This tells us that there is much we have yet to discover concerning these ancient texts, which have been largely ignored for so long.
Suppose you were asked to construct a genealogy of real people, but there are certain constraints:
• The number of words in this genealogy must be evenly divisible by seven (with no remainders)
• The number of letters must be divisible by seven
• The number of vowels and consonants must be divisible by seven
• The number of words that begin with a vowel must be divisible by seven
• The number of words that begin with a consonant must be divisible by seven
• The number of words that occur more than once must be divisible by seven
• The number of words that occur in more than one form must be divisible by seven
• The number of words that occur only in one form must be divisible by seven
• The number of names in the genealogy must be divisible by seven
• The number of male names must be divisible by seven
• The number of generations in the genealogy must be divisible by seven
Would it not be next to impossible to draw up such a genealogy? Yet this describes exactly the genealogy of the Messiah, as given in the Gospel of Matthew 1:2-17.17
From an academic and literary point of view, the Bible stands head and shoulders above any other book ever written, yet it has been largely ignored by academia. It has sold over eight billion copies in more than 2,000 languages. It was written by 40 different men over a period of 1,600 years, yet it remains uniform in its content. It has survived 40 centuries of history. It has more ancient manuscripts to authenticate it than any other ten pieces of ancient literature put together.
Figure 3
Source: The Alpha Course Manual, Alpha International, Holy Trinity Brompton, London
In fact, there are over 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, over 10,000 in Latin and 9,300 in other languages, the oldest dating to around 68 AD. Compare this to only nine old copies of “Caesar’s Gallic War,” and the oldest of these dates to 900 years after Caesar’s death. Yet nobody questions this (see Figure 3).
When copying was being carried out, the Hebrew scribes had enormous reverence for the text of the Bible. Copies were checked, double-checked and re-checked many times. If a small mistake was made, the whole page would be rewritten. When they came to the word “Yaweh,” meaning God, they would burn the pen and change their clothes. Only photocopying is more accurate than the methods they followed to preserve the accuracy and integrity of the text.18
One would think that those who occupy the seats of higher learning would acknowledge the obvious literary merits of the Bible. It was, after all:
• The source of over 1,200 quotations used by William Shakespeare in his works.
• The inspiration for literary giants such as Milton, C.S. Lewis, Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens.
• The inspiration for Da Vinci’s Last Supper, Michelangelo’s Pietà and Handel’s Messiah, which he wrote in 21 days, most of the text coming from the Book of Isaiah.
• The motivation for the work of Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Newton and Martin Luther King.19
Yet, despite its unrivalled position as an academic document, the Bible is ignored and withheld from students of literary works. It is sidelined and boycotted and scoffed at in favour of lesser works of men. You would think that even the humanist non-believer would pay tribute to the academic worth of this mighty tome and the effect it has had on the history of civilisation. But no, all are silent.
Let us now examine those same ancient texts and discover what they reveal concerning a mysterious race of whom the majority of people have never heard: the Nephilim.
THE NEPHLM
I would now beg the reader to indulge me somewhat. For this study, I would ask that you put your mind in neutral. That is, put aside for the present your assumptions and prejudices concerning your opinion of the Old Testament scriptures. Allow, for the time being, that they may contain information that is useful and trustworthy and from which we can learn. Think of yourself as a juror awaiting the evidence. After all the facts are heard, you may then reach an informed verdict.
The year is 2348 BC, the year of the Noahic deluge. Genesis chapter six provides us with a startling revelation.
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.
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.
Genesis 6: 1,2,4
We are informed that the “sons of God” saw the daughters of men and took them as wives. Who are these “sons of God” and from whence did they come? Our first task is to garner all information on these individuals and allow the material to define our conclusions.
The term “sons of God” is used eight times in the Old Testament. Let us examine some of these. The following is taken from a debate Yaweh (God) is having with Job:
“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth?
“Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest?
“Or who hath stretched the line upon it?
“Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the cornerstone thereof?
“When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”
Job 38: 4-7
In this discourse between Yaweh and Job there is an obvious reference to the time of the creation of the world. In this context the “Sons of God” refers to what we call angels, which are created spirit beings.20 This is always the case where the expression “Sons of God” occurs in the Old Testament.21
Who maketh His angels spirits,
His ministers a flaming fire.
Psalm 104:4
This also holds true for the New Testament:
But to which of the angels said he: “Sit on my right hand . . .”
Are they not all ministering spirits . . .
Hebrews 1: 13,14
In the Book of Daniel, chapter 3, we are told of three men who were thrown into a blazing furnace by the king, Nebuchadnezzar, who then . . .
. . . rose up in haste and said unto his counsellors: “Did we not cast three men into the midst of the fire? Lo, I see four men walking in the midst of the fire . . . and the form of the fourth is like a son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar goes on to say:
“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who hath sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in him . . .”
Daniel 3: 24,25,28
It is clear from the above that the fourth being accompanying the three in the fire, who was referred to as a son of God, is in the following verse called an “angel.”
In this next illustration from the Book of Job we observe a distant gathering of celestial bodies:
Now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.
Job 1:6
In the Hebrew, the word malak is translated as angel. In the Greek it is aggelos. But a more accurate rendering of both these Hebrew and Greek words is agent or messenger. The word angel occurs over 300 times in both the Old and New Testaments. In all these places the word agent or messenger would, in my opinion, be a better translation, as our minds have been muddied and distorted by the word angel. For when this word is used we immediately conjure up an image of a naked infant cherubim with tiny wings and no genitalia floating around innocently and carrying a little bow and arrow. Or of a huge glorious being with enormous wings protruding from somewhere between his shoulder blades and illuminated from
behind by a huge spotlight!
