Archive for the ‘Biblical History’ Category

Jesus in Jewish Wedding Traditions

by on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

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JESUS IS REVEALED THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE, as a Bridegroom God who is gathering a Bride to Himself.   (Isa 54:5) Much of the language and imagery used to describe our salvation and relationship to God is taken from the Jewish wedding traditions.   The traditions listed below provide insight into understanding Who Jesus is, what He is doing, and why He has chosen to do it the way He has.  By properly understanding the bridal perspective of our salvation we can begin to view ourselves as His beloved Bride and receive and reciprocate His love.   It will also provide context for our current season of anticipation for His return. Our salvation here on Earth is just the beginning of  an everlasting love.  Jesus is eagerly awaiting the wedding day!

1) Shiddukhin- The Role Of The Matchmaker

In Jewish wedding customs it is traditionally the father of the groom who selects a bride for his son.   In Genesis chapter 2 we see that Adam’s wife was fashioned for him by God (his Father).  In Genesis chapter 24 we see another example as Abraham made provision for a servant to find his son Isaac a proper wife, Rebekah.  The servant came unto Rebekah with a proposal and without having seen Isaac face to face, she said yes and agreed to leave everything behind and go forth to marry Isaac.  In the same way, God the Father has ordained that the Holy Spirit woo a Bride for His Son Jesus.  Just as Rebekah, we have not yet seen Jesus face to face, but we are learning about our betrothed and falling in love with Who He is through the ministry of the matchmaker, the Holy Spirit.  Concerning selecting a bride, Jesus, ever the obedient Son only does the will of His Father.  The Apostle Paul identified himself as a co-laborer with the Holy Spirit in being part of the matchmaking process, when he said in  2Co 11:2-3  “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. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. “

I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.  (John 5:30b, KJV)

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  (1Peter 1:8, KJV)

We love him, because he first loved us.  (1 John 4:19, KJV)

 

2) Mohar – The Bride Price

In Jewish tradition it is required by law that the groom pays a bride price to her family and purchases (or redeems) her to himself. The higher the worth of the bride, the higher the price that will have to be paid.   Jesus has paid for His bride at the high cost of shedding His own blood to redeem her from her past of sin.  This speaks of the incredible value of His chosen bride.

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.  (1 Corinthians 6:20, KJV)

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  (1 Peter 1:18-19, KJV)

 

3) Mattan – Love Gifts

Though not required, the groom also often gave gifts to the bride to demonstrate his love for her.  Jesus offers the Church wonderful gifts: eternal life, peace, supernatural power…etc

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  (John 10:28, KJV)

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  (John 14:27, KJV)

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  (Luke 10:19, KJV)

 

4) Shiluhim – The Dowry

The Father of the bride endows her with a gift (her portion of the family inheritance) to bring with her into marriage.  In addition to money a bride would often be given a trousseau which would often include new clothing, linens, and other things she would need to set up her new home.    Our Heavenly Father sees to it that we are given everything we need to start our new life with Christ: we receive The Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and yes, even new garments of white for the wedding!

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.  (John 14:16-17, KJV)

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.  (1 Corinthians 12:8-10, KJV)

…for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.  (Revelation 19:7-8, KJV)

 

5) Ketubah – The Marriage Contract

The wedding document is a contract detailing the Mohar (the Bride price), the rights of the bride and the promises of the groom.  The contract would be read out loud so all those present would know the terms. In the book of Jeremiah chapter 31, God outlines that He will make a new contract with Israel (His chosen ones) writing the law on their hearts and promising to be their God.  Both parties need to consent to the wedding, and the bride had to make her consent verbal in the presence of at least two witnesses for the wedding to be binding.   When a Christian first makes their agreement with Jesus to be His Bride we are to confess with our mouths, and when we do so in the presence of two or three other Christians, Jesus Himself is present in our midst to accept us.  Our wedding document is the Bible, wherein are contained all that is required of us and promised to us.

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.  (Jer 31:31-33, KJV)

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (Heb 8:6, KJV)

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (Romans 10:9-10, KJV)

… In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.  (2 Co 13:1, KJV)

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.  (Mat 18:20, KJV)

 

6) Kiddushin -The Cup of Proposal

Historically, drinking together from the same cup was the manner in which an official proposal was made (no kneeling on one knee required!).  The bridegroom pours a cup of wine, lifts it high in his right hand, and recites the blessing:  Baruch L ata adonai eloheinu melech ha olam borey pre hagafen. (Blessed are you O Lord, King of the Universe who creates the fruit of the vine).  He then drinks of the cup and offers it to the bride.  The wine was symbolic of the blood of a covenant. Although we might consider this merely an engagement, the moment that the bride takes a sip from that cup she is legally his wife and the contract is binding.  Even though the marriage will be some time in the future if they were to separate now they would need a legal divorce.   After the bride has drunk from the Kiddish (literally the cup of sanctification) the bridegroom would depart to prepare a place for her.  The time it would take him to build a house and return to take his bride was generally about a year.

To a Christian, celebrating communion is a very special time of remembrance.    The significance of the Last Supper should not be overlooked.   The last supper took place at Passover, during a special dinner feast called the Seder.  During this dinner the Jews recount and celebrate their exodus from Egypt and drink 4 cups of wine during the course of the evening.  The four cups are: 1) cup of blessing, 2) cup of plagues, 3) cup of redemption/suffering and 4) cup of praise.   It was the third cup of redemption/suffering that Jesus held up, blessed and said that it represented His shed blood which was going to sanctify the new covenant (His wedding covenant).  As each of the disciples drank from that cup they were betrothed legally to Jesus as his bride. When we first drank the communion wine we accepted Christ’s proposal of marriage and we are legally His too. From that moment forward we are now awaiting His promised return. He is coming back to bring us to the place He has been preparing!  Jesus made a curious statement saying that He would not drink from the fruit of the vine again until He does so with us in His Kingdom.  Jesus was saying that He would not that night be drinking the customary 4th cup of praise, but would wait to drink it until His wedding day with us.  It is also traditional that after the bride accepts the proposal the groom would place a veil over her face.

And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.  (Mar 14:23-24, KJV)

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 14:2-3, KJV)

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come  (Mat 24:42, KJV)

 

7) Mikvah – Purification/Baptism

During the time while the bride is awaiting the return of the bridegroom she enters a season of purification and anticipation of the moment he returns and the wedding occurs.  It is important to note, she does not know the date and time he will return so she is to live in a state of perpetual readiness.  The first thing the bride would do is be publicly immersed in a body of water, usually a lake or river, as a ceremonial cleansing (Mikvah).  It would be a time of rejoicing and her friends and family would celebrate her newly married state.  She now belongs to her husband and is under his authority.   Christians celebrate our engagement to Christ by being water baptized and making our confession public.  We identify with Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, and pronounce ourselves under His authority. We then continue to be cleansed as we study the scriptures and obey the Holy Spirit.

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.  (2 Co 7:1, KJV)

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, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  (Eph 5:25-27, KJV)

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  (Rom 6:3-4, KJV)

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.  (Col 3:2-4, KJV)

It is interesting to note that at some point before the wedding, the bridegroom would be called upon publicly at the synagogue to a read a passage from the Torah.  When first researching this I thought the passage of Scripture might be something from Song of Solomon, or the Psalms, but was surprised to find that the passage was Isaiah 61.  This was the same Scripture that Jesus read and then said “This Day is this Scripture, fulfilled in your ears”  (Luke 4:21).

8 ) Nissuin -The Nuptials

Traditionally the bridegroom would return for his bride in the night at the head of a torchlight procession.  There would be a shout to alert the bride they were coming. There would be trumpets, singers and great commotion!  The bridegroom would literally be abducting his bride by surprise and she would live with him from that point forward.  Often she was literally carried away in a wedding litter (a canopied cart carried by men). The only one who knew the timing beforehand would be the groom’s father.  He would prepare a feast and invite the guests.  Customarily the bride would give the groom a crown, and he would give her a crown and they were to be treated like a King & Queen during their wedding. (Song 3:11)  The guests would entertain them and dance around them to “make them glad”.

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 Th 4:16-17, KJV)

And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.  (1Peter 5:4, KJV)

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.  (Hebrews 10:36-37, KJV)

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.  (Rev 3:11, KJV)

 

9) Chuppah  & Cheder Yichud – Covering & Room of Privacy

The Cheder Yichud was the room that had been prepared where the bride and groom would live.  The celebration would be going on outside even as the veiled bride and groom went inside alone to consummate their marriage.   The best man would wait outside until the groom would tell him that the marriage had been consummated.  The celebrating and feasting would continue for seven days during which time the bride remained hidden.   After the seven days when the bride (now unveiled) and groom re-emerge the marriage supper would be celebrated.  This represents the spiritual unity that will occur when Christ brings His Bride to Heaven and the veil of separation is finally removed! (In today’s Jewish customs the Cheder Yichud has largely been replaced by a four poled canopy  (Chuppah) under which the final part of the wedding ceremony takes place. The groom waits under the canopy praying for his friends that each would find his perfect mate, while the bride and her parents circle the Chuppah seven times before she goes in underneath and the ceremony is conducted.)

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.  (Joh 3:29, KJV)

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.  (1 Co 13:12, KJV)

 

10)  2nd cup of wine

Immediately after the wedding supper, the 2nd cup of wine is drunk.  As mentioned earlier this will be the first time Jesus has drunk wine since the last supper… in essence He wanted to drink that 4th cup of the Seder dinner, the cup of Praise, with us in Heaven on the wedding day!    Our joy will indeed by full on that great and glorious day.

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine!  (Song of Solomon 4:9-10, KJV)

And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.  (Rev 19:9, KJV)

….my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.  (Psa 23:5-6, KJV)

And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.  (Joh 2:10, KJV)

Jesus not only fulfilled all of the messianic prophecies recording in Scripture, but it would seem that He also made a deliberate effort to fulfill the wedding traditions of the Jews so they would in turn recognize Him as a bridegroom.  I think this idea (and many others) are well supported by John’s comment that ” there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (John 21:25) For further study on Jewish Wedding Traditions I’d like to recommend an excellent book “The Jewish Way In Love & Marriage” by Maurice Lamm.

The Last Supper: The Jewish Passover

by on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

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AS CHRISTIANS, we celebrate Communion and remember Christ’s sacrifice, but most of us know very little about the actual dinner during which Christ broke the bread and passed the wine.  To the 12 disciples sitting at that table what took place had a much richer meaning.  The Jews had been celebrating Passover, the feast of Unleavened Bread for 1500 years prior to that night in keeping with God’s commandment to Israel when He delivered them from Egypt. In Exodus 12:17 we read: “You shall keep the feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this day I brought your companies out of the land of Egypt.  You shall observe this day throughout the generations as a practice for all times.”  There are many wonderful pictures that all point to Christ that can be uncovered in the Seder (the actual dinner & ritual celebrated during the feast of Unleavened Bread).  The following is a brief summary of the customs and their meanings.

Bedikat Chametz – Removal of Leaven

In preparation for the feast, a Jewish household not only abstains from eating anything leavened, but also completely clears their home of leaven.  “Exo 12:19-20 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.”

The purposeful clearing out leaven is meant to be a picture of our cleansing ourselves from sin.  During the time of the Exodus, the Israelites left Egypt in such haste that they did not even have time to let their bread rise and it was baked unleavened.   Paul reminds believers in 1Co 5:7-8 that the leaven we are to abstain from is sin.   ” Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Kiddush – The First Cup – The Cup Of Blessing (Sanctification)

During the course of the Seder dinner participants will drink 4 cups of wine, each celebrating one of the promises that God gave the Israelites in Exodus 6:6-7:

1) Cup Of Blessing (Sanctification):   “…I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians”

2) Cup of Plagues (Judgment): “…and I will deliver you from slavery to them”

3) Cup of Redemption (Suffering): “…and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm”

4) Cup of Praise (Joy): “…and I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God

Jesus prayed for His Church in John 17 regarding our sanctification, saying: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth… And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.”   Jesus has provided a way for us to be delivered from the bondage of sin (our old taskmaster no less fierce than the Egyptians), this is indeed a blessing and we are to be sanctified by this truth.

Urchatz – The Washing Of Hands (without blessing)

This is not a washing of the hands for sanitary reasons, but one to demonstrate that we approach God with clean hands.

Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. ”  (Psalm 24:3-5, KJV)

Karpas – Dipping Of The Parsley

A sprig of fresh parsley is dipped into saltwater (or vinegar) and eaten.  To the Jews, the green herb symbolized newness of life and the blessing of the fruit of the vine that God gives mankind.  During the Passover God’s people were instructed in Exo 12:22 to “take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning” thereby the angel of death would pass over and spare the first born among Israel.  If the parsley is dipped into saltwater it serves as a further reminder that the Israelites shed many tears while under bondage, as well as reminding them of the Red Sea which God split for them to walk across on dry land.    On yet another level it also reminds the Jews that it was Joseph’s tunic being dipped into blood that led to the Israelites going down into Egypt in the first place.  To the Christian it also reminds us that as Jesus hung on the cross he was offered a bunch of hyssop that had been dipped in vinegar to ease His thirst, after which He said “it is finished” (John 19:29).

