"There Were GIANTS in the Earth in Those Days . . ."

Ancient history and legend, as well as the Bible, attest to the fact that there were once GIANTS in the earth -- men of awesome dimensions, bulk and height! Where did these gigantic men and women originate? Does their existence relate to the sins of the fallen angels who cohabited with women? Could such mind-boggling, incredible events occur again during this End-time?

William F. Dankenbring

In the book of Genesis we read the blunt, categorical statement: "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 [angels] saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. . . .There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men [had sexual relations with them], that they bare CHILDREN to them, the same became MIGHTY MEN which were of old, men of renown" (Gen.6:1-4).

Who were these "giants" and men of "renown"? What does the Bible tell us about them? This is a fascinating story -- one that needs to be told!

What happens when a spirit being appears as flesh, and unites with a mortal woman, and their two seeds join -- the sperm of the male and the egg of the female? This was a union which God had forbidden -- for good reason. The offspring which resulted, were not only proud, insolent, arrogant, and self-centered -- they were also extremely cunning in some cases -- and they were sometimes GIGANTIC in stature! They disrupted the entire ecology and balance of life of the world before the Flood. Admits the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary

"Who, or what, then, were the Nephilim? In the only other passage where the word occurs (Num.13:32-33), it clearly means giants, being derived . . . from the mutually related roots of three verbs, yielding the fundamental idea of HUGE, EXTRAORDINARY SIZE. Nor can it be deemed incredible that in the antediluvian age, when, from the remains of quadrupeds and other inferior animals, we see that they were of an immensely larger type than the existing race of them exhibits . . . .

"Archaeology, too, show, from the traditionary fables of the classical poets, as well as from the colossal monuments that are extant, that there were people in remote times of CYCLOPEAN STRENGTH; and whether this . . . was the characteristic percularity of a certain class only, various circumstances contribute to warrant the conclusion, that in the world before the Flood there were Titans distinguished by corporeal stature and energies far above the present scale. But although the idea of GIGANTIC POWER does underlie the language of the sacred historian, the term Nephilim seems to bear a deeper significance; and if etymology may guide us, it describes a class of men of worthless and at the same time of violent character. . . intimating that the Nephilim were marauding nomads -- men of a violent, overbearing, lawless character -- who abused their bodily powers to obtain their selfish ends; who were constantly roving from place to place in quest of plunder, and, emerging suddenly from their retreat, made attacks both on the property and the lives of men" (Critical Experimental Commentary, vol.1, p. 89).

Giants AFTER the Flood, Too!

Men of gigantic stature are also mentioned as existing after the Flood of Noah's time. When the children of Israel sent spies into the land of Canaan, preparatory to invading the land, they were appalled to find giants dwelling in the land. They gave to Moses and the people a frightening, dismaying report:

"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. . . . 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 unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the GIANTS, the sons of Anak, which come of the GIANTS: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so were we in their sight" (Numbers 13:28-33).

The word for "giants" here is the same word used in Genesis 6:4 -- the Nephilim. Obviously, therefore, some of them lived after the Flood.

A Second Irruption of Giants

Where did these giants come from? Since all the Pre-Flood giants were destroyed by each other, or before the Flood, these must have been born to disobedient angels who sinned by cohabiting with women soon after the Deluge. Says the Companion Bible:

"But we read of the Nephilim again in Num.13:33: 'there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, which come of the Nephilim.' How, it may be asked, could this be, if they were all destroyed in the Flood? The answer is contained in Gen.6:4, where we read: 'There were Nephilim in the earth in those days (i.e., in the days of Noah); and also AFTER THAT, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children unto them, the same became the mighty men (Heb. gibbor, the heroes) which were of old, men of renown' (lit. men of the name, i.e. who got a name and were renowned for their ungodliness).

"So that 'after that,' i.e. after the Flood, there was a second irruption of these fallen angels, evidently smaller in number and more limited in area, for they were for the most part confined in Canaan, and were in fact known as the 'nations of Canaan.' It was for the destruction of these, that the sword of Israel was necessary, as the Flood had been before.

"As to the date of this second irruption, it was evidently soon after it became known that the seed was to come through Abraham; for, when he came out from Haran (Gen. 12:6) and entered Canaan, the significant fact is stated: 'The Canaanite was then (i.e. already) in the land.' And in Gen.14:5 they were already known as 'Rephaim' and 'Emim,' and had established themselves at Ashteroth Karnaim and Shaveh Kiria- thaim" (Appendix 25).

