Angels figure very, very prominently in the NT. People don’t really know this, or they overlook angels in the created order. At the other end of the scale, some are so preoccupied with angels they nearly fall into angel worship.
With Christmas coming up, we will be singing about angels. “Angels We Have Heard on High,” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” and “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” come to mind.
Once you start studying angels, you realize how frequently they are mentioned in the New Testament. And as for the nativity story, they figure prominently, making many appearances!
There’s the myriad of angels who appeared to the shepherds on the field at night of Jesus birth. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, then to Zacharias. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. An angel later appeared to Joseph in a dream another time, and warned him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt.
I’ll be taking a look into angels over the next few days:
What do RC Sproul and John MacArthur have to say about angels?
Angels figure very, very prominently in the NT. People don’t really know this, or they overlook angels in the created order. At the other end of the scale, some are so preoccupied with angels they nearly fall into angel worship.
In terms of the Providence of God, if Ezekiel’s wheels within wheels are a kind of visible/invisible machinery of providence (as Spurgeon described it in his sermon “God’s Providence” #3114), then perhaps the other angels are also a kind of visible/invisible machinery of God’s providence, like we glimpsed in Jacob’s ladder. (Genesis 28:12)
Dr RC Sproul has two lectures available on angels, part 1 & 2. He said the Greek word for angel appears in the NT more often than does the Greek word for sin (hamartanó). It also appears more often than the Greek word for love (agape).
Sproul taught from Hebrews and Colossians and also 2 Kings, and said it was obvious given the texts devoted them that there had been a problem in the first century of people giving them junior deity status and ascribing worship to them, with even Paul & Silas being mistaken for angels.
But with all the warnings not to overestimate angels in their position, neither does the NT deny the importance of them, Sproul said.
He also said something interesting,
Part of the problem we have with angels, is that we tend to associate angels with the supernatural realm. We think of the angels as being a supernatural being. In one sense it is correct to call angels a supernatural being. In another sense it’s quite dangerous to refer to them as supernatural beings, because the one thing that’s clear in the scriptures about the nature of angels is that they belong to nature. They belong to the created order. Angels are not divine. Angels are creatures, part of the original creation that God made. In THAT sense, angels are natural beings.
The reason they are looked at as supernatural beings is because of their constituent nature. The bible tells us they are creatures, but they differ from us and animals and plants in that their nature is a spirit nature rather than a physical or a material nature. Because they are spirit beings under normal circumstances, they remain invisible to the naked eye. Unless they manifest themselves in a kind of angelophany, their basic nature is invisible, dwelling in a realm that is invisible to us.
RC Sproul
Sproul said, how often do we think of angels? Of course we’re not to adore them, or be preoccupied with them, but we are to give them due meditation, as they are an important part of the order and are referred to frequently in the bible. He said we need to be thinking about why there is such a heavy concentration of angels at certain times in history.
This was something that was brought to my attention back some years when I listened to John MacArthur preach through Revelation. It was an eye-opening series in many ways.
Sproul’s lectures focused on the angels as messengers and angels as ministering spirits. But that is not all they are. Angels are also vehicles of Judgment. It is angels who mainly bring the judgments of Revelation. For example,
Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. … Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. (Revelation 8:2, 6-7)
In addition to angels being part of the machinery of God’s providence, messengers, ministering agents, judgment-bringers, they are also warriors.
Archangel Michael fighting the Dragon, Durer 1497
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven (Revelation 12:7)
When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15-17)
Angels are an amazing part of the created order! I recommend both of the Sproul lectures. They are about 25 minutes each.
Satan has the biggest ego in all the universe, bar none. In the sometime distant past, the bible does not say when, Satan decided he could do a better job than God. He is accused of the following:
“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15 ESV).
This famous passage is called the ‘Five I Wills’ of Satan. Most people think the phrase ‘you have been cast down to the earth’ means satan was cast out of heaven back then and barred from re-entering. But it is not so. He was cast down from his position as guardian cherub (Ezekiel 28:14) but Job 1:6 shows us that satan and his rebelling angels still had access to heaven. They still do today.
Satan’s final fall and exile from heaven will occur in Revelation 12, when there is “War in Heaven.”
“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Rev 12:7-12).