Yachatz- Breaking the Middle Matzah

On the Seder will be a napkin (or fancier silk bag sometimes called a matzah tosh) in which three matzah crackers are wrapped.  The middle one is removed and broken.  One half of the broken matzah is replaced, while the other half (now called an Afikomen) is wrapped in a white linen and hidden away until the end of the meal.  To the Jew, the matzah represents the unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, as well as the pascal lamb which was slain (symbolized by being broken) whose blood was then used to paint the door lintels so the angel of death would pass-over.

To the Christian the matzah has an even richer meaning.  The three matzah crackers represent the trinity of God,  separate yet one, God the Father, God the Son (the middle Matzah) and God the Holy Spirit.  God the Son came down from Heaven (symbolized by being removed from the napkin with the other two matzahs) and was broken for us.  His broken body was then hidden in the grace for 3 days.

It is worth pausing to reflect on the traditional matzah cracker which has been made in the same way since the beginning of this Feast.

It is unleavened, symbolizing that Jesus has no sin.  It is striped just as Jesus bore stripes while he was scourged.   It is also bruised (toasted) just as He was bruised.  And finally it is also pierced, just as Jesus was pierced by soldier after He died.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  (Isaiah 53:5, KJV)

But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.  (John 19:33-34, KJV)

Maggid/Makkot – The Story of Passover/ The Second Cup

During the Seder the story of Exodus is read aloud.    Through a mighty hand God poured out plagues on the Egyptians until Pharaoh let His people go.   The final plague, the death of the firstborn required that the Israelites slay a lamb whose blood would cause the angel of death to pass-over them.  As Christians we understand that Jesus has become the Lamb of God whose blood has taken away our sin.

The second cup of wine, the Cup Of  Plagues is drunk after the recounting of the passover story. Traditionally a drop of wine is spilled from the cup for each of the ten plagues. A  full cup is a symbol of joy and we do not rejoice even at the death of the Egyptians for we are all descendants of Adam and God does not rejoice that any should perish.

Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.  (Matthew 18:14, KJV)

Rachatz -The Washing Of The Hands

At this point in the Seder there is a second washing of the hands, this time with a blessing recited.   It was at this time that Jesus humbled Himself and washed His disciples feet during the Last Supper.

” He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.”  (John 13:4, KJV)

Maror -Eating Of The Bitter Herbs

A piece of matzah is now dipped into a mixture of Charoseth (apples, nuts, honey, cinnamon) which is sweet tasting but resembles the mortar the Israelites used with their bricks.  The matzah is then dipped into a dish of horseradish.   This is done to symbolize that even during times of bitterness, God is faithful to bring moments of sweetness.

The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.  (Proverbs 27:7, KJV)

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalms 119:103, KJV)

Shulchan Orech – The Passover Supper

3500 years ago the Israelites ate their roasted lamb with their shoes on their feet, their staffs in hand, ready to run out the door to freedom.  Traditionally since then the Passover supper is eaten reclining and at rest.   Upon the Seder plate placed in the middle of the table you will find several items:

  • a lamb bone:  symbolizing the slain lamb by whose blood death passed-over the Israelites
  • horseradish: the bitter herb as a reminder of the bitterness of slavery
  • charoseth: the sweet apple mixture that looks like brick mortar
  • parsley: the green herb, reminiscent of the hyssop used to apply the lambs blood
  • a roasted egg: a symbol of mourning for the destruction of the temple
  • matzah: symbolizing the slain lamb

 

Tzaphun – Eating the Afikomen   &  Ha-geulah -The Third Cup    (COMMUNION)

The Afikomen is retrieved and everyone at the table partakes of a piece of the matzah cracker.  Then the third cup is blessed and enjoyed by all of the guests.  This is the part in the meal where Jesus instituted the communion remembrance.

He took the Afikomen, which represented His broken body which would lie in the grave for 3 days, broke it and had each of the disciples eat.  He then took the third cup, the Cup of Redemption/Suffering and stated that this was His blood, the blood with which He would make a new covenant, and had each of them drink.  He commanded that from that point forward the re-enactment of the bread/wine were to be done in remembrance of Him.  Also of special significance is the custom of proposing marriage in the Jewish culture.  A man would lift a cup of wine, bless it, drink from it, and offer it to his beloved, if she chose to drink from the same cup, they were legally betrothed to one another and nothing but a divorce would legally divide the two.  The wedding would take place usually about a year later after the bridegroom had departed to go prepare a place for his new wife to dwell with him.  Jesus, as our Bridegroom God, proposed to his Bride, The Church, by offering her the cup of suffering.  If we chose to drink of the cup which He offers us, we are His!  We can be certain that He will return for us, He even promised to go prepare a place for us in Heaven.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.  (Matthew 26:26-29 , KJV)

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 14:2-3, KJV)

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.  (Revelation 5:13, KJV)

Looking for Elijah

Since the days of the prophet Malachi, traditionally a place is set at the Seder table for the prophet Elijah.  It was understood by the Jews that the Messiah would not come  before Elijah had come back.   A cup of wine would be poured and a child sent to the door to see if Elijah had come to the feast.  We know that John the Baptist came in the Spirit of Elijah before Jesus’ arrival, and that the Spirit of Elijah (and perhaps Elijah Himself if you hold to the understanding that He is one of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation) will again be poured out in advance of Jesus’ second coming.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:  (Malachi 4:5, KJV)

And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.  (Mark 9:11-13, KJV)

Hallel – The Fourth Cup

The Seder dinner concludes with the Fourth Cup, the Cup of Praise.    The last cup speaks of the time when God will gather all Israel unto Himself.   “Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad” (Psalm 14:7, KJV).   To the Christian we are to understand that one day both believing Jew & Gentiles will be gathered together as the Bride of Christ at the marriage feast of the Lamb.

The night of the Last Supper, Jesus did not drink the fourth cup, instead saying that He would wait and drink it with His Bride in Heaven.

But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.  (Matthew 26:29, KJV)

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. …Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb….”  (Revelation 19:7-9, KJV)

In Conclusion

Jesus humbled Himself to the point of washing the feet of His disciples and willingly became our perfect sinless Passover Lamb.  H shed His blood to cover our sins  just as the Israelites could not have escaped death without shedding lamb’s blood during their Exodus from Egypt.  Jesus’ blood is also the blood by which the new covenant was sealed, the very wine of Redemption and Suffering from which He drank He now offers us as we consent to become His Bride.  He broke the Afikomen  (the matzah cracker that represented His own body). The Afikomen which represented that God literally come down from heaven, a matzah cracker that was bruised, striped and pierced just as He was about to become.   Jesus abstained from drinking the cup of Praise during the Last Supper, instead chosing to wait until we all drink it together in His Kingdom.   From the bitterness of the horseradish, to the sweetness of the charoseth, each element in the Seder dinner speaks of the Exodus of the Israelites and our own Salvation which was accomplished in full by Jesus.

The Alien Deception

by on Friday, October 15th, 2010

ARE ALIENS REAL? People seem to be quite divided on the subject. Even in the church this confusion remains, with some believing that God created other species on distant planets, and others dismissing their existence as nothing more than a modern day deception orchestrated by demons. With growing proof that intelligent life not only exits, but is interacting with humanity, it’s time that we come to terms with what God has revealed in His word about this seemingly modern subject.

STUDY SYNOPSIS:

In this study we examine what I believe is Satan’s most elaborate and powerful lie – the alien deception.  This deception involves more than mere mental trickery.  It stands as the reason for the global flood of Noah’s day, and will lead to the great lie of the Antichrist that will sway the world’s view of history.

After sin had manifested in Adam and Eve, God prophesied that the seed of Eve would crush the rebellion of Satan through a descended child of Eve.  The devil responded with an extraordinary, if not ingenious, plan. He would make it impossible for the Messiah to be born as a representative of Adam.

The plan was simple.  Satan would move Adam’s descendants to forget God and begin worshiping created creatures and objects.  Then he would appoint certain demons (fallen angels) to take on a physical form.  These masquerading demons would then appear to men as physical gods come from the heavens.  They would take to themselves willing brides and bear children with them.  The resulting offspring became known by many tribal names, but were collectively known as the Nephilim, or simply as “giants.”

By extending themselves into the bloodlines of mankind, the pure seed of Adam would eventually be thoroughly corrupted and turn man from what Adam was into a transgenic race of half-breeds.  What purpose would that serve?  It would put an end to God’s plan of redemption through representation.  God promised to send the Messiah who would stand in Adam’s place, being flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bones.  Thus, the Messiah would have to be born of Adam’s seed, and not of a transgenic seed comprised of man and angel.

So God flooded the entire earth killing off all living things, save Noah, his immediate family, and animals in his care.  After the flood, Satan attempted to re-initiate his plan.  However as giants began to be born from these unholy unions between demons and women, God raised up the nation of Israel to stand against them, and wipe them from the face of the earth.  Eventually, the giants disappeared from the earth.  But the alien god’s behind the deception did not.

Satan continued to parade his alien “gods” before men, creating a long standing history of interaction between aliens and mankind.  Eventually, the human Antichrist (possessed by Satan) will officially reintroduce these aliens (demons in physical disguise) to the world as co-rulers with him.

Want to learn more?  Not convinced?  Continue reading for an in-depth study on this subject.

What you can expect to find in this study:
[Click for reference]
  • Proof that the sons of God are in fact fallen angels.
  • Biblical examples of how angels could impregnate human women.
  • Why God flooded the earth but spared Noah and his immediate family.
  • The reason why God commanded Israel to kill every man, woman, child, and beast in their wars against certain corrupted nations.
  • Find out what happened to the angels involved in the unauthorized reproduction.
  • Read the Bible’s description of aliens in the New Testament.
  • Get a glimpse into the lie that deceives the whole world prior to Christ’s Second Coming.

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THE PROPHECY AND THE DECEPTION:

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”  (Genesis 3:15, NASB)

This prophecy revealed the existence of God’s plan for both man and Satan alike.  The “seed” that would come out of the woman, and the seed that would come out of the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, would be at enmity with one another, but the woman’s seed would be victorious over the Serpent’s seed.

From history, we can see the fulfilment of this Edenic prophecy.  From out of Eve came the lineage of Jesus Christ, who secured eternal salvation for mankind.  Out of the Serpent came Satan, who stirred the hearts of men to crucify Christ.  Thus, Satan “bruised” Christ’s “heel” with the cross, but Christ crushed Satan’s “head” with resurrection from the dead, having defeated Satan’s only tool of power – the power of death brought about by sin (Hebrews 2:14).

However, Satan didn’t wait until the Messiah was born in order to eliminate Him.  He started devising a plan against Christ from the moment God gave the prophecy of the coming Messiah.

The Bible summarizes what happened next:

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, {2} That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. {3} 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. {4} There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that [great flood], 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. {5} And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. {6} And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. {7} And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. {8} But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. …{13} And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” (Genesis 6:1-13, KJV)

This passage raises several questions that must be answered.  First, we must determine who is inferred by the phrase, “sons of God.” Second, we must address questions pertaining to how the “sons of God” impregnated human women.  And third, we must identify the nature of the giants born from this unholy union.

SONS OF GOD

The term “sons of God” is not a designation of righteousness, but of origin.  It therefore only applies to those who were born directly from God Himself.  This interpretation is quickly validated when one identifies those to whom God has applied this title.

The angels were the first sons of God to be created (Job 38:4-7).

Then came Adam.  Like the angels before him, Adam was created supernaturally, and is also called a son of God (Luke 3:38).  After Adam, and aside from the pre-incarnate presence of Jesus Christ (Daniel 3:25), the only human references to sons and daughters of God in the Old Testament are found in prophecies that foretell of the redemptive work of the Messiah under the New Covenant (Isaiah 43:6, Hosea 1:10).

That includes references to the nation of Israel which speak of them as being the children of God in purview of God’s redemptive promises (Deuteronomy 14:1 ).  In other words, just as sheep and bulls could not actually cleanse the sins of the people (Hebrews 10:4), yet were counted as if they had (Hebrews 9:13-14), so were the children of Israel counted as the children of God on behalf of the power that the promised Messiah would give to them.  Were they counted as the children of God?  Yes.  Were their sins considered cleansed?  Yes.  Was there anything that made those realities true in the day in which they were ascribed to the people?  No, that would come with Christ.  It was a truth of promise, but not of actuality as was illustrated by the need for Christ to come and give the Jews the power to become the sons of God thereafter.

Aside from that specific and national reckoning of promise, every other instance in which sons of God are spoken refer to the angelic host, be they holy or fallen (Psalms 82:6-7 ).  The point, therefore, is this: mankind is not counted as the children of God by reason of direct creation.

Now here is a crucial point to comprehend.

It was the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that enabled Him to give men “the power to become the sons of God” through the spiritual rebirth of redemption.

“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: {13} Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”  (John 1:12-13, KJV)

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”  (1 Peter 1:23, KJV)

Here we are given the Divine definition of a “son of God.”  A “son of God” is one who is “born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” This fact alone reveals that men of natural birth are not sons of God until they are given the “power to become” what they were not by natural birth.  It takes a supernatural birth to qualify for such a designation.