Satan knew that the promised Messiah would come through the descendants of Abraham. Satan adopted a pre-emptive strategy and bred more "giants" to occupy the Promised Land to prevent the Israelites from being able to occupy it. His plan aborted, however, when the Israelites under Moses and later Joshua conquered the inhabitants of the land, and destroyed the remaining Anakim.

Another Race of Giants -- the Rephaim

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses writes of the land of Moab, "The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims" (Deut.2:10-11). The word for "giant" here is Raphah, which means "giant." Interestingly, the same word also means "ghost, dead, deceased." The Rephaim were another of the lines of giants which existed after the Flood. Moses tells us of the land of Moab, "That also was accounted a land of giants; GIANTS dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims; a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead" (v.20-21).

Og, the king of Bashan, conquered by Moses and the Israelites on their entrance into the Promised Land, was one of the giants. "For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits [approximately 14 feet!] was the length thereof, and four cubits [6 feet] the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man [i.e., a normal man -- the normal cubit measured 18 inches]" (Deut.3:11). Bashan, the land of Og, was called "the land of giants"(v.13; see also Josh.12:4, 13:12). The valley of Hinnom, the refuse dump for Jerusalem, a type of the final Gehenna fire, lay eastward of the "valley of the giants" (Josh.15:8; 18:16). Joshua 17:15 mentions the "Rephaim," another branch of the "giants." These dwelt in the region near Sodom and Gomorrah in the time of Abraham (Gen.14:5; 15:20; see also II Sam.5:18,22; 23:13).

In an ancient text of the Jews, we read an astonishing description of some of these gigantic Amorites whom the Israelites conquered. In Buber's Tanhuma, Devarim 7, the text tells us of a Rabbi Johnanan ben Zakkai's encounter with the Roman Emperor Hadrian. This event occurred in about A.D. 135, soon after the Roman victory in the Bar Kochba war, when the Jews rebelled against the Romans. The text reads:

"The wicked emperor Hadrian, who conquered Jerusalem, boasted, 'I have conquered Jerusalem with great power.' Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai said to him, 'Do not boast. Had it not been the will of Heaven, you would not have conquered it.' Rabbi Johanan then took Hadrian into a cave and showed him the bodies of Amorites who were buried there. One of them measured eighteen cubits [approximately 30 feet] in height. He said, 'When we were deserving, such men were defeated by us, but now, because of our sins, you have defeated us'" (quoted in Judaism, edited by Arthur Hertzberg, p.155-156, George Braziller, New York: 1962).

Thirty feet tall! The bones of these men were still in existence during the time of Josephus, the Jewish historian of the first century!

The Origin of "Demons"

Where do "evil spirits" or "demons" come from? Some think they are merely fallen angels, now deprived of their angelic bodies. Others claim they don't exist. But the apostle Peter tells us that the angels that sinned are now "cast down to hell [Greek, tartaroo, meaning a deep abyss]," where they are "delivered into chains of darkness, reserved unto judgment" (II Pet.2:4). If the angels which sinned are presently bound in chains, then what are demonic spirits which roam the earth?

Evil spirits are not the same thing as "fallen angels," as many have long believed. Rather, since fallen angels are now BOUND IN CHAINS of darkness until the day of their judgment, we must look for another explanation consistent with the Scriptures to explain the existence of demon spirits which have no corporeal body. Where, then, do "evil spirits" come from -- those spirits called "demons" in the Scriptures?

Says the book of Enoch, in explanation of the origin of these evil "spirits" --

"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" (Enoch 15:8-10).

Jesus spoke of these evil spirits -- He cast out many demons from people, throughout His ministry, and gave this same authority to His servants. Early in His ministry, He encountered an extremely violent and super-strong demoniac who dwelt among the tombs near the sea of Galilee.

"When he reached the opposite side, the country of the Gadarenes, he was met by two demoniacs who ran out of the tombs; they were so violent that nobody could pass along the road there. They shrieked, 'Son of God, what business have you with us? Have you come here to torture us before it is time? Now, some distance away, there was a large drove of swine grazing; so the demons begged him saying, 'If you are going to cast us out, send us into that drove of swine.' He said to them, 'Begone!' So out they came and went to the swine, and the entire drove rushed down the steep slope into the sea and perished in the water" (Matt.8:28-32, Moffatt translation).

As God's servants, with the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us (Rom.8:9-10; 5:32), we do not have to fear or be afraid of these demonic spirits. Jesus gave His disciples power and authority to CAST OUT demons, just as He did, setting an example!

"And summoning his twelve disciples he gave them power over unclean spirits, power to cast them out and also to heal every sickness and disease" (Matt.10:1, Moffatt).