Scholars believe that event is what triggers the Great Tribulation, the turning point halfway through the 7-year period of judgment on earth. Satan’s fury at his loss of access to heaven will be unleashed against the Jews and then the Christians. (Rev 12:13, 17)
I’d like to tie Rev 12 to two other verses that are prophesied to occur during the Tribulation. Just food for interpretive thought. First, Luke 21:26 KJV- “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” The phrase fainting in the Greek means “to leave off breathing, to die.” The “with fear” is Greek for a word that means “panic flight, fear, the causing of fear, terror.” The powers of heaven being shaken, the Greek word for shaken means “cast down”. (source)
So men will have instant heart attacks and be fleeing in terror when they see something coming down from heaven. What? What is it that they are seeing which causes such panic and hear-attack inducing terror? Meteors? Asteroids? UFOs?
I’d like to think that it is the Revelation verse that they are seeing. It is my belief that when Satan and his angels are cast down, they no longer hide who they are. Satan and the full-on evil angels reveal themselves visibly and no one will be unawares any longer. Imagine seeing multitudes of evil angels and satan himself falling from heaven and appearing on earth- visibly.
We are visited by angels constantly. They are present upon the earth, the good angels and the bad angels. Most of the time, we are not aware of them, though. Hebrews 13:2 says we have entertained them unawares. Abraham entertained angels unaware, didn’t he? And Gideon. And Minoah. And the evil angels too, are on the earth, but if they appeared to us as they are, with their evil showing, we would reject them. So satan, despite having a big ego, is perfectly content to allow us to think he is a tiny man with a funny tail and pitchfork and his rebellious, powerful, and highly intelligent minions are cute little cherubs falling asleep after dinner. Satan is content to let you think he is not powerful, while all the while himself thinking he is the most powerful, even more than God.
Who would be afraid of this guy?
Sistine Madonna detail, Raphael. Aw, aren’t they cute.
Rosso Fiorentino “Two cherubs reading, detail from Madonna and Child with Saints”. So cuddly. They don’t look like they could do much, do they?
Yet, if my interpretation of Luke 21:26 is correct, that it is speaking of the powers of heaven falling to earth when men see the actual satan and the evil angels invading earth, men die on the spot. Add to that this verse, the second one I believe ties in:
“And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth.” (Rev 9:1-3). Illustration is of the trumpets and the locusts from the abyss, Matthias Scheits
The evil is raining down from above and hurtling up from below. I don’t know if they both happen at the same time, but either way, it will be a time of shock and death.
Am I exaggerating? Let’s see how the shepherds reacted when a holy angel, bringing good news and helps, visited them.
“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” (Luke 2:9)
How about Zechariah’s reaction when an angel visited him?
Zechariah and the angel. Gillem van der Gouwen. 1728
“When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.” (Luke 1:12)
How about Mary?
“Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.” (Luke 1:29)
Cornelius?
“He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear…” (Acts10:3-4a)
In all these cases it is AN angel of the Lord, which means a holy angel, not THE angel of the Lord, which means Jesus. And they all were terrified. To calm the person they were about to speak to, they first said, “Fear not.”
If people are terrified when seeing a holy angel obedient to God and here to help us, how do we think the people in the Tribulation will react when the evil angels are unleashed? Their hearts will fail them for fear.
Ron Graham explains the Genesis 6 verses about the unholy angels, here. Patrick Heron explains the entrance of the unholy angels upon the earth further, below. He gives the book of Enoch more authority than I give to it, but he does do a good job leading us through the present day common misinterpretations of Genesis 6. So does Mr Graham. Check them out if you’d like to explore this idea further.
We are blessed to know Jesus as Savior, Priest, Advocate and Friend. We know that if we are visited by an unholy angel that we can appeal to Jesus for protection. He is ALL POWER and in Him we have nothing to fear.
“The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.” (Psalm 46:7). “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” (Psalm 9:9)
But those who refuse Jesus’s pardon on this side of the rapture will be faced with seeing these things some upon the earth after the rapture. Please repent now. Repent means to be aware that we are unholy, having sin in us. We can never be with Jesus as long as sin is in us and not addressed. If we repent, He will forgive all that sin and adopt us into His extended family.
Here is an interesting article out this morning from Reuters.