It should not surprise us therefore, to discover that aside from the pre-incarnate presence of Jesus Christ (Daniel 3:25), the only human references to sons and daughters of God in the Old Testament are found in prophecies that foretell of the redemptive work of the Messiah under the New Covenant (Isaiah 43:6, Hosea 1:10).  Every other instance speaks of the angelic host, be they holy or fallen.

If the “sons of God” are not human, we must therefore conclude that these giants of old were fathered by the same “sons of God” who once “shouted for joy” when God laid the foundations of the earth at its creation (Job 38:4-7, KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV), and is a reference to the fallen angels we now call demons.

THE MYSTERY OF PROCREATION

Opponents of the view that angels impregnated human women are thus forced to fall back upon the core logic behind their objection.  Many argue that angels have no gender (Galatians 3:28), and do not marry in heaven (Luke 20:34-36, Mark 12:25).  On this basis, they then argue that it is impossible for the fallen angelic host to marry and impregnate human women.  In other words, if God did not intend for angels to procreate, he would not have given them sperm by which they could impregnate anyone, be they angel or human.

In response, many who understand that the “sons of God” are in fact angels, attempt to argue in favor of gender.  They contest the idea that angels are genderless, and like to point to the fact that almost every time an angel manifests itself in human form, that form is masculine (the one possible exception being Zechariah 5:9).

However, the persuasiveness of either side of this argument is founded upon a humanistic presumption – that life results solely from the genetic transfer of reproductive organs, and that without them, no life can be produced.  Angels, however, do not need reproductive organs of either gender, in order to procreate.  The reason for this is simple, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6, KJV).  It takes a spirit to produce a spirit.  And the transfer of spirit does not require fleshly reproductive systems in order to be imparted as the life of another.

In the book of Genesis, we are taught that God’s creation of Adam was completed in two stages.  The first stage involved the creation of Adam’s body.  Instead of commanding Adam to exist from out of nothing, God first formed Adam’s flesh from the dust of the earth.  It may seem strange that a body of flesh was derived from the same chemical elements as rock and soil (such as: oxygen, nitrogen, calcium, water, etc.), nevertheless, this is something modern science has been able to test and examine, and as a result, has confirmed this scientific statement to be true.

While atheistic men do not contest that man’s body came from the natural elements of the earth, they cannot bear to accept the next claim – that life is not derived from the same chemical elements.  The living spirit of man has never been identified or catalogued showing it to be comprised of natural substances.  Nor shall it ever be, for a spirit is not natural to the elements of the earth, but is instead supernatural and comes from a Supernatural Creator.  It was God Himself who breathed life into the body He formed from the dust of the earth.  This is the second step God took to create Adam.  God’s “breath,” which is to say, His Spirit, became the life called Adam (Genesis 2:7).

How do we explain this?  How do we describe the spiritual means by which part of God became a being who was distinct and separate from the Being of God?  This Divine knowledge has not yet been revealed to the limited minds of men.  However, its fundamental principle stands as the foundation for procreation: life proceeds from life, and spirits beget spirits.

When men and women join together in sexual union, they too contribute a portion of themselves to form a new life after their own image.  And because a man is comprised of flesh, soul, and spirit, we find that it is flesh, soul, and spirit that they impart to their children.  If men and women only transferred their flesh to their children, and it was God alone who directly infused the flesh with His “breath” or Spirit, then all men and women would be called the sons and daughters of God.  But as we have seen, there is a distinction between sons “of men,” and sons “of God.” That distinction is defined by the origin of one’s soul and spirit.

With this truth in mind, consider the parent of Eve.  The parent of Eve was Adam.  God did not breath into a body to make Eve, He took Adam’s rib, containing Adam’s flesh and blood (in which was a remnant of his soul and spirit), and formed Eve.  Thus, Adam was created in the “likeness” or “glory” of God’s image, as a son of God, but Eve was fashioned after the “likeness” or “glory” of Adam, as a daughter of man.

“…Adam, which was the son of God.”  (Luke 3:38, KJV)

“..since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. {8} For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man;” (1 Corinthians 11:7-8, NASB)

The fact that God makes this distinction of origin, or direct descent, between Adam and Eve reveals its significance.  There is a spiritual transfer in procreation that originates from one’s parents.

So we must ask, how did Eve receive her spirit from Adam?  Contrary to arguments that insist that reproductive organs are needed in order to transfer life, life was transferred to Eve without their help.  That spiritual transfer was made, at least in part, through human blood.

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood…”  (Leviticus 17:11, KJV)

While this transfer of life was accomplished supernaturally, it employed the same principles used in natural birth.  Is it really so difficult to understand, then, that fallen angels were able to impart a portion of their spirits into the blood of men?  If you are still struggling to embrace this idea, consider how the Messiah was formed, keeping in mind the supernatural union of angel and man spoken of in Genesis chapter six.

We are told that the Holy Spirit “came upon” a woman named Mary in such a way that she became pregnant with the Son of God, Jesus Christ (Luke 1:35).  So we must ask a question.  What needed to take place in order for this pregnancy to produce a being who was both a son of God, and a genuine son of man?  Our answer must be that the descended flesh, soul, and spirit of Adam would need to be offered by Mary, in her blood, and infused with the Spirit of God the Son.

No creation was necessary, only a supernatural transfer of Spirit that would be molded together with the descended spirit of Adam.  Thus, the virgin birth was not an act of creation, but of formation – a molding together of two spirits into one.  Scripture tells us that:

“..the LORD…formeth [yatsar] the spirit of man within him.” (Zechariah 12:1, KJV)

STRONGS EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE:

  • FORMETH: 3335. yatsar, yaw-tsar’; prob. identical with H3334 (through the squeezing into shape); ([comp. H3331]), to mould into a form; espec. as a potter; fig. to determine (i.e. form a resolution):– X earthen, fashion, form, frame, make (-r), potter, purpose.

To form or fashion something is to take preexisting elements and mold them into shape.  For example, God created the earth void, and formless, but afterward, He formed its shape to be inhabitable.

“In the beginning God created [bara'] the heaven and the earth. {2} And the earth was without form, and void;….”  (Genesis 1:1-2, KJV)

“For thus saith the LORD that created [bara'] the heavens;… He formed [yatsar] it to be inhabited: …”  (Isaiah 45:18, KJV)

The Hebrew word bara’ is a primary root word which means “to create,” and can be qualified to speak of formative processes.  For example, God created all men, in that He created Adam from whom we have all descended through the process of procreation.

“…I have created [bara'] him for my glory, I have formed [yatsar] him; yea, I have made ['asah] him.”  (Isaiah 43:7 (KJV)

In saying that God created all men, must we imply that the reproduction of flesh is purely a supernatural event?  Does flesh supernaturally appear from out of nothing?  No, flesh is transferred from parent to child through natural processes.  And yet, this system of reproduction has been designed and empowered by the ordination of God, and thus qualifies as both a natural and supernatural event.  In this way, God can be said to be the Creator of the flesh and spirits of all men, and yet not be held accountable for validating the ungodly and unrighteous conception produced through rape, incest, or even depraved applications of science.

In fact, abuse of God’s created order is the hallmark of sin.  We should not be surprised to discover, then, that the system of reproduction can be abused and manipulated in ways contrary to God’s design, and without the direct participation of reproductive organs.  Gender is, after all, nothing more than a contrivance of the flesh that serves as a natural mechanism to impart the fleshly and spiritual image of two human beings.  As a mechanism, it can be bypassed either technologically or supernaturally.

This brings us back to our initial objection to the scriptures assertion that genderless, sperm-less, spirit beings fathered children with human women.  We can only speculate about the reproductive requirements a spirit would need to satisfy in order to beget life.  We need not assume, however, that the natural functions of fleshly systems would inhibit a spirit being who can manifest flesh at will, and supernaturally effect matter in ways that men cannot.  It did not hinder the creation of Eve, nor the Messiah produced from her descendant (Mary), both of whom were formed from preexisting elements and spirits, having received no created materiel.  This was, after all, the same means of virgin birth that the fallen angels used to bear children with their willing female hosts.  While the exact details of this process are up for debate, its success in procreation cannot be ignored on the basis of ones ignorance.

As a single cell is capable of dividing and multiplying into many cells, so are the spirits of men and angels capable of imparting or extending part of themselves to create life.  We must therefore accept that just as the Spirit of God “came upon” Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:35), so did the fallen spirits of angels “come in upon” (Genesis 6:4) willing human women, imparting life into their wombs.  The result was a new, and unauthorized, extension of both human and angelic life (Genesis 6:1-5).

THE SCOURGE AND THE MESSIAH

The Hebrew word translated as “giants” in the King James Version of the Bible, is the word nephiyl, also rendered nephil (both pronounced, nef-eel’) which means “a feller–in the sense of tall trees which have been felled by a lumberjack, and by implication, a morally fallen bully or tyrant; which together can mean a fallen giant.” These words come from the root naphal (naw-fal’), which simply means, “to fall.” Together they speak of “fallen-down-ones,” or depraved giants.  This is in part because these creatures were the offspring of beings that “fell from heaven” in more ways than one.

Scripture tells us that the fallen “sons of God” saw that the daughters of men were “fair” and took them for wives.  These unlawful unions gave birth to half-breeds who’s stature towered above pure born men.  These towering monstrosities became renowned among men for their size and great cruelty.

“…the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. … {4} There were giants 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 6:2,4 KJV)

Most Bible versions give the impression that the demons were impressed by the beauty of human women, and lusted after them.  Beauty, however, was not what made the women desirable to these fallen angels.  The word fair is translated from the Greek word towb (tobe), and while it can be used to mean “beautiful,” its primary meaning is “good, or favorable.” For example, in the Garden of Eden, Eve “saw that the tree was good [towb] for food…and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6).  It was in this sense of the word that the demons saw that human women were “good” vessels and “desirable” for the purpose of extending themselves into the bloodlines of Adam.

By extending themselves into the bloodlines of mankind, the pure seed of Adam would eventually die off and be superseded by a transgenic race of half-breeds.  What purpose would that serve?  It would put an end to God’s plan of redemption through representation.  God promised to send the Messiah who would stand in Adam’s place, being flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bones.  Thus, the Messiah would have to be born of Adam’s seed, and not of a transgenic seed comprised of man and angel.

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. {15} Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.  {16} We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. {17} Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. ” (Hebrews 2:14-17, NLT)

The children of God, whom Jesus came to represent, had the flesh and blood of Adam, “For this reason He had to be made like his brothers in every way” for the purpose of representing them before God (Hebrews 2:17, NIV).  Thus if the flesh of men were corrupted, God’s promises to men would fail, in that any Messiah born from a physically transgenic parent would no longer be able to represent Adam.  It was for this reason that giants were born as a plague of transgenic flesh upon the earth, in whose blood flowed a spirit not wholly human.

Had these offspring been genuinely human, albeit degenerate humans, then the corruption would have been purely a moral problem.  If that were the case God could have responded by calling for repentance, just as He did during the remainder of the Old Testament.  However, with a world full of transgenic flesh, redemption was impossible (Christ could not represent them before God, just as He could not represent their angelic fathers).  So God judged this corruption with a total annihilation of land based life by releasing a global flood, sparing only Noah and his family.

Why was Noah spared over other men, and made the patriarch of all future families on earth?  We are told that God expanded His covenant with humanity under Noah for two reasons: “Noah was a (spiritually) just man and (physically) perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9, KJV, italic content added by author for clarity).  In God’s choice, He noted the spiritual and physical wholeness of Noah.  Consider why this was so.

We are told that Noah was a “just” man, which refers to his spirituality.  That was God’s first reason for selecting Noah. There were no other righteous men living as contemporaries of Noah and his family.  However, that was not the only reason he was chosen.  We are also told that Noah was “perfect in his generations” which refers to his physical descent.  The word “perfect” was translated from the Hebrew word tamiym (taw-meem’) which means “entire: as in without blemish, complete, full, without spot, undefiled.” Noah was physically whole in the descended “generations” of his humanity.  It was not Noah’s spiritual perfection that was passed down physically from generation to generation, but the undefiled wholeness of his humanity.  In a world filled with transgenic corruption, this was a qualifying feature of Noah and was duly noted alongside his righteousness as a reason for his divine appointment.

THE RETURN OF THE GIANTS

After the flood, God made a promise to Noah that He would never again destroy the earth with water (Genesis 9:11).  As time passed, the hearts of men drifted once again from the knowledge of God.  The fallen angelic host took advantage of this spiritual darkness, and of God’s promise not to flood the earth again, and reinstated their deception.  And so, for a second time, the Nephilim began to rise among men.

God responded by selecting Abram (whom God would later rename Abraham) to be the “father of all them who believe” through the righteousness of faith (Romans 4:11-13).  Thus, two “peculiar” peoples began multiplying on the earth, the Nephilim in the sense of being “strange or odd,” and the seed of Abraham in the sense that they would be “a peculiar treasure unto [God] above all people” (Exodus 19:5, KJV).

This second insurgence of transgenic flesh again began to spread on a global scale, with outbreaks occurring all over the world (as evidenced by modern archeology).  But in proximity to God’s chosen people the Nephilim were concentrated predominantly in the land of Canaan.  By the time Abram came to Canaan, the Nephilim were already known as “Rephaim” and “Emim” and had established themselves at Ashteroth Karnaim, and Shaveh Kiriathaim (Genesis 14:5).