This commission and charge was not just for the original disciples and apostles. It was an on-going commission and commandment for the Church of God throughout the ages! Notice! In His final instructions to the disciples, Jesus declared:

"And he said to them, 'Go to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature: he who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who will not believe shall be condemned. And as for those who believe, these miracles will follow: they will cast out demons in my name . . ." (Mark 16:15-17, Moffatt).

The existence of these evil spirits, derived from the fallen angels, and their relations with women, is a fact which modern psychiatry cannot explain. Modern psychiatrists cannot fathom the real explanation of "split personalities," "multiple personalities," all inhabiting the same person, or the ability of such people to speak in total foreign languages which they have never heard or learned, or how they can have knowledge of previous "lives," or existences.

But demonic possession and influence perfectly explains all of these puzzling, mysterious phenomena! These are the wicked "spirits" of the deceased "giants" who once roamed the earth!

On the other hand, it is also possible for fallen angels to deceive, delude, and take over the bodies of human beings -- that is, those fallen angels which have not already been bound in chains. Apparently multiple millions of angels followed Lucifer in his original rebellion (Rev.12:3). Many of them still occupy high spiritual offices on this earth, under their "god" Satan (Eph.6:10-18; Eph.2:2; II Cor.4:4).

The Truth Revealed

This truth that angels did cohabit with women before the Flood and sired "giants" -- and "men of renown" -- may seen incredible -- almost unbelievable. But the plain record of Scriptures, together with apocalyptic sources, the history and traditions of the Jews, Josephus the Jewish historian of the first century, and even the very existence of Greek legends of "gods" marrying women, all together combine to bear witness to the unassailable fact that it really did happen!

Why has Satan the devil hidden this truth from the world? Why do all the professing Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Churches, deny it?

Satan's plot, of course, is to deceive all mankind (Rev.12:9). He doesn't want mankind to know how he has attempted to "tamper" with the genealogical blood-line of the human race. He doesn't want mankind to know that he and his fallen angels have attempted to THWART the plan of God, to prevent the birth of the Messiah.

Also, in his own diabolical, devious way, he seeks to do that which God is doing through the human race: He and his angels planned to reproduce themselves by the only means available to them -- through sexual relations with human beings -- thus producing their own "children," and "family" and "offspring"!

Think of it! Satan the devil, in his devious wickedness, seeks to be like God in every way. He has never lost his desire to be "like the Most High" (Isa.14:12-14). God created the human race, in His own image and likeness, and is planning to reproduce spiritual sons of God, as many Scriptures attest (see Gen.1:26; I John 3:1-2; Heb.2:6-9; Rom.8:14-21).

Even so, Satan has planned to imitate, counterfeit, and duplicate the plan of God -- to wrest, pervert, and alter the creation of men, by cohabiting with women to produce his own wicked offspring! Could modern-day accounts of "Alien abductions" be an "end-time" revival of Satan's age-old attempt to duplicate and counterfeit God's plan? Could Satan be attempting to have "offspring," today, in a final all-out attempt to thwart and stop God's Plan?

The Original Snake in the Woodpile

In the garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve had been together for seven years, according to the book of Jubilees, Satan began his dastardly plot. At a time when the "seven year itch" was beginning to set in, and Adam and Eve were becoming complacent, Satan -- in the guise of a seductive serpent -- met Eve in a secret rendezvous, or tryst, and began the old "line." He led her to look away from her husband as her guide, away from the Word of God, and began to toy with her emotions, to make promises to her -- and he seduced her, causing her to commit sin.

Interestingly, in Genesis 2:25 we read that the man and his wife were "both naked," and that they "were not ashamed." The word for "naked" here is arom which is literally translated "nude," or "naked." But the same word is used in Genesis 3:1, where we read, "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field." The word for "subtle" here is also arum. meaning "cunning, crafty, prudent." They are the same word. The literal root meaning is actually "smooth" or "slick," as in smooth or slick skin -- i.e., "naked." A "subtle" person is considered "smooth," or "slick," as in "Slick Willy," a nickname for a famous person today. There is obviously a "play on words," here, in the Hebrew language. Eve later admits that "the serpent beguiled me" (Gen.3:13). The Hebrew word is nasha meaning "to lead astray, to delude, to seduce." Says the Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, "to lead into error, to cause to go astray, to seduce, to corrupt." Paul in the New Testament says of this strange encounter, "the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty" (II Cor.11:3). The word for "beguiled" here is exapatao which means, "to seduce wholly."

According to the Jewish Talmud, the devil copulated with Eve. The "forbidden fruit" which she partook of was not only a real, literal fruit from a forbidden tree, it was a symbol for something else -- an act of illicit sexual congress with the man-serpent, the fallen cherub, Lucifer the Adversary.

