Who Are The Nephilim?

Genesis 6:1-4

1When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years." 4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

It is my belief that the error regarding the nephilim and the sons of God begins with a misreading of this passage.The nephilim and the sons of God are two different groups, and not only that, neither the nephilim, nor the sons of God are spirit beings, i.e. angels, demons..

Verses 1-3 deal with the daughters of men and the sons of God. Verse four deals with the nephilim. The word nephilim in the Hebrew is translated as giants, i.e. a bully or tyrant. The words nephillim and giants are used interchangeably in different translations. The Scripture reveals that these nephilim were of larger than average size, giants.

This verse says that the nephilim lived on the earth at the same time, and even beyond the time, that the sons of God began to marry and procreate with the daughters of men. It then concludes with this:

“These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”

The nephilim were men, not half human, half angel.

So who are the sons of God?

Genesis chapter four relates the story of Adam’s first two sons Cain and Abel, with which we are very familiar. After Cain murders Abel, God banishes him from his current dwelling place and Cain settles in the land of Nod, i.e. the land of wandering. 4:16

Cain begins a family, and a people group is established through him.

Chapter 4 ends with Adam and Eve conceiving a third son, Seth.

Seth later has a son of his own, Enosh. 

Genesis 4:

“25And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, "God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him." 26To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.”

Note carefully, only after Seth was born did people begin to call on the name of the Lord.

Genesis five is a listing of Adam‘s descendants through Seth.

Genesis 5:1-5

1This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.

Adam made from the earth in the image and likeness of God, conceived a son in his own likeness through Eve. Chapter five finishes with:

“28When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son 29and called his name Noah, saying, "Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands." 30Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.

 32After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

Now go forward all the way to Luke’s gospel, and the listing of the lineage of Jesus through Joseph, His “step-father” 

The genealogy ends with this:

Luke 3:

the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

So based on the facts that;

1. Adam is called the son of God;
2. That after he fathered Seth who fathered Enos, then men began to call on the Lord’s name,
3. That the lineage of the Messiah came through Seth……………

I believe that the sons of God of Genesis 6:2 are all who are of the lineage of Adam, though Seth. They intermarried with the daughters of men, such as Cain’s descendants from Genesis 4.

We can see also, that up to the days of Noah and the flood. It was common for men to live an extremely long time. However, God announces in Genesis 6:3 that He is about to shorten mankind’s life span. This is a consequence of how bad things had gotten.  Genesis 6:5-8

It is quite possible that before the flood, not only did men live incredibly long lives, but they (Adam and his direct descendants) may have been of extraordinary size also.

So, the nephilim were roaming the earth, as the sons of God were intermarrying with the daughters of men, not with their own kind. (God later prohibited Israel from intermarrying with unbelievers. Exodus 34:15-16)

Let’s look at the story of the flood very carefully.

The remainder of Genesis 6, as well as chapters 7-8-9, tell the story of the building of the ark and the ensuing flood. Only Noah and his wife, along with his three sons and their wives, survived from all of mankind. This would then mean then the descendants of Cain, and all of the peoples born from the intermarriage perished in the flood. Did the nephilim perish in the flood also?

Recall the story of Moses sending the spies into the promised land. Only Joshua and Caleb brought a favorable report, the rest were negative;

Numbers 13:

32So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."

Because of this Israel spent forty years wandering in the wilderness until that whole generation died off. Only Joshua and Caleb lived to enter and inherit their portion of the land.

Joshua led Israel into the land, and through the many battles fought to take possession of it.

Joshua 11:

 21And Joshua came at that time and cut off⁽ the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities. 22There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain.

23So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war

Joshua completed the conquest by driving the Anakim, and the descendants of Anak, i.e. the nephilim, from the land, except for some who remained in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod.

Now we move ahead once more to the time of Saul and the rise of David:

1 Sam 17:

 1Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines.