“Greeks embrace some new myths about life with the euro“ “In a land of ancient myths, modern Greeks have created some of their own about their near-bankrupt country’s future as an integral part of a Europe that will never kick them out. Solemn warnings from abroad that Athens cannot stay in the euro while rejecting the terms attached to the billions offered to pull Greece out of its financial hole are widely disbelieved in a land that considers itself the envy of foreigners. However bad their prospects, many Greeks seem to think that since money to bail them out was found in the past, it will be found again, whatever politicians say. Nor do they believe that Europe will simply cast them loose, despite growing signs that Greece is heading for the exit from the single currency and towards the economic and social catastrophe that would follow.”
‘Never be kicked out’? ‘The envy of foreigners’?? ‘They will get more bailouts’???
How is it possible to be THAT deluded? There is a biblical answer to that, and one that the article’s headline alluded to. It is shown to us in Daniel 10:20, where there is a mention of a Prince of Greece:
“When said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.”
From Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, “But before he communicated to Daniel what would befall his people in the “latter days” (Daniel 10:14), he gives to him yet further disclosures regarding the proceedings in the spirit-kingdom which determine the fate of nations, and contain for Israel, in the times of persecution awaiting them.”
What is happening is that Daniel had inquired of the LORD. The LORD dispatched an angel to give Daniel the answer. But on the way, the holy angel was delayed in the celestial realms by evil angels who opposed him and tried to prevent the message from being delivered. Finally after 21 days Michael had to be sent to help the holy angel get through. And when the holy angel was finished speaking with Daniel, he said was going to have to leave and go deal with the prince of Persia and the prince of Greece.
We know that the princes spoken of are not in this context earthly princes like Prince Charles of Britain. They are angels. Daniel 12:1 speaks of archangel Michael being the “prince” who is assigned to ‘Thy People” the Israelites. It seems that there are evil angels and good angels who are assigned in a military type hierarchy to different regions. And Greece apparently has a very powerful prince assigned to it by satan.
John MacArthur preached on this verse, explaining,
“Now listen to this. Satan has an incredibly clever organization. He has set up a network of demons that are behind all of the activities of human history. There was a demon assigned to Persia. Verse 20 says there’s a demon to be assigned to Greece. The Bible says that all the gods of the nations are demons. And I believe without question, throughout all of human history Satan’s network of demons have been behind the scenes, endeavoring to do all they can to foil the plan of God. His task, this prince of Persia, was to hinder the will and the working of God in regard to Persia, to do all he could to hold back God’s plan.”
“And when Persia passed away, and Greece became the third great world empire, according to verse 20, there would be another demon assigned to be the power in Greece and he would have under him a whole plethora of demons to carry out his bidding. Is that an insight? God actually carries out His will through the angelic conflict. Incredible. And this angel says I’ve got to hurry and get my message so I can get back to the war.”
“And when I’m done with this Persian deal, Greece is going to come along and I’ve got to fight that one, too.”
So from the land that gave us myths, which are false religions and twists on His truth, we have an evilly powerful prince of Greece and his unholy minions who delude an entire nation. That’s how it’s possible to be so deluded.
“A local man says the latest movie in the popular ‘Twilight’ franchise triggered a seizure, and similar incidents have been reported in theaters around the country. Brandon Gephart and Kelly Bauman said they were watching “Breaking Dawn: Part One” at a theater Friday night when Brandon sudden began convulsing during a graphic birthing scene. Brandon said he doesn’t remember anything until he woke up on the theater floor, but Kelly said he was, “convulsing, snorting, trying to breathe.” “He scared me big time,” she added. Paramedics transported the man to the emergency room and the theater had to cancel the rest of the movie for that showing.”
More at link.
Well. That was interesting… The intense scene they are talking about is the scene of the birth of the hybrid being created when the human woman and the demonic vampire procreated. My concerns of this movie’s penetration into American cultural consciousness have been explored at depth already, here “Are vampire babies even possible”. This situation reminds me of several prophetic verses which seem to match what is prophesied to come at the end time. These verses speak of conditions at or very near the Tribulation, which we are not in now, but may be close to beginning. The fullness of the conditions of what the verses speak of will come to perfect fruition at that time. What we are seeing now is just the whiff of the beginning, in my opinion. What we DO know is that time will be a long horror show that doesn’t end when the credits roll…
“When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” (Genesis 6:1-4).
