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(From the study "The Identity Of The Nephilim") In this article, we will undertake an examination of the Hebrew word “Nephilim” that we see used several times in the Bible, in order to gain a basic understanding of who these beings were. There are two passages in the Bible that explicitly mention the Nephilim by that name. However, there are a multitude of passages that refer to the greater subject of the Nephilim – many often being overlooked by those who are unfamiliar with this topic. But the two passages in which the Hebrew word Nephilim explicitly appear are Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33. Let’s take a look at the first of those two – Genesis 6:4. The context of this passage is the time before the Flood of Noah, in which the wickedness of the pre-Flood world is being described. Genesis 6:1-4 reads: And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants [many versions simply say “Nephilim”] in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. -Genesis 6:1-4 In the King James Version, as well as certain other English Bibles, we find this Hebrew word “Nephilim” loosely translated as “giants.” However, because it’s unknown for certain what this Hebrew word means, some English Bibles have left it untranslated, simply carrying over the Hebrew and transliterating it into English – yielding the word “Nephilim.” The second mention of Nephilim in the Bible is found in Numbers 13:33, as the Israelites were getting ready to enter into the Promised Land of Canaan. However, many of the spies Moses sent to search out the land returned with the conclusion that they were unable to conquer it. To support this conclusion, they referenced the giant inhabitants of the land, whom they called Nephilim, and descendants of the Nephilim. The spies reported feeling like grasshoppers in comparison to this evil race of giants. Numbers 13:32-33 reads: 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 a great stature. And there we saw the giants [Nephilim], the sons of Anak, which come of the giants [Nephilim]: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. -Numbers 13:32-33 Let’s now explore the possible meaning of the word Nephilim. This term is often translated as “those who fall,” “the fallen,” or “those who descended from heaven to earth.” However, Dr. Michael Heiser, an adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies at Liberty University who holds a PhD in Hebrew and Semitic studies, disagrees with this interpretation. In his critique of an author who defined Nephilim as “those who fall,” Heiser explains: Sitchin assumes "Nephilim" comes from the Hebrew word "naphal" which usually means "to fall." He then forces the meaning "to come down" onto the word, creating his "to come down from above" translation. In the form we find it in the Hebrew Bible, if the word Nephilim came from Hebrew naphal, it would not be spelled as we find it. The form Nephilim cannot mean "fallen ones" (the spelling would then be nephulim). Likewise, Nephilim does not mean "those who fall" or "those who fall away" (that would be nophelim). The only way in Hebrew to get Nephilim from naphal by the rules of Hebrew morphology (word formation) would be to presume a noun spelled naphil and then pluralize it. I say "presume" since this noun does not exist in biblical Hebrew – unless one counts Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33, the two occurrences of Nephilim – but that would be assuming what one is trying to prove! However, in Aramaic, the noun naphil(a) does exist. It means "giant," making it easy to see why the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) translated Nephilim as gigantes ("giant") … It is most likely that Nephilim is an Aramaic term imported into Hebrew during the final editing of the Hebrew Bible in Babylon (where Aramaic was the lingua franca) and then the ending was corrected to Hebrew rules of word formation. [1] Based on Heiser's explanation, it would seem clear that the word “Nephilim” is a term originating from Aramaic, meaning “giant,” which was brought into Hebrew and given the “-im” ending, indicating plurality. The translators of the King James Version seem to have been aware of this, as they translated Nephilim as “giants” and did not call them “the fallen,” or anything similar. In addition, the majority of ancient Bible versions – including the Septuagint, Theodotion’s translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, the Latin Vulgate, the Samaritan Pentateuch, Targum Onkelos, and Targum Neofiti – all interpret the word to mean “giants.” [2] Of course, we understand that the term “giant” refers to a man of extraordinary size and strength. We may therefore conclude that the evidence clearly shows that the Hebrew word Nephilim referred to giants. [1] Michael Heiser, “The Nephilim,” SitchinIsWrong.com. (https://sitchiniswrong.com/nephilim/nephilim.htm - Retrieved 4/10/21) [2] Jacques Van Ruiten, Primaeval History Interpreted: The Rewriting of Genesis I-II in the Book of Jubilees, Brill, 2000, p. 189.

(From the study "The Identity Of The Nephilim") The correct identification of the "sons of God" is probably the single most critical aspect of correctly understanding the Biblical concept of the Nephilim. Unfortunately, there’s been a massive amount of confusion and disagreement regarding this – not only in recent times, but going all the way back to the centuries following the Apostolic Era in church history. But fortunately, the Bible actually offers us a number of passages that shed light on this issue, allowing us to confidently identify the sons of God. Let’s enter into this exploration by reviewing our perspective of the proper method of Bible interpretation – a discipline called “hermeneutics.” Utilizing Proper Hermeneutics Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. -2 Timothy 2:15 Biblical hermeneutics is the science of properly interpreting the various types of literature found in the Bible in order to determine what the text actually means. Hermeneutics can be called “the laws of sound Biblical interpretation.” Taken out of context, the Bible can be improperly used to justify almost anything. But in order to draw the intended meaning out of the text (the definition of exegesis), we need to hold to proper Biblical hermeneutics. We want to avoid reading outside meanings (our own personal views) into the text (the definition of eisegesis). [1] The most important law of Biblical hermeneutics is that the Bible should be interpreted literally. Literal Bible interpretation means we understand the Bible in its normal/plain meaning unless there’s a clear indication in the text to do otherwise. The Bible says what it means and means what it says. Many make the mistake of trying to “read between the lines” and come up with meanings that are not truly in the text. [2] Dr. David L. Cooper described this literal method of interpretation in the following way. When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning, unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise. [3] Proper Biblical hermeneutics keeps us faithful to the objective, intended meaning of scripture and away from allegorizing and symbolizing Biblical text with our own subjective meanings. One of the most basic concepts of scripture interpretation is that the Bible is the best interpreter of itself (within context). In other words, to gain understanding as to what a certain word or phrase may mean (such as “sons of God”), you need to study all of the other places in the Bible in which that same word or phrase is used. You then closely analyze and compare them within context to find out what the word or phrase in question refers to or means. [4] A sound Biblical analysis is one that ensures you don’t create doctrine from a single verse, especially if it doesn’t parallel with supporting scriptures. You cannot come up with an interpretation of your own choice. You must examine what the text actually says, and discover the meaning without adding to the text and without drawing inferences that are not tied to or implied by the text. So, let’s exercise sound Biblical hermeneutics by conducting a thorough Biblical exegesis of the phrase “sons of God.” Exegesis of the “Sons of God” In Hebrew, the phrase “sons of God” is benei ha elohim. [5] So, we need to search and examine every other place in the Bible where this exact phrase is used in order to determine its correct meaning and context. Of course, we would only expect to find this Hebrew phrase in the Old Testament, since only the Old Testament is written in Hebrew. When we perform this examination, we find three passages that use this exact phrase “sons of God” (benei ha elohim, or in the case of one of the passages, the similar phrase benei elohim) – and we find that in all three, it is always used to refer to angels. Let’s begin to take a look at these passages. Now there was a day when the sons of God [benei ha elohim] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. -Job 1:6 Job 1:6 is one of the clearest and most obvious references to angels in the entire Bible. This passage describes an actual meeting in heaven, in which God oversees an assembly of holy and fallen angels to discuss earthly affairs, grant permission to carry out certain actions in the human realm, or assign various tasks. Again there was a day when the sons of God [benei ha elohim] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. -Job 2:1 Again, we see the same concept restated, clearly identifying sons of God as being angels who are meeting with God in another “divine council.” A third reference is also found in Job, but with this one using the close phrase benei elohim. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God [benei elohim] shouted for joy? -Job 38:4-7 In this passage, we find God posing questions to Job about the creation of the universe in order to demonstrate to Job how little he actually knew in comparison to God. God implies that the sons of God were created prior to the creation of earth itself, which helps us eliminate basically all of the alternative interpretations of “sons of God.” Of course, only the angels were created at that time. These three passages are the only ones in the Old Testament that use this phrase (benei ha elohim or benei elohim) – and they are all clear references to angels. So, we can confidently say that since every other usage of benei ha elohim or benei elohim in the Old Testament clearly refers to angels, we should recognize the Genesis 6:4 instance to also mean angels. Any other explanation of the phrase “sons of God” is subjective inference, rather than Biblical exegesis. To even further establish this position, we can examine other similar phrases to benei ha elohim that also appear in the Old Testament. Again, these phrases always refer to angelic beings, and never to human men. Let’s take a look at some of these additional verses. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. -Daniel 3:25 This passage in Daniel uses a similar phrase in Aramaic, bar elahin, and yet still clearly refers to a supernatural being. [6] It speaks in reference to the fourth man walking in the fire, which we know was at minimum an angel, but possibly even an Old Testament theophany. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? -Psalm 89:6 Here is another Old Testament passage that slightly differs even further (benei elim), and yet still is a reference to angels. [7] This is obvious as the first part of the verse gives the context: “who in heaven...” Obviously, this refers to angelic beings. And so, we find that other similar Hebrew phrases in the Old Testament also all clearly refer to angelic beings. But let’s also take a look into the New Testament, where we see the phrase “sons of God” in our English Bibles. The New Testament (which was written in Greek not Hebrew) gives us further information on how this phrase is progressively used. The expansion of its usages in the New Testament reveal to us even more specifically that it’s always used to designate a direct creation of God. This expanded New Testament usage range will include Adam, New Testament saints, and of course, Jesus Christ. Let’s briefly discuss each of these. -Adam: Adam, being the first man, was directly created by God. He is called a son of God in Luke 3:38. In this chapter, Jesus’ genealogy is given to us, and Luke traces it all the way back to Adam. Because Adam had no earthly father to speak of, Luke lists him as the “son of God.” Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. -Luke 3:38 -New Testament Saints: New Testament saints (or Christians) are also called sons of God in the New Testament. Why would this be? Because those who have obeyed the gospel are unlike any other human beings in history. Those who are in Christ, having undergone salvation and received the Holy Spirit and a new nature are considered a direct creation of God! John 1:11-12 explains this. He [Jesus] came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: -John 1:11-12 Jesus elaborates on this further in John 3:6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. -John 3:6 Human beings (aside from Adam) are never called “sons of God” unless they are New Testament believers having undergone the gospel plan of salvation. Christian believers who were “born again” have been adopted into sonship. Other humans are not initial direct creations of God in this sense. They are sons (or descendants) of Adam. This also corresponds to what we just discussed regarding Jesus’ statement in Matthew 22:30 about the future resurrection bodies of believers that will be like the angels. 1 John 3 explains this. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. -1 John 3:1-2 In other words, we as Christians are sons of God right now, but the ultimate manifestation of this is future-looking, as in the resurrection we will receive heavenly bodies. When we receive these bodies, we will be able to see Christ in the fullness of His resurrected glory, as we will also have a body similar to His – a body that can interact in the extra-dimensions (like the angels). Note: Some additional references to the sonship of New Testament Christians include Romans 8:14, 8:19, Galatians 4:6, and Philippians 2:15. -Jesus Christ: Lastly, we of course know that Jesus Christ is called the Son of God in the New Testament. Jesus Christ is called the Son of God primarily because the Holy Ghost (referring to God in action towards humanity) caused His conception, rather than it being caused by a human man (Luke 1:35). In other words, He also in His humanity can be called a direct creation of God. We know that in His divinity, He is God – but the human aspect of Him (the manifestation of the Son) was created at a point in time. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, -Galatians 4:4 At a specific point in time, God caused Jesus’ conception in Mary’s womb. And so, of course, Jesus Christ (in His humanity) was also a direct creation of God, rather than being the son of a human father. So, our exegesis of the usage of “sons of God” in the Bible clearly reveals how this phrase is always used. In the Old Testament, the phrase “sons of God” is always used to refer to angels. In the New Testament the phrase “sons of God” is expanded to mean a direct creation of God – including Adam, saved Christians, and of course, Jesus Christ. A further interesting revelation is that in the Old Testament, human saints or followers of God were normally referred to as “servants of God,” while the angels were referred to as “sons of God.” This seems to be reversed in the New Testament, where Christian believers now are called “sons of God” and the angels are portrayed as “servants of God”! Therefore, by a thorough search of the scriptures, and after analyzing and comparing the usages of benei ha elohim and similar phrases, the only conclusion one can come to is that the passage in Genesis 6:4 is clearly referring to angels. To take any other position is to take a position without Scriptural foundation, being found outside of the Biblical usage of the phrase. Genesis 6 then, is clearly describing something that many find disturbing or difficult to accept. It describes the sons of God (or angels) lusting after human women, coming to earth, apparently taking on a human form, defying God’s natural order by having sex with human women, and producing a hybrid offspring called Nephilim (who were giants). Something about their hybrid genetic makeup made the children of this illicit union larger, more powerful, more wicked, and likely even more intelligent than average humans – and that “something” was the angelic origin of their fathers, the sons of God. Again, the notion of angels doing this (or even being able to do this) is a hurdle for many to accept – one we specifically address in our study "The Identity Of The Nephilim". However, we should never be troubled about the clear, literal reading of the Word of God. We must leave behind whatever presuppositions we bring to the Bible, and instead, allow the text to speak for itself, no matter how difficult it may be for us to accept. Genesis 6 tells us that angels from heaven took human women and produced children with them – and this, as we find, is a pervasive theme woven throughout the scriptures. [1] Alyssa Roat, “What is Biblical Hermeneutics and Is it Still Important Today?” June 22, 2020, Christianity.com. (https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/meaning-origin-history-of-biblical-hermeneutics.html - Retrieved 4/10/21) [2] Ibid. [3] David L. Cooper, “Some Basic Laws Of Interpretation,” Biblical Research Studies Group. (http://www.biblicalresearch.info/page502.html - Retrieved 11/10/20) [4] Roat. [5] NASB Lexicon, entry “Genesis 6:4,” BibleHub.com. (https://biblehub.com/lexicon/genesis/6-4.htm - Retrieved 4/14/21) [6] NASB Lexicon, entry “Daniel 3:25,” BibleHub.com. (https://biblehub.com/lexicon/daniel/3-25.htm - Retrieved 4/14/21) [7] NASB Lexicon, entry “Psalm 89:6,” BibleHub.com. (https://biblehub.com/lexicon/psalms/89-6.htm - Retrieved 4/14/21)

