The Real Story of Noah (Part 2)

In my last post I wrote about how Satan polluted the gene pool (Genesis 6:4) to prevent the birth of Jesus Christ, which is the real reason God caused the flood.  I saw Aronofsky’s version of the Noah story today and the way that God, Noah, and the Nephilim are depicted in the film is very disturbing.  

Aside from the title, the ark, and the flood, the rest of the film bears little resemblance to the Genesis account. I fear that it will mislead millions of people, but will only focus on the depiction of the Nephilim.  You can read about some of the other serious problems stemming from the filmmaker's atheistic worldview here and here.

In Aronofsky's film, the Nephilim are benevolent Watchers who "help mankind" by providing them with gifts of technology, which man uses for evil purposes. These Nephilim say that they "fear men" and have "lost everything" by helping mankind, gently play with Noah's son, help Noah build the ark, and fight to the death to protect it. After dying, these selfless Nephilim even ascend to heaven!  One even cries out, "My creator, forgive me."

If we look at what was really happening during the days of Noah, I believe it is happening again today. Researchers are already capable of altering man's genetics, have combined animal and human DNA, are hoping to create super humans with artificial intelligence, and much more.

What lies did Satan say to deceive man in the Garden of Eden?

1. You will not die. (Genesis 3:4)
2. You will be like God. (Genesis 4:4)

In the words of Ray Kurzweil: “The “killer app” of nanotechnology is “nanobots,” which are blood-cell sized robots that can travel in the bloodstream destroying pathogens, removing debris, correcting DNA errors, and reversing aging processes.” (You will not die.)

Dr. Hugo de Garis writes: “The rise of artilects (artificial intellects, i.e., godlike massively intelligent machines with intellectual capacities trillions of trillions of times above the human level) in this century makes the existence of a deity (a massively intelligent entity capable of creating a universe) seem much more plausible.” (You will be like God.)

Researchers argue that these advanced technologies will help mankind (sound familiar?). But will they ultimately be used for evil?  I am reminded of what God said in Isaiah 29:16 in relation to His judgment on Jerusalem and its enemies:

“Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay,
 That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
 Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

For believers, at least we can take comfort in knowing that living in the days of Noah means the imminent return of our Lord Christ Jesus, who told us:

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:37)

The Real Story About Noah

When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their 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 humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  (Genesis 6:1-8, KJV)

Years ago — while volunteering at my former church’s Sunday school — I remember watching the horror come over the faces of the five-year-olds as the teacher told them the story of Noah and the flood. I admit, I questioned God’s actions. It didn’t make sense to me that God would wipe out the human race because the thoughts of their hearts were evil, only to later send His Son to die for sinners who believed in Him, no matter what evils they had committed.  But it was a time and place when I was more interested in what the latest best-selling Christian book had to say than the Bible, so I never pursued it.

Years later, a faithful sister in Christ explained to me that the Nephilim were the giant offspring of fallen angels who had mated with women.  It sounded like something you would see on a television program like the X-Files. I was highly intrigued and incredibly skeptical, which led me to dive into Scripture to determine the truth for myself. For that alone, I will always be grateful.

I found the Nephilim again in Numbers 13:33:

There we saw the Nephilim [or giants], the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Amplified Bible).

This confirmed that the Nephilim were not like normal human beings.  I searched several commentaries and found an explanation that the “sons of God” were the faithful family of Seth and the “daughters of men” were the descendants of apostate Cain (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown).  But it begged the question: How did a line of giants result from human beings intermarrying with other human beings?  They are referred to in Genesis 6:4 as “the heroes of old, men of renown” and Rob Skiba offers an excellent presentation on Greek mythology and its relationship to the Nephilim, which is worth viewing.

I did a word search on “sons of God” and it only appears two times in the NIV (Genesis 6:2 and Genesis 6:4). In the Amplified Bible, however, I found several passages:

Again there was a day when the sons of God [the angels] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and the accuser) came also among them to present himself before the Lord.  (Job 2:1)

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now your loins like a man, and I will demand of you, and you declare to Me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Declare to Me, if you have and know understanding. Who determined the measures of the earth, if you know? Or who stretched the measuring line upon it? Upon what were the foundations of it fastened, or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job:38:1-7)

Using Scripture to interpret Scripture led me to believe that in the Old Testament, the term “sons of God” refers to angels. In the New Testament, it appears to refer to both angels (Luke 20:36) and believers (Matthew 5:9, Romans 8:14, and Galatians 3:26), depending upon which translation you use.

