes and treasures in Israel.  They were the terrorists of the day, who ruthlessly tortured their conquered victims.  Typically, after a besieged city collapsed they would skin the king and his officials alive, impale people on posts, cut off hands and feet, etc.  Jehoshaphat would have certainly wanted an ally between Assyria and his kingdom.  Nevertheless, it proved to be a great mistake marrying his son to Jezebel’s daughter.  Athaliah, like her mother, introduced Baal worship in the southern kingdom as soon as she could and even killed all her grandchildren to usurp the throne herself.  So one wicked woman ultimately took down both the northern and southern kingdoms of God’s nation.

We can be glad that we do not have a corrupt Jezebel and Ahab in power in our country, who would do anything for money and power (Baal worship), promote immorality (Ashtoreth worship), and support killing babies (Molech worship).  

What I find interesting in the story of the kings of Israel is that God reserved his greatest prophets for their time of greatest apostasy.  Right in the midst of the wicked reign of Ahab and Jezebel, while she was trying to wipe out all the prophets of God, Elijah comes on the scene seemingly out of nowhere and without introduction.  

Even Elijah’s name was in conflict with Jezebel.  His name means “My God is Yahweh.”  The very name of Elijah was a challenge to Jezebel’s agenda.  I am sure Jezebel did not calculate Elijah into her wicked plans.  On top of that, we find out that God reserved for himself 7,000 other prophets who had not bowed to Baal.  Elijah is actually commissioned to anoint Jehu to wipe out all the descendants of Ahab and Jezebel, which he passes on to Elisha.  

Could we have a repeat in the end-times of an Ahab-and-Jezebel-type couple come to power in the world scene?  Where could such a corrupt couple be found?  One thing we can say for sure is that Jesus Himself said Elijah would come in the end-times to “restore all things.”  

If Elijah is going to come—and the Scriptures cannot be broken—will a wicked woman come to power during the same time period in some high level office?  Only if the nature of Scriptures are prophetic could there be a similar repeat of history.  If this does come to pass, it is comforting to know God has reserved his best prophets for last.  If He reserved 7,000 in ancient Israel, maybe he has reserved 70,000 prophets in the spirit of Elijah for the end-times.  

Elijah made one mistake that may have cost him his commission: he ran from Jezebel all the way back to Sinai.  While he was there, God told him to anoint Elisha to take his place.  It is imperative for the end-time prophets in the spirit of Elijah to understand what running back to Sinai represents.  For when Elijah got there, the Lord asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  

Sinai represents Pentecost.  Many who have believed in Pentecost and the baptism of the Holy Spirit have called it the “Full Gospel.”  Seemingly they were unaware that three more feasts occur after Pentecost: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.  Therefore, in no way is Pentecost the “Full Gospel”; it is only the halfway point.  Elijah should have been running forward to the Feast of Tabernacles instead of backwards to Pentecost.  That is why God asked him, “What are you doing here [back in Pentecost], Elijah?”  

Pentecost is wonderful for those of us who have experienced its power and anointing.  In fact it was so wonderful many ministers from the 50s and 60s built large ministries around it and never moved on from that feast.  God wants us to keep moving forward to Tabernacles.  

The dirty little secret no one ever told them about Pentecost is that to move on to Tabernacle power and anointing—which is far greater—you have to let go of Pentecost and go into a much deeper season of dying to self and seclusion and become a nobody.  Who wants to do that when they are making so much money and fame with Pentecostal power?  The anser is—those who know there is greater power, anointing and glory in Tabernacles.  

Jesus sent his disciples out with a taste of Pentecostal power,

So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them (Mark 6:12-13).

Then they came back and told Jesus all the great things they did.

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught (Mark 6:30).

Jesus did not tell them to keep up the good work, instead He told them,

“Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).

Pentecost has its purpose; but if you stay in it, you will never advance to Tabernacles.  Sinai and Pentecost has all the excitement and noise of great Holy Spirit winds, earthquake prophecies, and purifying fire.

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire (1 Kings 19:11-12).

However, Tabernacles requires that you draw close enough to the Lord that you can hear Him  whisper.

. . . and after the fire a still small voice.  So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.  Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  (1 Kings 19:12-13).

Fortunately for Elijah he did move on to Tabernacles.  How do I know?  Because the Israelites prayed for rain during the Feast of Tabernacles, and Elijah prayed for rain to break the drought and it came.  Then the Lord took him up because he had finished his course.  

And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.  And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain (Zech. 14:16-17).

Do you want to be used of the Lord to bring the end-time rain?  Then you need to move on from Pentecost to Tabernacles.  Today Sinai is just a burned-out mountain of yesterday’s glory.  If you are going to be part of the company of Elijahs who restore all things, you need to spend enough time alone seeking God and His word to find out the pattern of exactly how He wants to restore all things.  Instead of running around Sinai like a chicken with its head cut off, you need to enter into the rest of Tabernacles.  When you are flowing in the glory of Pentecost, it is difficult to leave it and go into seclusion.  I’m sure the disciples were shocked that Jesus didn’t send them right back out there after having so much success, but maybe He knew a few things we have a difficult time understanding.  Of course, all these things have to be done under the Lord’s instructions and in His timing, not ours.  But sometimes the ministry of Pentecost is so loud we have difficulty hearing His voice.