In fact, as they spread in the land, they bore many tribal names in addition to Emim (ay-meem’ – Genesis 14:5; Deuteronomy 2:10-11), and Rephaim (re-fa’-im, from raw-faw’ – 2 Samuel 23:13; 1 Chronicles 14:9), for they were also known as Zamzummims (or zam-zome’ – Deuteronomy 2:20-21), and Anakims (an-aw-kee’ – Deuteronomy 2:10; Joshua 11:22, 14:15).

Scripture only provides us with a few descriptions of what these Nephilim looked like, but they are enough for us to understand that the Nephilim were not simply tribes of exceptionally lanky men.  For example, when Israel came to the borders of the land that God had promised to give them, Moses sent Caleb and a few other spies to scout out the land.  “And there we saw the giants,” one of the spies reported, “the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:26-33).

And prior to his becoming king, David found himself toe to toe with Goliath (gol-yath’ in Hebrew), an Egyptian giant.  Goliath was a fierce champion of the Philistines.  He towered over his opponents standing approximately 9 ½ feet tall (1 Samuel 17:4).  When David stood against him in the valley of Elah, Goliath was wearing a coat of bronze scale armor that weighed somewhere between 125-195 pounds (1 Samuel 17:5).  The iron tip of his spear alone weighed 15 pounds (1Samuel 17:7).

One of Goliath’s four brothers (1 Samuel 17 & 2 Samuel 21:15-22), Lahmi (lakh-mee’), stood approximately 7 ½ to 8 feet tall (1 Chronicles 11:23), and fought against Israel with a giant spear; the shaft of which “was like a weaver’s beam” (2 Samuel 21:19).  Another giant who stood against Israel “had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number” (2 Samuel 21:20). All three of these monstrosities were fought in Gath (2 Samuel 21:16-22), and were the descendants of the transgenic Rephaim.

So God set the sword of Israel against the peoples who partook of the Nephilim corruption.  In some cases the spiritual and fleshly corruption was so thoroughly spread in a nation or people that God commanded Israel to “utterly destroy” them, sparing no man, woman, child, or even beast in these corrupted dwelling places (1 Samuel 15:3).  Thus, all life touched by the corruption, be it human or animal, was destroyed–just as the flood had previously done in the days of Noah.

After these wars, artifacts and accounts of their history remained for years after the extermination of the Nephilim.  For example, a bed (or coffin) was found that belonged to a Rephaim king named Og.  It measured 13 feet long and 6 feet wide, and remained on display in the Ammonite town of Rabbah, possibly as late as 700 B.C.  (Deuteronomy 3:11, see also Deuteronomy 1:4; Joshua 9:10; 12:4; 13:12, 31).

It is interesting to note that Greek mythology was based upon similar accounts estimated to have occurred sometime around 1200 B.C..  However, these accounts were embellished over time and eventually degenerated into the popular myths of 500 B.C that we are familiar with today.  These are the myths that tell of the demigod, or Titans, who were said to be partly of celestial and partly of terrestrial origin.  It’s interesting to note that the word “Titan” comes from Shaitan, a Babylonian derivative of the Hebrew word Satan.  And in God’s word we are told that these half-breeds, or Titans, “became mighty men which were of old, men of renown” (Genesis 6:4).

Even today, the skeletal remains of Nephilim are still being discovered by archeology, although these findings are rarely published in the major media.  The sheer abundance of bones and artifacts being discovered all over the world reveals that the demonic realm had intended to repopulate the earth with transgenic flesh, even after the flood.  Naturally, many of these reported cases must be received with some reservation as to their authenticity, and not blindly accepted.  Men are apt to deceive and be deceived, which is not only the nature of man, but also of the fallen angels who spawned these ancient relics of the past.

THE ANGELS BEHIND THE SCOURGE

The fallen angels who participated in this sexual corruption were imprisoned until the Day of Judgment at the end of the world.

“And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, {7} just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these [fallen angels] indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”  (Jude 1:6-7, NASB, italicized content added for clarity by author)

“…God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; {5} and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;” (2 Peter 2:4-5, NASB)

These angels had left their domain to make a preemptive strike against any and all potential bloodlines of the coming Messiah.  Thus they were charged with engaging in reproductive sins that God considered akin to those committed by Sodom and Gomorrah, in that both those cities and the fallen angels went after “strange flesh.”

The word “strange” used in Jude 1:7 is translated from the Greek word heteros, which means “other” or “different.” We can easily recognize this word as the prefix for the word “heterosexual” which means “other, or relating to a different sex.” However, when used in reference to “flesh,” the meaning implies flesh “other” than what is natural, or lawful, for one’s gender to be joined to in sexual union.  Therefore, these passages reaffirm that fallen angels sinned like the homosexually dominant cities of Sodom and Gomorah, in that they “came in upon” flesh with which it was unlawful for them to engage in reproductive transfers of their spirits.

When the Messiah completed His work on the cross, He spent the next three days preaching to those spirits who were involved in the corruption intended to eliminate the possibility of His birth.

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, (19) in which He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, (20) because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.” (1 Peter 3:18-20, ESV)

Jesus was not preaching to everyone, just those spirits (fallen angels) who, in the days of Noah, made an attempt to eliminate His work of redemption.  To them Jesus preached the fullness of God’s plan and explained to what end their actions had brought them, and to what end Christ’s work would affect the world instead.

THE MODERN AGE

Despite the failure of their second attempt at world domination through the Nephilim, and the subsequent imprisonment of those angels who participated in the pre-emptive strike against Christ, the fallen gods who had impregnated humanity with corruption did not abandon their deception and it’s work against Christ.  Instead they matured and advanced it’s hold over the minds of men.  That which was alien to man continued to make a show of itself, and further its grip on the minds of mankind.  Pottery, paintings, texts, and tapestries throughout history all contain references to celestial beings that traverse the skies in strange flying machines.  Even today our culture is filled with sightings, abductions, and messages from extraterrestrial beings.  And these aliens continue to hint at their angelic origin as exhibited by their contact with humans through occult channeling, and their inexplicable obsession with Jesus Christ.  In fact, “aliens” frequently seek to discredit, or “enlighten” men about the “true nature” of Jesus.

These distinctly anti-Christ spirits have also set themselves to the task of equipping the governments of the world with the technology required for global rule.  When this technological power is coupled with sufficient “spiritual wisdom” to put and end to the perceived lies of the worlds most prominent religions, it will produce a very potent deception indeed.  After all, forbidden knowledge and power is an alluring proposition that humans have been vulnerable to since the Garden of Eden.

THE THRONE OF ZION

As altruistic as these offerings of power and knowledge appear in the eyes of fallen men, there is a sinister purpose for equipping humanity with technology, and for enlightening them with “revelations” about Jesus Christ and the future of mankind.  Satan intends to set up a technologically empowered global regime on the earth, and set his throne upon mount Zion in Israel.

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:” (Isaiah 14:13, KJV)

Details of this global kingdom can be found in the books of Daniel and Revelation.  Consider, for a moment, a few of these prophetic revelations.

In the book of Daniel, God reveals the sequence of earthly kingdoms that would precede the Lord’s final kingdom, which would crush them all under Divine rule.  This sequence was first presented through a dream to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.  But its interpretation was given to the Lord’s prophet, Daniel (Daniel 2:31-44).

In this dream, king Nebuchadnezzar saw a statue.  Its head was made of gold.  Its chest and arms were made of silver.  From its belly to its thighs it was made of bronze.  And its legs were made of iron with feet that were a mixture of iron and clay.  Then, the king saw a large rock fly out of heaven and strike the toes of this statue breaking the entire image into pieces.  The rock then grew to the size of a mountain becoming both the proverbial “unmovable object” and “irresistible force” against which no other kingdom could stand.

Through Daniel, God interpreted this dream for the king.  The head of gold was the kingdom of king Nebuchadnezzar.  The kingdoms that would follow his reign would be inferior in terms of their glory, but increasingly greater in terms of their strength.  At the end of time, a final kingdom–the Kingdom of God–would come from heaven and crush the ten kings of the final human kingdom (represented by toes of iron and clay).  God’s kingdom would then last for eternity.

It’s this last kingdom of men, the one represented by feet and toes, prior to God’s Kingdom, that is of particular interest, for it will be in this kingdom that Satan fully manifests his alien deception.  Listen to God’s description of the final degenerate kingdom of “iron” and “clay.”

“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. {42} 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. {43} 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.”  (Daniel 2:41-43, KJV)

In Satan’s first alien presence, fallen angels not only mingled with the seed of men, they clung to them in marriage and sexual union.  But in the end, “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” (Daniel 2:43, KJV).  The word “mingle” means “to join or take part with others,” but the word “cleave” means “to penetrate or pass through something,” being a reference to sexual union.  God first used this word in Genesis, saying, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24, KJV).  Instead of cleaving to mankind in sexual union as they have done in the past, the fallen gods of old will move to impress mankind with their strength and advanced knowledge.  Further support for this interpretation is found in another vision that God gave Daniel, which appears to reveal how aliens will come to rule over the earth alongside men.

FALLEN GODS OF THE ANTICHRIST

In the last two chapters of the book of Daniel, we are told that Satan will choose a man through whom he will dominate the world.  It will be through the “antichrist” spirit of this man that Satan will achieve his goal of ruling from Jerusalem “on the sides of the north” (Isaiah 14:13).  And it will be through this man, as the embodiment of the spirit of antichrist, that the alien deception will be brought to full fruition.  For this man of evil will introduce the world to his alien “gods.”

“Then the [Antichrist] king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath [of God] has been accomplished [against him]; for what has been determined [by God] shall be done. {37} He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. {38} But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. {39} Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.” (Daniel 11:36-39, NKJV, bracketed content added for clarity by author)

The Antichrist king will neither pay respect to, nor acknowledge the existence of, any ethereal spirit gods, and will specifically target Jehovah (God Almighty), with blasphemy.  Instead, he will acknowledge “a god of fortresses,” also translated as “the god of forces” (KJV).  The word translated as “fortresses” or “forces” is the Hebrew word ma’owz (variously pronounced: maw-oze’, ma’uwz, and maw-ooz’), which means “a fortified place” and speaks figuratively of “a defense or force, a fort (-ress), a rock, or strength in general.” This god of force or strength is a fitting reference to “the strength of the iron” used earlier in Daniel’s prophecy.

The god that the Antichrist introduces to the world will not be a single entity.  Instead, they shall be many, for Satan’s man of sin “shall cause them to rule over many.” They will be the alien gods of old, who once gave birth to the Nephilim.  They are the “iron” of the last kingdom.  However, the strength of their rule shall be mingled with the weakness of men, as iron mingled with clay.  And the last kingdom will be divided into ten regions, symbolized in Daniel’s vision as ten toes, ruled over by “alien” and human kings.

DEMONS UNMASKED

Lest we have any doubts as to the identity of these gods of technological and spiritual force, God tells us who they are, and what their disguise will look like.

During the reign of the Antichrist, Satan will be cast out of heaven permanently, never again being allowed to stand before God and accuse His saints.  Satan will then know that his kingdom on earth will soon be confronted by the wrath of Jesus Christ.

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. …{12} Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:10-12, KJV)

With Christ’s arrival immanent, the Antichrist, now fully possessed by the Dragon (Satan) will send three of his “alien gods” to convince the human kings of the world to go to war against Christ when He arrives.  They will impress and deceive the human kings with “miraculous signs” aimed at giving false impressions of the reality they are being called to face in war against the returning Messiah.  While we are not told what the motivation will be for warring against Jesus, or who they think they will be fighting against, it’s possible that they will be told they are rising up against a rogue alien, or aliens, who are responsible for instigating the Christian myth, having willfully passed themselves off as gods and even the Christ figure in times past.  Regardless of their understanding and motivation for war, the three alien ambassadors sent to call the kings of earth to war “gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon (Revelation 16:16, NKJV).  There, the combined power of iron and clay, of alien and human forces, will stand against Christ at His second advent.

Now listen to the description of these three alien ambassadors:

“Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. {14} They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.”  (Revelation 16:13-14, NIV)

The evil trinity of the last empire, Satan (symbolized as the Dragon), the Antichrist (symbolized as the beast), and the False Prophet (the Antichrist’s primary human spokesperson), together send out three demons, whose features resemble the features of frogs, to call the kings of men to war against a returning Christ.

Think about this for a moment.  The Antichrist will have denied the existence of all ethereal spirits, exalting himself and physical aliens above all else, and yet it will be he who sends these “evil spirits,” the “spirits of demons,” to convince the world to go to war.  What human ruler of earth will listen to a band of demons, and heed their call to war unless those demons first be hidden behind a guise?  Are these not the “gods of forces” whom the Antichrist set as rulers over his kingdom?  Is the disguise of these evil spirits not the frog-like appearance commonly associated with modern depictions of aliens?  To what else in the ancient world, during which this prophecy was penned, would one compare the large black eyes, and small nose slits, commonly reported to be the appearance of gray aliens? Even today, people use the features of frogs to describe the appearance of the “aliens” they encountered.