3And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

Goliath was a “giant”. He stood over nine feet tall. More importantly he was from Gath, one of the regions where the nephilim managed to remain after Joshua defeated them. Goliath was descended from the nephilim.

How then did the nephilim survive the flood ?

Genesis 10:

 6The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 7The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man 9He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD." 10The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and 12Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 13 Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.

The Philistines are descendants of Ham, Noah’s son. The nephilim continued on, through the lineage of Ham.

What is the point of all this? Just to say that the teachings that the sons of God were angels or fallen angels, and that they were either the same as the nephilim, or that the nephilim were the offspring of the union between mortals and spirit beings/angels, are not scripturally based.

Jesus answered the Pharisees in Matthew 22:23-33 with this statement :

30For in the resurrection they(men and women) neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

So the angels in heaven neither marry nor are given in marriage, or Jesus doesn’t know what He is talking about.

If fallen angels, who are created spirit beings, were able to impregnate human females, then the conception of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit would not be a unique act. In fact they would seem to possess the same power as the Holy Spirit. Obviously men and women are able to conceive children, but we are created to procreate. That is a function given to us by our creator.

There is no evidence that angels were ever given this function as created beings. There is no evidence that angels actually possess a body such as ours.

Since human flesh is the only flesh that God will raise again incorruptible, and apparently angels don’t die, then there is no similarity at all between angels and men that would make them physically compatible to have intercourse.

Remember that Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. God is the creator of life. Angels are like us only in that God created them. They are immaterial beings, and we are not.

Luke 1:

31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,

33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

34  And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"

35  And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God.

Gen 1:1  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

2  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

The Spirit of God overshadows or hovers over as it “creates” something from nothing.

I don’t believe that angels, whether they be fallen or not, have the ability to reproduce through a union with a human agent. The idea that the “sons of God” are fallen angels is mere conjecture. If the sons of God are angels, and they were able to be seen and touched by men, then it would be so today. It would seem that the alleged danger of angels mating with humanity is just as possible today as it allegedly was millennia ago. The angels who delivered God’s messages to men throughout scripture were visible to man, by God’s discretion only, and always “appeared” as men. It would seem that is the preferred way for heaven to enter earth and communicate with men. There are too many scriptures to reference which would back this up.

There is one last point to be made.

Many use the argument that Jude in his letter, says that the angels participated in sexual immorality, i.e. going after “strange, or other flesh” just like the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah.

That is also a misreading of the passage.

Jude 1:

6   And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

“The angels who did not stay within their own position of authority.”

If one is not willing to stay in the position of authority, it is generally because one desires greater authority that one has not been given. No one leaving a position of authority leaves it for a lesser position. Satan, and his followers, desired to be elevated; they did not desire the daughters of men.

This brings up an interesting point; 

If Satan is a fallen angel, and the sons of God of Genesis 6 are fallen angels, which would include Satan, and they are procreating with human females, then how many spawn of Satan have inhabited or are inhabiting the earth?

Jesus told the people that they are of their father the devil, the father of lies, and the truth does not dwell in them. So Satan’s seed are those who do not love the Truth.

John 8:

38  I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."

39  They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,

40  but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.

41  You are doing the works your father did." They said to him, "We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father--even God."

42  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

43  Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.

44  You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

45  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

46  Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

47  Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God."

…………… back to Jude)

Therefore Jude is speaking of rebellion re: the angels. They left their proper dwelling. They suffer the eternal consequences of their actions.

Sodom and Gomorrah are guilty of the same transgression, that is, leaving their position of authority and responsibility re: sex and procreation. They left what is proper for the improper, the unnatural. This is what Paul is addressing in Romans 1: 18-32. There is an attempt to usurp God’s established order. This is why homosexuality is specifically pointed to by Paul. Men were to be fruitful and multiply. Homosexuality will never be able to fulfill that divine mandate. Obedience is worship, and Paul is stating emphatically that those who desire to leave their divinely appointed “positions” of authority are not worshiping God, but are worshiping the creation, which includes “man worship”. They are handed over to their disobedience, their rebellion.