(From the study "The Identity Of The Nephilim") In our previous two articles on this subject, we've endeavored to take a sound, Biblical look into what was happening back in Genesis 6 with the "sons of God" entering into relations with human women, producing "Nephilim," or giants. In one of these articles, we touched on the subject of Biblical hermeneutics (or methods of interpretation). We discussed the foundational principles of properly interpreting the text of the Bible – including the need to take the text literally unless the text itself makes it obvious that a figure of speech is being used. We also mentioned the fact that the Bible is the best interpreter of itself. In other words, we should not feel free to impose our own interpretations on a particular passage when the Bible clearly defines it elsewhere. These are some of the foundational principles of sound Biblical hermeneutics. When we utilize these principles and apply them to Genesis 6:4, the only resulting interpretation that demonstrates coherence is the one we’ve been advocating thus far – that the sons of God should be understood as angels, and that they married and had sexual relations with human women, producing a hybrid offspring of giants that the Bible calls the Nephilim. But as clear as this is, we should recognize the existence of a prominent, alternative view of Genesis 6:1-4, which we need to more closely address. First, we should point out that even if you’ve grown up in a Christian church, there’s a very good possibility that the information we’re presenting in this article is new to you. If you fit this description, you may be wondering "Why haven't I heard this before?” The answer is that, unfortunately, around the fifth century AD, an alternative view (referred to as the “Sons of Seth view”) became prevalent. The popularity of this newly proposed Sons of Seth view of Genesis 6:1-4 eventually surpassed the earlier traditional “angel view” for which we’re advocating. This alternative view then became accepted by the mainstream (Catholic) church at the time, and has remained the dominant – and in many cases the only – view taught in many churches and seminaries today. This is especially true in Catholic and Reformed circles. In this article, we will take a deeper and more critical look at this interpretation and see if it holds up to scrutiny. So, what is this “Sons of Seth” view, and what exactly does it claim? Steve Schmutzer, writing in a multi-part series on this topic, summarizes it as follows. Its premise rests on the claim that the "sons of God" in Genesis 6:1-4 were ordinary men from the "godly line of Seth," and the "daughters of men" were ordinary women from the "ungodly line of Cain." In other words, the first gender group was righteous and the second gender group was unrighteous. The assumption is, they were alike in their physical nature, though different in their spiritual one. This theory argues that the joining of these two genetically homogenous groups of humans produced offspring of such deviant character and unnatural physical proportions that God was compelled to wipe the slate clean. [1] So, the Sons of Seth view really boils down to an attempt to substitute subjective meanings for clear Biblical terms in Genesis 6:4. Let’s review this passage before we look deeper into this. There were giants [Nephilim] in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. -Genesis 6:4 Make note of the phrase “sons of God” (which in an earlier article, we clearly defined as “angels,” based upon how this term is always used elsewhere in scripture). Also make note also of the phrase “the daughters of men.” Proponents of the Sons of Seth view subjectively define the phrase “sons of God” to mean the supposedly righteous "sons of Seth” (a group the Bible never even mentions as existing). They then also subjectively define the phrase “daughters of men” to mean the supposedly wicked "daughters of Cain” (whom the Bible also never mentions). Of course, this is not at all what the text reads, and it contradicts how the phrase “sons of God” is clearly defined elsewhere in scripture! As mentioned, in an earlier article, we conclusively showed that “sons of God” (benei ha Elohim) always means "angels" in the Hebrew scriptures. “Daughters of men” is the translation of the Hebrew “benoth ha adam” (or “daughters of Adam”). [2] The text gives no indication that these are specifically daughters of Cain, nor does it say they’re wicked. Instead, by the Hebrew reading – “daughters of Adam” – the intention of the text is obviously to refer to the general population of mankind. There is no way (in Hebrew or in English) to interpret it to mean the daughters of a particular subset, such as those of Cain. This is why the Bible translators rendered it simply as “daughters of men” in English. And so, it is easy to see how the proponents of this view have to radically alter the Biblical text and infer completely different meanings in order to establish their interpretation. In other words, they rely on eisegesis instead of exegesis. They read their predetermined interpretation into the text rather than relying on the text to form their interpretation. Also, make note of the fact that proponents of this view fabricate a scenario in which the sin being described in Verse 4 is the failure to maintain separation between “believers” and “unbelievers”. However, again, the text simply does not say that! First of all, it’s important to note that nowhere in scripture does it state that the descendants of Seth were godly and the descendants of Cain were ungodly. This is a total assumption made by the Sons of Seth interpreters. Furthermore, the Biblical record doesn’t require “separation” until much later in Genesis! They then attempt to create a scenario in which these two fictional groups intermarried, producing the Nephilim. According to their view, these alleged groups were not supposed to marry, but did. In other words, righteous people marrying unrighteous people can somehow produce Nephilim giants. As you can surely see already, this interpretation goes far beyond poor exegesis and finds its way into pure absurdity. So then, how did this Sons of Seth view originate? In the centuries following the Apostolic era, the growth of Christianity brought the Old Testament into the pagan Gentile (or non-Jewish) nations. When this took place, it brought about a clashing of religious and philosophical worldviews that gave rise to many attacks of pagan Greco-Roman philosophers against Christianity and the Bible. This in turn gave rise to the era of the Christian apologists – early church fathers who attempted to provide a defense of Christianity against these attacks. [3] One of the ways some of the pagan critics began to attack the Old Testament was by focusing on the Genesis 6 story, which at that time was universally understood by Jews and Christians to describe the cohabitation of angels with human women. The Sons of Seth view then surfaced as a way for the apologists to fend off these attacks and provide an alternate explanation of these “uncomfortable facts” of Genesis 6. But let’s emphasize that this in itself is proof that the “angel view” was the original! The traditional Jewish understanding was always the “angel view” – and then the earliest Christians (which of course, first arose as a sect of Judaism) also upheld this view. Author Bryan Huie echoes this historical fact, writing: The first and oldest belief is that "the sons of God" were fallen angels who consorted with human women, producing giant offspring called Nephilim. This view was widely held in the Judaic world of the first century, and was supported by many of the [Christian] "Ante-Nicene Fathers," including Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Irenaeus, and Eusebius. [4] Schmutzer adds to this perspective, stating: Early church fathers such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Rome, Lactantius, and Ambrose were proponents of [the angel view] in their own writings. The historical record is clear enough to suggest that a straightforward reading and interpretation of Genesis 6:1-4 was the official position of the early church up through the fourth century. This is even recorded in Volume 8 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers. [5] But like we said, as Christianity began to spread into the pagan world, subjects like Genesis 6 became fodder for the attacks of pagan critics. They viewed the traditional “angel view” as ridiculous, and used it to disparage Christianity and the Bible. Chuck Missler summarizes these attacks of the pagan critics and the subsequent development of the Sons of Seth view. Celsus and Julian the Apostate used the traditional "angel" belief to attack Christianity. Julius Africanus resorted to the Sethite interpretation as a more comfortable ground. Cyril of Alexandria also repudiated the orthodox "angel" position with the "line of Seth" interpretation. Augustine also embraced the Sethite theory and thus it prevailed into the Middle Ages. It is still widely taught today among many churches who find the literal "angel" view a bit disturbing. [6] Let’s back up a bit and focus on Julius Africanus, who seems to be the first to advocate the Sons of Seth theory. As we read the following quote of what he stated, notice how he (in typical fashion of the apologists) abandons the literal interpretation in order to embrace an allegorical interpretation that feels “more comfortable.” When men multiplied on the earth, the angels of heaven came together with the daughters of men. In some copies I found "the sons of God." What is meant by the Spirit, in my opinion, is that the descendants of Seth are called the sons of God on account of the righteous men and patriarchs who have sprung from him, even down to the Saviour Himself; but that the descendants of Cain are named the seed of men, as having nothing divine in them, on account of the wickedness of their race and the inequality of their nature, being a mixed people, and having stirred the indignation of God. But if it is thought that these refer to angels, we must take them to be those who deal with magic and jugglery, who taught the women the motions of the stars and the knowledge of things celestial, by whose power they conceived the giants as their children, by whom wickedness came to its height on the earth, until God decreed that the whole race of the living should perish in their impiety by the deluge. [7] Let’s take note that in the beginning of this quote, Julius Africanus implies that some copies of Genesis that he had access to in the first several centuries AD actually read “angels of heaven” in place of “sons of God” – demonstrating the universality of the angel view in antiquity. But we then see the way he interjects his interpretive technique of allegorism because he doesn’t like the conclusion that a literal interpretation brings. Notice how he says, “what is meant by the Spirit”. In other words, the allegorist believes it’s his duty to ignore the plain meaning of the text and instead substitute a meaning of his own choice. This is the main problem with an allegorical hermeneutic – the control is in the hands of the interpreter’s subjective imagination instead of in the actual words of the author. Huie expands upon this history even further, specifically focusing on how the early church father Augustine’s embracing of the Sons of Seth view resulted in its formal acceptance by the Catholic Church, and its subsequent dominance in the mainstream even up to the present-day. [The Sons of Seth view] is one which was advocated by Saint Augustine, the Catholic Bishop of Hippo. He rejected the concept of the fallen host having committed fornication with women. In his early fifth century book The City of God, he advanced the theory that "the sons of God" simply referred to the genealogical line of Seth, who were committed to preserving the true worship of God. He interpreted Genesis 6 to mean that the offspring of Adam through Seth were "the sons of God," and the offspring of Adam through Cain were "the daughters of men." He wrote that the problem was that the family of Seth had interbred with the family of Cain, intermingling the bloodlines and corrupting the pure religion. This view has become the dominant one among most modern biblical scholars. [8] Remember that it was also Augustine (in his famous book The City of God) who embraced and advocated for the allegorical interpretation of much of the Bible (instead of a literal hermeneutic). Although much of his allegorization was aimed at reinterpreting prophetic portions of scripture, he also used this method to interpret passages that he found uncomfortable or dissatisfying. His views were then embraced by the Catholic Church at large, and the Sons of Seth view became the mainstream interpretation going into the Middle Ages. Even the great Reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin failed to reexamine this error, and consequentially, this view found its way into the teachings of the Protestant churches. Most of the denominations that are an outworking of the Reformation still hold to this view, stemming from the Catholic tradition that the Reformers failed to reexamine. [9] So, unfortunately, the Sons of Seth view is still widely taught in churches today, with many people simply being unaware that any alternative even exists. Let’s now review thirteen key points (many of which we’ve already touched upon) that highlight the problems with the Sethite theory and summarize why this view should be rejected. 1.) The text simply doesn’t say what the Sons of Seth view would require. Substantial liberties must be taken with the literal text to propose the “Sethite” view. In the Old Testament, the term “sons of God” is never used to refer to human beings, and certainly never to “believers” or “the righteous.” Interpreting it to mean “righteous sons of Seth” is based on subjective inference, not the text. 2.) Seth was not God, and Cain was not Adam. The “Daughters of Adam” does not mean the descendants of Cain, but rather, the whole human race is clearly intended. It is obvious from the text that these daughters were not limited to a particular family or subset, but were, indeed, from (all) the “benoth ha adam”, or the “daughters of Adam”. Interpreting it to mean “daughters of Cain” is based on subjective inference, not the text. 3.) There is no Biblical mention of “daughters of God” or “sons of Adam”. Were the sons of Seth only attracted to the daughters of Cain? Were the daughters of Seth so unattractive? In other words, why does it only go one way with the genders (only sons of Seth with daughters of Cain and not the other way around)? 4.) The concept of separate “lines” itself is suspect and contrary to scripture. There is no Biblical suggestion that the lines of Seth and Cain kept themselves separate, nor were even instructed to. The injunction to remain separate was given much later, and was given to Israel upon entry into Canaan (an area that the Bible tells us happened to be filled with Nephilim descendants, according to Numbers 13:33). 5.) The inferred godliness of Seth’s descendants cannot be substantiated. There is no evidence that the line of Seth was godly. To the contrary, the son of Seth himself was Enosh, about whom there is textual evidence indicating that rather than having a reputation for righteousness, he instead seems to have initiated the profaning of the name of God. Genesis 4:26 is likely mistranslated in many English Bibles; According to virtually every early Jewish source (for example, Targum of Onkelos, Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, Kimchi, Rashi, Maimonides, et. al.), Enosh initiated the profaning of God, not “calling upon” God as many translations render it. The early Christian scholar Jerome also testified that the Jews of his day believed this as well. [10] So, there is no evidence that Seth’s line was godly – but to the contrary, there is Biblical evidence that his own son actually warranted special mention in the Genesis record for his wickedness in profaning God. 6.) The inferred wickedness of Cain’s descendants cannot be substantiated. Cainites were not necessarily wicked. Yes, as we know, Cain murdered his brother, but when looking at his genealogy, it is clear that his descendants had the name of God (El) in their names (“Mehujael” and “Methusael” as we see in Gen. 4:18). It is possible that Cain was a repentant believer! At the very least, we don’t know for sure, and to imply that all of his descendants were godless is reading into the text instead of drawing out from the text. 7.) What made Noah’s genealogy in Genesis 6:9 so distinctive? If he's described as being “unblemished” in this passage, what is everyone else “blemished” by? Proponents of the Sons of Seth theory are forced to believe that if separation is the issue here, then everyone else on the planet was “corrupted” by the intermarrying of so-called “believers” and “unbelievers”, which caused God to destroy the planet in a worldwide Flood! Think about that for a moment. That is the “Sunday-school” level of Bible interpretation that causes so many to view God as a cruel mass-murderer. 8.) If you assume the Sons of Seth theory is true, then who are the Nephilim? In other words, a believer marrying an unbeliever and then having children doesn’t produce giants! Their offspring isn’t going to be genetically distinctive! From where then did this unique group called the Nephilim originate? And how are they then also found inhabiting the Land of Canaan after the Flood? Even if you accept that there were so-called “righteous sons of Seth” and “wicked daughters of Cain” living as distinct groups before the Flood, you of course cannot believe they could still be around after the Flood. So again, what produced the post-Flood Nephilim giants? The Sons of Seth view has no satisfactory answer for this. And again, this simplistic Sethite view is another cause for people to view God as some sort of genocidal ethnic-cleanser, as the Israelites were given instructions to wipe out entire people groups in Canaan. 9.) Who are the angels that are described in Job 4:18 – which describes a certain group of angels as being charged with “folly” (in the KJV)? Since the Bible self-interprets that “folly” is an antiquated way of referring to illicit sexual activity (cf. Genesis 34:1-2, 7; Deuteronomy 22:21; Judges 19:22-23; 2 Samuel 13:1-2; 11-12) then this passage in Job clearly supports the angel view of Genesis 6. 10.) Given the Sons of Seth theory, who then are the imprisoned angels described in 1 Peter, 2 Peter and Jude? Here, we have three clear New Testament confirmations of the angel view of Genesis 6 (to be described in a future article). If the Sethite view is correct, what did these angels do to get imprisoned, and where does the Bible tell us about this? The authors of these passages wrote them assuming their audiences were well aware of the context. The only context provided earlier in the Bible is the Genesis 6 story, which was well-known by not only the Jewish culture, but all ancient cultures worldwide. Proponents of the “Sethite” theory have nothing to which they can ascribe these New Testament passages. 11.) All of the ancient Greek and Hebrew sources are in agreement that the Nephilim were the offspring of angels and women. What evidence can those who believe in the Sons of Seth theory use to refute this unanimous agreement? And why does the Sons of Seth view only seem to date back to Julius Africanus at the earliest (who lived during the second and third centuries AD)? [11] 12.) How could a God who calls all people to repentance, and who is willing to forgive even the most depraved sinners and cultures (think Ninevah in the book of Jonah) issue forth mandates to systematically wipe out certain tribes, as in Canaan? God judges nations, but Scripturally, only seems to order their complete annihilation when His natural order is violated in a way that threatens His ultimate plan to save mankind. 13.) All of the world’s ancient cultures share similar stories of gods, angels, star people, etc., coming to earth early on in history and mating with women. How is this story universally agreed upon if it was really just wicked people marrying righteous people? In sum, these thirteen points completely dismantle the Sons of Seth view of Genesis 6:4. When proponents of this theory make their case, they do not and cannot provide scriptural support or exegesis in the way we have throughout this article series. In fact, all three of our articles on this subject up to this point have been solely focused on the proper scriptural exegesis of Genesis 6:4. Proponents of the Sethite view do, however, offer several claims that are intended to puncture the angel view. We address these objections in our study "The Identity Of The Nephilim". [1] Steve Schmutzer, “Who are the ‘Sons of God’ in Genesis Chapter 6? – Part 3,” June 26, 2018, RaptureForums.com. (https://www.raptureforums.com/bible-study/who-are-the-sons-of-god-in-genesis-chapter-6-part-3/ - Retrieved 4/19/21) [2] NASB Lexicon, entry “Genesis 6:4,” BibleHub.com. (https://biblehub.com/lexicon/genesis/6-4.htm - Retrieved 4/18/21) [3] John N.D. Kelly, article “Apologist,” Oct. 20, 2021, in Encyclopedia Britannica. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Apologist - Retrieved 8/19/21) [4] Bryan T. Huie, “Sons of God,” DouglasJacoby.com (https://www.douglasjacoby.com/sons-of-god-by-bryan-t-huie/ - Retrieved 4/18/21) [5] Schmutzer. [6] Chuck Missler, “Textual Controversy: Mischievous Angels or Sethites?” Aug. 1, 1997, Koinonia House. (https://khouse.org/articles/1997/110/ - Retrieved 4/18/21) [7] Julius Africanus, Extant Fragments of the Five Books of the Chronography of Julius Africanus in Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 6, Christian Classics Ethereal Library. (https://ccel.org/ccel/juliusafricanus/extant_fragments/anf06.v.v.ii.html - Retrieved 5/14/21) [8] Huie. [9] Lee Anderson Jr., “Is the “Sons of God” Passage in Genesis 6 Adapted Pagan Mythology?” Answers Research Journal, 8 (2015):261–271. (https://answersingenesis.org/genesis/is-sons-of-god-passage-genesis-6-adapted-pagan-mythology/ - Retrieved 4/14/21) [10] Appendix 21 To The Companion Bible, “Enos (Genesis 4:26.) ‘Calling On The Name Of The Lord,’” TheRain.org. (https://therain.org/appendixes/app21.html - Retrieved 4/22/21) [11] Anderson Jr.