Nothing could be further from the truth. Later on in this study I shall present a more detailed evaluation of these messengers or agents. But lest we should stray from our present focus, suffice to say that these messengers always appear as men. They eat and drink and are mistaken for ordinary human beings. Some are referred to by name and are also called men. So they look like us. They eat and drink like us, they wear clothes and they can speak like us. But let us return to our original train of thought. In Genesis 6:2 it says:
The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose.
Again it becomes clear from this passage that there is a distinction between the “daughters of men,” on the one hand, and the “sons of God” on the other.
What this verse is implying is that these “sons of God,” who were created spirit beings, had intercourse with ordinary human women and produced children. But these were no ordinary offspring.
There were giants (Nephilim) in the Earth in those days: and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daugh- ters of men, and they bare children to them.
The same became mighty men which were, of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:4
The Hebrew word for giants in the above verse is Nephilim, from the root word naphal, meaning to fall. So the offspring of these spirit beings with human women are called giants or Nephilim, meaning the fallen ones. The fallen spirit-men are themselves referred to as Nephilim also.22 For they fell from grace, fell from Heaven and fell to Earth.
In the course of this book I shall examine why these spirit beings or messengers became “fallen.” But in order to maintain our focus on the riddle before us we shall continue with our study of the Nephilim and their impact on society at that time.
You will notice from the passages quoted that we are told these irruptions occurred on two occasions, i.e.
“There were giants (Nephilim) in the Earth in those days and also after that.”
“In those days” refers to the days of Noah. The expression “and also after that” tells us that these Nephilim were also on the Earth after the Flood of Noah.
So these two irruptions of fallen spirit beings with women occurred both before the Flood and then again some time later. For reasons which will become clearer as we progress with this thesis, I will firstly deal with the second, which occurred after the Flood. We are given much information about these giants when they inhabited the Earth in those days. After examining the evidence relating to them, we shall return to the earlier incursion of the Nephilim before the Flood and discuss the evidence as to how they left their mark on ancient civilisation at that time.
AFTER THE DELUGE
We now jump forward to 436 years after the Flood to find mention of these giants. Abraham enters the picture here. With his wife, Sarah, he returns from his sojourn in Egypt, and we are told that, by that time, several different tribes of these people are dwelling in the land of the Canaanites and have assumed differing names after their various forebears (see Figure 4). We read in Genesis 14:5:
And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim and the Zuzims in Ham and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriatheim.
The Rephaims spoken of here were the descendants of one Rapha. In the Hebrew, Rapha means “fearful one; giant.” We note their mention in Deuteronomy chapter two along with another branch of these giants known as the Anakims.23
And when we passed by . . . we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.
The Emims dwelt there in times past.
A people great and many and tall as the Anakims.
Which also were accounted giants as the Anakims: but the Moabites call them Emmins.
Book of Deuteronomy 2:8,10,11
In the Hebrew, Emmin means “terrible ones,” and the Anakims were descended from one Anak, which translates as “long-necked; giant.” Anak was the son of Arba, which in the Hebrew means “strength of Baal.”
Figure 4
At the time Abraham journeyed through the Promised Land, and even in the much later period of Moses, several tribes of “giants”, who were descended from the Nephilim, populated this entire area. The map above gives the principal tribes and their locations.
Arba was one of the “sons of Heth” who, seven years before the building of Zoan in Egypt (Genesis 23:2,3), built Hebron, which was hence called Kirjath Arba, meaning the city of Arba.
Anak, his son, had three distinguished descendants in the days of Moses and Joshua who were giants. Their names were Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, and they dwelt in Hebron circa 1490 BC.
At this point I would like to examine the story regarding Moses and Joshua. After the Exodus from Egypt, led by Moses, the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Finally, they were ready to enter and possess the Promised Land which had been given to Abraham. Before invading, Moses sent 12 spies to check out the land and the people. We pick up the record in the Book of Numbers:
And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said unto them:
“Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain. And see the land what it is, and the people that dwell therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many.
And what the land is, whether it be good or bad; and what cities that they dwell in; whether in tents or strongholds. And be ye of good courage and bring of the fruit of the land.”
Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.
So they went up and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob as men come to Hamath.
And they ascended from the south and came unto Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. And they came unto the brook of Eschol and cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates and of the figs . . .
And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
And they came to Moses and to Aaron and to all the congregation of the children of Israel . . . and showed them the fruit of all the land.
And they said: “We came unto the land whither thou sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it.
Nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the land and the cities are walled and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.”
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said: “Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men that went up with them said: “We be not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched, saying: “The land which we have gone through to search is a land that eats up the inhabitants thereof, and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the giants (Nephilim), the sons of Anak, which come of the giants (Nephilim). And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
Book of Numbers 13:17-33
Twelve spies were sent out. Ten out of the 12 reported that there was no way they could take this land, as it was filled with these giants, the descendants of Anak, and other huge people. Only two of the 12, Joshua and Caleb, believed that they could defeat this mighty people. But the children of Israel listened to the 10 others and, as a result, wanted to stone Moses and Aaron and Joshua and Caleb and return into bondage in Egypt. But later, under the leadership of Joshua, they did invade and defeat the giants who inhabited the land.
One interesting point from the above passage is the reference to the cluster of grapes they cut down and brought back to illustrate the richness of the land. It took two of the spies to carry just one cluster of grapes on a staff between them. That is one heavy cluster of grapes. Could it be that these giant people, who were the offspring of spiri
t-men (sons of God; angels) and human women, were practising genetic engineering or genetic modification? Because they were the offspring of these spirit-men, they would be superhuman and supernatural. They would possess powers and knowledge beyond mere natural men.
Big people need big food. If two strong, fit Israelite men had to bear just one cluster of grapes between them on a pole, over their shoulders, then it must have been extremely heavy.
The Nephilim and Pyramid of Apocalypse Page 2