The rebellious angels and the populations of Sodom and Gomorrah are being compared not in the specific circumstances of their wrongdoing, but in the fact they are both being held up as examples of the eternal consequences which accompany rebellion against God.

My conclusion is that Jude is not saying the angels engaged in sexual relations with humans and produced the nephillim. Jude’s entire letter is speaking of those who are disrupting the church with their anti-Christ theologies and activities. He is speaking of the rebellious.

I believe that even today we see that the dna of the nephillim survives. There are indigenous peoples in the African nations, for example, who are beyond what we call normal height, and the Book of World Records along with the NBA have several examples of those of abnormally large stature.

The world bears the evidence of the fall, and what was lost, everywhere one looks.

Soli Deo Gloria

 

The Fire/The Judgment

Isaiah 66:

15  "For behold, the LORD will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.

16  For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many. 

Hebrews 9:

27  And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,                                  

28  so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Simply put, God’s fire is judgment. It is judgment for the unbeliever, and it is

judgment for the saints.

God be praised that both the purpose and the consequence of that judgment by fire

are as different as night and day regarding its’ implementation in the lives

of the unbeliever, as well as the saint.

The use of the word fire, in specific context, determines its’ meaning to God’s people.

The Saints

1Peter4:                                                                                                                                   

17  For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Hebrews 12:

5  And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.

6  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."

7  It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

8  If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

John 15:

1  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

2  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

3  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

:5  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

6  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

1Cor 3:

11  For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw--

13  each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

14  If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

15  If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Malachi 3:

2  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.

3  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.

4  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

5  "Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

6  "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

What should be clear is that God’s discipline toward His disobedient children displays His great love for them. Those who are not His children, the illegitimate, i.e. the pretenders, are not judged by the Father’s loving disciplinary judgment. Peter proclaims the fact that judgment always begins in the house of God. He tells us further on in his letter that we are that house. 1 Peter 2:5

If judgment begins with us, then how will it be for those of us who are not obedient to the Gospel? That question applies to the church.

Jesus tells us that the father prunes the fruitful branches in Christ, the vine. And cuts off and burns the unfruitful branches in Christ. Both are branches in Christ, therefore John 15 is not speaking of eternal damnation, but rather the Lord uses the metaphor of burning unfruitful branches to speak of the discipline of judgment in a believer’s life.

(Let us not forget, Paul reveals in Romans 11:23 that God can graft any branch that has been cut off, back into Christ)

Paul in 1 Cor 3 writes of the judgment on the work of the saints concerning their use of proper building materials. Only the right material will withstand the fire which will reveal the quality of their work. Many, if not all, will suffer some loss in that day, but will be saved through the fire.

In this passage Paul is stating that the builders he is speaking of are building on the true foundation, that is Jesus Christ, so there is no question that this refers to believers.

In contrast we see Jesus referring to true and false foundations in Matthew 7:24-27, a different matter entirely. The materials used in both houses seem to be of quality, it is the foundation that they are built on that reveals their ability to weather the storms. Therefore many will come in his name, saying all the right words, doing all the right things, and will not be doing the will of the father, i.e. not building on the true foundation, Christ Jesus. (Matthew16:15-19)

Matthew 7:

21  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22  On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'

23  And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

The prophecy of Malachi is directed to the Levites, the temple priests. Thus in copy and shadow it speaks to God’s kingdom of priests who attend His living temple. He is the refiner’s fire which purifies and refines us, as silver and gold are refined. He is the fuller’s soap that cleanses. Then our offerings are acceptable to the Lord. Then our sacrifice is wrought in righteousness.  (Eph 5:25-27;Romans 12:1)

Then when He appears in judgment toward us, His fire consumes all that is not of Him, all that is evil and impure, but the sons of Jacob are not consumed, since they have already been through the fire. Malachi 4 prophesies of the Lord’s return. Only those who have already been through the refining fire of judgment will endure and stand in that day. More on that further on.