This set of verses reports a situation where the fallen angels (sons of God) took women (daughters of men) and mated with them, producing a hybrid race of half human, half demonic beings that were giants. Og, King of Bashan was a giant, as were Goliath and his four brothers. These giants were what the spies saw, who were carrying man-sized grapes at the entry to the Promised Land (Numbers 13:32-33). I can’t imagine what it was like for those women in the days of Noah who gave birth to these hybrids… I suspect that the scenes from Twilight are very close to reality depicting what it may have been like at that last time and is prophesied to happen in real life again.
The days of Noah were also close to being like the culture we live in today: “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5).
The words in the verse indicate a total permeation of evil: “every inclination”, “all the time.” There was no good in them at all.
Last, this verse also comes to mind though it may not be as applicable, or maybe it is: “Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” (Luke 21:26).
“Unemployment, gas prices, and fear over global warming aren’t the only things skyrocketing — so are mysterious objects rocketing through the sky. The Mutual UFO Network — the largest privately funded UFO research organization in the world — tells The Huffington Post that more people than ever are reporting unidentified flying objects, mostly in the United States and Canada. “Over the past year, we’ve been averaging 500 sighting reports a month, compared to about 300 three years ago [67 percent],” MUFON international director Clifford Clift said. “And I get one or two production companies contacting me every week, wanting to do stories on UFOs.” So far this week, mysterious aerial lights in Laredo, Texas, and Kansas City, MO., lived up to, at least initially, the strict definition of UFOs, namely “Unidentified” Flying Objects. That, of course, doesn’t mean that little green men are watching us. It’s generally accepted that 95 percent of all sightings are easily dismissed. Some turn out to be conventional aircraft, others are satellites or weather balloons — and then there are the hoaxers with Photoshopped concoctions. In the case of the Kansas City sighting, the UFOs turned out to be the Army Golden Knights parachuting team, performing a nighttime jump. But the explanation for the blinking light over Laredo is still up for grabs. However, the remaining 5 percent of all UFO reports aren’t as easily explained. And many of them are reported by commercial and military pilots…”
I think the point of the article is that 95% of previous UFO sightings used to be easily dismissed. I do not think it is so any more. I have been reporting on this phenomenon for about the same length of time, noting in particular, as HuffPo did, that many of the sightings are reported by officials. There have been the military men, air traffic controllers, firemen and other aerial workers trained in official capacities reporting things in the air that are unidentifiable. And even though Photoshop hoaxing is also on the rise, as HuffPo correctly noted, video is less easily concocted. I’ve reported this year successively on January 30, January 3 and Feb 2 on the Jerusalem UFO that was taped by three different groups of people from three different perspectives, and I’ve also reported on the Moscow craft that was taped hovering for an hour over rush hour traffic, and the China sightings that twice closed a major airport.
Do I believe that alien beings are driving craft from different planets to the earth? Yes and no. No because I do not believe alien life exists in the way most secular people think of it. There are no little green men. There is no robotic, psychotic overlord waiting to use us as pet food. There are no Vulcans or Romulans. But there IS a class of beings that live off-planet and visit earth. They are powerful, bright, interact with humans and some have benign intent while others have evil intent. They are angels.
Colossians 1:16 tells us they were created by God, and Hebrews 1:14 states that angels are ministering spirits to us. In Luke 2:10-12 they visited the shepherds in great number to announce the birth of Christ, and Daniel received visits from Gabriel several times.
Psalms 91:11-12 states, “For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.”
Clarke’s commentary on the Psalms 91:11-12 verse says “He shall give his angels charge over thee – Evil spirits may attempt to injure thee; but they shall not be able. The angels of God shall have an especial charge to accompany, defend, and preserve thee; and against their power, the influence of evil spirits cannot prevail. These will, when necessary, turn thy steps out of the wag of danger; ward it off when it comes in thy ordinary path; suggest to thy mind prudent counsels, profitable designs, and pious purposes; and thus minister to thee as a child of God, and an heir of salvation.”
So technically, angels ARE aliens, living in a different dimension, visiting earth, having a different biology, and possessing greater power than we do. We know also from the bible that not all angels have benign intent. A third of them follow satan. (Rev 12:4). They wish to do us harm. That is their entire point of reference, to kill, steal, and destroy. (John 10:10).
