The "Giant" Void in Christian Doctrine

"There were giants on the earth in those days,

and also afterward,

when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men

and they bore children to them.

Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,

and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

(Genesis 6:4-5)

The New Testament identifies two classes of demons, i.e. fallen angels: those abiding in the spirit realm yet seeking to indwell the bodies of humans and animals so as to interact directly with the physical realm (Luke 8:26-31; Acts 19:13-16), and those imprisoned in chains of darkness and reserved for the day of Judgment (2 Peter 2:4, 9; Jude 6; Rev. 9). The imprisoned ones are in confinement for the abomination they committed against Almighty God, an act that simultaneously placed heightened enmity between fallen angels and humanity due to its reprehensible violation (such enmity originating when Lucifer provoked the Fall of humanity as recorded in Genesis 3).

Over the years I have been asked about the peculiar circumstance of Genesis 6:1-7, and I have been told that my answer clarifies numerous historical enigmas, theological "gray areas," and/or misconceptions regarding the character of God throughout the Old Testament. However, I am swift to explain that it is our Sovereign Lord, and not I, Who gives us the answers through His Word, though we must study to show ourselves approved unto God, rightly dividing (discerning) the word of Truth from untruth (2 Timothy 2:15). I must also note that while scores of individuals have experienced genuine enlightenment upon learning what follows in this article, there have been a few (surprisingly clergy) who have balked at the matter, dismissing such as fantastical New Age lore or severe misinterpretation.

I have thus concluded that the Church has fallen asleep in that a lethargy exists relating to specific connections between Biblical and world history, the present, and the future. Choosing to focus on only a few important topics rather than the whole theological Love Story (from Genesis to Revelation) does more to generate eventual doubt and indifference than one might imagine. But more disappointing than this is the fact that many spiritual leaders are ignorant of most Scripture and/or assume a depth of knowledge based on the readings of commentary alone rather than on direct reading and study of the Word of God. Granted, no one can know everything, but too many do not even attempt to learn as much as they can. And so, long ago, during a rereading of Genesis, the Lord quickened my spirit as I envisioned the antediluvian world and its unfortunate condition at the time of Noah (Gen. 6). I immediately began searching Scripture for other references to giants and their forefathers (the fallen angels of Jude 6 prior to imprisonment). Accompanying research included the histories of every ancient culture and their religion and background. Here is what I found:

The Nephilim and Rephaim

Genesis 3:15 was the first Messianic prophecy given, stating that the Seed of the woman (proving Divine involvement through a virgin birth) would eventually conquer the seed of the serpent by bruising the serpent's head. The significance of the Seed of the woman rests in that it is physiologically the seed of the man that is needed to fertilize the female egg; also the seed of the man determines the sex of a child. Thus, a Divine human Savior would be miraculously born into the world through a human vessel so as to restore what humanity could not restore to itself.

At the issuance of this prophecy, Lucifer/Satan (the serpent) straightaway set to work on a diabolical strategy to negate the Seed's entrance into the world. Genesis 6 gives insight into this satanic tactic: Certain fallen angels procreated with human women so as to systematically corrupt the human seed (genome), thereby nullifying the avenue through which a Savior had been promised to arrive. The generational bloodlines of Abel and Seth were targeted per the blessing of the Messianic prophecy, but the descendants of Adam and Eve’s “many other sons and daughters” suffered likewise as evil covered the face of the earth and polluted almost all flesh (Genesis 5:4; 6:1-2, 12). Ultimately, only several individuals were left untainted. Abel was murdered and all of Cain’s cursed lineage were bred out or given to evil. After 1,600 years (from Creation) only eight remained of Seth’s blessed lineage before Almighty God responded to the demonic saturation of His creation by way of a great Deluge, thus destroying the genetically spoiled and evil-bent humanity (Genesis 7:13; 1 Peter 3:20).

The question arises as to whether all of the righteous God-followers from Seth’s line (and other’s) were corrupted prior to the Flood, for it would seem unjust for them to be destroyed by God’s judgment while Noah’s family was saved. The ancient Book of Jasher (or Book of the Upright)[1] offers insight into God’s grace: “And all the sons of men who knew the LORD died in that year before the LORD brought evil [the flood judgment] upon them; for the LORD willed them to die, so as not to behold the evil that God would bring upon their brothers and relatives, as He had so declared to do” (Jasher 5:21).

The Jasher text explains that many righteous souls did in fact turn to evil, while many other righteous were killed for their belief in the Lord God. But God’s graciousness led to peaceful deaths for His own in that year before the flood judgment came–one of whom was Enoch’s son, Methuselah (Genesis 5:21-27; Jasher 5:34-36). Noah, Ham, Japheth, Shem, and their wives would survive the Flood by way of an ark, and being of the Godly line of Seth, they would preserve the Messianic Bloodline required for the eventual fulfillment of Genesis 3:15. The references in Genesis 6:9 and 7:1 that Noah and his household were “perfect” and “righteous” in his/their generations are not acclamations of personal, mental, and/or spiritual perfection; these proclamations from God are referencing Noah and his household’s genetic perfection, being fully human and uncorrupted by the “seed of the serpent.”