There is much more to this story of Eve in the garden of Eden than most have ever supposed. Satan, appearing as a seductive, beautiful creature of light, captured her confidence, won her affection, and mesmerized her with his smooth line of loving attention. Perhaps she had felt a little lonely or neglected by Adam, who was out taming the jungle. In this moment of weakness, she was tempted -- seduced -- and succumbed to the charms of the master deceiver and charmer.

Lucifer and his fallen angels did themselves one better. Not only did they rebel against God aeons ago, in the primordial mists of time, but they inaugurated a plan to cause the human race to deviate from its intended godly purpose. Satan was the first "snake in the woodpile," as the old saying goes. He was not only the first liar, and murderer (John 8:44), he was also the first adulterer, fornicator, and sexual deviate in existence!

"The Sons of God"

Some insist that these "sons of God" in Genesis who married the "daughters of men" are nothing more than the line of Seth, the third son of Adam, and that the daughters of men refers to the women born to the line of Cain. This is the view of the Catholic Church, Augustine, Martin Luther, and other conventional theologians of mainstream Christianity. This makes no sense whatsoever.

Only by a divine act of specific creation can any creature be called a "son of God." That which is born of flesh is flesh. As human beings, we all have fleshly parents. Adam only was the exception, being made by the hand of God -- therefore he was a son of God (Luke 3:38), by creation. Those of us who are also "in Christ," and have received His implanted Holy Spirit, are also "sons of God" in the spiritual sense (II Cor.5:17; Eph.2:10). We, too, can be called "sons of God" (Rom.8:14-15; I John 3:1).

In the Old Testament, however, the term "sons of God" refers to angels (see Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Psa.29:1; 89:6; Dan.3:25). Therefore, we have no authority to take the expression in Genesis 6:2 and to apply it in any other way. Furthermore, the Septuagint version of the Old Testament Scriptures, plainly translates the term in Genesis 6:3 as "angels of God" (footnote, page 7, Alexandrian text).

Those who attempt to explain this verse as the sons of Seth marrying the daughters of Cain simply are unable to believe that angels could cohabit with humankind. However, as we will see later, there is no reason Scripturally why this couldn't have happened!

What Really Happened

Jude says these wicked angels left their own "habitation" (Jude 6). The word is oiketerion in Greek, and is also used in II Corinthians 5:2 -- "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven." Says Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of this word, it means, "habitation, house." Thus these angels left their own spirit body, and took on human form! That is how they accomplished this despicable, rebellious act of lust and wanton disregard for the laws of God. The result? Tragedy beyond measure. Wickedness supreme. Murder, lawlessness, and mayhem unparalleled in the history of the entire Universe!

The progeny of these rebellious angels were called "giants" -- Nephilim in the Hebrew. These were monsters of iniquity, and being superhuman in size and character had to be destroyed once and for all. This grievous intermarriage was an insidious attempt by Satan the devil to prevent the coming of the promised "Seed" of the woman to redeem the human race. He thought that he would pervert and corrupt the blood-line of human beings, so that the Messiah could not be born! It was also an abortive attempt to "play God" on the part of Satan and his fallen angels -- to duplicate and copy God 's plan of procreation!

Interestingly, these "half-breeds" of angels and women -- these offspring of the union of wicked angels and women -- since they are not truly "human" in the full sense of the word, have no place in the plan of God, and will not be in the resurrection. They will not be resurrected from the grave in the time to come of the great Judgment.

The very name, Rephaim, in the Hebrew comes from the root rapha which means not only "giant," but also "lax," that is, "ghost," "as dead," "dead, deceased." Says Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, "flaccid, feeble, weak, only in plural." This authority states, "According to the opinions of the ancient Hebrews, void of blood and animal life, therefore weak and languid like a sick person." Isaiah 26:14 speaks of them, but their name is translated "deceased." Notice! "They are dead, they are deceased [Rephaim], they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish." Isn't it interesting to note that many of the so-called "aliens" which have been "seen" by various people, when described, all appear rather weak, flaccid, limp, and feeble in appearance, lacking energy and vitality?

"Perfect in His Generations"

Only Noah and his family of his generation had preserved their pedigree pure from Adam. "These are the generations [plural, denoting genealogies and family history] of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God" (Gen.6:9). The rest of mankind had become corrupted through intermarriage with angels, tainted with the biological effects of such contamination, and their hereditary traits were corrupted -- genes and chromosomes were "tainted." Noah, however, was "perfect" in his genealogy or pedigree. The Hebrew word for "perfect" here is tamim and means "without blemish." It is the word for bodily and physical perfection. It is rendered "without blemish" (Exo.12:5, etc.), "without spot" (Num.19:2, etc.), and "undefiled" (Psalm 119:1).