Have you wasted all of your seclusion time running after fame and money?  Some may not have enough time left to qualify for Tabernacles.  I have a question for some of you prophets out there:  What are you still doing in Pentecost, Elijah?

It says in the book of Ephesians,

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places (Eph. 6:12 AMP).    

The world is dark and is becoming increasingly darker till we reach the stygian spiritual darkness of the devil’s diabolical delight.  As I observe the church in the U. S., it is amazing to me how unprepared and uninformed it seems to be for what is coming.  I remember reading a book about the communist takeover of China in the 50's.  One of the most popular messages being preached at the time was about a pre-tribulation rapture where the people would be spared all the coming trials and persecution.  Then the communist took over and millions were killed, tortured, starved, persecuted and oppressed.  They got just the opposite of that for which they had been prepared.  Many were left disillusioned, angry with God, and angry with those preachers who told them they would escape all the horrors they went through.  Many of them fell away from the faith because of the false hope they were given by preachers.  I have read that one of the requirements for a minister in the underground church in China now is that they have spent time in prison for their faith.  I see the church in the U.S. being prepared in a similar way for what is coming that China was prepared for the Communist takeover.

Shortly after I started working on this blog on the coming darkness, the Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia died.  The Supreme Court justices had been somewhat divided with four conservatives, four liberals and one that could swing either way.  Of course, they did not always vote according to expectations, such as when the so-called conservative  Roberts sided with the liberals to force the yoke of Obama “Care” on the people, whether they wanted it or not.  Now that Scalia is gone, we can expect the Supreme Court to vote increasingly liberal and away from the principles of the Bible.  Scalia will be replaced by another liberal, and they will vote in darker and darker laws.  In the future, when historians look back upon Scalia’s death, they will see a marked increase in evil laws.  

According to the ancient book of Jasher (which the Bible mentions twice), one reason Sodom became so evil was because of their judges.  Back then the judges created laws instead of just interpreting them, just as our judges are increasingly trying to do.  Sodom’s judges actually made wicked and sinful laws and forced everyone to follow them.  We may think this is something that could not happen in our day, but all we have to do is look at Nazi Germany to see where evil laws were passed and backed up by unjust judges protecting wicked laws instead of the people.  We can look at our own laws and see evil laws have been passed by the courts such as abortion on demand.  If they will legislate the killing of babies, what would they not pass?  In Biblical days, the people of Israel degenerated into sacrificing children to the god of Molech in the fire.  The idol was usually made out of bronze and had the face of a calf and arms like a man stretched out to receive the baby.  The belly was hollowed out for the fire.  Today, people just take them to the abortion clinic and give them to the outstretched arms of “doctors” in bloody white coats.  The belly of the mother becomes the belly of the god of Molech while the baby is the screaming  sacrifice.

Why do we even desire the day of the Lord the Prophet asks,
    
Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!  Why would you want the day of the Lord?  It is darkness and not light; It is as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned with his hand against the wall and a serpent bit him.  Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light?  Even very dark with no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18 AMP).

Many in the church are not prepared for the coming darkness because they live worldly lives.  Some, however, are preparing and sanctifying themselves so they can be used by God during the coming darkness.  Darkness is coming on the world, but light is coming to God’s people.  We are called to be lights in the darkness.  The darker it gets, the brighter our lights can shine.  The time of darkness is the time of rising for God’s faithful saints and glory for the church.

Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
(Isaiah 60:1-3).

Yes, darkness is coming; however, believers are children of light.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.  But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.  Therefore He says:  “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Eph. 5:8-14).

God wants an army of people, filled with His word and His Spirit, who will shine in the darkness.  The people of the world are going to be in confusion and fear with all that is coming in the end-times.  As the Scriptures say, “men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26).  The church will have great opportunities to reach out with guidance and salvation for many.  It is the time for the great end-time harvest.  Are you preparing yourself and getting filled with the word and the Spirit for the coming darkness?

Just before the dawn is the darkest.  The Morning Star is coming.  The greatest darkness is the best indicator that the sun is about to rise.  

“Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”  The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night (Isa. 21:11b-12a NIV).

During the darkness we are called to be like stars,

Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever (Dan. 12:3).  

Another theme about darkness that runs throughout the Bible is that God dwells in the darkness.  Here are a few of the Scriptures that indicate this,  

So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was (Ex. 20:21).

He made darkness canopies around Him, dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.  From the brightness before Him coals of fire were kindled (2 Sam. 22:12-13).

He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.  From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire (Ps. 18:11-12).

Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.  A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about (Ps. 97:2-3).    

One reason God is surrounded by darkness is that He is a consuming fire, and fire produces dark clouds of smoke.  However, brightness and light are associated with Him, which all of these verses reveal.  His presence sparks “coals of fire.”  This could be revival fire like the flames that came upon the heads of those in the upper room at Pentecost.  Hidden inside of the darkness is fire that sets people aglow like it did Moses when he went into the dark cloud,

And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him (Ex. 34:35).

I once had a three-day visitation from God, and during that time I went to visit my step-brother. He didn’t know about the visitation; but when I came in, he stared at me and exclaimed, “Your face is glowing!”  With Moses, this is a natural sign for the spiritual light inside of a believer when they spend time with God.  The spiritual light we are supposed to display is the fruit of the Spirit—especially love.  