That still left another important question: could angels have children with women? We know that angels appeared on earth and talked to Hagar (Genesis 16:7-11, Genesis 19:21), ate with Lot (Genesis 19:1-3), pulled Lot into the house (Genesis 19:10), seized Lot, his wife and two daughters by the hand (Genesis 19:16), touched Gideon’s staff, meat, and unleavened cakes (Judges 6:21), touched and spoke to Jezebel (1 Kings 19:5), went into a pool and stirred up the water (John 5:4), opened prison doors (Acts 5:19), and gently struck Peter on his side (Acts 12:7).  Clearly, angels are able to physically interact with humans in this dimension.  And if you do a word search, they appear to always be men.

As I searched further, I found author Doug Hamp and others, who opened my eyes to believe that these fallen angels had indeed mated with women to pollute the human gene pool and prevent the Messiah from being born!  Or in the words of Scofield, “Whichever view is held, it is obvious that Satan attempted so to corrupt the race that the Messiah could not come to redeem man.”

Studies into ancient (nonbiblical) texts like the Book of Enoch suggest that these fallen angels also procreated with animals to create new species. Now it begins to make sense why God not only wiped out all of humankind (save for Noah and his family), but also according to Genesis 6:7, “the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground.”  

As Hollywood prepares to launch its blockbuster Noah movie this month, I doubt that most viewers — whether they are believers or non-believers — will truly understand why God caused the flood. 

We should also remember that Genesis 6:4 tells us that the Nephilim appeared before and after the flood. That’s a huge concern for Kingdom believers who are living in what I believe are the last days of this age and those who will be left behind during the Tribulation.  But I will have to save that for next time.

Let Them Be For Signs and For Seasons (Part 2)

In my previous post, I referred to David Dolan’s article about the rapture possibly occurring on April 14, 2014.  If you believe there will be a seven-year tribulation period following the rapture, that would bring us to the year 2021 for the possible return of Christ Jesus for the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11).  This period on the prophetic timeline is known as The Lord’s Day or the Day of the Lord.

Joel 3:15 tells us:

For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. ¹⁵The sun and moon will be darkened,
 and the stars no longer shine. ¹⁶The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. (emphasis mine)

There will be only one total solar eclipse in 2021, which will occur on December 4.  What’s unusual about this eclipse is that it will move from the east to the west.  Psalm 103:12 tells us:

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

The east is significant in Scripture in that the entrance to the tabernacle faces east.  Ezekiel 43:2 also tells us:

And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

December 4, 2021 occurs during Chanukah (or Hanukkah), which begins on November 29, 2021.  Chanukah is the eight-day festival of light that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, and spirituality over materiality, according to Chabad.org.  It also commemorates the rededication of the second Holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century B.C.E.

In his "Gospel of the Stars" study, the late J.R. Church writes that Virgo points to the first coming of Jesus Christ and Leo to His second advent.  During the solar eclipse of December 4, 2021, the sun will be in the constellation Ophiuchus, which is depicted as a man grasping a serpent.  We know Satan appeared to Eve as a serpent in the Garden of Eden.  The Greek poet Aratus describes Ophiuchus as trampling on Scorpio with his feet.  But I am not convinced that this celestial event is related to the coming of our Lord.

I also looked ahead to the dates of the other two lunar eclipses in the tetrad that will occur on the Jewish feasts of Passover and Tabernacles in 2015, but there will not be any total solar eclipses in 2022.

I still think that the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 may have some significance.  Could that be a possible date for the rapture?  Unlike the Day of Lord, Scripture does not provide any celestial clues about the rapture.  Fast-forward seven years and there will be a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.  It is interesting that the path of this eclipse crosses the path of the prior total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017.  The sun, however, will be in Pisces, and not Leo.

What about the book of Joel’s reference to the stars no longer shining? Unlike the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, Regulus will not be covered by the moon.  Unfortunately, the stargazing software I am using is limited and does not reveal whether other stars will — or will not — be visible on April 8, 2024.