(From the study "The Identity Of The Nephilim") In our past several articles, we've advocated for what may be called the "angel view" of Genesis 6:4. This refers to the interpretation that the "sons of God" mentioned in that verse refer to fallen angels, whom the passage then states had sexual relations with human women, producing a hybrid offspring of giants the Bible calls "Nephilim." While it may be difficult for some to accept, this is the clear, plain meaning of the text – as we've shown so far in this article series. But if this is to be accepted as the accurate understanding of Genesis 6 and the pre-Flood world, wouldn’t we expect to find further mention of it elsewhere in scripture? Taking into account the enormity of this subject’s impact on the Biblical narrative, we would absolutely expect further mention, commentary, or allusion to it being woven throughout the Bible. Actually, that is exactly what we do find – and these further complimentary passages add valuable confirmation of the interpretation presented in these articles. Let’s begin to take a closer look at some of these passages. In a previous article, we mentioned that Numbers 13:33 is the only passage other than Genesis 6:1-4 that explicitly uses the Hebrew word “Nephilim.” This passage deals with the post-Flood giants in the Promised Land during the Conquest of Canaan. In addition, there are many other passages in the Bible that offer convincing support for the "angel view." As we begin to examine them, let’s start with a key Old Testament passage that is often overlooked or ignored – but that convincingly verifies this interpretation. This passage is Job 4:13-18, and it reads as follows. Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: -Job 4:18 We’ve underlined the key words in this passage: “angels” and “folly.” Most readers may quickly overlook this word “folly,” as it’s not a word commonly used in modern English – and when it is used, it doesn’t carry with it the same connotations as it did in the Elizabethan period of Early Modern English (the era in which the King James Version was written). [1] In modern English, we may think of “folly” as referring to “silly behavior.” However, let’s be clear that in "KJV English," it’s used to describe serious, illicit sexual activity. Ryan Pitterson writes the following concerning this subject. The word "folly," which is translated from the Hebrew "nebalah," is commonly defined as "senseless; or disgraceful." While dictionary definitions are important, the primary source for the meaning of a word is the context in which it occurs. In the King James Version of the Old Testament, "folly" is most often used to describe sexual sin. [2] It is enlightening to look at several examples of how “folly” is used in the KJV Old Testament. And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter: which thing ought not to be done. -Genesis 34:1-2, 7 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you. -Deuteronomy 22:21 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him ["know", meaning to have sexual relations with – in this case, rape]. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. -Judges 19:22-23 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her. And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister. And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. -2 Samuel 13:1-2, 11-12 From looking at these instances, we can see that rape, fornication, and incest are three prominent contexts in which “folly” is used in the KJV Old Testament – three examples of illicit sexual activity. With this in mind, we can then look back to our original passage (Job 4:18 – “his angels he charged with folly”) and recognize that when you let scripture interpret scripture, the Bible itself confirms that a group of angels committed illicit sexual activity, providing a strong confirmation of our understanding of Genesis 6. Let’s now skip ahead to the New Testament and focus on several significant complimentary passages that also validate the angel view of Genesis 6. Jude 1:6-7 First, we will look to the book of Jude, which provides one of the principal complimentary passages on the angelic seduction of human women and subsequent rise of the Nephilim. Actually, this passage even includes within it a key to answering the question of how an angel from heaven could produce a child with a human woman. In Jude 1:6-7, we read the following. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. -Jude 1:6-7 This passage describes a certain group of angels that “kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation.” This same group of sinful angels is now described as being imprisoned in “everlasting chains under darkness” until their final judgment. Interestingly, Jude assumes that the readers are already familiar with who these angels are. In other words, he’s clearly alluding to the storyline of the fallen angels first mentioned in Genesis 6, which everyone during his day was familiar with. This is made even plainer in the next verse, which identifies the sinful activity these angels were committing – which resulted in their imprisonment. It says they were committing fornication (or illicit sexual activity) and going after “strange flesh” – much like what was happening at Sodom and Gomorrah. In "The Identity Of The Nephilim", we look deeper into the issue of what really may have been happening at Sodom and Gomorrah – but for now, let’s just say that the reference to these cities may have closer ties to Genesis 6 than most realize. Let’s not overlook the fact that the men of Sodom also wanted to have sexual relations with angels – the angels that came to visit Lot (Genesis 19:5). Again, you can find out more about that by reading our full study. For now, let’s further break down this passage in Jude. The phrase “first estate” (in “the angels which kept not their first estate”) refers to their beginning or their origin – the Greek word arché (Strong’s # G746). [3] In other words, these angels abandoned their original position as holy angels of God in heaven. It then says that they left this position by leaving their “own habitation.” As we will see, this word “habitation” is the key we referenced earlier that helps us answer the question of how an angel can come together with a human woman and produce offspring. This word translated as “habitation” is the Greek word oikétérion (Strong's # G3613), and means a dwelling place, a habitation, or an abode. [4] But here’s the key: this word oikétérion is only used twice in scripture. The only other place where it’s found is 2 Corinthians 5:2, which metaphorically describes the glorified, heavenly body that a born-again believer will one day receive in the resurrection. 2 Corinthians 5:1-6 reads: For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house [oikétérion] which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: -2 Corinthians 5:1-6 The apostle Paul uses the Greek word oikétérion (translated as “house” in Verse 2) to describe the future resurrection body that we, as believers, will receive. Pitterson further connects the dots for us, writing: The Apostle Paul, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, explains that for Christians the flesh bodies we are born with pale in comparison to the heavenly bodies we will receive at the Rapture when all believers are translated. This celestial body is immortal and does not contain the sin nature that all human beings have inherited from Adam. So, the ‘house’ that Paul desires is the same "habitation," or "oikétérion" that the angels who sinned chose to desecrate to pursue their sinful schemes. [5] Chuck Missler put it this way: The very term oikétérion, alluding to the heavenly body with which the believer longs to be clothed, is the precise term used for the heavenly bodies from which the fallen angels had disrobed. [6] Scripture is very clear that the angels were able to leave their original heavenly bodies and manifest themselves in bodies that were physical. So, the sinning sons of God who left their “habitation” to go after “strange flesh” received the punishment of being reserved in chains of darkness until the day of judgment. The renowned twentieth century Bible scholar Arthur W. Pink summarizes our position in the following comment concerning this passage in Jude. The reference in Jude to the angels leaving their own habitation appears to point to and correspond with these "sons of God" (angels) coming in unto the daughters of men. Apparently, by this means, Satan hoped to destroy the human race (the channel through which the woman’s Seed was to come) by producing a race of monstrosities. How nearly he succeeded is evident from the fact that with the exception of one family, "all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth" (Gen. 6:12). That monstrosities were produced as the result of this unnatural union between the "sons of God" (angels) and the daughters of men, is evidence from the words of Genesis 6:4: "There were giants in the earth in those days.” [7] So, we can see that this passage in Jude is a clear New Testament confirmation of the “angel view” of Genesis 6. But the New Testament continues to give us further confirmation of this in several other key verses. 2 Peter 2:4-9 Next, we will look to the book of 2 Peter, which gives us a second key complimentary passage describing the illicit union between the fallen angels and human women. 2 Peter 2:4-9 reads: For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: -2 Peter 2:4-9 In this similar passage, we again see a mention of a group of angels who sinned and received the punishment of being imprisoned in chains of darkness until the judgment. And in the verses that follow, like the passage in Jude, we again find a reference to Sodom and Gomorrah. But this passage even more clearly links these angels to the days of Noah and the Genesis 6 context. We see this in Verse 5, as it immediately refers to God’s destruction of the “old world” through the judgment of the Flood. But there’s an additional point of significance that we must make note of from this passage. As mentioned, the Greek word translated “hell” in this passage is the word Tartarus (Strong's # G5020) – and it provides us with another unique clue. First, we should note that this is the only place in scripture where this Greek word is used. This word has been variously translated in our English Bible versions; for example, the New English Bible translates it as “the dark pits of hell,” the Revised Version has it as “pits of darkness,” and the New International Version says “gloomy dungeons.” In all of these translations, depth and darkness are the distinctives of Tartarus. Normally, when, for instance, the KJV uses the word “hell,” it is translated from the Greek word hadés (Strong's # G86). Hades refers to the resting place of the dead and place of departed souls/spirits. [8] So then, why doesn’t the Bible use Hades to describe this place of imprisonment for the fallen angels (instead of Tartarus)? And if Tartarus is only used this one time in the Bible, can we know what this term refers to? Actually, the answer to the second question is “yes,” we can know what this word means – and learning what it means will answer the first question of why the Bible uses this term here. What did the word Tartarus mean to the ancient Greeks? The late author, researcher, and pastor I.D.E. Thomas tells us that this word was used by the ancient Greek poets, such as Homer. Thomas writes: When Homer used the word [Tartarus] he gave it the meaning of subterranean. Hades was the place where the souls of departed men awaited the coming judgment, but Tartarus was a much deeper and darker abyss and reserved specifically for fallen angels. [9] In Greek so-called mythology, Tartarus is the abyss described as a place lower than Hades where the Titans had been imprisoned. Who were the Titans? According to the Greek legends, the mighty Titans were a powerful race that ruled the world before the Olympians, in the time of the Golden Age of men. They were known as being immortal giants of incredible strength, and they possessed knowledge of advanced technology, or what the mortals would have called “magic,” which they brought to earth. They are also known as the “elder gods.” [10] [11] The legends of giant Titans, Olympians, gods and demigods (half god/half human) were considered by the Greeks to be based on an actual core of real history. The Greeks believed these legends and actually worshipped many of these figures as deities. But the point here is that Peter, the writer of the passage we’re examining in 2 Peter, living in a Greco-Roman world and writing in Greek, certainly knew the difference between Hades and Tartarus. Specifically choosing the word Tartarus describes another more specific place of punishment other than Hades. In other words, in this passage, Peter was deliberately linking the account of the sons of God/Nephilim in Genesis 6 with the events of Greek so-called mythology (which we propose is actually just a perversion of the Genesis 6 story). These were the “mighty men of renown” spoken of in Genesis 6:4 – men whom the Greeks viewed as gods. It is eye-opening to recognize that all of the ancient cultures have legends echoing these same concepts of heavenly beings called “gods” descending to earth, having relations with human women, and introducing advanced technology to mankind. Just as we find countless ancient cultures that record a legend of a great Deluge afflicting the planet, we find the story of the Nephilim reflected in numerous ancient cultures worldwide. Based on the Biblical record, it seems as though these so-called legends are actually based on a core of truth, and actually substantiate the Genesis 6 account. 1 Peter 3:18-20 For our third complimentary passage, we look to the book of 1 Peter, which provides us with another witness of the Genesis 6 event, and clearly connects with the common themes of the first two passages we looked at. 1 Peter 3:18-20 reads: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit; By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is eight souls were saved by water. -1 Peter 3:18-20 In this third passage, we find a reference to “spirits” who are currently in prison, and Peter identifies these spirits as being disobedient during the pre-Flood days when Noah was preparing the ark. Psalms 104:4 and then Hebrews 1:7 which quotes it, identify angels as being spirits (“…who maketh his angels spirits…”). Clearly, this is yet another reference to the angels who sinned and are now imprisoned – as Peter said in the previous passage we looked at – in Tartarus, and as the first two passages both said – in chains of darkness until the judgment. Clearly, these three passages we’ve examined are all referring to this same event – the sons of God who fell and sinned with women in Genesis 6. But in this passage, Peter says that Jesus at one point actually went to this prison to “preach” to these spirits. What does this mean? Peter is describing Christ’s time in the underworld during the time after His crucifixion and prior to His resurrection. The Greek word translated “preach” here actually means “to herald, or publicly declare.” It doesn’t mean that Jesus preached the gospel to them so that they could be saved. Instead, Jesus, while His body lay in the grave, went to Hades and proclaimed His victory to the fallen angels imprisoned there! They had lost, and He had won – and their ultimate fate was sealed! [12] Another passage that appears to confirm this understanding is found in 1 Timothy 3. In this passage, it confirms that God, in His manifestation as the Son, was “seen of angels.” And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. -1 Timothy 3:16 It would seem that when this passage mentions Jesus being “seen of angels,” it's referring to His descent into Tartarus to announce His victory. And why would Jesus need to make such an announcement? The book of Philippians describes the exaltation of Jesus after His victory on the cross. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:8-11 When this passage mentions “things under the earth” confessing the Lordship of Jesus, what could it be referring to? It clearly seems to be a reference to the underworld, which the Bible often describes as being somewhere down “within” or “underneath” the earth. While imprisoned in the underworld in Tartarus, (or the deep abyss or bottomless pit) awaiting their judgment, the sinful sons of God were completely unaware of what was happening up on the earth’s surface until Jesus showed up to herald His victory and the redemption of all humanity through His death on the cross! Whether it was at that moment or in the future, these fallen angels will also bow before Him! The more you begin to understand the circumstances surrounding Genesis 6 and the Nephilim, the more the dots of scripture become connected. And so, after looking at these three complimentary passages in detail (found in Jude, and 1 and 2 Peter), it should be clear to us that the New Testament absolutely corroborates the interpretation of Genesis 6 that we are advocating. In fact, if these verses are not describing the angels that fell in Genesis 6, to which angels are they then referring? The Bible gives us no indication that any of the other angels that fell with Satan are imprisoned anywhere. If all of the fallen angels were imprisoned, then who are the fallen angels described in scripture as being active in the world? For example, in Daniel Chapter 10, we are told that the moment Daniel began to pray, God sent an angel to minister to him – yet, the angel tells us that he was opposed and held up for twenty-one days by the “prince of Persia” – referring to a fallen angelic entity that controlled the kingdom of Persia. Additionally, in Ephesians 6:12 we are told that we as Christians battle against ranks of fallen angels who, under Satan’s leadership, exert their wicked influence over the earth. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. -Ephesians 6:12 The fallen angels referred to here are not “chained” anywhere. They will ultimately be defeated, but as of now, they’re able to move around and influence life on earth – which is why we face spiritual warfare in our Christian walk. If they were all chained in prison, earth would be a much more wonderful and godly place! So, the point is, if you’re hesitant to accept what’s being clearly taught in Genesis 6:4 concerning human-angelic sexual relations producing giant Nephilim offspring, it is on you then to explain the identity of the fallen angels imprisoned in Tartarus that are being described in Jude and 1 + 2 Peter. In addition, you also need to explain the passage in Job that describes the “folly” of the angels – referring to illicit sexual activity. Clearly, the only explanation is that these fallen angels that are currently bound in chains of darkness are the "sons of God" who fell and committed sexual sin with human women in the time before the Flood, as described in Genesis 6. There is no other coherent Biblical explanation. [1] “King James English,” Bible Research. (http://www.bible-researcher.com/english.html - Retrieved 5/02/21) [2] Ryan Pitterson, Judgment of the Nephilim, New York, NY: Days of Noe, 2017, p. 106. [3] Strong’s Concordance, entry “746, arché,” BibleHub.com. (https://biblehub.com/greek/746.htm - Retrieved 4/16/21) [4] Strong’s Concordance, entry “3613, oikétérion,” BibleHub.com. (https://biblehub.com/greek/3613.htm - Retrieved 4/16/21) [5] Pitterson, p. 102-103. [6] Chuck Missler, “Textual Controversy: Mischievous Angels or Sethites?” Aug. 1, 1997, Koinonia House. (https://khouse.org/articles/1997/110/ - Retrieved 4/16/21) [7] Arthur W. Pink, Gleanings in Genesis, Chicago: Moody Bible Institute, 1922, p. 93. [8] Englishman’s Concordance, entry “86, ᾅδης (hadés),” BibleHub.com. (https://biblehub.com/greek/strongs_86.htm - Retrieved 4/16/21) [9] I.D.E. Thomas, The Omega Conspiracy, Anomalos Publishing House, 2008, pp. 101-102. [10] “The Titans, elder Greek gods and first divine rulers,” GreekGods.org. (https://www.greek-gods.org/titans.php - Retrieved 4/17/21) [11] “Titans of Greek Mythology: Facts & Overview,” Sept. 9, 2016, Study.com. (https://study.com/academy/lesson/titans-of-greek-mythology-facts-lesson-quiz.html - Retrieved 4/17/21) [12] NASB Lexicon, entry “1 Peter 3:19,” BibleHub.com. (https://biblehub.com/lexicon/1_peter/3-19.htm - Retrieved 4/15/21)

(From the study "The Identity Of The Nephilim") The reemergence of hybrid Nephilim-type entities during the end times certainly appears to be hinted at in scripture – and is actually a phenomenon that bears great relevance to events already taking place in our world right now. In our study, we discuss the burgeoning reports of what has been called “alien abduction,” and how this phenomenon is likely identified with fallen angels who are masquerading as “extraterrestrials” – being preoccupied with genetic experimentation and human hybridization. In his book, Confrontations – A Scientist’s Search for Alien Contact, the highly regarded UFO researcher Dr. Jacques Vallée concluded the following. Contact with [aliens is] only a modern extension of the age-old tradition of contact with nonhuman consciousness in the form of angels, demons, elves, and sylphs. [1] Researchers Tom Horn and Cris Putnam detail much evidence supporting these subjects in their information-packed book Exo-Vaticana. Based on the evidence they present (much of which is beyond our scope here), they conclude by saying: Today, what some call "alien abduction," in which a breeding program allegedly exists resulting in alien/human hybrids, seems but a contemporary retelling of similar DNA harvesting and genetic manipulation by those mysterious beings called "Watchers" whose genetic modification activities we have discussed. [2] We should not be surprised that activity like this is taking place in our modern times – and we should expect it to increase further as we get closer to the time of the end. A possible glimpse of this activity may be given to us in Daniel 2:43. In Daniel 2, the prophet Daniel interprets the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a great multi-metallic statue. In the dream, the king saw a vision of a giant statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay. He then saw a stone not cut by human hand come down and strike the statue, breaking it into pieces. The wind then carried away the pieces like dust, leaving no traces behind. The stone then turned into a gigantic mountain that covered the earth. This dream greatly troubled the king, and none of his priests, advisors, or soothsayers were able to give the interpretation – except for the Hebrew prophet Daniel. Daniel explained to the king that the statue represented four successive human kingdoms, beginning with Babylon – while the stone and mountain signified a future kingdom established by God that would never be destroyed. But in Verse 43, when discussing the final phase of the final human kingdom, we find an interesting allusion to an unnamed kind of entity mingling themselves with the “seed of men.” Let’s read Verses 40-44 of this chapter. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. -Daniel 2:40-44 Many commentators have pointed out the fact that Verse 43 seems to be describing a type of being that is something other than the “seed of men.” In other words, since the “seed of men” in the Bible is a label meaning “all mankind,” then in order for something to mix itself with the seed of men, that “something” must be something other than the seed of men. Who could this refer to? Are there any other beings notoriously mentioned in scripture who historically intermingled with the seed of men? Of course, the answer is yes – and it’s the subject of our study. Fallen angels have intermingled their seed with the seed of men in the past, producing hybrid Nephilim offspring, and according to this cryptic prophecy of Satan’s final kingdom during the end times, we can see that this activity will once again be recapitulated. Author, pastor, and researcher Douglas Hamp further bolsters this conclusion, as he gives us further insight into the morphology of this passage. Note: In linguistics, morphology is the study of words, how they’re formed, and their relationship to other words in the same language. An important clue to understanding this phrase is to understand what is being mixed. This portion of Daniel (Daniel 2:4b-7:28) was written in Aramaic because of the direct communication to Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and their visions (with the vision of chapter seven happening during Belshazzar’s reign). The word "mingle" [mitarvin מִתְעָרְבִ֤ין] is a third person plural hitpaal (as confirmed by the Westminster Hebrew Morphology Codes). The hitpaal is virtually identical to the Hebrew hitpael. The basic usage is reflexive which means that the subject is also the object, for example: "I dress myself" is where "I," the subject, do the action (dress) and "I" also receive the action of the verb (being dressed). Thus, the hitpaal verb of Daniel 2:43 conveys that same meaning. Therefore "they" are the ones doing the action, but they are also doing it to themselves. Thus, the idea is that "they" (the subject) will mingle themselves (the object of the verb) with something else. This is reflected in the numerous English translations available of Daniel 2:43. [3] So, the mysterious “they” are mingling themselves with something else – the seed of men. This confirms that “they” are not men. In the article we just quoted from, Hamp goes on to explore the possible identification of the mysterious “they.” The text says that "they will mingle themselves." The antecedent of a pronoun usually comes before it, but since there is no other defining noun for "they," we must look at the next possible noun which is "these kings" in verse 44. Thus, the word that defines "they" is in fact "these kings." Just like those two materials do not blend well, neither will "these kings" with the seed of men. … They (the ten kings) must be some beings that are able to mix their seed with mankind but are different from mankind, and just as we saw in the Jude 1:7 passage, the strange flesh reference (mingling with a different kind) seems to be referring to demons (fallen angels) having sexual relations with women. [4] So, since there is no previous antecedent identifying the “they” in Verse 43, Hamp suggests we look ahead to Verse 44 in order to understand who “they” are. Verse 44 mentions a group of kings that will be ruling during the period leading up to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, who is the rock that destroys their kingdom. Why though, does Hamp believe these are ten kings? He explains it as follows, speaking about the fourth kingdom, which many theologians have identified with being the historical Roman Empire (the two legs of the statue and later the ten toes), but also representing a future expression of Rome as the end time kingdom of the Antichrist. Hamp says: The Roman Empire is described in amazing precision by noting that it would become two legs. The Roman Empire was not divided into two parts, Eastern and Western, until A.D. 285 by Diocletian – over 700 years later! However, the kingdom will be governed by a group of ten kings represented by the ten toes. The ten toes are equal to the ten kings found in Daniel 7:24 and Revelation 17:12 and they are partly strong and partly weak. "And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile," (Daniel 2:42). [5] Hamp connects the ten toes with the ten kings that are mentioned in other parallel prophetic passages that also speak of this same time. The first passage he mentioned (Daniel 7:23-24), reads as follows. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. -Daniel 7:23-24 This passage also speaks of this same fourth kingdom, but instead of using the “ten toes” imagery, it speaks of them as being ten horns, which it then explicitly identifies as ten kings. The second passage he mentioned (Revelation 17:12), reads as follows. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. -Revelation 17:12 In this passage in Revelation, the apostle John is given a similar understanding of the end times, in which ten kings would rule, receiving their power from the Beast (or the Antichrist), whom they were under. Based upon the wording in this passage in Revelation, Hamp makes the following observation, which bolsters his earlier conclusion that these ten kings are fallen angels. If we zoom in just a bit we notice something important; the ten horns "are ten kings" which "have received no kingdom as yet". John was told that there are kings (current to his day) that do not yet have a kingdom. However, these same kings (alive in John’s day) will receive their kingdom when the Beast rises to power. It has been nearly two thousand years since John received the Revelation from Jesus on the island of Patmos. What human kings have been alive for two thousand years? Clearly the answer is none! Therefore, the only option left are kings that do not die but continue – demons do not physically die and therefore the ten kings were present back in John’s day, had no kingdom but will receive the kingdom when the Beast comes, and so we conclude that the kings are necessarily demonic kings. [6] If Hamp’s suggestion is correct that the “they” of Daniel 2:43 can be identified with the “kings” in Daniel 2:44 (who appear to be fallen angels), then that only bolsters our understanding of the kind of activity that will be ongoing during the end times. But whether “they” refers to the ten kings or to someone else, the grammar is clear that it must be a type of being other than a human being – and that is the real point here. Genetic hybridization will be going on during this time. But that isn’t all the Bible says about this kind of activity happening during the end times. The Old Testament book of the prophet Isaiah speaks in detail about the end times, and mentions the reemergence of monsters, hybrids, and giants. Let’s look deeper into this. Perhaps the most well-known of all hybrids is the satyr. It is half human, half goat, and is found all over the pages of human history – especially in Greek so-called mythology. A wiki page focused on Greek mythology describes satyrs as follows. Satyrs are creatures with the upper half of a man but the lower half and horns of a goat. Satyrs are often depicted as drunken, lustful creatures who are often chasing after nymphs because of their beauty. They are sometimes associated with the gods Pan and Dionysus. [7] Interestingly, the Bible prophesies the return of satyrs in the last days. It is also interesting to make note of the context in which they’re mentioned. This chapter in which they're mentioned speaks prophetically concerning the future destruction of Babylon that is to occur during the judgment phase of the broad Day of the Lord. The following passage in Isaiah describes satyrs inhabiting these future ruins of Babylon during this time. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. -Isaiah 13:21 Many English Bibles translate this Hebrew term as “wild goats” instead of satyrs, but there are several translations that hold to what seems to be the original meaning and intent of the author – which is to describe a creature beyond just a normal goat. For instance, the International Standard Version phrases it as: But desert beasts will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there owls will dwell, and goat-demons will dance there. -Isaiah 13:21 (ISV) But the most interesting reading is found in Brenton’s Septuagint Translation. Let’s keep in mind that the Septuagint was the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament that was completed several hundred years before Christ, and may preserve the earliest reading. It says: But wild beasts shall rest there; and the houses shall be filled with howling; and monsters shall rest there, and devils shall dance there, -Isaiah 13:21, (LXX) [8] The verse that follows (Verse 22) specifically mentions satyrs as well. And satyrs shall dwell there; and hedgehogs shall make their nests in their houses. It will come soon, and will not tarry. -Isaiah 13:22, (LXX) [9] Several times in Scripture this Hebrew term is rendered “devils” (in the KJV – Leviticus 17:7 and 2 Chronicles 11:15), where it actually signifies a pagan god. We know the ancients worshipped these hybrid beings and esteemed them as gods – and we recognize their true identity as either fallen angels or Nephilim hybrids. According to this prophecy in Isaiah, they will apparently be making a comeback in the end times. Interestingly, this verse mentioning satyrs in Isaiah 13 is preceded by several other unusual verses that we may not easily recognize in the modern English translations. However, the unusual nature of these verses is better preserved in the Septuagint. They speak of giants being released during the Day of the Lord, and are said to enter through what might be an ancient description of an inter-dimensional gateway or portal. These verses (Isaiah 13:1-9 in the Septuagint) read as follows. THE VISION WHICH ESAIAS SON OF AMOS SAW AGAINST BABYLON. Lift up a standard on the mountain of the plain, exalt the voice to them, beckon with the hand, open the gates, ye rulers. I give command, and I bring them: giants are coming to fulfil my wrath, rejoicing at the same time and insulting. A voice of many nations on the mountains, even like to that of many nations; a voice of kings and nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts has given command to a war-like nation, to come from a land afar off, from the utmost foundation of heaven; the Lord and his warriors are coming to destroy all the world. Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is near, and destruction from God shall arrive. Therefore every hand shall become powerless, and every soul of man shall be dismayed. The elders shall be troubled, and pangs shall seize them, as of a woman in travail: and they shall mourn one to another, and shall be amazed, and shall change their countenance as a flame. For behold! the day of the Lord is coming which cannot be escaped, a day of wrath and anger, to make the world desolate, and to destroy sinners out of it. -Isaiah 13:1-9, (LXX) [10] In this passage, the eschatological Day of the Lord is described, in which God’s wrath will be poured out upon the wicked, culminating in Christ’s Second Coming and the establishment of His earthly kingdom. During this time, giants will be released to wreak havoc upon the earth. Like we pointed out earlier, God will use Satan’s plans in order to bring about His own purposes. Notice how these giants are described as “God’s warriors” in this passage. They are God’s in the sense that He will use them to administer divine wrath during this coming time of tribulation. It seems clear that the events occurring in those days will include some of the strangest things one can imagine (involving satyrs, monsters, giants, portals, hybrids, etc.). Life on Earth is going to become very bizarre before it’s all over – and it gives us some insight into the possible meaning of the prophetic words of Jesus in Luke 21:26, part of the Olivet Discourse, which describe this same time period. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. -Luke 21:25-26 We notice Jesus’ statement that during this time there will be fearful things coming upon the earth that will be so utterly horrifying that men will suffer severe heart-attacks out of intense distress. The return of Nephilim giants, satyrs, and hybrid monsters of all types would certainly do the trick! This same overwhelming dread is also mentioned back in Isaiah 13, just several verses after the giants coming through the gates are spoken of. We read this earlier in Verses 7 and 8. Every soul of man shall be dismayed. The elders shall be troubled, and pangs shall seize them, as of a woman in travail: and they shall mourn one to another, and shall be amazed, and shall change their countenance as a flame. -Isaiah 13:7-8 (LXX) [11] So, this same intense fear that Jesus discusses was not a completely new revelation. It was already spoken of all the way back in Isaiah. In light of all of this, we can understand that the Bible clearly depicts the return of the Nephilim as a future reality. We can truly conclude that this will be a time when the paranormal becomes the new normal. [1] Jacques Vallée, Confrontations – A Scientist’s Search for Alien Contact, New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1990, p. 159. [2] Cris Putnam and Tom Horn, Exo-Vaticana, Crane, MO: Defender Publishing, 2013, p. 121. [3] Douglas Hamp, “Mingling with the Seed of Men,” Apr. 24, 2011, DouglasHamp.com. (https://www.douglashamp.com/part-eleven-mingling-with-the-seed-of-men/ - Retrieved 8/14/21) [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] “Satyr,” Greek Mythology Wiki. (https://greekmythology.wikia.org/wiki/Satyr - Retrieved 8/14/21) [8] The Brenton translation of the Septuagint, Isaiah 13:21, Bible Study Tools. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/esias/13.html - Retrieved 8/13/21) [9] Ibid. [10] Ibid. [11] Ibid.

(From the study "The Identity Of The Nephilim") In the previous article, we examined some of the Biblical passages that seem to describe hybrid Nephilim-type entities reemerging during the end times. But since we recognize the distinction between the Nephilim and the sons of God (or fallen angels of Genesis 6), it is important for us to also examine what the Bible says about the return of these fallen entities. It turns out that Scripture provides plenty of often-overlooked passages that do discuss the end times return of the fallen angels who sinned in Genesis 6. One passage we mentioned in the previous article, Luke 21:25-26, we believe may also relate to the return of the sons of God. In this verse which is part of Jesus' famed Olivet Discourse, He describes men’s hearts failing them for fear of the things coming upon the earth during the Day of the Lord. As we will see, it’s not only the Nephilim that are said to return during the end times, but the sons of God as well. We will begin by going back to the Old Testament prophets, where there are a number of passages that routinely get overlooked by Christians. First, we need to focus our attention on Ezekiel Chapters 31 and 32, which we believe give us a panoramic view of past history, as well as the future destiny of the fallen sons of God from Genesis 6. These chapters refer to an enigmatic being called "the Assyrian." Author and researcher Ryan Pitterson advocates that this is a reference to a pre-Flood fallen angelic ruler who was preeminent on the earth during that time. Pitterson summarizes these two important chapters by writing the following. Ezekiel 31 and 32 chronicle the rise and fall of the supreme angel who ruled the antediluvian kingdom of fallen angels and their Rephaim [or Nephilim] children. This king, referred to as "the Assyrian," was the first global ruler and the most powerful of all the Genesis 6 apostate angels. The book of Ezekiel chronicles his rise to prominence, the destruction of his kingdom, and one of the main reasons the Lord administered such a catastrophic flood judgment. Unlike the extra-biblical texts, the Bible provides specific details regarding the means and timing of the judgment of the sinning angels and the Nephilim and how they ended up deep in the abyss. It also contains prophetic references to the future return of the angels who sinned and the fate of the giants in hell. [1] While this unfamiliar linkage may at first seem to be a stretch, let's look a bit deeper into it. Often in Scripture, God will issue a prophetic address that appears on the surface to be directed toward a human being, such as an earthly king. However, at some point in the discourse, it becomes clear that this address transcends that earthly figure and instead is directed toward a supernatural being – possibly the true power behind that earthly figure. This is done in some very well-known passages, such as Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. In Isaiah 14, the passage begins by addressing the earthly king of Babylon, but as the chapter continues, it becomes obvious that the message is really directed at the power behind that earthly king – none other than Satan himself. This is clear as the passage later on addresses the figure as “Lucifer, son of the morning,” describing him in a way that clearly transcends any earthly king. In Ezekiel 28, this same type of address takes place, first appearing to be directed toward the earthly king of Tyre. But as the chapter progresses, it clearly begins to again concern Satan himself. Yet another example is Psalm 22, in which the passage seems to begin by describing the earthly trials of King David – but later on, clearly begins to transcend the experiences of David and becomes a clear Messianic prophecy of the future experiences of Jesus Christ on the cross. With this in mind, we can better understand Ezekiel 31, which similarly records a cryptic address to the figure called “the Assyrian,” who could very well be a fallen angelic ruler of the pre-Flood world. You can come to your own conclusion as we continue. In similar style to the other prophetic chapters we just referenced, as this Ezekiel 31 passage begins, it appears to be addressing the earthly ruler called Pharaoh, the king of Egypt – but as it progresses, it begins to describe a mysterious angelic being referred to as “the Assyrian,” whose pre-Flood kingdom was brought to ruin by the judgment of God. While a comprehensive treatment of this passage is beyond our scope here, Pitterson undertakes a detailed analysis of this chapter in Ezekiel – including all of the key imagery – in Chapter 11 of his book Judgment of the Nephilim. He points out that Ezekiel 31 is full of language that is past tense (related to a former judgment of the Assyrian and the sons of god), but that Chapter 32’s language is future-tense (detailing their future final judgment). But as we will see, this final judgment will only take place after God allows for a final end times rampage of the Assyrian when he and his fallen horde are temporarily released from their captivity in the abyss. We will piece this together and show how clear the Bible is about this end times return. Let’s begin by asking the question: “Where does Scripture tell us the fallen sons of God of Genesis 6 fame are currently being held?” As we’ve shown throughout these articles and address in even further depth in our study, the answer is clear – they are currently imprisoned in chains of darkness in Tartarus – the pit, the lowest part of hell, or the abyss. We were clearly told this in Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4 – two passages we reviewed in great detail in a previous article. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. -Jude 1:6 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; -2 Peter 2:4 Like we pointed out, Tartarus is the word used in Greek "mythology" to refer to the abyss, or the bottomless pit – the lowest part of Hell, a place where the giant Titans had been imprisoned. As we also said, this word Tartarus has been variously translated in our English Bible versions. For example, the New English Bible translates Tartarus as “the dark pits of hell,” the Revised Version has it as “pits of darkness,” and the New International Version says “gloomy dungeons.” In all of these translations, depth and darkness are the distinctives of Tartarus. And as both Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4 state, this is the place where the angels that sinned are being held until their final judgment. And as it seems we’re told in Ezekiel 31 – our chapter in question – these imprisoned angels have a king referred to as the Assyrian. With this as our background, we should now be able to understand exactly what’s happening as the 5th Trumpet sounds during the Tribulation, as later seen by John in his apocalyptic vision recorded in Revelation Chapter 9. In this passage, Tartarus (the bottomless pit or abyss) is opened, and the Assyrian and the fallen angels of Genesis 6 are temporarily released during the Day of the Lord to wreak havoc upon the earth. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. -Revelation 9:1-11 The first thing to note is that these are not actual locusts (as in insects). Locusts do not have the faces of men, the hair of women, the teeth of lions, breastplates like iron, or stings like scorpions. Locusts also do not have kings reigning over them as these Revelation 9 locusts are said to have. In fact, we see this plainly written in Proverbs 30:27, describing actual locusts. The locusts have no king… -Proverbs 30:27 Furthermore, locusts don’t live in “the bottomless pit” – which is the place from which these “5th Trumpet locusts” get released. So then, what are these creatures? Well, who do we know is currently being held in the abyss, or the bottomless pit? That of course would be the fallen angels who sinned with women in Genesis 6 that Jude and Peter told us are currently being imprisoned there in chains of darkness. These “locusts” in Revelation 9 are the fallen angels being released from the abyss! This is positive confirmation of a return of the fallen sons of God in the Day of the Lord. They are led by a king, who is described as “the angel of the bottomless pit” – another confirmation that these locusts are fallen angels. This angel’s name is called Abaddon in Hebrew, but Apollyon in Greek. We believe this king to be the Assyrian of Ezekiel 31 and 32, who, along with the other fallen angels, are being released to torment the earth for a time. We’re told that their torment will be so severe that it will cause people to want to die, but for some reason they will not be able to. Interestingly, the Hebrew term Abaddon (Strong’s # H11) means “(a place of) destruction or ruin,” [2] and is first used in the book of Job in direct connection with Hell. Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof. Hell is naked before him, and destruction [Abaddon] hath no covering. -Job 26:5-6 In fact, the New American Standard Bible doesn’t even translate this word – it leaves the Hebrew term Abaddon. Sheol is naked before Him, And Abaddon has no covering. -Job 26:5-6 (NASB) But the Septuagint brings out an additional nuance, as it actually mentions the giants who are in Hell. Shall giants be born from under the water and the inhabitants thereof? Hell is naked before him, and destruction [Abaddon] has no covering. -Job 26:5-6, (LXX) [3] So, it would seem as though the Assyrian took on a name descriptive of Hell itself – which makes perfect sense, as he is called the “angel of the bottomless pit” in Revelation 9. Let’s also understand another interesting connection to the pre-Flood judgment – the duration of five months. In the passage we just read (Revelation 9), we saw that the so-called “locusts” would torment the earth for a period of five months. It’s critical to understand that the prophetic Biblical calendar uses 360-day years instead of our modern 365.25-day solar year. It was Sir Robert Anderson who first recognized this key and used it to help unlock the mystery of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy found in Daniel 9:24-27. [4] If you would like to learn more about this, please consult our study entitled, “The Daniel 9:25 Prophecy: An Exact Timeline For The Arrival Of The Messiah”. In that study, we show that the only Biblically sound way to calculate the duration of Daniel’s seventy weeks of years is by utilizing this key of the 360-day prophetic year. A quick summary of our rationale is that the Bible clearly describes the final week – Daniel’s seventieth week, what many refer to as the Tribulation – as consisting of 360-day years. We find that the Bible refers to this final seven-year “week” as consisting of two halves each comprised of periods of forty-two months or 1,260 days. When you do the math, it requires that this final seven-year period is comprised of thirty-day months and 360-day years. 