The three-day visitation I had was a taste of the power and anointing that is coming on God’s end-time army.  During this visitation, I could hear the Father’s voice directly (a terrifying experience at first).  I had supernatural energy, supernatural wisdom and supernatural strength.  I saw visions continuously, and I saw things in the spirit realm.  I did not even need to eat or sleep during the three days because the Spirit totally sustained me.  You can read more about this experience in my book The Breastplate of the High Priest.

However, this end-time power and anointing is only for those who have sought the Lord with all their hearts and gotten themselves sanctified and prepared through His Word.  It will not be for the casual self-seeking Christians.  I teach that sanctification is like trying to beat a rhinoceros to death with a straw; the sin nature is tough.  We can’t do this on our own, but we can seek and pray for God’s grace to complete it.  

Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14 NASB).        

For most of us, it will take decades or our whole lives.  We don’t have time to waste seeking the things of this world and watching T.V. 20 hours a week.

Once I experienced a taste of the power that is coming to God’s end-time army, I knew it was worth sacrificing whatever it took to become part of it—money, reputation, friends, time, things of this world—whatever.   I am not saying I have qualified yet or gotten totally sanctified —decades after that experience— but I keep pressing into Him that I might be part of that elite, end-time army of light.  I have also observed over the years that most Christians are not preparing, nor are they willing to sacrifice much to be in God’s end-time army because they are seeking this world and the things of it.    

If we get sanctified and filled with the Spirit of Jesus then,

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be [the only] light about me, even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You (Ps. 139:11-12 AMP).

Even the darkness shall be as light for those who have prepared for it.  For the rest of the world— including many Christians—this coming darkness will be terrifying.



                       

According to Wikipedia,

“Generation Z (also iGen or Post-Millennials) are the cohort of people born after the Millennials. There is some disagreement on the name and exact range of birth dates.  Some sources start this generation at the mid or late 1990s with various ending dates, and others start it in the mid 2000s with birth dates ending around 2025.”

In this blog I am speaking of both teenagers and those in their twenties.

My son works as a supervisor of the night stocking crew at a local grocery store.  They go through a lot of people because the job demands they get the trucks unloaded and the stock on the shelves before morning.  Since so many of the people they hire do not want to work, most do not make it through the probation period.  The last one they hired that my son told me about I found particularly interesting.  He belongs to generation Z if we include those in their twenties in that “generation.”

My son told me he is a 27-yr.-old male who does not know if he wants to be a boy or a girl.  He does not know if he wants to be a child or an adult (as his favorite pasttime is reading comic books).  He does not know if he wants to be an atheist or believe in parts of all religions (except Christianity).  He has no values or responsibility.  After the first time the manager got on him about his lack of performance, he had some kind of panic attack and called his father.  His father came to talk to the manager at 3:00 AM and pleaded for his son’s job since he had not made it through the probation period on the last four jobs.  Because of that my son tried to work with him more than normal but could only get him to do about a fifth of the work that was required.  Of course, nothing was his fault.  According to himself, he was doing just fine.  What was wrong with everyone else for even suggesting he was not doing good?  When my son would point out specific things he failed to do that he was told to do, he would totally deny reality.  He didn’t make it through the probation period.  I told my son he is a product by design.  

It seems the name “iGeneration” is particularly appropriate because the current generation is so self-absorbed with their self as well as gadgets, which even the media has acknowledged.   Comedy shows such as SNL and others that try to appeal to the younger generation have done skits mocking how self-centered and entitled the current generation is acting.

Much of the behavior of the last couple of generations is not an accident but has been created by design.  The architects of the New World Order have been working on making the very kind of zombie I describe above.  I call them the HZ15 model.  The “H” standing for humanoid, the “Z” for Gen. Z (or zombie if you prefer), the 15 for 2015.  This is the prototype of the social engineers.  The designers should be very proud of themselves since they have been working on this model for decades through schools, now from kindergarten through post-graduate universities; though large corporations; through the media; though Hollywood and TV; through all governmental structures; and now even through some churches.

The iGen is very “self-absorbed” they politely say.  That is just another way to say they are extremely selfish and not concerned for others.  One word that keeps coming up to describe this group is “narcissistic.”  My son told me the young man (or woman) he tried to work with constantly talked about himself the entire night.  He was living with his parents, and they wanted him to work; but he didn’t want to.  He could not see a reason for it when he could live at home, all expenses paid.  According to design, most have no morals, no responsibility, no social skills,  and no respect for authority.  They feel they are entitled to anything they want and are offended at the least thing that goes against their thoughts or wishes.  If the U.S. adopts the U.N. laws for children, eventually parents could go to jail for suggesting their child do something they don’t want to.  The United States has signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), but is the only United Nations member state that has not implemented it (yet).  Paul seem to sum up this generation,

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,  traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.  And from such people turn away! (2 Tim. 3:1-5).

I have often heard this verse quoted as speaking about the world.  Paul was speaking about the church here or he would not have said, “having a form of godliness.”  Most of the young people in the church are little different from the people in the world today.  This is why I continually pulled my son out of church youth groups and left churches—I was afraid he would turn out like the kids in those groups.  He is now 24 yrs. old, and I am glad I stop taking him to church youth groups.  He turned out to be a good Christian young man, who actually knows a lot of the Bible.  That is because I discipled him myself instead of allowing him to get his Christianity from youth groups.  It seems most Christian parents were not interested in raising their children to be good Christians.  If the churches are not producing good Christians out of their own children, we certainly cannot expect the world to do so.  