When "gods" Walked the Earth 

The offspring of the fallen angels that initiated the unholy union between themselves and human women are called “giants,” or Nephilim in some translations (Genesis 6:4), meaning “the fallen ones” from the Hebrew word naphal, itself meaning “to fall.” The fallen angels themselves, or progenitors, are called the “sons of God” because they were originally a part of the heavenly host of angels, until their rebellion under Lucifer. The Nephilim are identified as “heroes/mighty men of old” and “men of renown” (6:4). Why? Unions between the fallen angels and human women resulted in highly intelligent, large-statured, and supernaturally powerful “giants” who were esteemed as gods, though in reality they were demonic/human half-breeds, therefore possessing already damned souls, or more likely, perverted animalistic spirits. When these giants die, for they are not immortal, their condemned spirits wander the earth in search of physical bodies to inhabit, even after the Flood (Enoch 15-16:1). The clear and present danger of these evil spirits are the reason for many warnings and examples of Jesus’ authority over all manner of evil (Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 8:26-33). Indeed, one can readily imagine the antediluvian world so full of dark influences fast becoming overtly reprobate and wicked beyond redemption, leading to the situation wherein the Lord God regretted His creation of man and was grieved in His heart (Genesis 6:5-7).

Genesis 6:4 reveals that even after the Flood the unions between human women and fallen angels continued: "There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them."

Thus, after coming so close (within eight humans) to succeeding in his attempt to breed out humanity, Satan must have felt a surge of confidence when God promised to never again flood the earth (Gen. 8:21). And so, Satan began anew with the same strategy, only this time his craftiness disclosed a tactical shift. Perhaps Satan knew or discovered slivers (never the whole) of God’s plan and worked and reworked his defiance accordingly. Following the calling out of Abram (Genesis 12) it would seem that the slow pace of passing generations on earth would give Satan an edge. As God prepared to raise up a new class of people to be His Chosen, Satan began to saturate Canaan, the Promised Land, with another breed of demonically spawned giants in order to contest God’s claim on the Land. This second class of giants were called Rephaim, meaning “dead ones,” after Rapha, their fallen forefather. Human kings of the region, including Abram, often fought against these violent giants (Genesis 14:5-16), lending to their existence in the deep histories of Babylonia, Egypt, Sumeria, and other ancient kingdoms of Mesopotamia.

There were many tribes/cultures of these giants: Kenites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, Jebusites, Anakims, Emims, Zamzummims, and others. The land of Ammon was a land of giants (Deut. 2:19-20). A valley of giants is mentioned in Joshua 15:8 and 18:16. Joshua 13:12-13 speaks of geographical boundaries for Israel's tribes, making reference to Moses' exploits with some of these giants. There is the notorious instance when ten of the twelve spies of Israel saw themselves as "grasshoppers" compared to the Anakim giants (Numbers 13:33).

The vile Rephaim commandeered many human cities by destroying them outright or intermingling themselves within populations by domination, even eating the inhabitants (Numbers 13:32). Entire giant cultures were also established and became monumental powers in the region, as in Gath, Gaza, and Ashdod (Joshua 11:22). The conquest of Canaan under Joshua and Caleb was purposed to eradicate the warring giant tribes and claim the land (Joshua 12:7-13:7), but Israel’s cyclical disobedience by “whoring after other gods” prolonged the conflict and led to God leaving intact several giant-occupied regions with which to test Israel (Judges 2:11-3:4).

Centuries of war with these giant cultures commenced, giving rise to seemingly questionable practices that Israel was commanded by God to perform toward ensuring total victory. However, understanding the unholy genetic makeup of these giants and their satanically driven intent to destroy Israel helps one to more readily accept the instances in Scripture where God commands Israel’s armies to destroy every last man, woman, child, and beast of these genetically and spiritually profane societies, as they were beyond redemption–the beasts/livestock thereof being critically unclean for having been in the giants’ possession (1 Samuel 15:3). Herein, war is how God primarily extinguished the giants on the earth after the Flood, though He settled the issue by imprisoning the fallen angels specifically involved in the genetic violation of humanity and forbade the remaining fallen from pursuing the task (Jude 1:6; Enoch 12-14:7).

The Giant Tale We Know

By the time of King David, Israel was well-established in the land and in warfare. Rising national powers all around were of serious concern, whether enemy or ally. With fewer giants–and their days numbered–they were seen less seldom on the battlefield, thus becoming more political in their kingships (1 Samuel 21:10-15) and using human armies to fight their wars, accented by giant auxiliaries and champions.

Notably, at just over nine feet tall, Goliath of Gath was one of these Rephaim champions (1 Samuel 17:4-7), as was Og, king of Bashan, who stood nearly eighteen feet (Deuteronomy 3:11). In David’s later years he leads Israel in a war with Philistia where four of Goliath’s vengeful brothers are killed by David’s mighty men, i.e. giant-killers (2 Samuel 21:15-22). Intriguingly, 1 Samuel 17:40 records that a younger David, just before confronting Goliath in a duel to the death, gathered five smooth stones for his sling. Some have contended that David lacked faith in the accuracy of his sling shot, or that he believed it may have taken more than one stone to bring down the giant. I assert that David seriously considered the possibility that Goliath’s four brothers would attempt to avenge their sibling’s defeat immediately upon his death! One stone for each of them. David’s faith was solid, in himself and in his LORD.