The word Nephilim itself means, literally, "fallen ones" (from naphal, "to fall"). These beings were evidently great in size and great in wickedness. They were superhuman, abnormal beings, and their destruction was necessary for the preservation of the human race. The children of the perverted sexual relationships between fallen angels and women "became [the] mighty men [Hebrew, gibbor, meaning "tyrants, the "heroes"], which were of old, men of renown" (Gen.6:4). The word for "renown" literally means "men of the name," that is, men who got a reputation and were renown for their strength, prowess, ungodliness, and evil deeds.

The "Giants" of Mythology and Early History

These mighty "giants" of old were the source and origin of the Greek legends of gods coming down from heaven and marrying women, having incestuous and adulterous relationships, "Cyclops," and other "Titans" and giants. They may also explain the difficulties engineers have had in explaining the construction of the great pyramid and the movement of the massive blocks of stone weighing hundreds of tons! Says the Companion Bible:

"If these Nephilim . . . were associated with Egypt, we have an explanation of the problem which has for ages perplexed all engineers, as to how those huge stones and monuments were brought together. . . .

"Moreover, we have in these mighty men, the 'men of renown,' the explanation of the origin of the Greek mythology. That mythology was no mere invention of the human brain, but it grew out of the traditions, and memories, and legends of the doings of that mighty race of beings; and was gradually evolved out of the 'heroes' of Gen.6:4. The fact that they were supernatural in their origin formed an easy step to their being regarded as the demi-gods of the Greeks" (appendix 25).

The Companion Bible adds:

"Thus the Babylonian 'Creation Tablets,' the Egyptian 'Book of the Dead,' the Greek mythology, and heathen Cosmogonies, which by some are set on an equality with Scripture, or by others adduced in support of it, are all the corruption and perversion of primitive truths, distorted in proportion as their origin was forgotten, and their memories faded away" (Companion Bible, appendix 25).

The Encyclopedia Britannica, eleventh edition, provides more insight into the giants of old. Although the editors of the Britannica did not endorse the idea of real "giants" as having lived in the past, they put together a very interesting description of a theme which runs throughout ancient times -- that of real living giants. Notice:

"When reading in Homer of 'the Cyclopes and the wild tribes of the Giants,' or of Odysseus in the cave of Polyphemus (Homer, Odyss. vii, 206; ix), we seem to come into view of dim traditions, exaggerated [sic] through the mist of ages, of Pre-Hellenic barbarians, godless, cannibal, skin-clothed, hurling huge stones in their rude warfare. Giant-legends of this class are common in Europe and Asia, where the big and stupid giants would seem to have been barbaric tribes exaggerated [sic] into monsters in the legends of those who dispossessed and slew them. In early times it was usual for cities to have their legends of giants. Thus London had Gog and Magog, whose effigies (14 ft. high) still stand in the Guildhall; Antwerp had her Antigonus, 40 ft. high; Douai had Gayant, 22 ft. high, and so on" (v.11, p.926).

The Roman historian Pliny relates that an Arabian, Gabbarus, was about 9 and one half feet tall, and he also mentions a Posio and Secundila who were half a foot taller. Why should this seem so strange or unbelievable to moderns? The Scriptures tell us that David slew Goliath (whose name means "an exile"), a famous giant of the city of Gath, who was probably descended from the ancient Rephaim, of whom a remnant took refuge among the Philistines (Deut.2:20-21; II Sam.21:22). Goliath's height was "six cubits and a span," making him 9 feet and 9 inches tall!

Possible footprints of ancient gigantic men have been found in places like the Paluxy riverbed in eastern Texas. A tooth weighing 4 and three quarters pounds, and a thigh bone 17 feet long were found in New England in 1712, and were at that time thought to be evidence of the existence of ancient men of prodigious size in the antediluvian world. Giants in the streets of Basel, supporting the arms of Lucerne, seem to have originated from fossil bones found in 1577. Examined by the physician Felix Plater, they were pronounced as having belonged to a giant some 16 or 19 feet high.

According to ancient English history, the giant effigies (dating from 1708 and replacing those destroyed in the Great Fire of London) of Gog and Magog in Guildhall were the survivors of a race of giants. Says the Recuyell des histoires de Troye, Brute [Brutus] and his companions, when they fled ancient Troy, sailed through the Mediterranean, and up the coast of Europe, eventually invading England. "Gog and Magog" were among a race of giants they encountered. After the giants were defeated, these two were brought to London (Troy-novant or "New Troy") and compelled to officiate as porters at the gate of the royal palace. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Goemot or Goemagzot (either corrupted from or into "Gog and Magog") was a giant, who, along with his brother Corineus, tyrannized in the western horn of England until slain by foreign invaders ("Gog," Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, vol.12. p.190).