In that day, the alien deception will have come to its full fruition in the minds of men.  The kings of earth will heed the call to war, even though the call was issued by demons, because those evil spirits will be hiding behind the guise of something globally embraced by deceived men.  The Antichrist is called the “Great Dragon” because the Great Dragon of the Garden of Eden (the Serpent) was used as a front for Satan, therefore, just as the Great Serpent or Dragon was used to bring the first deception to mankind, so shall aliens be Satan’s final front through which his global deception is issued.  And so history will repeat itself one last time.

WHEN THE OLD BECOMES NEW AGAIN

While this will all be new to the modern world, the old world was more than familiar with these beings.  For example, many nations worshiped Baal, who Jesus identified as Satan (Matthew10:25, Mark 3:22, Luke 11:15).  Baal was known to be a lord of war, and of the sky.  Many titles were given to Baal by adding endings to his name. Two examples found in scripture are Baal-bamoth, “Lord of the high places,” and Baal-zebub, “Lord of those who fly, or flit.” In fact, the extension “zebub” is a Hebrew verb which means, “to flit from place to place,” not unlike the quick and angular movements commonly witnessed in UFO’s.

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul tells us that, “…we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere” (Ephesians 6:12, italicized content added by AMP Bible).  Hence Satan is called the “ruler of the kingdom of the air,” and “the prince of the aerial host” (Ephesians 2:2, NIV).  The skies are the realm in which Satan has chosen to deceive the world.  King David recognized this fully when he wrote:

“For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD?  Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD?” (Psalms 89:6, NASB)

The fallen “sons of the mighty” God made a show of themselves in the skies even in the days of king David, but their technological wonder could not be compared with the wonder of the Lord.

And of the fearful day of Armageddon when God descends to meet the combined forces of alien “gods” and men, Jeremiah wrote:

“But the LORD is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting king: at His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide His indignation. {11} Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.”  (Jeremiah 10:10-11, KJV)

The alien gods introduced by the Antichrist will be powerful and bring fear to the hearts of men, but “even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.” Thus, God wrote though the prophet Isaiah:

“The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut; its transgression shall be heavy upon it, and it will fall, and not rise again. {21} It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. {22} They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; after many days they will be punished.”  (Isaiah 24:20-22, NKJV)

In that day, the earth will wobble on its axis as a drunkard, and its foundations will be unstable.  Some speculate that this will have been the result of the abuses of super technology used to dominate the world and bring it under submission.  The scriptures seem to connect this instability with the darkened knowledge of alien technology.  Though advanced, its effect on the earth will reflect the unstable knowledge of its creators, the fallen angelic host.

“They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. {6} I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. {7} But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. {8} Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.”  (Psalms 82:5-8, KJV)

When the foundations of the earth are “out of course” (KJV), which is to say, when the “foundations of the earth are shaken” (NIV), then “The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut” (Isaiah 24:20, KJV).  What is said to cause this?  It’s the fruit of ignorance, of spiritual “darkness,” that causes it.  All the advanced knowledge of the wicked, both angelic and human, will fall before God, having been revealed as a darkness of understanding.  Its affect upon the earth will be disastrous.  For by “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22, KJV).  Men will boast in the knowledge Satan brings them, but in the end all will know that it was nothing but the foolishness of rebellion and deception.

Though mighty and powerful, these alien gods (demons in crafted fleshly bodies) “shall die like men” (Romans 8:7) by the hand of God’s judgment.  They shall be bound in hell until the Day of Judgment delivers them over to the second death of the eternal lake of fire.

Therefore, let us not deceive our minds with doctrines of alien redemption, or any other displayed ignorance of Divine revelation.  Let us not buy into the lies of Satan.  Let us not strain against the clear teaching of the word, nor imagine alternative gospels by which creation can approach God.  Especially when such gospels are “alien” to the word of God, and void of scriptural substantiation.

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1, NIV)

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! {9} As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”  (Galatians 1:8-9, NIV)

Satan’s Greatest Mistake?

by on Friday, October 15th, 2010

MY WIFE AND I like to go out on “spiritual dates.” A spiritual date involves the trinity of marriage, which is to say, it involves you, your earthly spouse, and your heavenly spouse. So a “spiritual date” is a mixture of romance and revelation. For my wife and I, it plays out like any normal date would, except that our conversation is conducted as an open prayer, where we expect God to be a participant. Anything can happen when God is present. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20, KJV).

We were on one of these dates just the other night when my wife recounted a notion that has always bothered her. That notion is that “Satan’s greatest mistake was sending Christ to the cross.” The implication being that Satan thought crucifying Christ would put an end to His work of redemption. When this concept is spoken in church, it always gets a resounding “Amen!” from the people. It’s meant to speak to the failure of Satan’s rebellion and the wisdom of God that confounds the wicked. But it has always been followed by a check in my spirit, and I echoed my wife’s uneasiness about accepting this notion as Biblical.

So as we were casually discussing why we felt this way, God commented on the matter.  In an instant He brought to mind a series of verses and topics I had been studying over the last few months, and reminded me of what His word actually says about the corrupted genius of Satan.

I wont’ take the time to present those studies here, but it basically boiled down to this, “Satan isn’t that stupid.” Even more to the point, Satan did his best to keep Christ off the cross.  Satan knew exactly what Jesus had come to do, and was vested in keeping Him from becoming an atoning sacrifice for humanity.

CORRUPTED GENIUS

God reminded me of the dual rebuke He delivered to Satan and the king of Tyre via Ezekiel.  The king of Tyre was operating according to the influences of Satan, so the Lord sent the prophet Ezekiel to rebuke the king by addressing the spirit behind him.  In that rebuke, God said this about Satan:

‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.  (Ezekiel 28:12, NIV)

When heavens greatest angel sinned and became Satan, his intellect was not taken from him, rather it was corrupted with self-interest.  This means that Satan has remained creations most brilliant mind.  Please don’t misunderstand me here, recognizing Satan’s created brilliance is not a glorification of the creature, but of the Creator.

“For who makes you differ from another?  And what do you have that you did not receive?  Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7, NKJV).

Having reminded me that Satan is not an ignorant being, God then pointed out that Satan knew, long before the crucifixion of Christ, that the Messiah would one day arrive to die as an atoning sacrifice.  How did Satan know this?  His knowledge came from God’s covenant promises to mankind, all of which pointed to the need for Christ’s death.

REVEALED FROM THE BEGINNING

Remember, when God confronted Adam, Eve, and Satan over their sin, a prophecy was given.  Satan was behind the Serpent’s actions in the garden of Eden, so God gave a dual rebuke to both of them.

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15, NKJV)

When God said “He shall bruise your head,” Satan instantly knew that God was telling him that he would be defeated by a male descendant of Eve.

Satan then observed as God proceeded to demonstrate for Adam and Eve how their sin would be atoned for.  God took an animal, killed it, and clothed Adam and Eve with its skin (Genesis 3:21). This revealed that the prophesied male descendant of Eve would become an atoning sacrifice for mankind.

God’s establishment of animal sacrifice is confirmed in the first generation of mankind, with Cain and Abel, when they brought their sacrificial offerings before the Lord.

“Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” (Genesis 4:3-4, NIV)

Abel brought an animal sacrifice, but Cain brought an offering “of the fruit of the ground” (Genesis 4:3, KJV).  Scripture tells us that, “the LORD respected Abel and his offering, {5} but He did not respect Cain and his offering” (Genesis 4:4-5, NKJV).  So we must ask, why were they sacrificing anything in the first place, and where did Abel get the idea that God would be pleased with an animal sacrifice?

The book of Hebrews informs us that Abel was acting by faith.  In other words, he was obeying God’s revealed will – the specifics of which He had demonstrated for their parents when He killed the first animals and clothed Adam and Eve with their skin.  This revelation about covenant sacrifice was then passed on to their children.  Cain, however, ignored the details and reasoned that any kind of sacrificial offering would suffice.

“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.”  (Hebrews 11:4, ESV)

So Abel took the instruction of God seriously and acted by faith, but Cain was only interested in appeasing God, as would every heathen culture thereafter.  Abel’s sacrifice of faith, and Cain’s sacrifice of appeasement, were founded upon the first covenant sacrifice of Eden, at which Satan was present.

More covenant extensions followed, and with each came more and more revelation about God’s plan for redemption.  Eventually, every prophetic detail was provided in clear detail, and Satan planned accordingly.

If you study the corrupted belief systems of those nations that influenced Israel to sin, you’ll find many perverted gospel messages.  All this goes to show that Satan had a working knowledge of God’s plan of redemption prior to Christ’s first advent, and was working hard to pervert its truths in the minds of men.  So when Christ finally arrived, how did Satan oppose Him?

TEMPTATION TO SKIP THE CROSS:

Dominion had been given to man over the earth.  Man was to govern it, and rule.  But Satan usurped that government by enslaving men to sin.  This allowed Him to move and control men through their sinful lusts and desires, like a horse led by the bit in its mouth.  This placed spiritual control over the nations of the earth in Satan’s hands.

For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.  (Ephesians 6:12, AMP)

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.  (2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV)

Satan is the god of this present darkness, and holds dominion through corrupted men.  Jesus, however, had been sent to redeem men back to righteousness, take dominion as a man, and rule over the earth.  In order to do this, Jesus would have to suffer greatly on the cross.

As would be revealed, Jesus was desperate for another way to accomplish God’s will:

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.  (Matthew 26:39, KJV)

He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.  (Matthew 26:42, KJV)

Knowing this lay ahead of the Lamb of God, Satan challenged the Father to let him tempt Jesus after a 40 day fast.  The Father agreed, and the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the place where He would be tempted.

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  (2)  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.  (Matthew 4:1-2, KJV)

Satan’s final temptation of Christ involved an offer that would allow Jesus to seemingly accomplish His mission to take back dominion over the earth, but apart from the suffering of the cross.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. {9} “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

{10} Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”   (Matthew 4:8-10, NIV)

After this rejection, Satan attempted to force Jesus to be King, and then moved to kill Him apart from the cross.

LONG LIVE THE KING!

Jesus made a point of keeping a low profile.  His aim was not to create a scene and get Himself killed, nor was it His intention to impress everyone so much that they would promote Him to King over Israel.  His purpose was simply to reveal the nature of the Father to Israel.  The rest would play out naturally.  This is why he often commanded the people that He healed to not make Him known before the appointed time.

“And charged them that they should not make Him known: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, 18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon Him, and He shall show judgment to the Gentiles. 19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory. 21 And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.” (Matthew 12:16-21, KJV)

So when demons spoke out and identified Jesus as the Messiah early, they were silenced.

“Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”" (Mark 1:23-25, NIV)

Much was expected of the Messiah.  Jesus, however, had not come to fulfil their misconceptions of Him.  If Jesus’ identity as the promised Messiah was known too early, the people would move to see their expectations realized, and if disappointed, they would move against Jesus.  Truly that day would come, but before that day, Jesus needed time to accomplish the Father’s will and demonstrate it before the people.  God’s aim was not to make the people understand, but to reveal the sin within them that kept them from understanding.  So Jesus spoke the truth of the kingdom to the people, but in parables.  If they knew God as they all claimed, then God would make the meaning of Jesus’ words understood to them.  If they were cut off from God, they would have no understanding.

“Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And He answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’” (Matthew 13:10-15, ESV)

The identity of Christ could only be properly received by those whom The Holy Spirit had awakened spiritually.

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:13-17, KJV)

When natural men viewed Jesus, they responded to His words and miracles contrary to the will of God. For example, when Jesus multiplied fish and bread to feed the multitude, the people responded contrary to the Spirit of God, and sought to make Jesus King.

“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone.” (John 6:15, KJV)

Jesus had not come to rule over the people as a mighty prophet, or king. But that is what men desired. Men would work to protect a holy man working mighty miracles. They would not permit such a man to die.

But die Jesus must, but not as the result of murder or natural causes. Jesus must die by the will of the people in order to become a sacrifice. And while Satan surely wanted Him dead, he did not want Jesus to die as a sacrifice. For example, listen to how Jesus responded to the will of Peter and Satan when they both opposed Jesus’ sacrificial death:

“From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (Matthew 16:21-23, KJV)

“Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee” was the will of Satan expressed through Peter. Satan knew that the death and resurrection of Christ would rob him of his primary power over men – the fear of death. Therefore Satan shared the desire of men, in that he wanted to keep the Messiah off the alter of the cross at any cost.

I tell you the truth, on the day of Christ’s crucifixion, heaven was rejoicing, and Satan was the one in mourning.

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:14-17, KJV)

MURDER

This is not to say that Satan didn’t want Jesus dead, but only that he didn’t want Jesus to die as an atonement for the people. For Satan “was a murderer from the beginning,” and desired nothing more than to kill Jesus (John 8:44, KJV). However, the sacrificial system pointed to the fact the Messiah needed to die as a sacrifice for sin. And Satan knew that Christ’s death would be upon a crucifix of Rome, just like the serpent that was lifted up in the wilderness foreshadowing Jesus being lifted up (Numbers 21:9). Because of this, Satan knew that Jesus could not be a victim of murder, commit suicide, or die a natural death if He were to be a sacrifice for the people. No, Jesus would need the people of Israel to select Him for a death that He would willingly submit to.

So Satan moved to cause Christ’s death apart from the will and knowledge of the people. He began early, planting his murderous fear of Christ into the hearts of useful vessels. For example, when Christ was born, Satan placed his own concern into the heart of king Herod. A star had appeared in the east, that was unlike any other star that had ever been seen. It was clearly a sign, and it disturbed the king and all of Jerusalem. So Herod sent for the wise men, the Magi, who could interpret this sign.