42 months x 30 days per month = 1,260 days …or… 1,260 days / 3.5 years = 360 days per year With this in mind, we can understand that the five months of the locusts’ torment (described in Revelation 9) is equivalent to 150 days (five 30-month days = 150 days). But another Biblical example that bears direct connection to the locusts’ 150-day period of torment is the time of the original judgment of the pre-Flood world in Genesis. During the time of the Flood, Noah tells us that a period of 150 days began on the seventeenth day of the second month, and ended on the seventeenth day of the seventh month (Genesis 7:11, 24; 8:3-4). This is an exactly five-month period (150 / 5 months = 30 days per month). What’s the point here? Pitterson summarizes it well. These locusts are released from Hell for 150 days to torment the earth as part of God’s judgment – the exact amount of time the Assyrian, the sinning angels, and their Nephilim sons were tormented by the Flood in the days of Noah. [5] But Revelation Chapter 9 is not the only prophetic glimpse the Bible gives us concerning this latter-day return of the sons of God. Joel Chapter 2 also seems to warn us of this same event with similar descriptive detail. As we read through this somewhat lengthy passage, notice all of the details that identify it as the same time period and same event described later in Revelation 9. Sound the trumpet in Sion, make a proclamation in my holy mountain, and let all the inhabitants of the land be confounded: for the day of the Lord is near; for a day of darkness and gloominess is near, a day of cloud and mist: a numerous and strong people shall be spread upon the mountains as the morning; there has not been from the beginning one like it, and after it there shall not be again even to the years of many generations. Before them is a consuming fire, and behind them is a flame kindled: the land before them is as a paradise of delight, and behind them a desolate plain: and there shall none of them escape. Their appearance is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they pursue. As the sound of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, and as the sound of a flame of fire devouring stubble, and as a numerous and strong people setting themselves in array for battle. Before them shall the people be crushed: every face as the blackness of a caldron. As warriors shall they run, and as men of war shall they mount on the walls; and each shall move in his path, and they shall not turn aside from their tracks: and not one shall stand aloof from his brother: they shall go on weighed down with their arms, and they fall upon their weapons, yet shall they in no wise be destroyed. They shall seize upon the city, and run upon the walls, and go up upon the houses, and enter in through the windows as thieves. Before them the earth shall be confounded, and the sky shall be shaken: the sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their light. And the Lord shall utter his voice before his host: for his camp is very great: for the execution of his words is mighty: for the day of the Lord is great, very glorious, and who shall be able to it? -Joel 2:1-11, (LXX) [6] This passage in Joel contains many of the same themes also mentioned in Revelation 9 – for example, the prevalence of darkness and smoke, a strong army unlike any other that consumes everything in front of it, their appearance being like horses, their sound like many chariots, the extreme horror and distress of the earth-dwellers, and the heavenly bodies failing to give light. In addition, we should make note of the immediate context of the book of Joel. In the first chapter, it describes a literal locust plague that had devastated the land of Israel (Verse 4). Then (similarly to Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28 and 31, and Psalm 22), the context clearly begins to transcend that event and focuses on an ultimate far-term context during the eschatological Day of the Lord. The prophet begins to see a day when “locusts” of another kind will terrorize the inhabitants of the earth. Although Joel does not explicitly call these beings locusts, we’ve shown from the contextual parellels that he’s very likely describing the same event that John saw in Revelation 9 – and of course, John did call them locusts. So, we have very good reason to believe that Joel and John are speaking of the same event – the release of a supernatural army of the fallen sons of God who have been imprisoned in the abyss since the judgment poured out upon them by God in the days of Enoch. Pitterson says it well. For 150 days, Hell will literally be unleashed upon Earth. These passages affirm why Jesus Christ prophesied the final years on earth would be "as the days of Noah" (Matthew 24:37). [7] Let’s also acknowledge the possibility that these passages in Revelation 9 and Joel 2 could be also connected with the passage we examined in the previous article – Isaiah 13, which describes the same time period, speaking of giants coming through a gateway and God bringing “His warriors” to bring judgment upon the earth. Are the fallen sons of God who are being released from the abyss also part of the army of warriors God spoke of in Isaiah 13? We examined that passage through the lenses of the return of the Nephilim. But is it possible that this all happens at the same time? It’s certainly something to consider, as the context in all three chapters is the judgment phase of the broad Day of the Lord. Now that we understand this aspect of end times prophecy – in which the fallen sons of God who are currently imprisoned in the abyss will be temporarily released during the Day of the Lord – let’s now proceed on to Ezekiel Chapter 32. Earlier, we discussed the Assyrian, whose pre-Flood kingdom was brought to ruin by the judgment of God. In Revelation 9, we witnessed the end times return of this fallen angel, now called “Abaddon” or “Apollyon,” as the Genesis 6 fallen angels are released from their imprisonment. But this release will be temporary. As we also saw in Revelation 9, they were only given permission to wreak havoc upon the earth for 150 days. As we now proceed into Ezekiel Chapter 32, we will find future-tense imagery detailing their future, final judgment. Looking into Ezekiel 32, we find a lamentation for the “strength of Egypt,” which we believe is a cryptic reference to these imprisoned fallen angels under the Assyrian’s command who get released from the pit during the Day of the Lord, but are ultimately judged by God and condemned to an eternity in Hell fire. This is brought out more clearly in the Septuagint, which actually refers to the Nephilim giants who will greet these fallen angels upon their final descent into Hell. Verses 18-21 describe this. We will read it in the Septuagint. Son of man, lament over the strength of Egypt, for the nations shall bring down her daughters dead to the depth of the earth, to them that go down to the pit. They shall fall with him in the midst of them slain with the sword, and all his strength shall perish: the giants also shall say to thee, Be thou in the depth of the pit: to whom art thou superior? yea, go down, and lie with the uncircumcised, in the midst of them slain with the sword. -Ezekiel 32:18-21, (LXX) [8] This passage states that as the “strength of Egypt” (or the hordes of fallen angels serving under the Assyrian) descend into Hell, they will be greeted by the Nephilim giants who will be astonished at their defeat. The giants essentially say to them, “you’ve been defeated and cast permanently into Hell just as we were, therefore you’re no greater than us even though we’re your offspring!” The passage then continues: And they are laid with the giants that fell of old, who went down to Hades with weapons of war: and they laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities were upon their bones, because they terrified all men during their life. And thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that have been slain by the sword. -Ezekiel 32:27-28, (LXX) [9] This passage shows that the rebel angels will be laid right alongside the “giants that fell of old,” bringing to mind the words of Genesis 6:4, which described the Nephilim as “mighty men which were of old,” – a Biblical reference to the pre-Flood age. This passage also mentions how the pre-Flood Nephilim had gone down to Hell with their “weapons of war.” In other words, the judgment of the Flood quickly sucked them down to Hell like a giant whirlpool – weapons and all. This brings to mind the story of the revolt of Korah in the Old Testament. When Korah rebelled against Moses, Numbers Chapter 16 tells us that God literally opened up the earth, swallowing the rebels, their families, and all their possessions. It was in this way that the Flood swallowed up the pre-Flood Nephilim and brought them down into the pit of Hell. This is the fashion in which the enemies of God are brought down, and at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus Christ will be revealed at His coming, He will pour out this final judgment upon all of His enemies – including Satan and his angels, the Assyrian, the rebel angels of Genesis 6, their Nephilim giant offspring, and the earth-dwelling humans who followed after their wickedness instead of following after God. So, the Bible is clear that God will allow the Assyrian and his angels one final return where they’ll be permitted to torment the earth for a short time prior to their own ultimate judgment, which has already been prophesied of in Ezekiel 32. They will be cast into the judgment of eternal Hell fire alongside the Nephilim giants and the other wicked dead. [1] Ryan Pitterson, Judgment of the Nephilim, New York, NY: Days of Noe, 2017, p. 167. [2] Strong’s Concordance, entry “11, abaddon,” BibleHub.com. (https://biblehub.com/hebrew/11.htm - Retrieved 8/15/21) [3] The Brenton translation of the Septuagint, Job 26:5-6, Bible Study Tools. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/job/26.html - Retrieved 6/12/21) [4] Robert Anderson, The Coming Prince, 10th ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, repr. 1957. [5] Pitterson, p. 190. [6] The Brenton translation of the Septuagint, Joel 2:1-11, Bible Study Tools. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/joel/2.html - Retrieved 8/15/21) [7] Pitterson, p. 193. [8] The Brenton translation of the Septuagint, Ezekiel 32:18-21, Bible Study Tools. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/jezekiel/32.html - Retrieved 8/15/21) [9] Ibid.

It may startle you to discover the treasures hidden in the wedding rituals of the ancient Hebrews, which God instituted. It is astonishing to recognize that everything that God has said about His marriage to His bride, the Church, was anticipated thousands of years earlier in the institution of these customs. That fact is a profound piece of evidence that the author of the Bible is not bound to the constraints of time as we are. Rather, it is profound proof of His reality, and demonstrates His origin to be from outside of time. These insights we will examine also demonstrate the integration of the Bible, which is another proof that demonstrates its Author to be from outside time. Because the Bible is composed of sixty-six books, written by over forty authors who mostly didn’t know each other, over an almost two thousand-year time span, to then discover that it is thoroughly integrated down to the subtle nuances is a proof of its extra-dimensional origin. Furthermore, the fact that its human authors could not have understood the true depth of meaning behind the “types and shadows” embedded into their inspired writings is a fact that echoes its inspiration from outside time. This content of this multi-part article series should continue to amaze you concerning God’s precision in that regard. Not only does this provide a profound awareness regarding our prophetic perspective, but it also demonstrates the incredible love and affection with which God views us. At face value, most of these insights are not obvious to the modern reader. However, by becoming in touch with the Hebraic roots of the Bible, we can better comprehend the depth of anticipatory design embedded into both the Biblical record and the ancient Hebrew culture. All through the Gospels, Jesus relied on the ancient Jewish wedding pattern for many of His parables (Matthew 22:1-14; 25:1-13), climaxing in His Bridegroom’s promise in the Upper Room in John 14. We will explore these references within this study in order to recognize the full importance of these allusions. Unfortunately, many of us miss seeing the full depth of meaning by our modern unfamiliarity with the model of ancient Jewish wedding rituals. The Hebrew wedding involved a number of important rituals typologically correlating with the marriage of Christ and the Church. We will investigate seventeen of them in these articles. The following are not necessarily in strict order, yet they follow the general process of the ancient Hebrew wedding. Let’s begin to examine these astonishing parallels. 1.) Erusin - Betrothal The first step in a Hebrew marriage was betrothal (erusin). [1] Betrothal involved the establishment of an engagement covenant (te’naim), leading up to the marriage covenant (ketubah), as initiated by a prospective bridegroom (chatan). The ketubah is the final document that stipulates all expectations and conditions for the marriage between the husband and wife. [2] Jesus explicitly refers to Himself as the Bridegroom in the following passage in Mark. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. -Mark 2:18-20 So, Jesus identifies Himself as the Bridegroom. The following verse tells us that, like every Jewish bridegroom, Jesus came from His Father’s house and travelled to the home of his bride (kallah). I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: -John 16:28a So, Jesus emphasized that He as the Bridegroom had come to earth, from His Father’s house, to find Himself a bride. We see from the above passage in Mark, and others, that He makes it clear He will at some point leave, and later return for His bride, as was the normal betrothal custom. It was normal for the bridegroom to often take the initiative in establishing a marriage covenant. Key Parallel: In ancient Jewish culture, in order to initiate betrothal, the prospective bridegroom would travel from his father’s house to the house of the prospective bride. In like manner, Jesus left His Father’s house in heaven and “travelled” to earth (through the Incarnation), the home of His prospective bride, the Church. 2.) The Mohar – The Bride Price Upon arrival at the home of the young woman, the prospective bridegroom would negotiate with the woman’s father as to the bride price (mohar – Strong’s # H4119) he must pay to “purchase” his bride, as was the custom (Genesis 24:53; 34:12; Exodus 22:15-16; 1 Samuel 18:25; Hosea 3:2). [3] On a practical level, since the Father was losing a valuable member of his household (the bride), and had spent considerably to raise, feed, and house her since she was young, the mohar paid to the father was to help compensate him for these costs. Jesus understood – because as God, He established this tradition – that He could not simply obtain a wife without paying a price (a mohar) for His bride. The necessity of a mohar is one of the most overlooked reasons for His death. You must recognize that He died not only to be free from the law of marriage with Israel, but He died also in order to present a mohar to His bride, the Church. In order to understand this, you must recognize that you as a believer have been purchased (redeemed), as the aforementioned passage in Ephesians 1 describes. Until the redemption of the purchased possession [referring to us as Christians] …. -Ephesians 1:14 So, as the bride, Christ has purchased us. We will discuss shortly what He used to pay for, or redeem us. But to understand the true depths of this, you need to see this from the cultural aspects of that time. In the ancient customs, it was not only necessary to simply present a mohar to the woman’s father, but you had to present a suitable mohar according to the woman’s social status (1 Samuel 18:23). For example, if you were marrying a commoner or a peasant woman, you may present sheep and chickens and goats to her father in order to demonstrate to him that you are capable of providing for her on the level in which she is used to living. However, if you were marrying royalty, you would present gifts such as silver and gold and costly garments. But yet, if you were marrying distinct royalty, in which the woman was able to trace her royal lineage back a certain number of generations, you may be required to present exotic gifts from around the world. You must meet her on her social level. [4] In order to properly understand the cross, you must recognize that the cross was meant to express to you your social status from God’s viewpoint. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed [purchased] with corruptible things, as silver and gold… -1 Peter 1:18 Jesus made it clear to you that the objects normally given to earthly royalty as a mohar were far beneath what He considers your status to be. Peter implies in Verse 18 that even valuable earthly items such as silver and gold would actually be an insult to present to His bride. So then, what did He use to purchase us? In order to express to us how unique and special we are to Him, He came up with something to present as a mohar that was unique only to Him. Something nobody else would be able to duplicate, which would express to us our true status in His eyes. The following verse (Verse 19), tells us: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: -1 Peter 1:19 So, we understand that what He devised as a mohar for the Church was His own precious, sinless blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot! It was because of this purchased price, that Paul wrote the following to the Church. Know ye not that … ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. -1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Key Parallel: The prospective bridegroom would negotiate a mohar to pay the bride’s father in order to establish a marriage covenant whereby the woman would become his betrothed. The value of the mohar would be on par with the social status that the woman had. Jesus, through His death on the cross, paid the mohar that was needed (His own sinless blood) in order to atone for the sins of all mankind that began with Adam. He thereby purchased the Church as His betrothed with a mohar of incomparable value, indicating to her the true social status that she possesses in His sight. 3.) Shiluhin – The Dowry A dowry (shiluhin, or in later Talmudic terms, nedunya or nadan) is a transfer of parental property, gifts or money at the marriage of a daughter. A dowry contrasts with the related concept of a bride price or mohar. While a bride price or mohar is a payment by the groom to the bride’s parents, a dowry is the gift of wealth transferred from the bride’s family down to the bride. She would bring this gift with her into her new marriage. In other words, it was a wedding gift from the father to his daughter, the bride. [5] Upon leaving her father, the daughter received this shiluhin as a parting gift. This concept is mentioned in passages such as Genesis 24:59, 29:24, 29, and 1 Kings 9:16. In light of this definition of a dowry, consider the following passages, which seem to describe the Holy Spirit as the “dowry” being given to us from the Father. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. -John 14:16-18, 26 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you [speaking of the Holy Spirit]: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. -Luke 24:49 The Holy Spirit endowment is comparable to the modern practice of the bridegroom giving the bride an engagement ring as a type of down payment on the wedding. But in terms of the ancient Hebrew wedding practices, the Holy Spirit seems to also parallel the concept of the dowry, being that it comes from the Father and is given to the bride. Key Parallel: The father would present to his daughter, the bride, a dowry of value that she would bring with her into the marriage. The Father, God presented the Holy Spirit to the bride as a dowry that would seal her until the time of her redemption. 4.) Shiddukhin – The Proposal Shiddukhin can be defined as the early stage of the marriage process in which the man and woman consensually promise to marry each other in the future. [6] The Talmud refers to the marriage proposal as shiddukhin. [7] In ancient times, much of the negotiation of the ketubah was between the prospective bridegroom and the woman’s father. However, this could not be completed without the woman’s willing consent. The bridegroom would have to approach the woman in order to gain her agreement to marry. The betrothal could not be complete without the woman’s consent. [8] And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. -Genesis 24:58 As became customary, the man would pass a cup of wine to the woman, symbolizing covenant agreement. If the woman did not pick up the cup and drink, she was refusing him. But if she picked up the cup and drank from it, she was accepting his marriage proposal. [9] [10] After the bride accepted, the family would partake in a festive meal in celebration of the covenanted marriage. [11] Acceptance of the marriage to Jesus is a decision that can only be done with one’s willing consent. And just like the bride did not initially choose the groom, we did not choose Christ. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you… -John 15:16a So, like the ancient Hebrew brides, we simply consented to the marriage proposal. Regarding the drinking of the cup and the celebratory meal, let’s understand Jesus at the Last Supper speaking to His disciples. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. -1 Corinthians 11:25-26 In other words, Jesus was assuming the position of a Bridegroom, telling His bride-to-be that by the drinking of the cup, she is agreeing to His marriage proposal. He establishes this tradition of the Lord’s Supper meal to commemorate and celebrate the marriage. And just as the earthly bridegroom would leave after the bride’s agreement, in order to go prepare a place for her, and then later return, our heavenly Bridegroom instructed us to do this in remembrance of Him until He returns for us. So, you should recognize that participation in the tradition we call “communion” is in actuality a symbol of the acceptance of the marriage covenant with Jesus. Key Parallel: The ancient Jewish bridegrooms would obtain marital consent from the bride through the partaking of a drink of wine. The family would then celebrate the agreement with a festive meal. She did not choose him; he chose her, and she agreed. Jesus established the tradition of the Lord’s Supper for His bride the Church, indicating to her that through the drinking of the cup of wine, and the eating of the bread, she is commemorating her agreement to His marriage proposal. We did not choose Him; He chose us, and we agreed. [1] The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, ed. Isaac Landman, New York: Universal Jewish Encyclopedia Co. Inc., 1948, pp. 7, 372. [2] David R. Mace, Hebrew Marriage, New York: Philosophical Library, 1953, p. 167. [3] The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, p. 372. [4] Merrill Unger, The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Art. “Marriage – Marriage Customs,” ed. R.K. Harrison, Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1988, p. 818. [5] Louis Ginzberg and Julius H. Greenstone, Jewish Encyclopedia, entry “Dowry,” JewishEncyclopedia.com. (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5297-dowry - Retrieved 3/10/18) [6] Batsheva Sherman, “Marriage in Halakhic Judaism” Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Dec. 31, 1999, Jewish Women’s Archive. (https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/marriage - Retrieved 5/10/18) [7] Aryeh Kaplan, Made in Heaven: A Jewish Wedding Guide, Brooklyn, NY: Moznaim Pub., 1983, p. 22. [8] Ibid., p. 22-23. [9] The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, p. 373. [10] Avi Ben Mordechai, Signs in the Heavens, Millennium 7000 Communications, Int’l, 1996, p. 269. [11] Ibid., p. 273.