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way” (Matt. 13:24-25).

In fact, that is why the current generation is the terminal generation.  Since they are so self-absorbed and entitled, it is easy to see they will end up without any real friends and make enemies very easily.  This is a generation that will be very easy for an outside nation to conquer.  When the bombs begin to fall and the missiles stream by, they will be taking selfies and trying to get pictures of them and partying with reckless abandon.  People have actually begun to die taking selfies next to cliffs and such.  When the enemy comes to destroy us, Gen. Z will party till the end like the people in Isaiah’s day,

And in that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth.  But instead, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (22:12-13).

On the other hand some of Generation Z are the greatest hope for the church, and they have some very positive traits—although that may not be saying much.   They are entrepreneurial, good at multi-tasking, technology-aware (no surprise here), confident, and achieving just to name a few positive traits.  However, positive traits without a moral compass still leads to disaster.

So, the big question:   is there hope for America’s future?  To answer that we must look to the Scriptures.  Was there hope for Israel’s future after they turned away from God?  It depends on the time of the future.  If you were talking about the short-term future of Israel while they were turning from God, there was never much hope without repentance.  Israel split in two; and eventually both sections were exiled into the nations, just as God had warned them through Moses in Deuteronomy.  However, the Scriptures were always hopeful about Israel’s distant future in the Old Testament.  The short-term future looks bleak for America, but I believe America will survive into the future as a nation even though we will go through much tribulation and devastation first.    

The generation of the HZ15 model is the most advanced technological people ever.  That is good in many ways.  However, I go to a Bible study breakfast every week with an old employer of mine who retired as a general in the Army.  He told me that thirty years ago they were concerned about countries like North Korea developing a EMP bomb.  An EMP, for those who might not know stands for Electric Magnetic Pulse.  Some say if one of these were set off high in the air above say Chicago, it could wipe out every electronic device in the country.  In a moment, even without any nuclear destruction, America could instantly be turned back to the stone age.  That is one thing our enemies were working on thirty years ago!  It does not matter how much technology you have if you can’t use any of it.  In a moment one of the greatest advantages of this country could turned into its greatest weakness.  The HZ15 models would not be able to function at all.  

Since it took decades to create the HZ15 model, it will take decades to reverse the trend; and that is assuming it can be reversed at all at this point because not many are even trying to disciple this new generation including their own parents.

My hope for this generation is that since man has a propensity for rebellion and the designers of the New World Order are pushing to get rid of Christianity, that some will rebel against this pressure and investigate the Bible for themselves.  Often when a generation is pushed in one direction, the next will begin to swing in the opposite direction.  In my opinion the hope of Generation Z for the church lies in the Elijah ministry.  We need a host of Elijahs to begin to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children back to godly fathers.
The best hope for the future resides in the home-schooled children of Gen. Z.  These are the ones the parents cared enough about to personally invest into them even if it meant sacrificing an income to do it like I did with my son.  My wife had a good-paying job that she quit as soon as she had him.  Finances have been tight for us most of the time since; but God has provided, and our son is a disciple of Christ.  Built into Gen. Z is God’s secret weapon for our times—homeschoolers.  God still has a remnant.

Although the writing is on the wall, it seems very few can read it.  Politically correct speech is already causing people to lose their jobs and get thrown out of schools and universities, and some beginning to go to jail for the slightest perceived offensive speech.  Already there is no such thing as free speech in the U.S.  The puppets of politically popular speech are being morphed  more and more towards the intolerant idiosyncrasies of ideological idiots who hate biblical morals, Christians, and the Bible.  All the while the tyrants of the tongue claim the Christians are the ones who are intolerant.  It is no longer “One nation under God”; it’s about making opinion-less parrots out of the mob.  Conformity of the majority is the priority.  If you offend with the Word, you’re not part of the herd.  

One thing that is so amazing to me is that so many Christians pay to send their children to secular colleges to be indoctrinated against their own faith for the sake of money.  The polls show close to 90% of college students who were raised Christian abandon their faith in college.  It is like playing Russian roulette with your child’s eternal destiny with the odds stacked against them to lose.

We know who is ultimately behind the so-called politically correct speech and intolerance to anything Biblical—Satan.  It is not about homophobia or Islamophobia; it is about Satan’s Bibliophobia. The people in politics, news media, entertainment, and corporations are only the brainwashed brown-shirts doing his dirty work.  Rapidly all realms are converging to form a conspiracy against the Word of God.  In some nations the Bible is already outlawed; it is shocking to see how quickly Satan is implementing his agenda in the U.S. and how willingly the mindless minions in media are bringing about the destruction of their own destiny and children’s dreams.  The real reason they want Islamic terrorists to come into our country is so that they can use the fear and attacks to bring about the ultimate police state.  This is Satan’s goal.  Once he has this, he can work on getting rid of the Word of God, Christians and Jews.  Their agenda is being accomplished at alarming speed.

Amos said,    

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.  They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it” (Amos 8:11-12 NKJV).