The Magi informed Herod that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. So he requested that when they found the child’s exact location that they return and tell him. For Herod secretly desired to kill the newborn Christ. But upon discovering Jesus, God warned the Magi in a dream not to return to Herod. And when the king realized that the Magi had defied his request, he broadened his murderous intentions. Instead of simply identifying and killing the Messiah, he would have to kill every child two years and younger in and around Bethlehem in order to ensure that he killed Jesus (Matthew 2:3-16). Jesus, however, was moved to Egypt the same night that the Magi discovered Him, and remained safe.

Later, as an adult, the religious leaders of Israel made plans to murder Jesus. However, they intended to kill Jesus secretly, and apart from the will of the people.

“Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; 4 and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him.” (Matthew 26:3-4, NASB).

Secrecy was key. To murder Jesus in private, apart from the cross, and apart from the will of the people, was mandatory. It was to this end that Satan entered Judas Iscariot.

“Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. 4 And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.” (Luke 22:3-4, KJV)

The plan was simple. Betray Jesus into the hands of the chief priests and the elders who “plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him.” Jesus would be taken before a private council, found guilty, and killed privately. Eventually, he would fade from minds of the people. But this is where things went contrary to plan.

“At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67″If you are the Christ,” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” 70They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You are right in saying I am.” 71 Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.” 23:1 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.” (Luke 22:66-23:1, NIV)

Instead of murdering Jesus themselves, the pious leaders didn’t want to soil their own hands, so they tried to get Rome to execute Jesus for them. This is where things began to escalate into public view.

“When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. 7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. … 11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. 12 And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves. 13 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:” (Luke 23:6-14, KJV)

The publicity of Jesus transfer from Pilate to Herod and back again provoked national attention. It brought to the forefront the question of who Jesus was and why Rome should put him to death on behalf of Israel.

After much questioning and accusations, the identity of Jesus became known. Jesus claimed to be God come in the flesh. He believed Himself to be the Messiah. And while this was not a crime in Roman law, it provoked the people to anger. For the people believed that the true Messiah would have come in glory and power, and would never be subject to imprisonment by Rome. They could receive Jesus as a great prophet, but not as Messiah. The rest is history.

What should have been a private murder became a public execution. And that execution became a sacrifice when Christ submitted to the will of the people to put Him to death, as a sacrificial lamb is led to the slaughter at the will of sinners.

CONCLUSION

The importance of understanding the true nature of Satan’s “greatest mistake” is correctly understanding the nature and purpose of Christ’s death.  If Jesus was killed by men, He failed.  If Jesus was killed by Satan, He failed.  If Jesus was murdered or died of natural causes, He failed.  Only a sacrificial death has any value in God’s plan for redemption.  Death is not the focus of the cross, but sacrifice.  Satan tried desperately to distract and alter that Divine purpose, but failed.

A secondary value in understanding Satan’s greatest mistake has to do with the nature of his intellectual devices.  Our ignorance of Satan’s motivations can be used against us.

“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11, KJV)

The Greek word for “devices” is “noema” (no’-ay-mah), and means “the disposition and or purpose of the intellect.”

We must not be ignorant of Satan’s intellectual purposes. For Satan is the author of many perverted doctrines and manifestations of supernatural power, all of which appear to be in line with God’s truth. These intellectual perversions are as subtle as believing Satan wanted Jesus on the cross, as opposed to privately murdered. The spiritual ramifications of murder verses sacrifice illustrate the importance of understanding the purposes of both God and Satan. Far too often we ignore Satan as a defeated foe, and loose sight of his subtle devices, some of which, come into the church through the mouths of saints, who not unlike the apostle Peter, have failed to grasp the spiritual battle at hand.

Abraham’s Offering of Isaac

by on Friday, October 15th, 2010

Question: Why did God deceive Abraham? Why did God invoke child sacrifice as a teaching tool? Can you please explain the purpose of God’s command?

OVER THE YEARS, I have heard many, sermons, articles, and papers, written by professing Christians, lambasting God for how He taught Abraham and Isaac about the coming sacrifice of Christ.  In each case, God was charged with cruelty, dishonestly, and child abuse.  But I have long noted, first from scripture (Numbers 23:19, Romans 3:4), and secondly from experience, that if God ever appears to be in error or sin, the error and sin belongs not to God, but to the man or woman who has ignorantly accused God in thought or word.

God has, throughout the history of men, provided living pictures to illustrate His divine lessons.  By drawing us into the lesson, and placing us in a position to care about its outcome, God moves beyond the academic instruction of the scriptures and into our very lives.  Because all the lectures in the world cannot equal one lesson learned from experience.  Consider this as we examine the living lesson of Abraham and Isaac.

“And [God] said, Take now thy son, thine only son [of promise,] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (Genesis 22:2, KJV, italicized content added for clarity)

Note how God touched upon Abraham’s parental affections by speaking of Isaac as Abraham’s only son, whom he loved dearly.  Any parent knows the emotions this elicits.  This sentiment is only deepened by the call to deliver him over to death.  Here we learn, in type, the emotions God would experience when He “spared not His own Son” (Rom. 8:32).

For God had sent Abraham to “one of the mountains” of Moriah, which by no coincidence, was home to the mountain called “Calvary,” which is no doubt the “place of which God had told him” (Genesis 22:3).

It is significant that “Moriah” means, “the Lord will provide.” For it would be here on Calvary that the promises made to Abraham would be fulfilled.  And by God’s design, it would be on Calvary that Abraham learned the message of the cross intimately, and experienced the heart of The Father as a father himself.

But before all this was known to Abraham, what might he have thought of God’s command?  Before we put words in Abraham’s mouth that serve our assumptions, let us turn to scripture.  For we need not speculate because both the apostle Paul and the author of Hebrews tell us, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that:

“Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all {17} (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed–God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; {18} Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” {19} And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. {20} He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, {21} And being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. {22} And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:16-22, NKJV)

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, {18} Of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” {19} Concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.” (Hebrews 11:17-19, NKJV)

Abraham knew his God.  He knew that if God could raise a son out of a dead womb, He could easily raise him from the dead after Isaac had been slain as a sin offering to God.  For Abraham knew that Isaac was the promised seed through which nations would be born.  Therefore, Abraham rested in the promise of God, which gave him the strength to obey God.  In this faith is the essence of the gospel message encapsulated.

“And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. {4} Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. {5} And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. {6} And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.”  (Genesis 22:3-6, KJV)

Here we see in type the Father setting apart the Son for sacrifice.  Just as we find the Passover lamb was separated from the flock several days before it was to be killed (Ex. 12:3), so do we find Isaac separated via a three day journey to the base of a mountain upon which the offering is to take place.

Once at the base of the mountain, Abraham and Isaac left the mules and servants behind and traveled alone up the side of the mountain. They had brought the wood needed for the sacrifice from home, and having left the mules behind, the burden of carrying the wood now fell upon Isaac.

It is here that we must correct some common misconceptions about Isaac.  Most story book accounts portray Isaac as a small child.  This has led some critics to charge God with child abuse.  Because what kind of God would subject a child to the threat of certain death, especially a death that he cannot understand?  And what kind of father forces a small child to haul a heavy load of wood up a mountainside?  But all such objections are silenced when it is learned that Isaac was not a child by our modern standards.  He was an adult child of Abraham, capable of bearing his own burdens, both physical and emotional.

With that understood, we can turn our attention to the parallels found between Isaac and Christ, as the type and anti-type of God’s sacrificial solution to mankind’s sin problem. Immediately we see that Isaac’s bearing of his own sacrificial wood up the mountainside clearly foreshadowed Christ’s own trek up Calvary while bearing the wood of His cross.  And what of the two men who journeyed with Abraham and Isaac?  Why was Abraham inclined to bring them with him but not directly involve them in the sacrifice?  God placed this upon Abraham’s heart that these men might serve as witnesses, but not participants in the sacrifice.  These two men witnessed Isaac carrying the wood on his shoulder up the mountain, but were not allowed to witness what took place personally between Isaac and his father at the altar.  Looking to the cross, we find “two men,” the two thieves, who followed Abraham’s greater Son of promise (Jesus Christ), but whose vision of Jesus was also obscured for the space of three hours:

“And [the repentant thief] said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. {43} And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise. {44} And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.”  (Luke 23:42-44, KJV, italicized content added for clarity)

Now consider Abraham’s answer to Isaac when he inquired as to where the sacrificial lamb they would be offering would be found.

“And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? {8} And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”  (Genesis 22:7-8, KJV)

Some would count this as a lie, reckoning that Abraham knew only that Isaac was to be the lamb of sacrifice.  Yet this presumption forgets the presence of God in this matter.  For the Holy Spirit of God was with these two men, and inspired Abraham to prophecy to Isaac a true answer apart from his own understanding.  For we will shortly discover that God prevents Abraham from going through with the sacrifice of Isaac and provides a lamb for them to sacrifice instead.  Thus, every word of Abraham’s reply was true.  This is called a word of knowledge, and is supplied by God wholly separate from our own perceptions of God’s intentions.

“And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.” (Genesis 22:9, KJV)

The conversation between Abraham and Isaac is not recorded, but it’s outcome is clearly understood. Isaac, as an adult son, could easily have overpowered the ninety-nine year old patriarch had he objected to God’s command.  But instead of resisting, Isaac quietly allowed himself to be bound and positioned on the very wood he had carried up the mountainside.  Isaac offered no protests, but obediently humbled himself, setting aside the strength he could have used to free himself, and thus submitted to the will of God.  This would picture the disposition and attitude of Christ.

“And being found in fashion as a man, [Jesus] humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  (Philippians 2:8, KJV, italicized content added for clarity)

“Therefore doth my Father love Me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. {18} No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”  (John 10:17-18, KJV)

Isaac, as an illustrative type of Christ, also had this power.  He was not a scared little boy who was overcome by the strength of his father.  He was not a confused youth who had no understanding of what was happening to him.  On the contrary, Isaac was a man of strength who foreshadowed the strength of Christ, and who knew full well what God had asked of him and willingly submitted himself to the will of God no matter what the cost.

“And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. {11} And the Angel of the LORD [Jesus incarnate] called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. {12} And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. {13} And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. {14} And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, ‘In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.’” (Genesis 22:10-14, KJV, italicized content added)

Jesus, pre-incarnate, which is to say, before He took on the flesh of men, came as a messenger (which is the definition of the word “angel”) and stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, but not from offering a sacrifice.  Here the type passes from Isaac to the ram “offered up in his stead” which is a beautiful foreshadow of Christ dying in the stead of sinners.  Similarly in other scriptures we find this double type (both Isaac and the ram) wherein two goats are offered on the Day of Atonement, and two birds at the cleansing of the leper.  This is how the Gospel was “preached unto Abraham” by the living lessons of divine instruction (Gal. 3:8).

Thus Abraham stood on Calvary as The Father, with Isaac portraying the surrender of Jesus Christ His Son.  Both Abraham and Isaac learned, first hand, what God was willing to suffer in order to satisfy justice and free mankind from the bondage of sin.  Jesus would be offered up in the very place Abraham offered up Isaac, with Christ raised again from the dead on the third day, just as Abraham received Isaac back again on “the third day.”  For from the day Abraham received command from God to offer Isaac up as a burnt offering, to the day he reached Calvary three days later, his son was as good as dead to him.

Death is something in which we, as men, want no part.  It is natural to seek after life, and so are we called to live in God.  But there is something that we must die to if we are to be acceptable in His sight.  We must die to ourselves and no longer serve the sins of the flesh. It is this dying to self that God requires of all His children.

“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: {6} Knowing this, that our old man [our old life of sin] is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. {7} For he that is dead is freed from sin.”  (Romans 6:5-7, KJV)

Isaac was planted “in the likeness of Christ’s death,” when he did not seek to save his life, but gave it willingly to God.

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:35, KJV) (See also: Matthew 16:25; Luke 9:24, 17:33)

For he knew that he belonged to God and would forever be with Him no matter what happened to his body.

“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”  (Romans 14:8, KJV)

Therefore he offered himself as a living sacrifice to God as a natural act of faith.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. {2} And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2, NKJV)

For just as Jesus willingly gave up His temporal life for the sake of the eternal, so are we counted as sheep for the slaughter, in that we overcome sin even at the cost of our lives.  And this we do with the mind of Christ who went before us.

“As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. {37} Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. {38} For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, {39} Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:36-39, KJV)

We are killed all day long as sin strives against the will of God in our hearts, and yet in this we are conquerors, overcoming sin through righteousness though it means the death of our fallen desires and will.  It’s not our intellect, our talents, our money, but our heart, which God asks for first.  “Son, give Me thine heart (Prov. 23:26).  When we have responded to God’s requirement, He lays His hand on something especially near and dear to us, to test the genuineness of our response, for God desires that we serve him from our hearts, not just our lips.

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: {8} Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: {9} Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”  (1 Peter 1:7-9, KJV)

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”  (2 Corinthians 4:16, KJV)

God is not lacking in knowledge, and thus need not test our faith for His own instruction. Rather, He tests us to reveal to us where we stand with Him.  As we successfully pass each test, we become stronger in our faith, and more confident in God’s provision for all that He asks of us.