In our "Part 1" and "Part 2" of this article series, we began to examine the typological treasures hidden in the wedding rituals of the ancient Hebrews, which God instituted. It is astonishing to recognize that everything that God has said about His marriage to His bride, the Church, was anticipated thousands of years earlier in the institution of these customs. That fact is a profound piece of evidence that the author of the Bible is not bound to the constraints of time as we are. Rather, it is profound proof of His reality, and demonstrates His origin to be from outside of time. The Hebrew wedding involved a number of important rituals typologically correlating with the marriage of Christ and the Church. We are investigating seventeen of them in these articles. While these are not necessarily in strict order, they do follow the general process of the ancient Hebrew wedding. Let’s continue our examination of these astonishing parallels. 9.) Mkudeshet – The Betrothed Bride After the marriage covenant was established, the bridegroom left his bride at her home and returned to his father’s house, where he remained separated from his bride for a period of time. A typical betrothal period would last about twelve months, but could be up to two years. [1] [2] Interestingly, scripture compares a thousand years to one day to help convey God’s perception of time. We have been without our Bridegroom for almost two thousand years (since 33 AD). Notice how the following passage tells us that to God, a thousand years is like a day, and notice the context – His return. Also, notice how the Church – the bride – is addressed as “beloved.” And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. -2 Peter 3:4-8 This period of separation would allow the bride time to gather her trousseau and prepare for married life. [3] During this time, she prepared herself for the marriage. She likely had saved up money all her life for this time. She would purchase expensive perfumes, cosmetics, and clothing and keep herself well prepared should the bridegroom return. Because she did not know exactly when he would return, she had to be in a state of constant preparation and readiness! During this betrothal period while she awaited his return, she is referred to as a mkudeshet – one who is betrothed, sanctified, and dedicated to another. [4] This is how we, the Church and bride of Christ are supposed to await our Bridegroom’s return. Paul talks about our betrothal separation period in the following passage. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. -2 Corinthians 11:2 Key Parallel: The ancient Hebrew brides would await the return of their bridegrooms over a betrothal period of about one to two years. The bride was separated and dedicated to her bridegroom throughout this period. During this time, they would make all preparations for the inexact time of his return and be ready to leave with him when he arrived. As Christ’s bride, the Church has endured nearly two thousand years awaiting her Bridegroom. During this time, she is told to stay separated and dedicated to Christ only, and eagerly await His return. Now is our time to make the necessary preparations, as we will have to be ready to depart with Him immediately at the Rapture – the catching away of the Church. Since we don’t know exactly when this will occur, we must remain ready at all times! 10.) Cheder – The Bride Chamber Concerning the pre-wedding preparations made by the bridegroom, much would need to be completed before it would be time to receive his bride. Once back at his father’s house, he would begin the task of the construction of the cheder – the bride chamber, typically as a room added onto his father’s house. The bridegroom would normally leave the bride by promising that he was going back to his father’s house to prepare a place for her, and that he would then return to receive her at an inexact time in the future (typically about one to two years). [5] The construction is examined and approved only by the father. When the father was satisfied with the construction, he would give his son permission to go and receive his bride. Therefore, the timing of the bridegroom’s return was inexact and unknown, especially to the bride. She would just have to be ready on an ongoing basis. In like manner, Jesus, before His crucifixion, made the promise of a bridegroom to His disciples who would soon become the foundation of His future Church. He had been warning the disciples of His coming departure and death, and gave them a comforting promise. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. -John 14:1-3 This was Jesus’ first promise of what the disciples would later learn to recognize as what we call the Rapture, and He presented it using the phraseology of a Bridegroom. The word “mansion” here in Greek refers to a lodging, a dwelling-place, or a room (mone – Strong’s # G3438). [6] Concerning the timing of His return, just as any Jewish bride, the Church does not know the exact time. His return is simply imminent, and we must maintain constant readiness. So, Jesus, as a Bridegroom, is promising His bride that He will prepare a room (or bride chamber) in His Father’s house, for us to consummate the marriage with Him. And we must remain ready for the unknown hour of his return! Key Parallel: Once the bridegroom returned back to his father’s house, the construction of the bride chamber would be initiated. This room would typically be added onto the father’s house. The bridegroom would have left his future bride by promising that he was going to prepare the bride chamber for her and would be back to receive her at the appointed time. Jesus, in like manner, declared His intention to make this very preparation during our long betrothal period while we, His bride, await His return to receive us. He promised that He would return to receive us at the appointed time. 11.) Mikvah – Baptism The bride would also be required to partake in a cleansing bath (mikvah). Mikvah is in effect, the Hebrew word used for baptism, referring to a reservoir of water. To this day, a conservative Jewish bride cannot marry without a mikvah. [7] This ritual purification indicates a separation from a former way to a new way. In the case of marriage, it indicates leaving an old life for a new life with your spouse. In like manner, Jesus commanded us to be baptized both in the physical sense, by immersion in water in His name, but also promised a Comforter that would come. He let us know that this Comforter was His very own Spirit called the Holy Ghost, which the believer would become spiritually “baptized” into. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. -Acts 2:38 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he [Jesus] shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: -Luke 3:16 Although there are many other passages that discuss both Spirit and water baptism, we recognize that the two above verses are representative of the New Testament commands regarding baptism. Jesus spoke of a new birth experience that incorporated elements of both Spirit and water baptism (John 3). Jesus, through the writings of the Apostle Paul, declares the following saying, concerning His bride. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, -Ephesians 5:25-26 Key Parallel: The ancient Hebrew brides, as well as many modern Jewish brides, were required to cleanse themselves in a purifying ritual mikvah prior to the wedding. Jesus commanded His bride, the Church, to be cleansed in the waters of baptism, but also to be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 12.) Shoshvinin – The Wedding Procession One of the important preparations for the wedding is choosing the members of the wedding procession or party (shoshvinin). The wedding party would include the best man, the maid or matron of honor, the ushers or male attendants, and the bridesmaids or female virgin attendants. In ancient times, an individual member of the wedding party was known as a shoshvin. [8] [9] In addition to the wedding party, there would also typically be a large number of guests that would attend. The guests could include members of the family and those in the community. Scripture gives us some indication as to the identity of at least one of the shoshvinin in the heavenly marriage between Christ and the church. John the Baptist, one of the last Old Testament Jewish saints, identified himself as the “friend of the Bridegroom” (John 3:29), or in modern terms, the “best man.” He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. -John 3:29 In other words, John the Baptist does not claim to be part of the bride. We understand this further by Jesus’ statement in Matthew 11:11. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. -Matthew 11:11 So, Jesus made it clear that there was coming a group, of which John was not a part, of whom even the least would be greater. We understand later that this is due to the Holy Spirit endowment in each member of the Church. Jesus therefore, makes a clear distinction between Old Testament saints and the Church. John was one of the last Old Testament saints, and was not a part of the Church. Instead, John (knowing this) identified himself as the “best man.” What about the wedding guests? To speculate on who they might be, we must ask the question, “who else will be in heaven that is not part of the bride?” The most likely candidate group is the Old Testament saints. The souls of the Old Testament saints (though yet unresurrected) will be in heaven. [10] So, it is possible that the wedding guests may be the souls of the Old Testament saints. They are the friends of the Bridegroom, who are likely also among the ones invited as guests to the later marriage supper upon receiving their resurrection bodies (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 8:11). Key Parallel: In ancient times, any typical wedding party would have a best man, as well as a number of male and female attendants for the bridegroom and bride. There would be a large number of guests from the families and surrounding community who would attend and celebrate the wedding. Scripture describes John the Baptist – one of the last Old Testament saints – as the “best man.” We can then make an educated guess as to the identity of the other wedding guests. Jesus called John the greatest man of the Old Testament period, and therefore it makes sense why he is the “best man.” So then if he were the greatest of the Old Testament saints, it would make sense that the souls of the other Old Testament saints would be the wedding guests. 13.) Nesuin – The Taking of the Bride When the marriage chamber was ready, the father inspected it, and if it was suitable, he would tell his son the bridegroom that he could go receive his bride! This was typically done by a procession consisting of the bridegroom in festive attire and accompanied by his male escorts, called minyan – Strong’s # H4510 (Judges 14:11, Jeremiah 7:34). [11] The bridegroom and his procession would often approach at night, conducting a torch-lit procession to the home of the bride. [12] Although the bride was expecting her groom to come for her, she did not know the exact time of his coming. To maintain her readiness, she may keep an oil lamp lit through the night. As the procession approached the home of the bride, at a distance, a shofar (a ram’s horn trumpet) would be blown, and there would be shouts to alert the bride that “the bridegroom cometh!” [13] [14] She would be prepared and ready, and would use these last moments to gather her belongings and be ready to immediately leave with her bridegroom. We see something similar in Song of Solomon. My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. -Song of Solomon 2:10 The arrival of the groom at the bride’s house signaled his intention of “taking her to wife.” This act of “taking” or in a sense romantically abducting the bride was referred to as nesuin, which literally means “taking.” [15] And that’s the romantic part – all Hebrew brides were “stolen.” The Jews had a special understanding of a woman’s heart. What a thrill for her, to be “abducted” and carried off into the night, not by a stranger, but by one who loved her so much that he had paid a high price and made great preparation for her! The bride is escorted by procession back to the bridegroom’s father’s house in a bridal litter or palanquin called an aperion in Hebrew (Strong’s # H668). This aperion is mentioned in Song of Solomon 3:9-10. King Solomon has made for himself a palanquin [aperion] From the (cedar) wood of Lebanon. He made its posts of silver, Its back of gold, Its seat of purple cloth, The interior lovingly and intricately wrought By the daughters of Jerusalem. -Song of Solomon 3:9-10 (AMP) After the groom and his wedding procession received his bride together with her female attendants (virgin bridesmaids – Psalm 45:13-15; Matthew 25:1-13), the enlarged wedding party would then return from the bride’s home back to the groom’s father’s house (Genesis 24:67). [16] Just as the bridegroom would come for the bride at any time, often at night, and with a shout and sound of the shofar, in like manner, the Lord will return as a Bridegroom for the Church. And just as the taking of the bride was accomplished by a procession of the groom and male escorts from the groom’s father’s house to the home of the bride, so the taking of the Church will be accomplished by the Bridegroom, Christ, along with a procession of angels from the “Father’s house” in heaven. Paul talks about this nesuin or “taking of the Church” in 1 Thessalonians. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. -1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 Let’s also recall the “Bridegroom’s promise” of Jesus in John 14. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. -John 14:3 Key Parallel: At the time appointed by the bridegroom’s father, a procession would be conducted to go and abduct the bride! Often, this would be done at night, by the light of torches. The bridegroom, flanked by his attendants, would approach the bride’s home. As he drew near, shofars would be sounded, and they would shout to alert her that he was coming! Upon arrival, the bride would be taken by the procession, lifted up and placed in a bridal litter, and brought back to the bridegroom’s father’s house amidst great rejoicing. At the time appointed of the Father, Jesus – our Bridegroom – will appear at a time unknown to us (maybe at midnight) with a shout, a trumpet, and a procession of angels to lift us up and “rapture” us out of this world and bring us back to His Father’s house for the wedding ceremony! [1] Avi Ben Mordechai, Signs in the Heavens, Millennium 7000 Communications, Int’l, 1996, p. 270. [2] The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, ed. Isaac Landman, New York: Universal Jewish Encyclopedia Co. Inc., 1948, p. 372. [3] Ibid. [4] Judaism 101, entry “Marriage,” JewFAQ.org. (http://www.jewfaq.org/marriage.htm - Retrieved 5/28/18) [5] The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, p. 372. [6] “G3438 - monē - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV),” Blue Letter Bible. (https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=g3438 - Retrieved 5/11/18) [7] “Mikveh Before the Wedding,” My Jewish Learning. (https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/mikveh-a-spiritual-preparation-for-marriage/ - Retrieved 4/18/18) [8] Aryeh Kaplan, Made in Heaven: A Jewish Wedding Guide, Brooklyn, NY: Moznaim Pub., 1983, p. 62. [9] 1 Maccabees 9:37-39, (GNT), Bible Gateway. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Maccabees+9&version=GNT - Retrieved 4/20/18) [10] Tony Garland, A Commentary on the Book of Revelation, “20.5.1. Order of Resurrection,” Bible Study Tools. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/revelation/revelation-20/order-of-resurrection.html - Retrieved 5/4/18) [11] 1 Maccabees 9:37-39, (GNT), Bible Gateway. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Maccabees+9&version=GNT) [12] The Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. III, ed. James Orr, Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1957, p. 1998. [13] Richard Booker, Here Comes The Bride: Jewish Wedding Customs And The Messiah, Houston, TX: Sounds of the Trumpet, 1995, p. 9. [14] Avi Ben Mordechai, Signs in the Heavens, Millennium 7000 Communications, Int’l, 1996, p. 277. [15] Moses Mielziner, The Jewish Law of Marriage and Divorce in Ancient And Modern Times, Cincinnati, OH: Bloch, 1884, p. 83. [16] Roland de Vaux, Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions, Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997, p. 34.