 Hebrews 10:

26  For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

27  but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

 So for the saints, there is not the loss of salvation, but rather the loss of the impurities, and all that is not of God in our lives.

The Unbelievers/The Condemned  (John 3:18)

 1Peter4:                                                                                                                                     

18  And "If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"   

  

Matthew 3:

7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8  Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

:9  And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

10  Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11  "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

12  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

Malachi 4:

1  "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

Mal 4:2  But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

Mal 4:3  And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.

Rev 20:

7  And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison

8  and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.

9  And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them,

10  and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

11  Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

12  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

13  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.

14  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

15  And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

There is judgment by fire for the unbeliever at the return of Christ. The intensity of the fire of the Lord’s coming will turn them into ash; ash which Malachi says we will tread upon. He is coming to judge in power. John the Baptist in Matthew 3 is speaking both of, and to,the saints and the unbelievers. Note that he says the axe is already laid at the root of trees. Christ's initial advent into creation brings judgment.

Rev 11:

15  Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."

16  And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,

17  saying, "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.

18  The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth."

To put it bluntly, the fire of judgment for the unregenerate never ends (the lake of fire). This is so since they have never suffered through the judgment leading to salvation in this life. For them, the fire is never ending, as their impurities are never ending, and their salvation never comes.

Job 22:

4  Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you?

5  Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities.

Rev 21:8  But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

So let us thank God for His judgment and discipline in our lives. He not only makes us fit to be co-workers with Him in his kingdom now (Php4:3), not only makes us a fit temple for Him to dwell in (Eph 2:19-22), but makes us fit to dwell with Him in eternity. (Rev 21:3)

Hebrews 12:

28  Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,

29  for our God is a consuming fire.  

FREE INDEED!

Jude 1: 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.


The faith we received is complete. It has been delivered to the saints once for all, and for all time. It is the gift of God and comes by hearing the word of God, through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Eph 2:8-9; Romans 10:17;John 16:13-15

John 19:
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.


Hebrews 10:
8 When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law),
9 then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second.
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Christ drank the bitter cup of God’s wrath on our behalf, so that we might drink the sweet wine of the new covenant. That wine, which represents His shed blood, is the last sacrifice. This means that the ceremonial laws of the old covenant find their end in Christ, as the offering of bulls, goats and lambs all find their fulfillment in Christ’s atoning death. Since without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin, and the gentiles were always a part of this covenant, then Christ’s death also fulfills the requirements of the Mosaic system for the salvation of the gentiles. This system was given, (for a time), to the Hebrews (Jews) to be kept as a copy and shadow, i.e. a testimony to the world, for all the elect, Jew or gentile. All is fulfilled in Christ. Truly it is finished.

Luke 22:20; Romans 3:1-2 and 29; Genesis 12:1-3; Romans 4:9-14; Romans 9:22-24; Eph 2:11-22; Hebrews 9:22; Hebrews 10:1-7

Php 2:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.


Hebrews 10: 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Because it is finished, and “the faith” has been delivered once for all to the saints through Christ’s atonement and imputed righteousness, we may now work out ‘from us’ the completeness of what God works ‘into us’. We can never be more saved today than we were yesterday, or will be tomorrow. The saints (sanctified ones) are forever perfected in Christ right now, and ever will be. Therefore our sanctification is not the process of being perfected, (else Christ’s sacrifice is insufficient), it is the evidence (working out), of our perfection in Him.

Gal 5:
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.
3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you.
9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.
11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.
12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The neo-legalists and judaizers of today preach a process of sanctification by works. Jesus plus a deliverance ceremony; Jesus plus acts of penance (not to be confused with true repentance),Jesus plus holiness teachings; Jesus plus the Mosaic laws. If one enters this religious system of the neo-circumcision, then one is bound by its rules, and falls into working out their own salvation and sanctification. The same goes with men trying to enforce the Law of God on the earth. His predestined wrath is for the lawbreaker. His predestined mercy is for all who are in Christ from before the foundation of the world. Please do not accuse me of preaching antinomian heresy, although that would place me in the same place as Paul, (not a bad place to be).