THE OBJECTIONS:

Though all this is true, objections are still raised.  Here then are two common objections.

1) God commanded Abraham to violate the fourth of the Ten Commandments, which states: “Thou shalt not kill.” (Exodus 20:13, KJV)

This commandment was given to men to restrict them from taking a man’s life apart from the authority of God.  When a man kills another apart from Divinely granted governmental authority and the law of God by which all government is bound to obey, that is called murder.

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”  (Romans 12:19, KJV)

God alone is worthy to judge men with death for their crimes.

“See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. {40} For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. {41} If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate Me. {42} I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenge upon the enemy.”  (Deuteronomy 32:39-42, KJV)

This authority has been delegated to the governments of the world.

“For [law abiding] rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: {4} For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”  (Romans 13:3-4, KJV, italicized content added for clarity)

Abraham, as the Father and patriarch of the nation of Israel, was delegated such authority by God Himself.  God had in fact delegated to Abraham His authority over life. Who can say to God, “you have no right over this life to do with it as you alone know best!”  Therefore, God in no way caused Abraham to transgress the law that forbad men from taking life at the command of their own will.  For Abraham was at all times in submission to will of God and not his own which would, no doubt, have spared his own son from death if we were in control.

2) It was wrong of God to mislead Abraham into thinking He wanted him to offer his son as a burnt offering.

This argument claims that if God didn’t mean what He said, He is a liar.  So we must ask, did God want Isaac to be offered as a burnt offering?  Yes He did.  Did Isaac become a burnt offering on the day he was offered?  Yes he did.

A burnt offering involves more than fire and charred flesh.  While it always includes a kind of death, physical death is not always what is meant by the phrase.  Consider the story of Jephthah who gave his daughter as a burnt offering.

“And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, {31} Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. {32} So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. {33} And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. {34} And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. {35} And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter!  thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. {36} And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. {37} And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. {38} And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. {39} And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, {40} That the daughters of Israel went yearly to [the temple so as to] lament the [perpetual virginity of the] daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.” (Judges 11:30-40 KJV, italicized content added for clarity)

When Jephthah made his vow to God, he had no intention of killing anything or anyone in order to offer God a burnt offering.  If he had intended to offer an animal, he would never have vowed to offer the first thing that came forth from the front door of his house, for his house is not where he kept his flocks or livestock.

No, he had intended to offer one of his servants to serve the Lord as a eunuch in the temple for the rest of his or her days.  This was not outside his authority, for all in his household belonged to him in one way or another.  Imagine Jephthah’s surprise and dismay when his own daughter pressed passed his servants and was the first to rush out the front door!

Upon learning of her father’s vow, what was her response?  She said, “Let this thing be done for me.”  Note that she did not say “to me.”  For nothing was to be done “to” her, but preparations were to be made “for” her departure to the temple.  And what was her one request? Did she ask to mourn for the impending loss of her life?  No, she asked to mourn for her virginity because it would now be perpetual as she served in the temple.

So Jephthah gave his daughter permission to go to the mountains for two months.  When she came back, her father took her to the temple.  There she followed the ceremonial custom observed by all women who entered the temple in life service.  Her head was shaved at the door of the temple and she put on a long robe. She then remained in the temple for the rest of her life.

When word of Jephthah’s “burnt offering” spread throughout the land, it became a yearly custom for the daughter’s of Israel to visit his daughter at the temple and lament her virginity. For she had been dedicated to the Lord in the spirit of a burnt offering.  For a burnt offering is one who has died to self and is wholly dedicated to the Lord.  While the details can vary in application, the essence of this kind of offering is always the same.

Isaac became a burnt offering when he willingly died to himself and submitted to the will of the Lord.  In this way he became a living sacrifice, just as Jephthah’s daughter did.  Therefore, when God asked Abraham to offer his son as a burnt offering, He meant exactly what He said. Isaac was to die that day. The last thing he had to let go of was his will to live at the cost of obedience.  Once he let go of that, he died just as God had commanded.  At that point the picture of Christ’s sacrifice was complete.  Like Christ, Isaac offered himself willingly without protest even when it meant the loss of his life.  Likewise, every believer is called to offer themselves as a living sacrifice, not with the burning of flesh, but with the death of the will of their flesh.  In this way we all dedicate our lives for the lifelong service before God.  This is our reasonable service of love, and is in no way an imposition of terror by God, as some would interpret it.

Dinosaurs in Scripture

by on Thursday, October 14th, 2010

QUESTION: Why aren’t dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?

I ’VE BEEN ASKED this question on several occasions.  My response is always the same.  I explain that the Bible was translated into English long before the word “dinosaur” was coined in 1841.  So if you look for the word, “Dinosaur” you won’t find it.  But if you look for a description of dinosaurs, you’ll find at least two.

For example, some of the best descriptions of dinosaurs are found in the oldest book in the Bible, the book of Job.  The book of Job was probably written around 2000 B.C., which was approximately 4000 years ago.  Although the exact date is unknown, Probe Ministries offers compelling evidence that suggests Job lived around the time of the Patriarchs, such as Abraham.

Job lived in the land of Uz, near Edom, which extended both southwest and southeast of the Dead Sea. This area is mostly a desert today.  But in Job’s era, dinosaurs roamed the land.

THE PURPOSE FOR GOD’S DESCRIPTION:

In Job chapters 40 and 41, we find Job involved in a conversation with God.  In this conversation, God points to two contemporary creatures with whom Job was familiar: Behemoth, and Leviathan.

Now, as a reader, you may have already come to your own conclusions about whether the Bible is true or not.  That is not the argument we are discussing here. The issue is what the Bible itself is teaching.  Does the Bible speak about dinosaurs?  Does it teach that they existed as contemporaries with mankind?  Within that discussion, men’s opinions are irrelevant.  The Bible either speaks of them or it doesn’t.  And that is what we are discussing.

So before we even begin, we need to become familiar with the context in which these descriptions are found.

Disaster and tragedy have befallen Job.  But they are not accidental.  It was all brought upon Job by Satan himself.  And to make matter’s worse, God allowed it to happen.  This puts Job in a difficult position.  He is struggling with anger, hurt, and offense.  And perhaps worst of all from a human perspective, he is ignorant of the motivations and intent behind what has happened.

So Job begins to call God into question, and steps out of humility and into accusation.  So God replies with a rebuke.

Here’s is the text just prior to God’s description of the Behemoth.

Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?  (9)  Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?  (10)  Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.  (11)  Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.  (12)  Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.  (13)  Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.  (14)  Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.  (Job 40:8-14, KJV)

Enter God’s descriptions of the Behemoth and Leviathan.  God proceeds to produce examples of creatures beyond the strength of man to illustrate that even those mortal creatures that stand before Job are beyond his strength to rebuke.  So after considering the Behemoth and the Leviathin, Job says this:

Then Job replied to the LORD:  {2} “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.  {3} You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’  Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.

{4} “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’  {5} My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. {6} Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”  (Job 42:1-6, NIV)

This sets the stage for our discussion of Behemoth and Leviathan.  God’s purpose in His descriptions is to challenge the pride of Job that was emerging in his prayers.  The message is humility in the face of something far greater than yourself.  Within this context, it is textually absurd and contradictory to assert that the creatures God is describing are those that man has humbled.  To assume such foolishness is to render God’s whole point meaningless.

Now consider what Job considered.  Listen closely to God’s own testimony.

BEHEMOTH:

“Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. {16} Lo now, his strength is in his loins [the waist or small of the back], and his force is in the navel of his belly. {17} He moveth his tail like a cedar [cedar tree]: the sinews [thong] of his stones [a testicle] are wrapped together. {18} His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. {19} He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. {20} Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. {21} He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. {22} The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about. {23} Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan [the Jordan river] into his mouth. {24} He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.”  (Job 40:15-24, KJV)

Right from the beginning, within the first sentence of God’s description, we learn that God is not speaking in mythological hyperbole.  He is not referencing the fantasy of any culture.  In fact, the Behemoth is no more fictional than Job, because God declared that the Behemoth was that “which I made along with you” (Job 40:1, NIV).  This creature lived as a contemporary of Job.

The Behemoth ate grass, like Oxen.  However, unlike the Ox or the Hippo, it’s strength was found primarily in the muscles of it’s belly.

What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly!  (Job 40:16, NIV)

The word translated as “loins” is the Hebrew word môthen (mo’-then), which means, “to be slender, properly the waist or small of the back.”  So the “GOD’S WORD” translation of the bible renders the passage this way:

Look at the strength in its back muscles, the power in its stomach muscles.  (Job 40:16, GOD’S WORD Translation)

Then we come to it’s tail.

He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.   (Job 40:17, KJV)

There is some question as to the best way to translate this passage.  The point of confusion has to do with the phrase, “moveth his tail like a ceder.”

The word “moveth” in Hebrew is chaphet, and is most predominantly used when speaking of men and God to mean: “to incline, be favorable, to delight in, take pleasure in, desire, be pleased with.”  However, it can also be used to mean: “to move, bend down, to curve,” and is, in fact, only translated that way once, here in the book of Job.

The Hebrew word translated into English as “tail” is the word zânâb (zaw-nawb’), and means exactly that, “tail.”  It’s from the root word zânab (zaw-nab’) which mean’s “to wag.”

Thus many translators have rendered the passage to speak of the creature’s literal tail and it’s likeness to the swaying movement of a ceder tree.  This could certainly be the meaning of the passage.

Others contend that the word “tail” is used figuratively as a phallic euphemism.  Thus the passage is thereby understood to imply that the creature’s reproductive organ is comparable to a ceder tree when it erects, or “moves” in the sense of pleasure, and then adds that even it’s testicles (stones) are tightly wrapped or woven together in strength.  This too, could certainly be the implied meaning of the passage.  It best joins together the two halves of the verse.

To the modern mind, this might seem offensive and vulgar.  As a result, some may refuse to believe that God would reference the Behemoth’s genitals as a feature of strength.  The fact of the matter is that God has long used the male reproductive organ as a symbol of male strength.  The mark of God’s covenant with Israel was circumcision (Genesis 17:10-14).  Why?  Because it’s through the male organ that the strength of life is transferred.  It’s a symbol for God’s creative power, and ultimately, it pictures Christ.  Christ would receive the cut (seen in circumcision) that made God’s covenant with mankind possible.  As such, men with injuries to their “symbol” of covenant power were not allowed to become priests or participate in their duties (Deuteronomy 23:1).  And any women who reached out to harm a man in this area, even when fighting for the purpose of saving the life of her husband, was to have her hand cut off (Deuteronomy 25:11-12).  This illustrated the seriousness of the symbol in God’s eyes.  It’s also why He may have pointed to this symbol of power and life in the Behemoth in order to illustrate it’s reflection of God’s own power of creation.

So the Behemoth’s ‘tail,” literal or figurative, is comparable not merely to a tree, but to a Cedar.  Cedar’s are the tallest trees in the region.  They were also used to build with because of their strength.  Thus, whether we are speaking of it’s size, or it’s strength, we are speaking of something above and beyond that possessed by other animals of creation.

It’s bones are compared to tubes of bronze, and it’s limbs to rods of iron.

In fact, so great is this creature that God even goes so far as to say that the Behemoth is the “chief of the ways of God.”

He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.  (Job 40:19, KJV)

The Hebrew word for “chief” is rê’shiyth (ray-sheeth’), which means “the first in order or rank.”  In other words, within the animal kingdom, this creature is the greatest example of God’s expression of power and might.  God’s ways are neither weak nor feeble, and this great creature stands as the chief of all God’s created examples of strength.

To crown this point, God claims that only He can approach it with the sword.   If men could kill the Behemoth with swords and spears, it ceases to be an example of God’s might.  Thus, the Behemoth is only threatened by the might of God.  Against it no man can bring the sword.

That eliminates the hippopotamus, and even the elephant, both of which are hunted by men.

It grazes upon the hills, lays in the shade of the trees, and even rests in the reeds of the river.  But listen to what God says about the river.

In the King James Version, it speaks of the massive amounts of water it is able to drink up.

Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. (Job 40:23, KJV)

The word “hasteth” means “hurry away.”  In other words, despite the entire river rushing against his mouth, he is confident that he can withstand it.  Drawing from another manuscript for its text, the New American Standard Version of the Bible reads this way:

If a river rages, he is not alarmed; he is confident, though the Jordan rushes to his mouth.  (Job 40:23, NASB)

Raging waters are not found at the shoreline, but in the depths of the river itself.  No hippo can stand against the Jordan river when it rages, because Hippos swim, and they would be carried away in the torrent, thus they would have cause for concern.  Thus, this is not a reference to those creatures that cautiously lap up water at the shoreline, but to a very large creature that can withstand the rushing torrents surging into it’s mouth without fear.  While an elephant might be able to wade out farther than a hippo, elephants do not let water rush into their mouths, instead they spray water into their mouths from their trunks.  Yet the Behemoth confidently lets raging waters surge into it’s mouth.

No one can catch it off guard or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.  (Job 40:24, NLT)

If not even the raging waters of the Jordan river can overpower the Behemoth, nor can men overpower it with brute force, or tame it as one would a pet.