(From the study "Should Christians Support Israel?") In "Part 1" of this article series, we examined the clear Biblical teaching regarding the two worldwide regatherings of Israel – the first being a partial regathering in unbelief prior to the Tribulation, and the second being a full regathering in faith after the Tribulation. The first regathering (the one we've witnessed over the past century or so) has been in preparation for the divine discipline of the Tribulation, while the future second regathering will be for the purpose of receiving blessings in the Millennial Kingdom. By recognizing this clear teaching from the scriptures, it becomes obvious that the modern regathering we have witnessed is a divinely preordained event. Therefore, the logical conclusion we are brought to is that the modern State of Israel is prophetically significant. We will now examine a number of the Biblical passages that prophetically detail these two worldwide regatherings of Israel. As we examine each, you will begin to see this concept more clearly. Israel's First Worldwide Regathering in Unbelief Let’s begin by examining Israel’s first or initial worldwide gathering – which we will see is the modern-day regathering we’ve been witnessing over the past hundred years or so. Numerous passages appear to speak of this initial regathering in unbelief prior to the Tribulation period. One of the clearest examples is found in Zephaniah 2. Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you. -Zephaniah 2:1-2 This passage depicts a regathering of the nation clearly described as taking place before the outpouring of God’s discipline upon Israel in the Tribulation – helping us to recognize this as a first regathering passage. As we continue to go through these examples, it will become clear that there is one regathering prior to the Tribulation and one directly after the Tribulation, as the Millennial Kingdom is being introduced. It is also evident that when this first regathering takes place, the nation is still in unbelief, since they’re described as a “nation not desired” (Verse 1), or as the NASB puts it, a “nation without shame.” In other words, they are shamelessly in sin. Clearly, this indicates that they haven’t yet repented, and are in unbelief at the time of this regathering. For this reason, they are threatened with judgment when the Tribulation arrives (as we see in Verses 2-3). Therefore, this passage unmistakably shows a regathering of the nation in unbelief prior to the Tribulation – through which they will be brought to national repentance. We should also note the contrast presented one chapter later in Zephaniah 3:11, which speaks of the later Millennial Kingdom, saying, “In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings.” Rather than conveying a condition of shamelessness while in sin (as before), the nation at this point will have repented and been redeemed, thereby removing their shame. This further clarifies for us that this regathering in Zephaniah Chapter 2 was the regathering in unbelief prior to the discipline that would lead to their repentance and the removal of their shame. So, this first regathering is a regathering in unbelief in preparation for the judgment and discipline of the Tribulation. This is just the first example, and we already see how clearly Biblical it is that Israel will be regathered first in a state of unbelief – which refutes the arguments of those who oppose the modern State of Israel on the basis of its formation taking place while in unbelief. Unbelieving Israel is part of God’s plan, according to these Scriptures! This is part of the process whereby God will bring them into faith. Before they can be brought to faith, they of course will be in a state of unbelief. Their unbelief does not mean God isn’t working to move them to a state of faith. This is exactly what we, as saved Christians also experienced. Before we came to faith, God was moving in our lives to draw us to Him in faith. And so, it should not be difficult to understand this same concept at work in the case of national Israel. But let’s continue on to examine a second example. Another incredible portrayal of unbelieving Israel’s initial regathering for judgment is found in Ezekiel Chapter 22. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst therof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you. -Ezekiel 22:17-22 Some have incorrectly attributed the fulfillment of this prophecy to the historical return of the Jews from Babylonian Captivity around 538 BC. But a careful reading of the context of this passage demands that this prophetic regathering is speaking of the current regathering we’ve witnessed in the modern State of Israel over the past hundred years or so. For example, this can be seen in the fact that the Jews’ return around 538 BC was in belief, not unbelief, and was in restoration, not judgment. Ezra 1:5 makes it clear that those 49,897 Jews that participated in the return from Babylon were those “whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.” By contrast, in the above passage in Ezekiel, it’s stated that the Lord will gather them in “anger” and “wrath” and will “pour out His wrath” on them. The purpose of this judgment, described by the imagery of smelting metal in a furnace or a foundry, is to bring Israel to national repentance and regeneration, as seen in the words “you will know that I am the Lord” (Verse 17, cf. Verse 22). In other words, at the time of this regathering, the nation was in rebellion and unbelief. But through God’s discipline of fiery wrath and judgment (here described as a furnace), they will be brought to faith. So, we easily see that this is a return in unbelief prior to a time of God’s wrath being poured out upon Israel. This future period of wrath clearly refers most specifically to the last half of the Tribulation (the Great Tribulation). This is the time of the consummation of the outpouring of God’s wrath and indignation described throughout the Old and New Testaments. It is the time of unparalleled distress for national Israel, which Jeremiah 30:7 describes as being a time unlike any other, calling it the “time of Jacob’s trouble.” It’s at this time that the invasion of Jerusalem by the international armies of the Antichrist will take place (Revelation 11:2; Zechariah 12:2-3, 9; 14:2a), and there will be a battle for the city, in which half of its Jewish population will be exiled, while the rest remain in a condition of siege (Zechariah 14:2). As a result of this purifying experience (cf. Zechariah 13:1), many Jews in Jerusalem will join in a national repentance (Zechariah 12:10-14). And so, going back to Ezekiel 22:17-22, we can see how that regathering depicts the first or initial regathering of Israel in unbelief in preparation for this time of discipline during the Tribulation. In addition to these clear and specific passages, there are also many other passages that depict the Jews inhabiting Jerusalem towards the end of this present age. The prophetic corpus of Scripture takes this for granted. This is significant to our current discussion because the entire context of end-time events focuses around an unrepentant Israel in the land being cast into the fiery discipline of the Tribulation. This entire context logically requires an initial regathering in unbelief. In other words, since we know they were dispersed out of the land in 70 AD and following, how could they be described as being in the land in these end-time passages, which we know take place before the final regathering that takes place after the Second Coming? It logically implies an initial regathering phase prior to all of this, while they are still in a state of rebellion. So, to summarize our progress so far in this article series, we have seen from Isaiah 11:11-12 (discussed in "Part 1") that there can only be two worldwide regatherings of Israel. The next several passages we looked at in this article (Zephaniah 2:1-2 and Ezekiel 22:17-22) clearly depict the first regathering – a regathering of the nation of Israel in unbelief prior to the Tribulation, through which the nation will be brought to repentance. Therefore, if we have witnessed the Jews being regathered to the land of Israel for the first time in history since their worldwide dispersion among the nations, returning in unbelief to form the modern secular State of Israel, just as these texts have foretold, how can we not say that the modern State of Israel is prophetically significant? Israel's Second and Final Worldwide Regathering in Faith Let’s now begin to examine some of the numerous second regathering passages found in scripture. The far more frequent mentions of Israel being regathered do refer to her second and final regathering after the end of the Tribulation in preparation for entering the Millennial Kingdom. We will find that this ultimate regathering of the Jews around the time of the Second Coming of the Messiah is one of the most talked-about events in all of Bible prophecy. We will examine a handful of them. Incredibly, we find that as early as Deuteronomy, this entire prophetic picture is revealed in detail. Deuteronomy Chapter 30 foretells in advance that Israel would disobey the Mosaic Covenant that had just been given to them (most ultimately by rejecting the Messiah to whom it was designed to lead them towards). They would then be scattered globally among the nations. But in the end, they would ultimately repent and God would then regather them in faith. Following this, He would then fulfill for them the promises of His many Old Testament unconditional covenants – one of which guaranteed their full possession of the Promised Land, stretching from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates River (Genesis 15:18). They will one day possess this land in its entirety. Israel will also receive spiritual restoration under the New Covenant at this time, although this final covenant wouldn’t be revealed until the later prophets (mainly Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Joel). But the entire canvas of this prophetic portrait is detailed all the way back in Deuteronomy, by Moses! Let’s see this in Deuteronomy 30. And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. -Deuteronomy 30:1-6 We know this refers to the final regathering because Verse 2 describes a worldwide regathering in faith (the Jews turning back to God) – or in other words, in repentance, finally acknowledging Christ as their true Messiah. Obviously, this would not be an accurate description of the first worldwide regathering in the 1900s. Furthermore, it describes a return from the uttermost parts of heaven, which points to a global regathering. This eliminates any possibility that the passage could refer to the return from Babylonian captivity. Further yet, Verse 6 (referring to circumcision of the heart, etc.) is a clear reference to the New Covenant later described in the prophets (cf. Ezekiel 36:24-28; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 2:29), which Israel as a nation will receive in the Millennium. Let’s look at another passage that describes this final regathering – this one being found in Isaiah Chapter 43. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. -Isaiah 43:5-7 Again, this passage quite clearly refers to the final regathering, as the previous chapter (Chapter 42) describes the Tribulation in Verses 15-16, and the context of Chapter 43 involves the ultimate redemption and restoration of Israel – events that have no immediate connection to the modern-day regathering. We can also see this as depicting a global regathering (meaning it cannot refer to the return from Babylon), as the passage is clear in its reference to the four cardinal directions (east, west, north, south), and its description as a regathering “from the ends of the earth”. Another important final regathering passage is found in Isaiah Chapter 27. In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the Lord will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem. -Isaiah 27:12-13 (ESV) We can see that the second national regathering of Israel is accompanied by the blowing of a “great trumpet.” Although this passage only makes specific mention of Jews being regathered from Assyria and Egypt, there are a number of clues that positively identify it's context with the Day of the Lord, and therefore, the second and final regathering. First, there is the double mention of “in that day,” which generally refers to the eschatological Day of the Lord, which more broadly encompasses the Tribulation period; but in the narrower sense, focuses specifically on the day of the Second Coming – the event that will occasion the second and final regathering. Second, this passage describes a regathering associated with faith rather than unbelief, as we can see from the mention of Israel worshipping the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem. And third, the sound of the "great trumpet" is associated with the time of the final judgment. There was no trumpet associated with the modern regathering. This speaks of an eschatological event. We see this same concept described in Matthew 24 as well, as Jesus states that at the blowing of a great trumpet, people would witness His return, and His angels would gather the elect (this being the second regathering of Israel – the righteous remnant who had survived the Tribulation and turned to faith in Christ as Messiah). They will be regathered and brought to Jerusalem in preparation for blessings in the Millennial Kingdom. Furthermore, Matthew 24 also gives the same “directional” language as many of the regathering passages we’ve already read, which allude to the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Let’s review this parallel passage in Matthew 24 and observe the obvious language that places this event after the Tribulation, at the Second Coming of Christ. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. -Matthew 24:29-31 We can see here the same language that was used in the last several Old Testament passages we've examined that also describe this final regathering of Israel: a great trumpet blast and a worldwide regathering of the elect (Israel) from the four cardinal directions under heaven. And when will this final regathering occur? It occurs “immediately after the Tribulation." After the Tribulation, Christ returns, and then the regathering occurs. Many people misunderstand this statement of Jesus in Matthew 24 to refer to the rapture of the Church. But if you know your Old Testament, and understand the concept of the two end time worldwide regatherings of Israel, it should be easy to recognize that this statement in Matthew 24 speaks of Israel’s second and final regathering in faith after being brought to repentance through the divine discipline of the Tribulation. At this time they will be led into the Millennial Kingdom that has been promised to Israel throughout the Old Testament. Another passage, Ezekiel 20:33-38, describes a future judgment of national Israel (during the Tribulation) that will lead a remnant of Israel to national repentance and restoration – in connection with a regathering. As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. -Ezekiel 20:33-38 Here, we can see that the Lord will regather Israel in connection with the outpouring of His fury and wrath (the Tribulation), as He purges the rebels from the people. Zechariah 13:8 says two thirds of the Jews will perish at this time. He will then bring a repentant remnant into the bond of the New Covenant and will rule over them during the Kingdom Age. Everything about this describes the final regathering as Christ initiates the Kingdom. We see this same sequence being consistently repeated throughout the Bible when speaking of these events. These same prophetic themes are further detailed in Jeremiah 31. For thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. -Jeremiah 31:7-11 We can see that this is a worldwide regathering, as it references the north country and the coasts of the earth. We also see that this is a regathering in faith, as those being gathered are described as the righteous remnant returning with much weeping and supplications, or repentant prayers. This account is then elaborated on for the next twenty verses. Following this, we’re then shown the prophetic promise of the outpouring of the New Covenant upon Israel in Verses 31-34. So, the context reveals that Israel will receive this New Covenant after their second and final regathering in the Kingdom Age. Verses 31-34 say: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. -Jeremiah 31:31-34 God would continue to give more details about this through the inspired insights of other prophets. For instance, we see that Ezekiel Chapter 36 also foretells the worldwide regathering of Israel in preparation for receiving this New Covenant. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. -Ezekiel 36:24-28 Again, the ultimate redemption and spiritual restoration of Israel in the Millennial Kingdom is the clear context of this passage, helping us to understand that this prophecy speaks of the regathering that occurs directly prior to it. Notice how this regathering implies a newly-repentant Israel, which is a scriptural requirement for the outpouring of the New Covenant (in the context of national Israel). Scripture tells us that God will not pour out the New Covenant upon an unrepentant Israel – but will pour it out upon the repentant remnant when they are regathered at Christ’s Second Coming (as all of the other verses clearly agree). And so, the prophetic timeline laid out in scripture is consistent and clear. It is repeated over and over, as we see from this examination. When we're aware of Israel’s two worldwide regatherings, their significance as a modern and future national entity in God’s program becomes abundantly clear. We get all of this straight from the actual and literal meanings of the scriptural text. We did not have to change or allegorize anything in order to insert a new meaning. Instead, when we let God's Word speak for itself, we can only conclude that modern Israel is prophetically significant!

(From the book The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology) The English word “rapture” refers to a state or experience of being carried away. In other words, it means to be carried away in spirit or in body. [1] There are a number of different “raptures” or “catching aways” spoken of in the Bible, such as when Enoch and Elijah were each taken up to heaven without experiencing death (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5; 2 Kings 2:1, 11). In addition, Jesus Christ was caught up to heaven in His ascension after His death, burial, and resurrection (Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 12:5). The apostle Paul also wrote of a man (probably referring to himself) who experienced a type of rapture when he was caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). Another rapture is predicted to take place in the future Tribulation period when the Two Witnesses are caught up into heaven after being resurrected from death (Revelation 11:3; 11-12). But the rapture that is relevant to our purposes in this article is the most well-known future rapture event of all – the Rapture of the Church. The Rapture of the Church refers to the literal carrying away of the Church from earth to heaven by God. Scoffers often point out that the word rapture is not in the Bible, and therefore it is not a true Biblical teaching. This reasoning however is nonsensical. While it is true that the word rapture itself is not in the English Bible, the concept is. Rapture is simply a label modern Christians have given to this Biblical teaching of the supernatural removal of the Church. We must keep in mind that the word "Bible" itself is not in the Bible. Are we then to conclude that the Bible is invalid? As you hopefully can see, this is terrible reasoning. Furthermore, while the word rapture is not in the English Bible, it is in the Latin Bible. In fact, this English term rapture is derived from the Latin usage, which is used to describe the catching away of the Church in the Latin Vulgate. The original New Testament manuscripts were written in Greek, but later translated into Latin, English, and other languages. Jerome (c. 347-420 AD) translated the Greek Bible into Latin. The English word “rapture” comes from the Latin raptus, the past participle of rapere, meaning “to seize, or carry off.” Jerome used this Latin word to translate the original Greek word harpazó (Strong’s # G726 – meaning, “to pluck up, to seize, to catch away”) in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and other passages. [2] [3] So, the English word “rapture” simply comes from the Latin translation of the Koine Greek word harpazó in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and other places. Almost all modern Bibles translate this word as “caught up.” The English word “harpoon” comes from this Greek word harpazó. [4] The harpoon is the tool used by whalers to catch a whale and bring it up out of the water. At the Rapture, we will be supernaturally “harpooned” – plucked up by force out of this world by the Lord Jesus (but without the metal hook of course). There are three key New Testament passages that give us our foundational understandings about this concept of the Rapture of the Church: John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Let’s take a look at each. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. -John 14:1-3 This was Jesus’s first clear disclosure of what that disciples would eventually come to recognize as what we today call the Rapture. He promises to one day return to take away His believers to be with Him forever. The apostle Paul later expounds on this concept, describing in even more vivid detail what will take place at this time when Jesus returns to gather His bride, the Church. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. -1 Corinthians 15:51-53 Here, Paul is clear that not all Christians will experience death (“we shall not all sleep”), but all will experience the glorification of the body (“we shall all be changed … this mortal must put on immortality”). The next excerpt is most explicit concerning the actual “catching away” aspect. In Verse 17 (as referenced earlier), Paul uses the Greek word harpazó to describe this event. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [harpazó] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. -1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 These three passages reveal that at a sudden moment in time, a resurrection will take place in which the souls of dead Church saints will descend from heaven with Christ, and will be raised with glorified bodies that are immortal and incorruptible. The bodies of the Church saints who are still alive at that time will then be instantaneously transformed into this same kind of glorified body. Both the resurrected and transformed Church saints will be “raptured,” or caught up from earth to meet Christ in the air. They will return with Christ back to the Father’s house in heaven and dwell in the “mansions,” or rooms that He has prepared. Then, at His Second Coming proper, they will return with Him to the earth to rule and reign during His Millennial Kingdom. From the time of the Rapture on forward, we will forever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17), thus ending the period of the Church Age on earth. This knowledge of the Rapture is intended to be a comfort to the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Titus 2:13 calls the Rapture the “blessed hope” of every Christian. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; -Titus 2:13 In other words, the Rapture is the next event every believer should be looking towards, as the Lord's imminent appearing will bring with it this "catching away" experience. Since we know it is a promise of bodily glorification, reunification with Christ, and rescue from the impending judgment coming on the world (the Day of the Lord), the Rapture truly is our blessed hope and earnest expectation! [1] Merriam-Webster, entry “Rapture,” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rapture - Retrieved 1/10/18) [2] Thayer and Smith, Greek Lexicon entry “harpazo,” in The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon, BibleStudyTools.com. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/kjv/harpazo.html - Retrieved 1/10/21) [3] Harper, Douglas, “Etymology of rapt,” Online Etymology Dictionary. (https://www.etymonline.com/word/rapt?ref=etymonline_crossreference - Retrieved 1/10/21) [4] 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 Commentary, PreceptAustin.org. (https://www.preceptaustin.org/1thessalonians_417-18 - Retrieved 1/10/21)