The Jewish historian Josephus, writing of the time of the Exodus and conquest of Canaan, tells us further:

"There were till then left the RACE OF GIANTS, who had bodies so large, and countenances so entirely different from other men, that they were surprising to the sight, and terrible to the hearing. The bones of these men are still shown to this very day, unlike to any credible relations of other men" (Ant., V,ii,3).

Josephus relates that remnants of the race of giants still lived in David's day, about 1000 years before Christ. After one particular battle when king David made war against the Philistines, putting them to flight, he was tired and left alone, and one of the enemy saw him, "whose name was Achmon, the son of Araph; he was one of the sons of the giants. He had a spear, the handle of which weighed three hundred shekels, and a breastplate of chain-work, and a sword. He turned back, and ran violently to slay [David] their enemy's king, for he was quite tired out with labour; but Abishai, Joab's brother, appeared on the sudden, and protected the king with his shield, as he lay down, and slew the enemy" (Ant., VII, xii,1). The handle or staff of this giant's spear weighed about 75 pounds!

Why Do Skeptics Scoff?

Is it really so unbelievable that angels would marry and have sexual intercourse with women before the Flood? Where do all the ancient legends of the Greeks, Romans, and others come from which relate that heavenly beings sired offspring by mating with women? Ancient Sumerian records tell of gods descending from the stars and fertilizing their ancestors. Such interbreeding is supposed to have produced the first men on the earth. The native inhabitants of Malekula, in the New Hebrides, believe that the first men were direct descendants of the sons of heaven. The Incas believed that they were the descendants of the "sons of the Sun."

The Japanese believe that their Emperor is descended from the sun god. South sea islanders trace their ancestry back to a god from heaven who they claim visited them in an enormous "egg." The Koreans believe that a heavenly king, Hwanin, sent his son, Hwanung, to earth, who married a woman of the earth and gave birth to a son, Tangun Wanggom. In India ancient Sanskrit texts tell of "gods" begetting children with women of earth, and how these children inherited the "supernatural" skills and learning of their "fathers."

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, from the Middle East, we learn that "watchers" -- the same expression as used in the book of Enoch -- came to planet earth and produced giants as offspring! An early Persian myth tells of the earth becoming corrupted by demons who allied themselves with women.

The Jewish rabbis and sages invariably interpreted the "sons of God" expression in Genesis 6:1-4 as referring to angels. Says archaeologist William F. Albright, dean of Biblical archaeology,

"The Israelites who heard this section (Gen.6:2) recited unquestionably thought of intercourse between angels and women" (Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity, p.226).

The Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, who was an acquaintance of the apostle Peter and who respected Peter highly, wrote a treatise on this subject, entitled Concerning the Giants. He renders the expression "sons of God" as "angels of God." Philo took the passage in Genesis as historical fact and did not question or doubt it. He explains that the word "angel" refers to both good and bad beings. The bad angels, who followed Lucifer, at a later point in time failed to resist the temptation of physical desire, and gave in to their lusts. Philo says the story of the giants is not a myth, but is in the Scriptures to teach us that some men are earth-born, and some are heaven-born, but the highest are God-born, or born of God (i.e., have the Spirit of God within them!). According to Philo:

"But he [Moses] relates that these GIANTS were sprung from a combined procreation of two natures, namely, from angels and mortal women; for the substance of angels is spiritual; but it occurs every now and then that on emergencies occurring they have imitated the appearance of men, and transformed themselves so as to assume the human shape; as they did on this occasion, when forming connections with women for the production of giants. . . ." (The Works of Philo, page 811).

The earliest church fathers also believed in the literal truth of the fact that angels cohabited with women before the Flood. Among those who believed in the truth of this historical fact, and Biblical reference, were such early church leaders as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Athenagorus, Tertullian, Lactantius, Eusebius the church historian during the time of Constantine, and Ambrose.

According to the Clementine Homilies, in The Ante-Nicean Fathers, we read:

"But when, having assumed these forms, they convicted as covetous those who stole them, and changed themselves into the nature of men, in order that, living holily, and showing the possibility of so living, they might subject the ungrateful to punishment, yet having become in all respects men, they also partook of human lust, and being brought under its subjection they fell into cohabitation with women; and being involved with them, and sunk in defilement and altogether emptied of their first power, were unable to turn back to the first purity of their proper nature . . .