The leaven which leavens the whole lump is legalism. Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, i.e. all those who search the scriptures and never see Christ and the freedom he has given us. If The Word of God, i.e. the scriptures abide in us, then we know the testimony of the Father re: the Son is true and we come to Him, seeking life.

Those led by the Spirit no longer live under the Law, and most especially under a man made religious system.

Matthew 16:11-12;John 5:37-40; John 6:44-45, 63, and 68-69: Romans 7;Romans 8:1-10;Colossians 2:6-23; Romans 6:1-2

Walk in obedience to the Word of God. The Spirit’s walk is never a journey of legalism. 1 Sam 15:22

Gal 5:
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.


John 8:
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
..................................................................................
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Amen and Amen!

Dominion: Part 2

Before we go any further on the subject of dominion, a review of some facts discussed in Part 1 of this study is in order:

1. Dominion was given by God to men, as man and woman. (Genesis 1:26-30)
2. This dominion did not include dominion over one another. This later came about as the result of Adam's fall in Eden and specifically speaks to the relationship of the man and woman; "he shall rule over you" (Gen 3:16)
3. The temptation and fall of man is predicated upon man's desire to be AS God, and not submit as creature to creator, in obedience to God's original decree of dominion given to them.
4. Satan, the serpent, was neither given dominion, nor did he take it from men.
5. Though man still has dominion, it is corrupted, as man must labor to sustain life, and will die anyway to return to earth. The creation is subjected to futility waiting for the appearance of the sons of God in order to be released. Sin and death have entered into creation. Both man, formed from the earth, and the earth itself are cursed, as they are essentially one and the same
6. Christ comes as the last Adam, once and for all, putting to death the sinful, corrupted flesh of man (the sin nature, the first Adam) at the cross, and granting forgiveness of sins for all the elect, i.e. all who will believe in Him and His finished work. He was seen to be the last Adam, i.e. the life giving Spirit, the first fruits of the new creation, upon resurrecting from the dead, proving that He is the son of God. ( 1 Cor 15; Romans 1:1-4)
7. Christ will literally return to rule and reign on the earth, and the saints will rule and reign with Him. (Rev 5:9-14)
8. All in Christ, though looking forward to His return, must walk in obedience, here and now, to the original mandate, to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. (Matthew 28:18-20)
This is NOT accomplished by the enforcement of Mosaic law through the kingdoms of fallen man, which are Babylon, but by the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, through which comes salvation given by grace through faith, to all who are foreknown by Him, from before the foundation of the world.

Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."
(Note that kingdom is singular both times it is used here.)

True Godly dominion is restored in Christ alone.

Galatians 3:
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Abraham was called out of Babylon as the "model" of all who are elect. He heard the word, believed what he heard, and that belief was accounted to him as righteousness. This was the beginning of God's plan to establish a "new creation".
Abraham was called out of the dispersion/confusion which came about due to man's actions at Babel, where once again humankind desired to rule as God.
Paul puts Abraham, the covenant given to him, his offspring, and the saints existence in Christ, in harmony. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. The unity found in Christ brings us back to the original dominion given at creation.
All who participate in this unity are children of Abraham. They come out of the corrupt dominion of men and into the Kingdom of God. Abraham was not looking for an earthly domain. He was looking for a city built by God (the New Jerusalem) and not by men (Babel). The Lord will bring that city, His bride, to the new earth, the place He has prepared for her. (Rev 21:1-4)
Paul is adamant throughout Galatians; the new creation does not come by the Law, nor through religious practice, but through God's call.