The true word of the Lord is already getting rare in churches.  Many ministers preach a peachy gospel, devoid of the cost of bearing one’s cross.  True prophets are as rare as righteousness.  The best you can get in some of the better churches is but surface knowledge of the Scriptures.  After all, most get their preaching and teaching from commentaries that are filled with facts but lacking any true revelation from the Spirit.  Many Christians are already starving to death while listening to watered-down Word every week.  If you don’t believe this, look at the lives and fruits of the average so-called Christian today.  That should be proof enough they are starving spiritually.  Physically, they may be fat and overweight, but spiritually many are walking skeletons.  Most pastors do not have time to dig much to get revelation from the Spirit even if they wanted to.  


Several years ago the Lord spoke to me and told me to quit my job and begin to study and seek Him.  It was a difficult word to accept, but by faith I obeyed.  He has provided for my needs since, although I don’t have the money to do whatever I want.  I am very restricted as to what I can do, so it is like being in a type of prison.  God has since shown me that He has set me aside to store up grain—the Word of God—like an end-time Joseph.  I believe He has thousands of these end-time Josephs scattered throughout the world, who are sacrificing many worldly things and doing the pay-less, thankless job of storing up grain for the coming famine—although I have never met another one.  

While Joseph was in prison and storing up grain for the coming famine, what were his other brothers doing?  They were working on their own desires, businesses, houses, and storing up money like most people seek to do.  What happened to them in the end because of the famine?  They had to leave their houses behind and could take only what they could fit in the carts Joseph provided and flee to Goshen.  Do you think Christians may ever have to flee to some place of safety in the future and leave most of their possessions behind?  We know the Christians in many countries have already had to flee their homes and leave their possessions behind.  The whole world is becoming a hostile environment for Christians and Jews.  Speaking of the Israelites Paul said,

Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come (1 Cor. 10:11 NKJV).

It is very important for God’s end-time Josephs to keep their posts no matter how foolish they may look to others, if God has really told them to do that.  I constantly have to make up half-truths to tell people what I am doing because I know they would not even understand the truth, let alone encourage me in it.  So I tell them things like I am writing books, which is true because that is one place where I am storing my grain.  But I am not writing books for money (no one buys them) or for myself.  It is just a good way for me to learn deeper truths.  When Christian books are outlawed, I will still have the revelation in my head and heart.

Storing up the grain is like hewing out the stones for the temple.  During Solomon’s time the stones were prepared in advance and then brought together and assembled later.  God’s kingdom is not built with surface knowledge of the Bible but with revelation from the Spirit.  Jesus said to Peter,

“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.   And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:17-18 NKJV).

One of the things Jesus was saying through this is that His kingdom would be built by revelation from the Spirit, not just basic principles of the Bible.  Peter got a “rock” of revelation by being with Jesus.  It takes a lot of time and digging to get revelation from the Spirit.  Valuable jewels are not found on the surface of the earth and neither are they in God’s Word.  Most teachers and preachers simply do not have time for mining them.  They are too busy doing other things.  Just as hewing out stones takes much time and work, getting revelation takes time and cannot be done while working a full-time job or ministry in most cases.  For one example, when I fist began this season, the first thing I studied was the doctrine of salvation.  I was shocked to learn how little the church knew about this fundamental doctrine.  

Since many ministers today are working on building up their own kingdoms, paychecks and glory, most of their works will be burned up in the end; and they will suffer loss (1 Cor. 3:15).  Hewing out stones for God’s kingdom is not part of the job description.  It would distract from the simple sermons that keep the masses pacified and that could affect the paycheck.  It does not matter if half of the people in the congregation are out of work or barely making it.  Most pastors will get their paychecks, or they will leave.

When the famine came in the time of Joseph, he was the only one who had enough grain stored up to “keep many alive.”  That is when a great transition of the kingdom took place.  In type Joseph is a type of Christ, and Egypt is the world.  Eventually, because of the famine, Joseph bought all the land and then all the people with the grain he had stored up.  In the end, Jesus will end up with all the people left on the earth He has purchased.

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev. 11:15 NKJV).

And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation (Rev. 5:9 ASV).

So through the story of Joseph, we see this great transition of all the world becoming the Lord’s because of the great famine.  The whole plan was dependant upon Joseph storing up great quantities of grain.  Many times I have wanted to quit my calling, get out of my prison and stop storing up the grain; but the Lord has not allowed it.   Now I accept my calling.  I realize that His kingdom is going to be built during the famine, and His end-time Josephs are a key part of it.  The famine during the time of Joseph lasted for seven years.

The temple of God is going to be built in seven years.  Solomon’s temple, which is prophetic of the millennial temple, was built in seven years.  Ezekiel’s temple is the end-time temple, which is the pattern for God’s spiritual temple.  (See my book The Church Pattern:  Ezekiel’s Temple for more info. on this.)  God’s spiritual temple is His kingdom on earth.  Currently, that temple is not built, but it will be completed in the end-times.  Since the churches are not built according to the biblical pattern, they must fall at some point so God can implement His pattern.

Elijah is another type of end-time people and events.  Jesus said Elijah would come and restore all things.  Some commentators say John the Baptist totally fulfilled the coming of Elijah.  However, when asked by His disciples concerning it, Jesus not only said that John was the fulfillment of Elijah but also that Elijah “is coming” and “will restore” all things—future tense (see Greek text for Matt. 17:11).  You don’t need to know Greek to know that John did not “restore all things.”  There is also no evidence that he turned the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the hearts of the children back to the fathers as Malachi prophesied.  This is an end-time ministry of which the Elijah in 1 Kings is prophetic.

Elijah not only ministered during a time of famine, but he himself brought the famine with a word of judgment on Ahab and Jezebel.  Jezebel was wiping out all of God’s prophets and installing the prophets of Baal.  Do you think we could get an end-time “Jezebel” who will try to wipe out all the prophets and silence the word of God?  Obama’s Orwellian oppression preparations are pioneering the path for Jezebel’s hexes and spells.  Put on your seat belts because here comes Jezebel!  (See my book on Revelation for more about the coming of Elijah and Jezebel.)  

Not only will there be a great transition of people coming into the kingdom by the end of the famine, but this is also when there will be a great transition of leadership in God’s kingdom.  God is going to raise up a host of shepherds like David, who truly tend to the sheep.  Jeremiah said,

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!" says the Lord.  Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them.  Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord.  “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.  I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord (Jer. 23:1-4 NKJV).

Many who are now in ministry will not qualify for ministry when God sets His kingdom in order, nor would the hirelings want to be in ministry then; for there will not be much money in it, and there will be much persecution.

The famine will most likely also be a literal famine to mirror the spiritual famine.  God has sent thousands of Josephs, Davids and Elijahs ahead of the rest of the church to save many alive in the end.  These have been despised by the Pharisee cartel currently running many churches just as the Pharisees despised John the Baptist, Jesus, and later Paul.  If the hidden ones come out of hiding and dare bring their messages into the churches, the hirelings, “. . . take crafty counsel against thy people, and consult together against thy hidden ones” (Ps. 83:3 ASV).

Currently, until God brings justice for His people, the end-time Josephs are in their prisons, the end-time Davids in their Adullam caves (justice for the people), and the end-time Elijah’s in their Zeraphaths (smelters shop, refining place).  They are hidden from the church, like John and Paul were in the desert, preparing until God raises them up.  

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine (Ps. 33:18-19 NKJV).

This is a biblical blog; so when I say “degrees,” I am speaking of religious degrees and not  secular degrees, although they can certainly be deceptive as well.

I strongly believe that of the many things that have corrupted the church, the choosing of leaders based upon them having a degree from a Bible college or university ranks very high on the list.  This tradition has exalted man-made credentials above biblical qualifications.  Biblical qualifications are almost not even considered anymore when choosing leaders.  

When I first got saved, I was living with my father and step-mother, who had gotten saved a couple weeks before myself.  They believed it was their calling to take in children who needed a home.  Before long we had a house full of rebellious teenagers.  I wanted very badly to get away from that situation because I had to live with them 24-7.  Instead, the Lord made it clear to me He wanted me to stay and help with this ministry and lay down my life for these kids.  

That ministry lasted for about five years at which time my step-mother got cancer ending the ministry.  I did not know it at the time, but that five years of sacrificial ministry without pay was the Holy Spirit’s way of training me for ministry in the future.  I had previously gone to Bible college to get a degree, but the Lord told me to leave after a couple years so that He could put me in His “school of the Holy Spirit.”  When I entered that school, He told me the first thing He had to do with me is un-indoctrinate me from many of the things I had learned in Bible college.  

A couple of years later, I was used by the Lord to start a congregation.  I ended up hiring a man who had gone to a Bible school for a couple years and gotten a degree.  He had no former training in ministry.  We worked side by side for seven years.  I was essentially the assistant pastor without a title or pay.  He got all the perks like a weekly check, honor, accolades, and authority.  I was putting as many hours into the ministry every week as he was, but I had to work a 40-hours-a-week job on top of that.  However, because of the Holy Spirit’s training of me to lay down my life for the people, I spent much time with the sheep.  The “pastor” didn’t want to spend any time with the sheep; he only wanted to preach to them one hour a week.  We had a pot-luck lunch after services so they saved him and his wife the best from the food beforehand. After services my wife and I prayed for the people alongside of him and his wife while most of the people went to eat.  My wife and I got the scraps after everyone else had eaten.  He had never been trained to self-sacrifice for people; he had only academic training.  I began to see there was something seriously wrong and deceptive about pastors having a degree for ministry with only academic classroom training and never learning to lay down their lives for the sheep.

We sent my son to Liberty University to get a pre-med degree.  Liberty University is one of the biggest religious universities in the U.S.  Naturally, every year he had roommates who were studying to be “pastors.”  To get a pre-med degree takes a lot of studying, and often my son stayed up all night studying.  While he was studying for his degree, usually his roommates, who were getting a degree for ministry, were playing video games.  The courses were so easy they did not need to study much.  Thus, at the end of the four years, they had many hours of playing video games under their belt.  Our son did not have much time for that kind of fun.  These students are the future pastors of America.  Not only do they get an easy degree that supposedly trains them for ministry, their training is selfishly having as much fun as possible while in college.  The concept of self-sacrificing for others probably does not even enter their heads, nor are they trained in it.

We are supposed to be followers of Jesus, who led the example of self-sacrifice.  In fact, the biblical concept of love is based on His sacrifice for us.  Thus, we are called to lay down our lives for others.  The Pharisees on the other hand had no training in self-sacrifice; they only had classroom training.  Jesus said,

I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them (John 10:11-12 NKJV).

The religious people confronted Jesus because He had no credentials from their institutions.