The Giant Tales We May Not Know 

As Israel grew in might and cunning, many remaining giants must have determined to seek glory elsewhere, for we see them establishing and reestablishing dominance within (if not originating) the superpowers of the region–Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, the Hittite Kingdom, et al. This historical flow of nations fits perfectly into God’s dealings with both Israel and world kingdoms (Daniel 2:21).[2] It is highly probable that the Nephilim/Rephaim were in fact the gods of many ancient empires like Egypt, the mountain kingdom of Urartu, and the fabled Midas City in Asia Minor. They may also be the Titans of Greek mythology as well as the origin of the Roman Pantheon, considering that the Romans adopted and reworked the Greek legends as their own. As such, Rome itself has a colorful birth involving twin boys named Romulus and Remus born to a virgin princess, Rhea Silvia, who claimed to have been raped by the god Mars.[3] The Greek biographer Plutarch records that the twins’ appearance was “of more than human size and beauty.”[4]

This thinking illuminates the possibility of some actual truth behind the fantastical arcane legends. Since there were giants on the earth even after the Flood, could not some have ended up in Egypt, Macedonia, the Americas, or elsewhere?[5] This would associate mythical, religious, and architectural similarities between many civilizations despite geographical and chronological distance. Truth is often stranger than fiction, and in this case it actually is. And it makes more sense.

In sum, the imprisoned angels that kept not their proper domain, but rebelled and gave themselves over to sexual immorality in pursuit of strange flesh, have been held in reserve only to be unleashed upon the earth at God’s command so as to be His hand of judgment on an unbelieving world prior to their own final doom (Jude 1:6-7). That these incarcerated angels are in fact the demon locusts and demon horsemen of Revelation 9 is proven in that nowhere else in Scripture do these “imprisoned angels” of Jude 1:6 make a post-detention appearance. Also, Revelation 9 reveals the macabre details of their “duty” as foreordained by God upon their confinement. One could not conjure imagery so dark as the nefarious savagery to be wrought by these vile beings upon their temporary future discharge into the world.

The events outlined above, and in the Scripture referenced, serve to prove with finality that God’s sovereignty cannot be removed or diminished, even when the world might be against Him. Moreover, we find that the seed of the serpent, though not at all a divine miracle, was just as literal and supernatural as the truly divine miracle Seed of the woman. However, Lucifer–a created being–is not on equal footing with God; he is not one side of a divine yin-yang. At the cross, Jesus Christ crushed the head of the serpent and fulfilled the Genesis 3:15 prophecy. It is finished. Let us then thank our awesome and loving God for sending us His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our stead so that we may spend our eternal lives in peace and at peace with Him, rather than with the damned who shall suffer eternal oblivion, anguish, and separation from all that is good (John 3:16-21). 

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of which your fathers served… or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).

Notes:

1. The Book of Jasher is an ancient history written over 3,500 years ago that details events spanning Genesis and Exodus. Jasher is not a proper name, it is a Hebrew word meaning “upright.” The book is approximately the same age as Genesis and therefore older than the book of Joshua, which entreats us to read the Jasher account of Joshua’s prayer for the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12-14; Jasher 88:63-64). Another biblical reference to the book is found in 2 Samuel 1:17-18.

2. For satisfying scholarship concerning the intricate histories of Israel and surrounding world kingdoms, please enjoy the following volumes: The Exodus Case: New Discoveries of the Historical Exodus, 3rd Ed. (Lennart Moller); The Chronology of the Old Testament, 15th Ed. (Floyd Jones); Ancient Post-Flood History (Ken Johnson); The History of the Ancient World (Susan W. Bauer).

3. Livy, 1.4, from The Early History of Rome, Books I-V of The History of Rome From Its Foundation, translated by Aubrey de Selincourt (1971), pp37-38.

4. Plutarch, Romulus, in Plutarch’s Lives, Vol. 1: The Dryden Translation, p27.

5. A plethora of print and video volumes documenting historical, archaeological, cultural, and religious evidences of such giants and their historicity are available. Of course, secular sources often credit the Nephilim and “giant technology” to the ancient alien/UFO ideology. Their findings are informative but their origin stories are suspect. I suggest that in considering the alien/UFO phenomena as demonic propaganda, the Christian can better comprehend biblical insights concerning fallen angels, giants, spiritual warfare, and the Luciferian rebellion that finally comes to an end in the book of Revelation. It cannot be denied that earth’s early history witnessed a race of giants bent on dominating humanity, often posing as “gods” and building monuments to themselves that we can still see today around the world. I will caution anyone entering this vein of study to be wary of wacky New Age fictions masquerading as alternative history or occult lore, much of which is found on YouTube.