Galatians 6:15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

It is necessary to look at Christ and His life, death and resurrection to discern the restoration of God's mandate to man.
First and foremost, the fallen Adamic nature had to be dealt with:

John 12:
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

John 14:
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,
31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

John 16:
8 And when he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Just prior to His crucifixion, Jesus reveals the divine plan.
The question is; who is the ruler of this world?
Going back to the fact that dominion was given to Adam, and was never rescinded; the ruler of THIS world is fallen man, those who are in the first Adam. The ruler of the new creation is Christ, i.e. the last Adam, and all who are in Christ shall rule and reign with Him.
In all three of these passages, the Lord is speaking about His impending crucifixion and death.
He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, (flesh meaning man).
None of the above scripture is speaking of Satan as ruler or prince of this world.
The ruler of this world is judged and cast out, that is put to death. How? When He is lifted up, He will draw all people to Himself. This speaks of the judgment of all of mankind, Christ crucified. (1 Cor 2:2)
Only those who look upon Him and believe will be saved. (John 3:14-21; Numbers 21:8-9)
The ruler of this world is coming, and Jesus goes straight into the “ambush”, for the old creation has nothing on the new. (Acts4:24-28)
The Holy Spirit convicts the world (post-crucifixion) of judgment, because the ruler of this world (man) has been judged.

I believe the same is applied to Paul and his letter to Corinth:

2Cor4: 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Who is the "god of this world" but the one who desires to be God... man himself. Men are blind to the truth that Christ is both God, and the new man, and salvation comes no other way.
Nowhere in scripture can we find Satan attempting to usurp the throne. That has always been man's desire since Eve ate the fruit. Satan is subject to God’s will also. (Job 1: 6-12)
I believe that Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are among the most abused passages in scripture. They speak of men not the devil. The statue spoken of in Daniel 2 represents the kingdom of man, with the King of Babylon (Babel) always to be the head. The feet of iron and clay show the weak footing that this kingdom stands upon. It is the “heavenly rock: which destroys the statue by striking the feet first, and becomes a great mountain filling the earth with God's glory.
Satan is not a god at all. The “satanic church” began essentially as a strawman, constructed by the Roman Catholic church of the dark ages and medieval times, in an attempt to justify its' dogmas and practices, indeed its’ very existence.
Satan was created to be Satan, the father of all lies, and the accuser of the brothers.
Christ did not come in the likeness of fallen angels. Their judgment was already assured. (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6)

Christ As Last Adam; The New Creation
God has always possessed the knowledge of good and evil, yet He was, is, and always will be, perfect in all His ways.
The One incapable of sin had to take on flesh in order restore the proper order.

Romans 5:19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

The knowledge of good and evil brings death to all, but the Lord who already has that knowledge.

2Corithians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God's holiness is that separation of Himself from all that is evil and sinful, and nowhere is that difference more apparent than when He hung as the cursed one upon the cross, yet still without blemish in any way. Glory to God, that though He became accursed, He did not return to dust as the first Adam did. (Genesis 3:17; Acts2:22-32 and 13: 32-39)

Psalm 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Through the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil a type of wisdom was gained. The fruit looked good, was good to taste, and provided a wisdom that spelled death for mankind. Such knowledge is meant for God alone.

The tree of life also produced wisdom as fruit.

Proverbs 3:
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.
19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.

The fruit of the forbidden tree brings death to those who will not acknowledge God, but worship man.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

The wisdom that brings life begins with acknowledging in worship who the creator is.

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

The reverential fear of the Lord is simply acknowledging God as creator and the one who holds all dominion. In granting dominion, He proves all dominion is His. All authority is given to Christ in order that we may establish his kingdom in the earth. It is a kingdom which does not originate in this world, nor does it function as the world does.
Dominion is given not taken. The “promised land” was given to the Hebrews who were to go in and occupy not "take it for God". All is His. All who wish to “seize” dominion prove that they are not of Christ. That is man’s way, not God’s.

Joshua 18:3 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, "How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?

Dominion is established only through the gospel of grace, all else is man's works; that is…. hubris.

Jude 1:
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria