Greed is often referred to as the root of all evil, however, I would argue that both fame and power are far more alluring. Now that doesn’t mean that greed causes us a lot of grief and leads us to more sin than other sins, but it is not the “root” of all evil.
In Isaiah 14:12-14, it is made clear that Satan was exiled to earth and why, and the “why” is what’s important, and that is pride. Pride is what got Satan to earth (and not allowed back to Heaven), and that is what takes us to the root of evil, or at least the over-arching sin of all other sin and how it relates to the “Nephilim”, or the “mighty men” of old. Let’s begin with Genesis 6:3-4:
3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Now, verse 4 is considered one of the most confusing scriptures in the Bible, however, verse 3 is possibly the clearest scripture in the Bible. Other translations have replaced “giants” with “Nephilim”. Regardless of the word that is used, there is nothing about any of the other verses or text in this story about anything other than flesh and man, sons(children) of God, and daughters of men(unbelievers).
If you look at verse 4 carefully, it does not say that the “giants” are the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men, but simply that the “giants” both preceded and succeeded the act of the unholy unions of God’s children and the unbelievers.
Then, it says that the unholy union produced children. That’s it. It didn’t say that the offspring were 20’ tall or that they were even powerful, it just clarifies that they produced a generation(s) of children.
Finally, it says that “those were the mighty men of old, men of renown”, which is likely the confusing part, but still in no way leads to a race of hybrid man-angels, and is really just speaking to the “pride” that has gripped this first civilization.
One thing that is consistent with most of the translations is the word “renown”, which is translated in many ways, such as; widely acclaimed, highly honored, famous, and having done something that “people” admire. Does that sound familiar?
So, in one verse, we have giants, mighty men, and men of renown. And the giants, or Nephilim, were on the earth when the sons of God were making babies, and also there-after. So, could the “giants” be the mighty men and the “famous” men whom society was following? Were they the leaders of the “world” that Satan is now the prince of?
Think of this in today’s society. Do we have “men of renown” who are admired? Are there “giants” in business, sports, politics, and Hollywood that command the attention and adoration of the masses? Are any of them 15’ tall? And could they be those Nephilim, or “giants” that are here “after” God spoke our life span to 120 years?
Now, all this is not to say that just because someone is well known that they are a Nephilim, however, it is to say that whatever was being described in the beginning of Chapter 6 in Genesis is part of what was causing the downfall of man. Not only that, but they are also something that can exist today, along with the conditions that cause them, and that they cause.
Now pre-flood times were pretty rough, and the fact that it can get that way again may be hard to understand. Misunderstanding that the “times of Noah” can reoccur may come from overlooking a couple of very clear scripture; one of them is Genesis 9:11 where God makes His covenant with Noah that He will not destroy man with a flood again, and also in Mathew 24:36-44 where Jesus tells us that it will be like the times of Noah. Although that passage from Matthew is predominately about the surprise of Christ’s return, previous passages in the Chapter give vivid clarity about what it was going to be like leading up to his return in Matthew 24:11-1:
11 “Then many false prophets will rise and deceive many.
12 “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
The prophecy of Matthew 24 was fulfilled around 70AD, however, it is a repeat of not only the pre-flood fallen conditions [lawlessness] but also of the existence of the false prophets [giants] who have fooled many.
Now, does the abounding lawlessness that Christ speaks of maybe parallel the violence and lewdness of Noah’s time? And if so, does all this read that the giants [Nephilim], or the Mighty Men of Old, and the “men of renown”, sound like what Christ was speaking of when he talked about the “false prophets” who would deceive many?
Now, what is “deceived many” to the current times? Not to mention, the “false prophets” who rise to do so. Apart from that, what about the violence and lewdness, or “lawlessness” that abounds today with several people, and entities, who are believed by many to be the saviors?
So, what is the real story of “pre-flood” times? And who were the Nephilim if not merely false prophets and mighty men who ascended to fame and positions of power for their glory by exploiting the problems of the time and profiting egregiously while amassing power?
So have things changed from the flood, other than the life span of man, and the fact that it now rains? Outside of the enhanced capacity to reach the masses with information, not much has changed. And one thing that has not changed, even since the creation of the earth, and man, is the presence of Satan and his minions, and the limitations under which they must operate. And that will take us into Part 4 of this series.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you found value and clarity in the first three articles on this topic.