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?” (Matt. 21:23 NKJV)
                    
They wanted to know what credentials he had to be in ministry such as where He went to school?  Like the church today, they were oblivious to the concept that self-sacrifice for others is the training for church ministry.  The fact that Jesus had already sacrificed His throne in heaven made no difference to them—He had no credentials.  Jesus rebuked them for not being willing to sacrifice for the people.

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men” (Matt. 23:1-5).

Jesus taught the apostles to sacrifice for the kingdom.  Peter acknowledging this said,

“See, we have left everything and followed you.”  Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and  for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold  now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in  the age to come eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Mark 10:28-31 ESV).

The religious leaders noticed they did not have any formal education,

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.  And they realized that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13 NKJV).

Where was their degree?  How dare them go into ministry without a degree and classroom training!

He also spoke specifically about his credentials,

For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God and exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence or dependence [on what we are] in the flesh and on outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances—Though for myself I have [at least grounds] to rely on the flesh.  If any other man considers that he has or seems to have reason to rely on the flesh and his physical and outward advantages, I have still more!  Circumcised when I was eight days old, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew [and the son] of Hebrews; as to the observance of the Law I was of [the party of] the Pharisees, as to my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church, and by the Law's standard of righteousness (supposed justice, uprightness, and right standing with God) I was proven to be blameless and no fault was found with me.  But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [one combined] loss for Christ's sake (Phil. 3:3-7 AMP).

He went on to tell what his credentials were,

Are we starting to commend ourselves again?  Or we do not, like some [false teachers], need written credentials or letters of recommendation to you or from you, [do we]?  [No] you yourselves are our letter of recommendation (our credentials), written in your hearts, to be known (perceived, recognized) and read by everybody (2 Cor. 3:1-2).

Paul claimed the fruit of his ministry was his credentials.  Paul also certainly exemplified sacrificing for the church.  He said,

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me (1 Cor. 15:10 NKJV).

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:6-7 NKJV).

Many more scriptures could be cited to show this.

Paul also trained and proved Timothy to sacrifice for the kingdom.

But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra--what persecutions I endured.  And out of them all the Lord delivered me (2 Tim. 3:10-11 NKJV).

But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.  For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.  For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.  But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel (Phil. 2:19-22 NKJV).

Paul said Timothy had “proven character.”  Can you even imagine that being a qualification for ministry today?  No proven character is necessary for church leadership today, only a degree.

Paul said,

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Rom. 12:1 NKJV).

Notice he did not say milk your supporters out of 65 million dollars so you can buy a new Learjet as one television preacher recently did.

Paul speaking of people who use ministry for self-gain said,

“. . . who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.  From such withdraw yourself (1 Tim. 6:5 NKJV).

Zechariah said,

Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do not pity them (11:4-5 NKJV).

Jude said,

Woe to them!  For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.  These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;  raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever (Jude 1:11-13 NKJV).

“. . . and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.  But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:  how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts (Jude 1:16-18 NKJV).

However, as long as they have a degree, they can do whatever they wish; and it is sanctified by their credentials—so they think.  

Paul listed the qualifications for leadership in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1, but these are basically ignored for preference of a degree.  The reason that pastors are not even mentioned there is because “pastor” is a man-made position.  The shepherds of the New Testament are elders—in the plural (see my book, The Church Pattern: Ezekiel’s Temple.)

Many so called “pastors” have used “their” flock and position for personal gain.  A degree means nothing in the kingdom of God.  Many, if not most, who have degrees for ministry will not even qualify for ministry when the Lord installs His end-time leadership (Jer. 23:1-4).  Over the centuries the church has been deceived degree by degree concerning what a pastor is till finally they are now defined as a person with a piece of paper on his wall—no biblical qualifications required.  Don’t be deceived by a degree; it is only another man-made tradition.

It says in Romans,

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Rom. 8:14 NKJV).

I thought we were sons of God if we just made a confession of faith for salvation.  The expression “sons of God” also includes women since often the Hebrews used the term “son” meaning “children” of both genders.  I would like to read the context in which the above verse is found.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Rom. 8:12-17 NKJV).

As we can see from the context, Paul is comparing living according to the flesh with living according to the Spirit.  Since many Christians still live according to their fleshly desires and are not being led by the Spirit, it becomes apparent that they are in fact not “sons of God.”  

What does it mean to be led by the Spirit?  In a nutshell, it means allowing the decisions we make to be influenced by the Spirit instead of our flesh, including our own mind and will.  A person left to himself, will almost always go in a direction away from the Lord instead of towards the Lord, including most Christians.  The decision process is relatively simple in theory:  we have to constantly decide to be ruled by the Spirit and not the flesh.  In reality this can be very difficult.  For to be led by the Spirit requires hearing the voice of God, which many Christian denomination say does not happen today.  Therefore, they claim we can only be led by the Bible.  However, the Bible, although a spiritual book, is not the Holy Spirit.

Being led by the Scriptures alone is NOT being led by the Spirit.  Here is the main example in the Scriptures to illustrate this point:

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness (Luke 4:1 NKJV)

Here, Jesus was an aspiring young rabbi, who got baptized in the Jordan river, and the Holy Spirit came upon Him for ministry.  In fact, it says He was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Already, just from this one verse, we know He is more qualified for ministry than most people who go into the ministry—many of whom are never filled with the Spirit.  On top of that, Jesus had the voice of the Heavenly Father Himself confirming that Jesus was ready.  So we might expect Him to go straight into ministry at this point.  Yet the Spirit led Him into the desert to be tested.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”  But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  Then he allowed Him.  When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:13-17 NKJV).