To the point of today’s blog entry: we know that in the time of the end, the angels will irrupt onto the earth Irrupt is a bursting in, the opposite of erupt, which is a bursting out As the LORD lifts His protecting hand and the Holy Spirit Restrainer leaves the earth (2 Thess 2:6), the days will be like the Days of Noah. (Matthew 24:37). The Days of Noah were days immediately prior to the flood when the thoughts of man were of only evil continually (Gen 6:5, Gen 6:11-12). It was also a time when the Nephilim were on earth in those days, when angels took women, all that they chose, and produced a hybrid race. (Gen 6:1-3; 4).
Fallen angels were on earth in those days, causing havoc. The bible tells of another time when fallen angels will burst in, the demons who have been kept locked up since that awful time prior to the flood (2 Peter 2:4).
In the fifth trumpet judgment, they are let out. (Rev 9:1-11). There are so many demons let out of the pit onto earth that the smoke of them blotted out the sun. It is literally hell on earth. We know that some fallen angels have been allowed to move in heaven and stalk the earth because the bible tells us that there was war in heaven that Archangel Michael fought in. (Rev 12:7). And we know from the verse in Rev 9 that some of the fallen angels (demons) are imprisoned in the deepest hell (Tartarus) and will be released in the fifth trumpet judgment in Rev 9.
So if fallen angels are allowed to visit earth and afflict the unsaved do you think it will be any hard thing for them to shine their light in the air and pretend to be a UFO? No. The world will be completely deceived by satan and his cohorts in the Tribulation by all manner of lying signs and wonders. That the deceptions from other dimensions by fallen angels and satan are ramping up now (by 67% no less) is an indicator of how eager they must be to have their day. They know that their time will be but a little time, (Rev 12:10-12) but they are eager for it nonetheless. I picture them as a horde of racehorces at the gate, knowing that the gate will be opened shortly. At that time, they will rush pell mell onto the racetrack, circling and running and racing to cause as much destruction as possible during the time they are allowed to have. It is that time that is called the Tribulation, and you do not have to be here for it.
Is the gate about to be lifted and the fallen angels about to burst in? photo source.
If you are a child of God you will not have to worry about news media reports pondering the percentages of UFO sightings. You will not be troubled by any demon. You will not be here on earth to faint from terror at the things coming upon it. (Luke 21:26). You will be clothed in garments of righteousness, freed from all pain and suffering, given a glorified body, and meeting Jesus face to face as a friend and not an enemy. How can you obtain all this? It is already yours. Jesus died on the cross to save you from the punishments of your sins, if you confess them to Him – the Highest Judge – and repent from them. He will pardon you and you will be saved.
I wrote Part One of the Nephilim and laid the scriptural groundwork for the fact that before the Flood, fallen angels took women, all that they chose, and mated with them. (Genesis 6:1-2). The result was a hybrid race called The Nephilim, or Mighty Men of Old, of Men of Renown. There have been two ‘irruptions’ (opposite of eruption. Irruption is bursting in, rather than exploding out.) One irruption was before the flood, when Genesis 6 speaks of it, and the other was after the flood, which Genesis 6 also confirms. In addition, the race of giants were spoken by their tribal names (Anakim, Raphaim, Emim) throughout the Old Testament until David was sent to stamp out the last of these tribes. Finally there seemed to be relief from the ungodly mating of angels and human women. No weird races have been spotted since then.
But in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus spoke of the Days of Noah, warning that the same conditions plaguing the earth then would be repeated at the end of days. One of those conditions was the infestation of Fallen Angels taking women and producing ungodly progeny as just mentioned. Then, the thoughts of men were of only evil continually (Gen 6:5) and the implication as that it was due to the Nephilim. Noah was found to be perfect in his generations, or bloodlines, untainted by the hybridization of the plan of the fallen angels.
The unusual amount of Unidentified Flying Objects in my opinion are fallen angels, hovering at the edge of our dimension, waiting for the day when the Holy Spirit will be removed from the earth (an act that also preceded judgment as in Gen 6:3) to have their way with sin upon the world. I also believe the current fascination with vampires in all levels of the culture is also due to the Fallen Angels. I wrote about that, here. Last, I mentioned that the myths from pagan religions also spoke of celestial beings, gods, that came down and mated with women in a variety of ways, in some cases transfiguring themselves into animals, other men, or even showers of coins in order to seduce the women. In some cases, the ‘gods’ simply enchanted them. In most cases, the myths spoke of the women falling into a drugged state, whether through the enchantments of the gods or because of wine drunk at festivals or orgies that they had attended. Remember the enchantment and the transfiguration.