But from their unhallowed intercourse spurious men sprang, much greater in stature than ordinary men, whom they afterwards called giants; not those dragon-footed giants who waged war against God, as those blasphemous myths of the Greeks do sing, but wild in manners, and greater than men in size, inasmuch as they were sprung from angels; yet less than angels, as they were born of women" (vol.8, page 273).

In fact, this opinion was universal in the ancient world. Nowhere before the 5th century A.D. do we find any other interpretation for "sons of God" in Genesis 6:2 other than that of "angels." Nowhere. If the writer of Genesis had wanted to refer to the sons of Seth, instead of calling them "sons of God" (which would have been a great misnomer), he would simply have called them "the sons of Seth"!

What Does It All Mean?

Is there a lesson in these fascinating facts for us, today?

Satan the devil has always been out to destroy the plan of God, and to eradicate the human race. His attempts have fallen short of the mark. However, the Bible warns us that once again, in these "last days," he is going to make one final all-out attempt to destroy the work of God!

In ancient times, fallen angels were experimenting with human women -- attempting "breeding experiments" with them. Is it possible that even today, in the guise of "humanoids," or "extraterrestrials" who claim to come from other planets, that Satan and his demons and fallen angels are once again trying to revive their age-old experiments? Is Satan and his legion of spirit beings striving to solve the riddle of human procreation, in order to out-wit God who has made them incapable of reproduction among themselves?

Is it possible that some of the strange accounts of bizarre "flying saucer" abductions, and stories told by "survivors" of such encounters, is really an end-time manifestation of this ancient phenomenon?

Animals, Too!

Clearly, the Biblical record demonstrates that wicked, fallen angels cohabited with women before the Flood -- which was a major cause why God had to destroy that wicked world! But not only women, there is evidence that angels also had sexual relations with animals -- cattle and quadrupeds -- further perverting and contaminating the heredity and seed of "all flesh." The sin was so rampant that God declared, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them" (Gen.6:7).

Why was God upset even with the creation of the animal world? Because it, too, had become contaminated! We read, "And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, IT was CORRUPT; for ALL FLESH had corrupted his way upon the earth" (Gen.6:12). We read: "And God said unto Noah, the end of ALL FLESH is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them [the fallen angels, having instructed mankind in the ways of violence, and producing violent offspring!]; and, behold, I will destroy THEM with the earth" (v.13).

Because of the great lawlessness rampant in the earth, God decided to destroy ALL flesh -- not just human beings! This indicates that all flesh had become contaminated to some degree. The book of Enoch fills us in on a few of the details. We read:

"The angels of your heavens are now committing sin (upon the earth), and your wrath shall rest upon the flesh of the people until (the arrival of) the great day of judgment" (Enoch 84:4).

"Again I saw (a vision) with my own eyes as I was sleeping, and saw the lofty heaven; and as I looked, a star fell down from heaven [Lucifer, or Satan -- compare Luke 10:18] but (managed) to rise and eat and to be pastured among those cows. Then I saw these big and dark cows, and behold they all changed their cattle-sheds, their pastures, and their calves; and they began to lament with each other. Once again I saw a vision, and I observed the sky and behold, I saw many stars descending and casting themselves down from the sky upon that first star; and they became bovids [cattle, or quadrupeds] among those calves and were pastured together with them, in their midst. I kept observing, and behold, I saw all of them extending their sexual organs like horses and commencing to mount upon the heifers, the bovids; and they (the latter) all became pregnant and bore elephants, camels, and donkeys. So (the cattle) became fearful and frightened of them . . ." (Enoch 86:1-5).

Here was sexual perversion and corruption on a massive scale -- experimentation which knew no bounds. Because of these wicked angels, God determined that not just mankind, but "all flesh" had corrupted His way upon the earth (Gen.6:12), and that He would have to destroy "both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air" (verse 7) -- God was sorry that He had made "them" (same verse)!

As a result of that Flood, "Every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark" (Gen.7:23). Sexual genetic cross-breeding with angels was a sin that God could not tolerate or countenance. Virtually the whole earth had to be destroyed! This indicates that animals, as well as mankind, had been the victims of angelic experimentation, and had become corrupted by the disobedient angels!

An allusion to the nature of this great sin is found in the book of Jude. When we read Jude carefully, we notice that the fallen angels were guilty of the SAME SINS as were being committed by the wicked Sodomites -- sexual perversions of every kind. Notice:

"And the angels which kept not their first estate [heaven], but left their own habitation [house or body, changing into flesh], he hath reserved in everlasting chains . . . EVEN AS Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them IN LIKE MANNER, giving themselves over to FORNICATION [Greek, porneia meaning "whoredom, adultery, sexual immorality," and sexual deviation and perversion of all types], and going after STRANGE FLESH [ i.e. even bestiality and sexual intercourse with animals!], are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 6-7).