In light of the totality of these descriptions, there can be little doubt that this is the description of a dinosaur.  It cannot be a mythological or fictional creature because God claimed to have created it along with mankind.  It cannot be a hippo because it is the chief of God’s land swelling creatures, and can only be overcome by the sword of God, not men.  And it cannot be a elephant because they do not let rivers flow into their mouths.

God’s description of the Behemoth, however, is tame in comparison to His description of the chief of His seafaring creatures, the Leviathan of the deep.

LEVIATHAN:

1 “Can you catch Leviathan with a hook or put a noose around its jaw?
2 Can you tie it with a rope through the nose or pierce its jaw with a spike?
3 Will it beg you for mercy or implore you for pity?
4 Will it agree to work for you, to be your slave for life?
5 Can you make it a pet like a bird, or give it to your little girls to play with?
6 Will merchants try to buy it to sell it in their shops?
7 Will its hide be hurt by spears or its head by a harpoon?
8 If you lay a hand on it, you will certainly remember the battle that follows.  You won’t try that again!
9 No, it is useless to try to capture it. The hunter who attempts it will be knocked down.
10 And since no one dares to disturb it, who then can stand up to me?
11 Who has given me anything that I need to pay back? Everything under heaven is mine.

12 “I want to emphasize Leviathan’s limbs and its enormous strength and graceful form.
13 Who can strip off its hide, and who can penetrate its double layer of armor?
14 Who could pry open its jaws?  For its teeth are terrible!
15 Its scales are like rows of shields tightly sealed together.
16 They are so close together that no air can get between them.
17 Each scale sticks tight to the next.  They interlock and cannot be penetrated.

18 “When it sneezes, it flashes light!  Its eyes are like the red of dawn.
19 Lightning leaps from its mouth; flames of fire flash out.
20 Smoke streams from its nostrils like steam from a pot heated over burning rushes.
21 Its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth.

22 “The tremendous strength in Leviathan’s neck strikes terror wherever it goes.
23 Its flesh is hard and firm and cannot be penetrated.
24 Its heart is hard as rock, hard as a millstone.
25 When it rises, the mighty are afraid, gripped by terror.
26 No sword can stop it, no spear, dart, or javelin.
27 Iron is nothing but straw to that creature, and bronze is like rotten wood.
28 Arrows cannot make it flee.  Stones shot from a sling are like bits of grass.

(Job 41, NLT)

While some people argue vehemently in the effort to reduce God’s example of strength (the Behemoth) to nothing more than a hippo, few even bother to associate God’s example of dominion (the Leviathan) with anything less than a mythological creature of fiction.  They are happy to assume that God went from reality to fantasy.  But is that the claim of the Bible?  Not at all.

Like the Behemoth, the Leviathan was a very real contemporary of Job.  God’s whole purpose in using the Leviathan as an example rested on men’s experience with the creature.  Hence, God asked Job a series of experiential questions, each contrasting the strength of man with the might of the Leviathan.

Lay your hand on him; remember the battle; you will not do it again!  (Job 41:8, NASB)

You cannot lay your hand on a fictional creature.  God was not suggesting that men engage in imagination in order to create memories of battle.  He was speaking to mankind’s personal experience with Leviathan.   God was making a point in this to Job.

Job was angry over his loss of children and earthly possessions.  God had taken everything away.  Why was this done?  Why would God take what belonged to Job?  In answer to Jobs pointed questioning, God invoked men’s fear of disturbing the Leviathan, and asked some questions of His own.

…Who then is able to stand against me?  {11} Who has a claim against me that I must pay?  Everything under heaven belongs to me.  (Job 41:10-11, NIV)

If the men of Job’s day dared not stir up the wrath of the fire-breathing Leviathan, how much more fearful should they be to stir up the wrath of God who calls Himself a “consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).

Are we really to believe that the Leviathan was a fire breathing dragon?

Smoke streams from its nostrils like steam from a pot heated over burning rushes.  {21} Its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth.  (Job 41:20-21, NLT)

According to the testimony of God, the answer is yes.

I’ve heard it asked, “Who would have thought that an electric eel or firefly was real if we had only heard of them as tales of creatures long extinct?”  I think that is a valid question.  We need to be careful that we do not fall into the pride of assumed knowledge.  Modern scientists fantasize about what they could learn from observing a living dinosaur.  Why?  Because they don’t know everything, and expect that they would discover a great many things through observation; things they might never have assumed from fossilized remains.  But to assume we know all that there is to know about the many kinds of dinosaurs that once existed is foolishness.  That includes denying that some were capable of breathing fire to some degree, especially when it is not known how this might have been accomplished.  To assume that there is only one way to breath fire is again, prideful ignorance.

DRAGONS IN SCRIPTURE

While we are familiar with many fanciful stories involving fictional dragons, those stories are derived from real world accounts of dinosaurs that lived alongside men, as in the days of Job.

The word “dragon” appears 21 times in the Old Testament alone, and is translated from the Hebrew word “tanniyn” (tan-neen’), which means “a marine or land monster.”  Because of this, the term “dragon” can be used to describe everything from a snake to an extinct dinosaur of old.

For example:

“Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” (Psalms 91:13, KJV)

Here we find a reference that could easily refer to any modern day snake, especially since this verse uses a double statement – first speaking of “the lion and adder (snake),” and then repeating it again with different words such as “the young lion” and “the dragon.”

However, the term can also speak of very large creatures like Leviathan:

“Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.” (Psalms 74:13, KJV)

Just as it would take God Himself to divide the sea by pure strength, so would it take the strength of God to break the head of a dragon like Leviathan.

Many Satanically inspired stories, both of old and of present day Hollywood, often portray dragons as regal, wise, and powerful, to which men come for wisdom.  And alternately, there are many more depictions of dragons as evil, crafty, and terribly deceptive creatures.  Both depictions “tip their hat” to the original grand dragon whose mind was influenced with the wickedness of Satan.

Leviathan means “serpent.”  So consider, for a moment, that other great dragon of scripture, the Serpent of Eden.

God tells us that this particular Serpent possessed a clever intelligence that, today, is only associated with humanity.  This attribute of intelligence has caused much consternation among scholars.

The debate centers on the word “subtle.”  It’s translated from the Hebrew word aruwm (aw-room’), and means  “cunning: crafty, prudent, and subtle.”  When this description is combined with the serpent’s ability to talk, it implies an intellect far above what we observe in animals today, which is why some people have difficulty accepting the literal meaning of the text.  Must we assume, however, that no animal has ever been able to talk simply because none do today?

In scripture, intelligence is always equated with speech.  For example, when God elevated the intellect of a donkey, she spoke in protest to the prophet Balaam, and in fact spoke from her own experience with him (Numbers 22:22-34).  In contrast, when God judged the pride of king Nebuchadnezzar, his understanding was removed and he became as a dumb, speechless, animal grazing on grass in the fields (Daniel 4.31-34).

Our only knowledge of creation before corruption and judgment is found in Genesis.  Shall we ignore it’s teaching on the basis of what we have personally observed in today’s post-curse world?  Such an approach to scripture is manipulative and contrary to the instructive purpose of God’s word, especially when it describes a time and place expressly stated to be different from what we witness today.

So it was this dragon that Satan entered to deceive Eve.  When God judged Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, God declared that Jesus Christ would come out of Eve (as her “seed”) through her descendants, and thus be called the “Son of Man” (having come from man).  And in contrast, when Satan came out of the Serpent, he became the typological “seed” of the Serpent.  And as one who came out of a serpent, Satan was henceforth viewed as a typological serpent or dragon himself.

What was the name given to Satan as the seed of the Serpent of Eden?

The Great Red Dragon.

“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.”  (Revelation 12:3, KJV)

“…the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan…” (Revelation 20:2, KJV)

Leviathan is also likened to Satan on account of Satan’s typological title of Great Red Dragon:

“In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.” (Isaiah 27:1, KJV)

In the Psalms, we read again of God’s might against the mighty Leviathan who’s silhouette is seen sailing with the ships on the sea:

“There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.”  (Psalms 104:26, KJV)

“It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. {14} It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.”  (Psalms 74:13-14, KJV)

In fact, one such dragon, or sea monster, became sufficiently well-known to the ancients to be given the special name “Rahab” (an epithet of Egypt).

Awake, awake, arm of the LORD, clothe yourself with strength!  Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old.  Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through?  (Isaiah 51:9, NIV)

UNICORN:

The word translated as “unicorn” in the KJV Bible, is the Hebrew word pronounced “re-em”(reh-ame’, reh-ame’, rame, or rame).  Strongs Concordance defines the word as “From H7213; a wild bull (from its conspicuousness): – unicorn.”

Old illustrations from Mesopotamia depict one horned oxen, at least from the perspective of their profile.  These oxen were referred to as “rimu.” The Assyrians referred to the wild ox as “rumu” and also depicted from a side profile giving the appearance of possessing a single horn.  This could explain the origen of the word “unicorn.” But regardless, the Bible clearly describes Unicorns as having more than one horn.

His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.  (Deuteronomy 33:17, KJV)

Even Psalm 92:10, which mentions only one horn of the Unicorn, does not exclude the possibility of a second horn.

But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. (Psalms 92:10, KJV)

Of the Unicorn’s temperament, the Bible has this to say:

Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?  (10) Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?  (11) Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?  (12) Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?  (Job 39:9-12, KJV)

This sounds less like an Ox, and more like a Rhino.  But either way, the text does not require a dinosaur to be it’s focus.

On a side note, the Congo has had quite a few sightings of creatures that resemble dinosaurs, some of which appear to match the description of the Unicorn.

Of Dr Roy Mackal, it’s has been oft quoted:

Dr. Roy Mackal’s explorations in the Congo brought back reports of a rare, single-horned animal called “Emela-ntouka” or “killer of elephants.”  Those reports came from tribes who were more than familiar with what a Rhinoceros is, yet this was something different.  And in a recent expedition, pygmies in Cameroon identified the horned creature (there called “Ngoubou”) with a Ceratopsian dinosaur and claimed it could sport from one to four horns. In fact, modern researchers believe that the ceratopsian dinosaurs likely did use their great horn for combat (Dodson, Peter, The Horned Dinosaurs:A Natural History, 1996, p.123.) (Original source unknown)

Accounts of Dr. Roy Mackal are interesting and thought provoking to be sure.  But in the end, they cannot be cited as proof that the Unicorns mentioned in the Bible were dinosaurs.

FLYING SERPENTS:

Isaiah twice mentions the “fiery flying serpent” (Isaiah 30:6).  In that passage the Lord warns Israel against returning to Egypt, because it wold take them south where they would run into “the lion, the viper, and the fiery flying serpent.” The viper mentioned in this passage likely refers to the Desert Horned Viper.  But the “fiery flying serpent” is almost certainly a “leaping” venomous snake, known as the Israeli Saw-Scale Viper, which have been known to propel themselves off the ground as they strike.  Their bite has also been compared to the pinch of “red hot pliers.”  This would be a fitting description of a fiery flying serpent to be sure.

Support for this interpretation comes from the scriptures that speak of this creature.  When God commanded Moses to erect a brass version of the serpent on a pole to heal the people, they were in the Arava Valley.  The Arava Valley is full of rocky terrain, a perfect environment for the Israeli Saw-scale Viper.  More than this, the Saw-scale Viper has a slow acting venom which would give the people time to run to the erected cure Moses set up.  This snake still lives in that valley today.

However, some have speculated that descriptions of the fiery flying serpent also fit with classical authors describing Pterosaur populations in Egypt and Arabia.  While initially intriguing,  I have found such theories unsubstantiated.

CONCLUSION:

In every discussion of the Bible, critics always demand proof while at the same time poudly proclaiming the conclusions of their theories as fact.  It’s a contradiction they cannot see on account of their pride.  Yet proof is what they must be given, and proof is what every born-again believer has access to.

What proof is that?

Divine encounter.

Here’s the problem.  In every argument against the truthfulness of the scripture that I have heard, the proof against it is, literally, ignorance.  You will hear about what men do not know, and about what they have not seen, implying that if something was true, science would have revealed it to them by now.  You will never win an argument outside of the proof of a personal encounter with the very thing you are arguing over.  It’s the doubting Thomas syndrome.  Men must see to believe.

The solution?  Genuine faith, as opposed to blind faith.

Genuine faith is based on Divine encounter, whereas blind faith is based on guesswork (be it in the science of men, or religious belief).  In other words, if you want someone to believe the word of God, you must first provide them with an encounter.  When you encounter the living God, His testimony is proven along with His existence.  Apart from that, men (both religious and atheistic) can do nothing but reason and argue from the limitations of their own experience.  Nothing is proven apart from observation and experience, and that includes the existence of God and the theories of humanistic science.

Well was it said by the Psalmist:

Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.  (Psalms 40:4, KJV)

There is nothing wrong with evidence, but evidence is not proof.  And no man can embrace God’s word apart from first embracing God Himself through encounter.

FURTHER REFERENCE:

If you’re interested in pursuing this topic further, and tackling greater questions about the Bible and dinosaurs, I encourage you to visit Dr. Brown’s website and browse his free book:

In The Beginning

For extra-biblical evidence, consider the ancient dinosaur depictions found all over the world.

Regardless of what you study, and where you found it, remember that the Bible is the sure record that God has provided us.  We must not ignore its revelations.