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.

A Consuming Fire

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 

(2 Corinthians 5:10, KJV)

¹² Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;¹³ Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.¹⁴ If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.¹⁵ If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15, KJV, emphasis mine)

I have been trying to picture what it will be like when I stand before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ. The Complete Word Study Bible tells us that bema is “by implication any elevated place to which the ascent is by steps.”

I imagine myself as being very small as I climb those majestic steps with my head hung down, feeling nothing except the overwhelming awe, power, and glory of the Lord.

I have been using this mental picture when I pray and worship because it transforms me to a state of complete humility and total obedience.

It also reminds me that any works that I do of my own accord will be burned up as wood, hay, and stubble at the judgment seat of Christ. I will either be rewarded or suffer loss based upon everything I have done in the body, which should be a sobering thought for all believers.

Unfortunately, however, the importance of the judgment seat of Christ has either been shut up completely or reduced to a school-like “report card” with no staggering consequences.

There will be a great deal of shock and surprise beyond the rapture for many believers, which is the apt title of the late Pastor Gary Whipple’s book. He teaches that:

• Wood represents works that are done through the world and its influences
• Hay is works that are done through our flesh or old nature, apart from the Holy Spirit
• Stubble (straw) are the works of Satan in our lives

On the flip side:

• Gold represents works related to the Kingdom doctrines
• Silver represents redemption and the three parts of man (body, spirit, and soul)
• Precious stones represent the Holy Spirit working in our lives

I have also been studying how fire is associated with the Lord. Scripture tells us that:

• The Lord our God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24, Hebrews 12:29)
• The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire (Exodus 24:17)
• A devouring fire came out of His mouth (2 Samuel 22:9, Psalm 18:8)
• Fire came down from Him (2 Chronicles 7:3)
• He was a wall of fire around Jerusalem (Zechariah 2:5)
• He is like a refiner’s fire (Malachi 3:2)
• Our works will be revealed by fire (1 Corinthians 3:13)
• His eyes were as a flame of fire (Revelation 1:14)

Now as I picture the judgment seat of Christ, I am beginning to wonder if Christ is literally the fire that will either burn up or refine our works? 

Will We Follow Him?

So they called Rebekah and said to her, Will you go with this man? And she said, I will go. (Genesis 24:58, Amplified Bible)

I will go. Three simple words that epitomized Rebekah’s faith in her bridegroom, a man she did not even know! She was willing to leave her home and her people, a type of those believers who are wiling to leave everything behind to follow Christ and become His bride.

And Ruth said, Urge me not to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16, emphasis mine).

Ruth clung to Naomi, and professed that she would follow her while Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and returned to her people, a type of those believers who remain faithful in Christ and those who turn back to the world.

Then the Lord rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of the heavens. He overthrew, destroyed, and ended those cities, and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19, 24-26)

This is another type of the saved believer who does not seek first the kingdom and looks longingly back to this world. Throughout Scripture, we see people who falter at some point during their race. Esau sells his birthright for a mere cup of stew. Moses disobeys the Lord by striking the rock twice and is not allowed to enter the Promised Land. In fact, of the estimated 2.5 million Israelites who were believed to be living in the desert during that time, only two men followed God and are able to enter the land: Joshua and Caleb. The others who did not harken to God’s voice are not even allowed to see it (Numbers 14:22-30).

Paul mentions a thorn in his flesh that the Lord refuses to remove despite his pleas on three occasions. I can imagine him crying out:  Lord, give me the strength, endurance, and faith to follow You in all ways and to seek first Your kingdom no matter what the cost.

Satan’s plan remains the same as it was in the garden, which is to disqualify man from inheriting the kingdom. He attacks each of us in different ways. Learn more and be encouraged by John Herbert’s excellent sermons about the three enemies that can disqualify us from the race: the world, the flesh, and the devil.