For now, we will have to continue to look up with eager anticipation and wait and see.

Let Them Be For Signs and For Seasons (Part 1)

Last summer, I watched a beautiful documentary about the Star of Bethlehem, which was presented by Frederick A. Larson.

Using stargazing software, Larson was able to prove that Christ’s star, which is described in the Book of Matthew, correctly correlates with celestial events that occurred in 2 and 3 B.C.  He also connects the darkness that occurred the moment Christ died on the cross to another celestial event.  You can learn more by visiting his website. 

After watching the film, I wondered why did Larson stop at the cross?  I quickly downloaded some stargazing apps and went to Scripture to see if I could find any astrological clues that could shed some light on the season that Christ Jesus might return.

Let me state right now that the purpose of this study is not to claim to know the date that Christ will return.  In fact, I was hesitant to broach this topic because no one knows when our Lord will return as King except the Father.  Scripture also strongly warns against divination and sorcery.  Then I read a wonderful study by the late J.R. Church about how the messages of the constellations were meant to foretell the first and second advents of our Lord and God’s plan for redemption; not to be used for divination about man, which does constitute sin and idolatry. 

I discovered that from the start, Scripture tells us how we are to use the stars:

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years (Genesis 1:14, emphasis mine)

In Matthew 16:2-3, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and the Sadducees when they asked for a sign from heaven, because He knew full well that they should have been able to know the season of His first advent:

When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

This gave me reassurance to continue my study, which started with word searches on the sun, moon, and stars.  I was brought to the Book of Joel, where the prophet foretells Christ’s physical return to earth (which is not to be confused with the rapture, when he will meet believers in the clouds as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-1):

For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15The sun and moon will be darkened,
 and the stars no longer shine. 16The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. (Joel 3:15, emphasis mine)

I used NASA's solar eclipse website to determine when the next total solar eclipses will occur.  One will happen on August 21, 2017.  Using Vito Technology’s amazing Star Walk app, I could see that the moon will also cover the star Regulus in the constellation Leo.  

Regulus, which is one of the brightest stars, is called the “King Star.”  It is actually a multiple star system.  An astronomer from Cornell University's "Ask an Astronomer" website explained that during this particular solar eclipse, Regulus will not be visible because it will be up during the day and very close to the sun.  Also, if the moon passes in front of any star, the star will not only get dimmer, but become invisible until it reappears from behind the moon.

This celestial event appeared to match Joel 3:15 exactly!  

Unfortunately, it does not line up with Daniel’s prophecy about the 70^th week, the seven-year period that I believe will begin with the rapture. During this time, the antichrist will be revealed and there will be “peace and prosperity” for 3½ years.  But those left behind will suffer the tribulation horrors for the remaining 3½ years, until Christ Jesus triumphantly returns to earth, binds Satan (Revelation 20:1-3), and establishes His millennial kingdom (if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, I pray you will do so because time is running out).

Then last week, I read "Signs of the Times," an interesting article by Jerusalem-based journalist David Dolan.  He writes about tetrads (four consecutive full lunar eclipses) and their connection to Biblical feasts.  Tetrads are quite rare, however, several have occurred in the last 70 years, which Dolan connects to pivotal events with Israel.  He also writes that an upcoming cycle will occur on the first evening of Passover over the next two years and also on the first night of the Feast of Tabernacles.  This will be the last tetrad occurring on Biblical feasts until the end of this century. 

Dolan questions whether the rapture might be tied to one of these dates, which immediately renewed my interest in stargazing.  While a total lunar eclipse will occur on April 15, 2014, the actual date of the next Passover is April 14, 2014 (in the Jewish calendar, holidays begin at sunset on the previous day).  The 4/14/14 date is interesting.  A multiple of 7, the number 14 can imply a double measure of spiritual perfection.  It also represents deliverance or salvation.

Passover commemorates events in Exodus — when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt — and the 10^th plague; the death of every Egyptian first-born child.  The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their houses with the blood of a slaughtered spring lamb (a type of the cross and the crucifixion) so the spirit of the Lord would pass over their homes.  This also appears to be a type of the rapture.

If the rapture did occur on the eve of April 14, 2014, do the sun, moon, and stars reveal anything else?  

I will save that discussion for next time.