Thus Satan the devil was the first and the original "sexual deviate" -- the first sexual "pervert"! He was not only a liar and a murderer from the beginning, as Jesus Christ said (John 8:44), but he was also the first to "defile the flesh" (Jude 8). He and his angels, "as brute beasts," corrupted themselves (Jude 10), and led mankind down the same rebellious path, despising the dominion of Heaven! (verse 8).

"As It Was in the Days of Noah"

Jesus Christ made a remarkable prophecy which correlates with this ancient phenomenon. He declared, in the Mount Olivet prophecy, detailing the signs of His impending Second Coming, that in the "last days" of this earth civilization once again things would become so bad, so out of control, that they would be comparable to the days of Noah -- in every way!

Notice! Speaking of these "End times," He declared, "For then shall be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, n or ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should NO FLESH be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matt.24:21-22).

Did you get it? These last days were prophesied to be EVEN WORSE than the time of Noah! Unless they are cut short, once again God would have to destroy the whole world in a final conflagration of fiery judgment! Moffatt translates this verse: "Had not those days been cut short, not a soul would be saved ALIVE; however, for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short" (Matt.24:22, Moffatt).

But Jesus went even further. In a very pointed statement He declared:

"But AS THE DAYS OF NOAH WERE, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matt.24:37-39).

"And AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all" (Luke 17:26-27).

What's wrong with eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage? Nothing, so long as they are done in accordance with the divine laws of God! God did not punish the antediluvian world because they were merely carrying on life as "normal." The fact is, they were NOT "normal" -- everything was perverted! They were eating the wrong things -- even cannibalism and human flesh and blood! They were entering the "forbidden zone," and performing the wrong kind of marriages! Some of these evil marriages involved wicked, fallen angels and women (Gen.6:1-4)! Others involved "homosexual marriages"!

But notice! Jesus said, "so it shall be also in the days of the Son of man"! Once again, in our day, history has already begun to repeat itself!

Another "War in Heaven"

Once again, within the next few years, there is going to be "war in heaven" and Satan the devil will be cast out, and down to this earth. In the book of Revelation we read that in the time just ahead of us, Satan is once more going to stage an attack on God's throne in heaven. John records:

"And there was WAR IN HEAVEN: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Rev.12:7-9).

History repeats itself! Just as angels were cast out of heaven aeons ago, and left their first estate during the time of Noah, and performed wicked acts upon the earth, so once again -- in OUR TIME -- they will again be cast down to the earth, after suffering defeat in a great cosmic conflict -- war in heaven!

Satan's final battle to seize God's Throne in heaven will fail, and he and his angels will be hurled down to the earth, filled with seething hatred. John goes on:

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

"Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Rev.12:7-12).

At that coming time Satan will launch a persecution of the people of God such as has never before occurred in all history. It will be a time of terrible tribulation and suffering.

"And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman [the church of God, those truly zealous and obeying the commandments of God] were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place [a place of safety, security and refuge!], where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time [three and one half years], from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to MAKE WAR against the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev.12:13-17).

When Satan and his demons are cast back down to this earth, filled with boiling hatred and seething violence, they will once again seek to pervert and destroy mankind. In a final attempt to avert their fate, they will embark on a program of sexual experimentation, deviation, and programming to attempt to find a "magic bullet" to enable them to defeat God, and His Plan!

Demonic accounts of the rape and seduction of human beings by "flying saucer" aliens, today, is just the beginning of another round -- a "third irruption" -- of angelic beings cohabiting with women. Once again, the fruits will be devilish -- confusion, chaos, sensuality, strife, and every evil work (James 3:14-16). There may not be literal "giants," physically, this time. But there will be "men of renown," of incredible ability, walking in our midst -- perhaps looking just like other human beings. The strange absorption of the motion picture industry today with demonic rape and seduction -- movies such as "Rosemary's Baby," the "Amityville Horror," and others like "Independence Day," "Armageddon," and "Alien" -- seems to be focussing the world's attention on such concepts, in a perverted manner.

Once again, Satan the devil and his angels are "pulling out the stops" and going "all out" to get their "revenge" on God by perverting the ways of God upon the earth, as they did in Noah's time! Jesus' meant literally what He said! "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man"!

Satan isn't finished yet. But his time is almost up. But for those of us who worship and serve the Creator God, and Jesus Christ His Messiah, the time has come for us to prepare ourselves as never before, and get ready to meet our Redeemer, Saviour, coming King of kings and Lord of lords! As Jesus Himself said: "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28).

Triumph Prophetic Ministries (Church of God)
Used with permission.