(From the book The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology) One of the most controversial issues related to the Rapture has to do with its timing. Within Christian circles, there is great disagreement over when the Rapture will take place in relation to the eschatological events the Bible foretells. Most of this discussion is related the timing of the Rapture in relation to the Tribulation (the final seven-year period of God's wrath), resulting in three main views: the pretribulational view, the midtribulational view, and the posttribulational view. The pretribulational view advocates that the Church will be raptured sometime prior to the seven-year Tribulation period, also called the seventieth week of the Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy (the future, remaining, final week of Israel’s seventy prophetic weeks that were revealed to Daniel). The midtribulational view holds that the Church will be raptured around the midpoint of the Tribulation period. The posttribulational view teaches that the Church will be raptured immediately after the ending of the Tribulation period when Christ returns at the Second Coming. There have also arisen other variations, such as the prewrath view, which, like pretribulationists, teach that the Rapture takes place prior to the wrath of God. However, the pre-wrath view differs by maintaining that the wrath doesn’t begin (and therefore the Rapture doesn’t take place) until sometime between the middle and end of the Tribulation (in other words, around three quarters of the way through). It is important to understand that one’s view of the timing of the Rapture is generally an outworking of the method of interpretation they use to understand the Bible – or, as the well-known Bible teacher Chuck Missler used to say, your hermeneutics will determine your eschatology. [1] Dispensationalism and the Timing of the Rapture At this point, we need to define another key term that, if embraced, is of great influence on one's view of the Rapture's timing. This term is dispensationalism, or premillennial dispensationalism. Premillennial dispensationalism is the name given to the belief system that results from a consistent literal-grammatical-historical-contextual, or plain interpretation of the Bible. The label “premillennial” derives from the fact that when one interprets the Bible in this way (without trying to allegorize the meaning of the text), the end-result is the recognition of a future literal Millennium of time in which Christ will physically rule the earth from Jerusalem, as the scriptures plainly foretell. The name “dispensationalism” comes from the scriptural recognition that God has dealt with mankind in a number of different ways throughout history. We call these different periods “dispensations,” meaning different ages or economies, characterized by, among other things, the different covenants God has made with man throughout history. In other words, dispensationalism is the understanding that God administers His plan for mankind in various stages, or dispensations. It recognizes how God has done so as He brings His ultimate plan for the redemption of mankind and the earth to completion. Two of the essentials of dispensationalism, as noted by scholar Charles Ryrie, [2] are as follows: Consistent Literal Interpretation This means consistently interpreting the Bible using the normal or plain meanings that the text is communicating, instead of spiritualizing or allegorizing the meanings. Israel and the Church are Distinct Dispensationalists recognize that the Bible teaches that God’s single program for human history includes a distinct plan for national Israel and a distinct plan for the Church. The Church is not Israel, and Israel is not the Church. The Church Age is an intercalation in Israel’s seventy-week prophetic timeline. Why is all of this relevant to our examination of the Rapture? It’s relevant because this fundamental recognition of the correct method of interpreting scripture has a direct impact on one’s understanding of the timing of the Rapture. We believe that a consistent application of a careful, sound, and literal exposition of the scriptures will always ultimately result in a pretribulational view of the timing of the Rapture. When one views the scriptures through a lens of consistent, literal interpretation, it results in the understanding that Israel and the Church are two distinct entities in God’s plan. It brings to light the recognition that the seventy prophetic “weeks” (or heptads of years) in Daniel 9:24-27 were specifically prophesied for the Jews (or Israel) and Jerusalem, and have nothing at all to do with the Church. Therefore, if the Tribulation is the seventieth week, it is completely antithetical to the Church. Just as the Church was not present on the earth for the first sixty-nine weeks of this prophetic calendar, it also cannot be on the earth for the seventieth. The Church must then be removed prior to this final week (pretribulationalism). Premillennial dispensationalists recognize that when Israel as a nation rejected their promised King Messiah, Jesus Christ, their promised Messianic Kingdom then had to be postponed. You cannot have the Kingdom without the King. At that time, the seventy-week prophetic timeline for Israel was paused. When this took place, God then introduced His interim plan for humanity: the Church. If this is true, then the Tribulation, which is the seventieth week – the future, remaining, final week of this prophetic timeline – clearly has nothing to do with the Church. In fact, the Tribulation and the Church are mutually exclusive. They are scripturally antithetical concepts. Many Christians are dispensationalists without even knowing it. Put simply, if you consistently interpret the Bible literally and believe Israel has a future, you view the Bible dispensationally. But for those who are unfamiliar with all of this, we will undertake a brief jog through the premillennial/dispensational understanding of eschatology (the study of the end times). A Dispensational Overview of Eschatology Correctly understanding the timeline for eschatology goes hand-in-hand with understanding God’s future program for Israel, as well as understanding how God has operated within the theater of humanity for the past four thousand years of human history. As we’ve already mentioned, our basic outline for this understanding is given in Daniel 9. This chapter records how in the mid-500s BC, the prophet Daniel was given the seventy-weeks prophecy, which declared seventy weeks of years that would take place for Israel and Jerusalem. This refers to a total of four hundred ninety years (seventy times seven). A beginning point and ending point are provided for marking the first through the sixty-ninth weeks of years (which was a prophetic countdown to the Messiah's First Coming). The sixty-ninth week ended with the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in 33 AD, just days prior to His crucifixion. According to the prophecy, it is clear that the time-clock stopped with the completion of the sixty-ninth week, leaving one future week – the seventieth week – to still be completed. After Israel killed her Messiah, rejecting His offer of the Messianic Kingdom (which had been prophesied of throughout the Old Testament), this prophetic program for Israel was postponed (Matthew 23:37-39), and God instead introduced an interim program called the Church, as the Holy Spirit would be poured out around fifty days later on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). So, at the Triumphal Entry, the time-clock for Israel’s seventy-week countdown was paused and a gap period we call the Church Age was inserted. Subsequently, the gospel was to be spread to all nations, and God’s focus temporarily shifted from that of national Israel to His new work called the Church, which focused mainly on the Gentile nations. In 70 AD, the final harbinger of this shift took place as Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jews, over the next century, were scattered to the uttermost parts of the earth in what is termed the Diaspora. Dispensationalists understand that God’s time clock for the Church will stop with the Rapture, and either immediately or soon after, His time clock for Israel will again restart, as there remains one final week of years – the seventieth week – to be completed (as prophesied in Daniel 9:26-27 and expounded upon throughout the Old and New Testaments). During this time, Israel will once again become the primary focus of God’s plan during their final seven-year “week.” In this way, God’s programs for Israel and the Church are operating similar to a chess clock. In formal chess matches, there is a clock for each of the two players. When one player’s clock is running, the other’s is automatically stopped – and vice versa. This is exactly what scripture implies is happening with Israel and the Church (Romans 11:25-29, et al.). This final week for Israel, the Tribulation, will be a time of unprecedented trouble for the world as a whole, as God’s wrath is poured out. Scripture says that the Tribulation begins with the Antichrist enforcing a covenant. Around midway through the seven years, he perpetrates an event known as the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15). After this midpoint abomination, the latter three and a half years of the Tribulation will be a time of unparalleled distress in human history, particularly for the Jews (Jeremiah 30:7; Zechariah 13:8). In fact, Jesus calls it the Great Tribulation in Matthew 24:21-22. One of the primary purposes of the Tribulation is to drive the nation of Israel to repentance through great affliction. Sometimes God has to knock us down in order to get us to look up at Him – and that’s exactly what happens to Israel during the Tribulation. Through this experience of unimaginable distress, a remnant of Israel will finally be brought to faith (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25). Scripture informs us that Israel turning toward her true Messiah – Jesus Christ – acknowledging Him as such, and petitioning His return, is actually a precondition for the next event – the Second Coming of Christ, which will end the Tribulation, or the seventieth week (Hosea 5:15; Matthew 23:39). When Christ does return to the earth at the end of the Tribulation, Israel will finally be ready to receive Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10). This now-righteous remnant of Israel will be rescued from the nations that have gathered to destroy her, and Christ will set up His Millennial or Messianic Kingdom on earth (Zechariah 12:2-3; 14). The Church will have returned with Christ at the Second Coming (Revelation 19:14) and will then rule and reign with Him as His bride for a literal thousand years, along with the other First Resurrection believers (Revelation 1:5-6; 20:6; et al.). Strong support for a future literal Millennium is found in the clear teaching of Revelation 20:1-7, where it says six times that Christ’s Kingdom will last for one thousand years. Scripture tells us that during this thousand-year period, the Lord will establish His physical Kingdom on this earth with Jerusalem as its capital. With Christ reigning as King, Israel will be the prominent nation on earth, after being restored spiritually and physically. Representatives from all nations will come to Jerusalem to honor and worship the King – Jesus Christ – who will reign on the throne of David, fulfilling a multitude of Old Testament “Kingdom prophecies” (Isaiah 60; Zechariah 8; Micah 4:2; et al.). Then, following the Millennium will come the Eternal State, as God’s dispensational plan for the redemption of mankind will have been realized (Revelation 21-22). Both the Old Testament and the New Testament support a premillennial/dispensational understanding of God’s plan for Israel. It is essential to understand that the Church has not replaced Israel in God’s plan. The two entities are distinct. The Church’s role is to be the beloved bride of Christ! Believing Jews who are saved between Pentecost and the Rapture are of course part of the Church, in which there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile (Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians 3:1-6) While God’s time clock has temporarily shifted to focus on the Church for the past two thousand years (the Church Age), He has not forgotten Israel and will one day restore them to His intended role as the nation He has chosen (Romans 11). God’s attention will turn back to Israel for their final week, but only after He removes His Church from the earth at the pretribulational Rapture! Maranatha! [1] Chuck Missler, “The Seven Myths of Eschatology,” Koinonia House. (https://www.khouse.org/articles/2012/1072/print/ - Retrieved 4/02/22) [2] Charles Ryrie, Dispensationalism, rev. and exp. ed., Chicago: Moody, 2007, pp. 46-48.

(From the book The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology) Christians often use the words “imminent” or “imminence” to refer to the Biblical concept of the Rapture (the supernatural catching away of the Church from earth to heaven, which we examined in a past article). What do these words mean, especially within this Rapture context? Bible scholar Renald Showers gives an excellent overview of the scriptural usage of the term “imminence.” The English word "imminent" comes from the Latin verb "immineo, imminere," which means to "overhand" or "project." In light of this, the English word "imminent" means "hanging over one’s head, ready to befall or overtake one; close at hand in its incidence." Thus, an imminent event is one that is always hanging overhead, and is constantly ready to befall or overtake a person. Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing must take place before it happens. If something else must take place before an event can happen, that event is not imminent. The necessity of something else taking place first destroys the concept of imminency. [1] So, the concept of imminence refers to the definite occurrence of a specific future event, but with a completely unpredictable onset. The event can take place at any time. There are no signs or preconditions that must take place first in order for the event to occur. A requirement of prerequisite or preceding signs is contradictory to the meaning of imminence. An imminent event is one that can occur at any moment, suddenly, and without warning. Christians have long recognized that the New Testament clearly applies this concept of imminence to the Rapture of the Church (contrary to the frequent assertions of opponents of dispensationalism, who often claim it to be a relatively new doctrine that arose with a man named John Nelson Darby in the 1800s). Countering this assertion, J. Dwight Pentecost writes: This doctrine of imminence, or "at any moment coming," is not a new doctrine with Darby, as is sometimes charged, although he did clarify, systematize, and popularize it. Such a belief in imminency marked the premillennialism of the early church fathers as well as the writers of the New Testament. … This same view of imminence is clearly seen in the writings of the Reformers, even though they had different views on eschatological questions. [2] Many modern scholars – even including those not in agreement with a premillennial dispensational outlook – have recognized the Biblical teaching of the imminence of Christ’s coming. For instance, J. Barton Payne concluded that: In fact, no natural reading of Scripture would produce any other conclusion. [3] J.G. Davies, the Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology at the University of Birmingham likewise concluded that the Christian anticipation of Christ’s “imminent coming” is “so vivid in the New Testament.” [4] The concept of an imminent Rapture has been recognized by premillennial dispensational scholars as a foundational pillar of evidence demonstrating the New Testament’s clear teaching of a pretribulational Rapture. For instance, Wayne A. Brindle writes: The term "imminence" (or imminency) as applied to the rapture of the church means that Christ may return at any moment for His church, and no biblically predicted event must necessarily precede it. Those who believe that Christ will return for His church before the Tribulation normally hold that the rapture is imminent – that it may occur at any time and that it is the next predicted event in God’s prophetic timetable. [5] The Rapture is an event that can occur at any time. No prophesied event must precede it. If this is true, then logically the Rapture must be pretribulational as concerning its timing. Any other Rapture viewpoint violates this teaching of imminency, as they claim that other definite prophetic events must precede it in sequence. As we will see, the New Testament uses a number of noteworthy terms or phrases to refer to the Lord’s imminent coming. Although this “imminence language” is often overlooked by readers, it will be important for us to be aware of as we continue. The Lord’s coming is routinely referred to as being “near,” “soon,” “at hand,” and “at the door.” He is spoken of as coming “quickly” and “like a thief in the night.” It is said that His coming “draws near.” These are just several of the many ways the New Testament communicates the imminence of Jesus’s coming. They are all equivalent expressions that express imminence. In addition, there are also an abundance of passages that, when the original Greek language is understood, clearly teach Rapture imminence. These passages are laced throughout the gospels, epistles, and Revelation, making Rapture imminence one of the most well-established teachings of the New Testament. John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. -John 14:1-3 Here, in the Upper Room Discourse, Jesus Christ issues what many consider to be His first clear disclosure of the Rapture of the Church – but it’s only in the original Greek language that the element of imminence is obvious. Robert L. Thomas writes: Imminence is part of the verb form "I will come," the Greek word erchomai. Used in 14:3 in parallel with the empsomai, which means "I will receive," the present tense erchomai is clearly a futuristic use of the present tense, a use of that tense that strongly implies imminence. The sense is, "I am on my way and may arrive at any moment." [6] Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; -Philippians 3:20 (NASB) Here, we find Paul referencing the Church’s earnest expectation of Christ’s imminent coming – and he even includes himself as one also holding that expectation. Showers comments: We should note that Paul included himself among those who had this attitude toward Christ’s coming. Thus, Philippians 3:20 indicates that the expectation of Christ’s coming was so intense for Paul and the other Christians of the New Testament times that it was the primary focus of their concentration. Would it have been so if there was no possibility of an any-moment coming? [7] 1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema. Maranatha! -1 Corinthians 16:22 In this passage, Paul pronounces anathema – or the status of being accursed – upon those who love not the Lord Jesus Christ. He then uses the Aramaic word maranatha as a petition to call for the Lord’s imminent return. If he expected that Tribulation events must precede the Rapture, then Paul could not have used this word. It serves as a warning that Christ could return at any moment. Brindle writes: Maranatha is an Aramaic word meaning "our Lord, come" – a petition to Christ that He should return now – at any moment. Paul used it in this letter to Greek-speaking (mainly Gentile) Christians in Corinth because it expressed an idea that had become universal in the early church. Christ could return at any moment, and Christians called upon Him to do so. [8] Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. -Philippians 4:5 In this passage, Paul’s exhortation to the Church is based on the expectation that the Lord’s return could happen at any time. He uses an expression of imminence (“the Lord is at hand”) to convey this. Concerning this passage, F.W. Beare wrote: The Apostle is not speaking of the nearness of the Lord in his abiding presence with us, but of the imminence of his coming. [9] Alfred Plummer adds that the Philippian church was to maintain the expectancy that “at any moment they may have to answer for their conduct.” [10] 1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. -1 Thessalonians 1:10 This is the lone New Testament passage where the specific Greek word anamenó – here translated “to wait for” – is used. According to W.E. Vine, this word “carries with it the suggestion of waiting with patience and confident expectancy.” [11] Concerning this passage, D. Edmond Hiebert said: In 1 Thessalonians 1:10, the Thessalonian believers are pictured as waiting for the return of Christ. The clear implication is that they had a hope of His imminent return. If they had been taught that the Great Tribulation, in whole or in part, must first run its course, it is difficult to see how they would be described as expectantly awaiting Christ’s return. Then they should rather have been described as bracing themselves for the Great Tribulation and the painful events connected with it. [12] James 5:8-9 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. -James 5:8-9 James’ exhortation makes it clear that the coming of the Lord and the judgment that His arrival will bring should be a matter of importance to his readers. His statements that “the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” and “the judge standeth before the door” are both meant to convey imminence. Regarding these verses, Showers says: The second important thing to note about James 5:7-9 is that the Greek verbs translated "draweth nigh" (v. 8) and "standeth" (v. 9) are in the perfect tense and indicative mood, meaning that each of these verbs refers to an action that was completed before James wrote his epistle and that continues on in that completed state. The implication is that Christ’s coming drew near before James wrote his epistle, and His coming continues to be near. In addition, Christ as judge began to stand before the door before James wrote his epistle, and Christ as judge continues to stand before the door. In other words, Christ’s coming was imminent in New Testament times and continues to be imminent. James wanted to impress his readers with the fact that Christ could come through the door at any moment and cause them as Christians to stand before Him at the Judgement Seat of Christ. [13] These were just a few of the many instances in which the New Testament writers convey the Lord’s coming as an imminent event. The reality is that the New Testament writers and the early Church maintained a fervent expectation of an any-moment return of Christ. These passages not only reveal the mentality of the early Church, but also inform us of the identical expectancy that should be held by believers today. This doctrine of imminence then acts as a prominent reason necessitating a pretribulational Rapture for the Church. [1] Renald Showers, Maranatha: Our Lord Come! Bellmawr, NJ: Friends of Israel, 1995, p. 127. [2] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1964, p. 203. [3] J. Barton Payne, The Imminent Appearing of Christ, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1962, p. 102. [4] J.G. Davies, The Early Christian Church, Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1967, p. 132. [5] Wayne A. Brindle, “Imminence” in The Popular Encyclopedia Of Bible Prophecy, eds. Tim Lahaye and Ed Hindson, Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2004, p. 144. [6] Robert L. Thomas, “Imminence In The New Testament, Especially In Paul’s Thessalonian Epistles,” in The Master’s Seminary Journal, Vol. 29, No. 1, Spring 2018, p. 75. [7] Showers, p. 132. [8] Brindle, p. 145. [9] F.W. Beare, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Philippians, London: Adam & Charles Black, 1959, p. 146. [10] Alfred Plummer, A Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians, London: Robert Scott, 1919, p. 93. [11] W.E. Vine, entry “anameno,” in An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vol. IV, London: Oliphants Ltd., 1940, p. 194. [12] D. Edmond Hiebert, The Thessalonian Epistles, Chicago: Moody Press, 1972, p. 205. [13] Showers, p. 136.