Let’s examine some of the New Testament scriptures that may allude to the infestation of fallen angels mating with women in the end of the end time and certainly the Tribulation.
Paul told us in no uncertain terms that false apostles will roam the earth from his day to the end of days. We should not be surprised at this, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
It is good to look at the original Greek words. Most of the English translations say satan “masquerades” or “disguises” himself into an angel of Light. King James uses “transforms.” The Greek word is “metaschématizó” and it means “change the outward appearance of something, to transfigure.” Satan AND his fallen angels can change their outward appearance to something else as it suits them. It is important to note that the word as it is used, ‘transfigure’ is a different one that used for when Jesus transfigured on Mount Tabor, (Mt 17:1-2). That word is metamorphoó, meaning to change from the inside out. Satan cannot change his spots as a leopard can’t change his spots. (Jer 13:23). But he can change enough on the outside to fool the unwary.
Those unwary are prophesied to be silly women. (2 Tim 3:1-6). Let’s unpack the following verses a bit.
Gen 6:5, Titian, “Profane Love (Vanity)” I wonder who that man is, creeping in, & whom the mirror is turned towards?
In those days: “men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, KJV)
Men will have a form of godliness, a “morphósis” or an outward appearance only. Of these kind, they creep into houses, and leadsilly captive women away who are laden with diverse lusts.” Strange. These men who have an outward appearance of godliness, men who are mentioned in the middle of a passage where every unsavory kind of behavior is described, these men appear godly and will worm their way into homes where silly women are ensnared and captivated. Duped and enchanted, these women are drenched in lust, and will respond to these men and be “aichmalótizó-” captivated and ensnared. Hmmm.
Then the verse continues immediately by mentioning Jannes and Jambres withstanding Moses. These were the two magicians who were Pharaoh’s sorcerers. Of all the men who rebelled against God in the bible, these two are mentioned here in connection with carrying lustful women away. Not Saul, not Achan, not Herod or Esau or Cain. The two divinely inspired examples purposely written here are two sorcerers who have an appearance of godliness and take women by enchantment. It is reminiscent of the fallen angels who took women, all that they chose, and mated with them.
The verse goes further in verse 13, saying “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse __ deceiving and being deceived”. Note the difference between ‘evil men’ and ‘seducers’. Other translations say imposters. Why the distinction between the two? Is not an evil man a seducer and vice versa? And imposter? Well, not when he is an enchanter, as the Greek word for seducer shows. The Greek word seducer/imposter means, “This person uses their verbal spells and incantations to give the (false) impression they can do miracles, a wailer, enchanter, a sorcerer, a swindler.” Like Jannes and Jambres, enchanters doing false miracles. The verse above says that satan “masquerades” as an angel of light, which is an imposter, and we are also told that he can perform false miracles to fool people.
I am just posing some thoughts on these words in the verses and their deeper meaning within the context. When you really begin looking at the language, and learning the original meanings of the Greek words, it begins to perk me up to the possibilities this is what Jesus and Paul were alluding to about perilous times and the Days of Noah.
Here is my summary of the verses from Jesus and Paul: in the last days, seducers, magicians, enchanters and imposters will come, masquerading as godly, that have light but are dark, that pretend godliness but are the opposite, captivate and then lead away lustful women just as they did in the Days of Noah when every inclination was evil.
There is a strange doctrine spoken of in the bible, in Genesis 6, and alluded to in several other places in the Old and the New Testaments. The doctrine is also prophesied to occur again in the last days. Strange as this one is, it behooves us to pursue doctrines in good faith, to learn what the Word may be saying to us. It involves the Fallen angels, women, and the Nephilim, their ungodly offspring.
That the fallen angels came to earth and mated with women, is a certainty in my interpretation, though others try to make it into what the scriptures say it’s not but by so doing twist the scriptures to adhere to their pre-suppositions. I always take the plain meaning when it is presented. Here is what the verse says, you decide- “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” (Genesis 6:1-2)
In the next verses God determined to destroy all living matter on the earth, except for Noah, who had found grace with the LORD.