Already the Father is speaking audibly over Jesus that “This is My beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”  We might think now He would go straight into ministry like most aspiring pastors after they get out of college and get their degree, which supposedly qualifies them for ministry.  Instead of being led by His mind or will, Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tested in the wilderness while fasting.  I doubt that going on a forty-day fast and being tested by the devil is any new rabbi’s or pastor’s human will.  For starters, He is not even being payed for it.  So being led by the Spirit here probably had nothing to do with Jesus’ will.  Often the Spirit will lead us against our own will, if not most of the time, and many times against logic too.

Notice that Jesus did not get this guidance from the Scriptures; for there is no verse telling Him He must go to the desert, fast for forty days, and be tempted by the devil.  This guidance came straight from the Holy Spirit.  Oh, how often I have heard preachers say that if it is not in the Bible, it is not God’s will.  When they say this, they give themselves away; and I figure they are not being led  by the Spirit.  Of course, the Spirit will not usually lead us to do anything against what the Bible says, except for special purposes like God telling Hosea to marry a prostitute.

Jesus said,

“Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19 NKJV).

Jesus saw what the Father was doing and heard what the father was saying (5:30).  He didn’t do His own will.  This is what we need to do to be led by the Spirit as well.  However, seeing what the Father is doing (I don’t mean literally) and to hear His voice (this may or may not be literally) takes an enormous effort.  It may even require—God forbid—fasting.  This is one reason we see Jesus beginning His ministry with a forty-day fast in the wilderness.  We must learn to hear the voice of God to be led by the Spirit, and fasting helps to quiet our flesh.

How do we hear the voice of God?  First, when I say “the voice of God,” neither the Bible nor I always means an audible voice.  I am speaking of a variety of ways in which God communicates with us.  Usually it can be just an impression on our mind or an inner intuitive notion.  Hopefully it will be something a little more concrete, such as I have often heard people say, “This Scripture about jumped off the page while I was reading it!”  When God gives me a scripture and I somehow know it, I call that a rhema instead of a logos.  Both rehma and logos can mean a word in Greek; but rehma seems to include a special spoken word, whereas logos can refer to the entire Bible among other things.

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says about the word rehma:

    The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," Eph. 6:17; here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture.

Thayer’s Greek Definitions gives as the first definition of rhema:

    1) that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word

When it comes to guidance on important decisions, I do not believe I am walking by the Spirit unless I have heard a rehma from the Lord and am obeying it.  For,

“. . . faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word [rhema] of God” (Rom. 10:17 NKJV).

You cannot walk by the Spirit if you are not walking by faith, and you cannot walk by faith unless you have heard a rhema from the Lord.

The problem of walking by the Spirit instead of just the Scriptures is that the Spirit will continually lead you to the cross or in other words, a way that causes dying to our self-will.  Since most Christians do not walk by the Spirit and use only the Bible (and often not even that), they tend to pick the verses they want to live by and avoid the ones that have to do with living the crucified life.  The person living by the Spirit cannot avoid the Spirit’s guidance to the cross and towards death to our souls.  However, as the soul dies we get more Spirit.  When the Israelites first heard the voice of God, they knew it would cause death to themselves; so (like many Christians today) they ran from it.

Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”   And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”  So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was (Ex. 20:19-21 NKJV).

So the Bible was originally written because the people did not want to live by the Spirit and hear the voice of God.  In fact, the priests of Jesus’ day used the written word to kill the Living Word.  They charged Jesus with blasphemy.

Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy!  What further need do we have of witnesses?  Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!  What do you think?”  They answered and said, “He is deserving of death” (Matt. 26:65-66 NKJV).

(Note:  It just happens to be a coincidence that the last verse in this passage that says “He is deserving of death” is verse 66—the number of books in the Bible!)        

As Paul says,

“. . . who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life  (2 Cor. 3:6 NKJV).

The word for letter is this verse is the same Greek word used for “Scriptures” in the New Testament.  The Greek word is gramma.  It is the same word translated “Scriptures” in this verse,

“. . . and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15 NKJV).

The charge of blasphemy that the high priest accused Jesus of was against the written Law,

And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death (Lev. 24:16 NKJV).

In one of the greatest ironies of all time, the priests who had received the written word from God used that very word to kill God when He came to save them!  Such is the result of living only by the written word and not by the Spirit and voice of God.  God is Spirit.  God uses the Spirit to lead us into a spiritual death of the soul.  Man uses the written word to kill God (the Spirit).  Many Christians still use the written word to kill the Spirit in their own lives.

So am I saying that we should not use the written word?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  We should use the written word to help lead us to the Living Word.  I have already said we can get living words (rhemas) from the written word.  We can also get them in prayer and worship and other ways of seeking the Lord.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees saying,

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life (John 5:39-40 NKJV).

I am speaking about being led by the Spirit as far a guidance in life is concerned.  For daily living, living by the Spirit means practicing the fruit of the Spirit written in Galatians,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law (Gal. 5:22-23 NKJV).

Use the written word to lead you to the Living Word and allow the Spirit to take you where He wills.  Then you will be a “son of God.”