Could it be? Fallen angels mated with women, took them, actually, and offspring were born? But angels can’t have sex, you say. They cite Mark 12:25, or Matthew 22:30: “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” The verse says they do not marry, not that they cannot. Angels are eternal, and eternal beings have no need to make more of themselves. They’re eternal. Unless they have an evil goal in mind, that is.
The Genesis verse continues, “There were giants [Nephilim] in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” (Genesis 6:4-5, NKJV)
The NIV and King James use Nephilim instead of “giants”. Who were these “mighty men”? One was Goliath, a giant for sure, along with his brothers. (1 Samuel 14:4;2 Samuel 21:18-22 KJV). Og, King of Bashan was another. “For only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bedstead was an iron bedstead; it is in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon. Its length was nine cubits and its width four cubits by ordinary cubit.” That means his bed was 18′ X 8′. (Deuteronomy 3:11). Raphaim, from which their tribe was named, means giant, from the Hebrew Rapha.
The giants were on earth in the Land shown by God to Joshua. He and the 12 spies saw that the grape clusters were so large they had to be carried by two men (Numbers 13:13) and that the Anakites were there. Anak means long necked giant and in Deut 1:26-28 & 2:10-11 we learn that they were descended from the Rapha.
There are many other examples, but it seems that the fallen angels of the earliest days of humanity on earth, took women, and the women bore children who were hybrids, half human and half celestial. The women were killed in the flood and the angels who did this were rounded up and jailed in chains in the lowest abyss (Tartarus) until judgment (Jude 1:6) If you know your pagan religions, and later the Greek and Roman mythology, this factual event that the bible describes is represented in mythology of the ‘gods’ who came to earth and took women, producing half-celestial, half human hybrids, such as Hercules.
“The rout of the fallen angels”, Illus to Milton’s “Paradise Lost”. By Wm. Blake
Some examples from Greek mythology are Antiope, the daughter of the Boeotian river god Asopus. Her beauty attracted Zeus, who, assuming the form of a satyr, took her by force. Zeus was busy, he also took Leda while disguised as a swan, and he took Semele as a smooth seducer. Zeus took Alcmene by transfiguring himself into the image of her husband. Zeus resorted to deception to get at Callisto. Callisto had taken a vow of chastity as one of the women who served Artemis, but He came to her disguised as Artemis, and when she let down her guard Zeus raped her. Zeus came to Danae as a shower of golden coins. Neptune took Aethra by force. The satyrs chased everyone.
In ancient mythology, the ‘gods’ who came down from the heavens could enchant, seduce, transfigure, and take all the women that they chose, who later bore hybrid children endowed with supernatural powers and who were giants. In mythology Hercules and Perseus are two examples. In the bible, these were Og, Goliath, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, who were the children of Anak; and many others individuals and tribes of giants who were mighty men of renown. You see the parallels.
The Fallen angels under the direction of Satan attempted to corrupt the bloodline of the people whom Jesus said would spring forth the savior. They were successful enough so that by the time of the Flood, the intents of people’s hearts was only evil, continually. Noah was perfect in his generations, meaning, his bloodline was untainted by the genetic corruption the fallen angels were wreaking. God judged all humans and all of the fallen angels who had done this, but spared Noah and the other 7 because they had found grace. The fallen angels didn’t stop, though. After the Flood, there was a second infestation of the Nephilim, resulting progeny of the fallen angels and women whom they chose (“…and also after that” Gen 6:4). These tribes, several of which I mentioned above, were active in the Land until David. After David wiped out the last of them, this particular kind of assault on humanity seems to have sunk into the recesses of myth and cultural memory. Until, perhaps, the Tribulation.
There have been many books written on the subject. It seems to fascinate, and I admit it fascinates me too. I’ve written about the Nephilim and genetic modification here, and UFOs and the Nephilim here. Also about the Nephilim and vampires, here. Patrick Heron wrote a very good book, “The Nephilim and the Pyramid of the Apocalypse.” At the link, you can read the introduction and the first chapter, buy the book, or download it on iTunes. Chuck Missler preached on it in a series, here.
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