In Genesis chapter 6 we find a mysterious passage concerning what many have interpreted to be an account of aliens visiting human beings in ancient times… The passage reads “4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”
The word “Nephilim” is the plural for the Hebrew word “Nephal” which means fallen. Translated literally Nephilim would mean “fallen ones.” These creatures are described as having produced offspring known as “mighty men” which is the Hebrew word “Gibborim.” This word is often used to describe proficient warriors and in some instances giants. It’s not clear that the Nephlim were literally giants, however the term “fallen ones” has led ancient astronaut theorists who have been made popular by the History Channel to believe that the Nephilim are aliens.
In Job 1:6 the term “sons of God” is used to refer to angelic beings. This is the same term used in Genesis 6 in connection with the Nephilim. The combination of the word Nephilim meaning “fallen ones” and the term “sons of God” meaning angelic beings has led Biblical scholars to consider that the Nephilim were possibly a group of fallen angels who somehow impregnated women to produce giants or possibly warriors of some kind prior to the flood of Noah.
Could it be that our modern concept of an alien is simply a mis-interpretation of what is in reality, fallen angels… Many ancient interpreters say YES… In fact Flavius Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews (1:3:1) held the position that the Nephilim were fallen angels who cohabitated with women. Later authors such as Philo of Alexandria also held this position, as did many rabbinical authorities. Some modern scholars have proposed alternative explanations for the Nephilim but should we opt for their view in exchange for what ancient Bible interpreters held? I think not…
What about modern reports of alien encounters or abductions? In this regard we find a variety of realities to consider. One is that a large number of the reports are either fake publicity stunts or related to mental illnesses such a schizophrenia. But could a percentage of these abduction reports be true, and if so are they referring to literal Aliens? Carl Sagan in his book “The Demon Haunted World” said that the alien abduction experience is similar to tales of demon abduction common throughout history.
Are we to now revise the historic view on these events because of our modern fascination with the prospect of life on other planets? I must admit, it seems quite arrogant for one to reject and reinterpret alien abductions through a modern lense of naturalism when for thousands of years we have considered these occurrences to be demonic in nature. Isn't it true that this notion of alien abductions rather than demon abductions stems from the modern naturalistic tendency to remove any spiritual or supernatural components from unexplainable phenomena? To invoke that physical creatures from another planet are responsible for these events rather than spiritual entities is simply a convenient alternative for modern anti-theists…
Are we to now revise the historic view on these events because of our modern fascination with the prospect of life on other planets? I must admit, it seems quite arrogant for one to reject and reinterpret alien abductions through a modern lense of naturalism when for thousands of years we have considered these occurrences to be demonic in nature. Isn't it true that this notion of alien abductions rather than demon abductions stems from the modern naturalistic tendency to remove any spiritual or supernatural components from unexplainable phenomena? To invoke that physical creatures from another planet are responsible for these events rather than spiritual entities is simply a convenient alternative for modern anti-theists…
The website “alienresistance.org” documents 100 testimonies of people who when being “abducted by aliens” rebuked the creatures in Jesus name and terminated the experience altogether. These stories support the notion that what many are calling alien abductions are more likely to be demonic encounters, otherwise the name of Jesus would have no effect upon these creatures. The Bible clearly teaches that demons must yield to the authority of Jesus Christ.
From the Nephilim of many thousands of years ago to the supposed alien encounters of modern times, human beings have been experiencing bizarre encounters with dark creatures from another realm for centuries. The Devil loves for people to try to explain away the reality of the spirit world with modern concepts such as aliens from other planets. This deception keeps people from coming to realize that the Bible is true and we are in a struggle with demonic forces for the salvation of human-kind through Jesus Christ. As we draw near to the return of Christ more and more people will buy into the deception that there is no spiritual world and that aliens are superior beings from another planet. Let us reject this lie and remain steadfast in the truth of God’s Word as we await the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
From the Nephilim of many thousands of years ago to the supposed alien encounters of modern times, human beings have been experiencing bizarre encounters with dark creatures from another realm for centuries. The Devil loves for people to try to explain away the reality of the spirit world with modern concepts such as aliens from other planets. This deception keeps people from coming to realize that the Bible is true and we are in a struggle with demonic forces for the salvation of human-kind through Jesus Christ. As we draw near to the return of Christ more and more people will buy into the deception that there is no spiritual world and that aliens are superior beings from another planet. Let us reject this lie and remain steadfast in the truth of God’s Word as we await the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Written by: Kyle Bailey, D.Min.
I concur with your thought that 'modern aliens' are merely the same old demons ... rather than some kind of special extra terrestrial life. However, I doubt the explanation that the “Nephilim” are the same origin. The definition, "fallen ones" would make perfect sense simply as fallen humans. It is physically impossible for demons to reproduce through human females. If this was happening, why weren't there also female demons for the male humans??
ReplyDeleteTo say this was happening makes the birth of Christ non-unique. Christ's birth was special, very special. With God all things are possible.
Wow, this was a very interesting post. I'm not even sure where to start.
ReplyDeleteI guess I can say that I too have noticed the similarities between the modern fascination with aliens and encounters with spiritual worlds. However, I tend not to think of the similarity as being with demonic spiritual encounters, but rather with foreign (read "alien") gods. Both are assumed to originating from other worldly dimensions and providing us with other worldly knowledge. It seems to me that the belief in aliens has supplanted what once was the temptation to entertain multiple deities.
Wow, this was a very interesting post. I'm not even sure where to start.
I guess I can say that I too have noticed the similarities between the modern fascination with aliens and encounters with spiritual worlds. However, I tend not to think of the similarities as being demonic in nature, but rather related to more of an infatuation with foreign (read "alien") gods. Both are assumed to have originated from other worldly dimensions and have provided us with other worldly knowledge. It seems to me that the belief in aliens has supplanted what once was the temptation to entertain multiple deities.
As an Orthodox Jew, focus on demonic possession (while not unheard of in Jewish literature) does not hold a central role in the Jewish Biblical narrative or in central spiritual experiences, such as the exodus from Egypt or the coming of the Messiah. There have been reports of demonic possession and exorcisms, but they exist at the periphery, don't relate to our-day-to-day life, and don't seem to have been very common. For that reason I am not preconditioned to noticing such things, which I believe is not exactly the case with Christians given that some of the central narratives in the Christian Bible involve Jesus exorcising demons.
Regarding the Nephilim, Jewish study regards them in several different ways. One is that they are fallen angels, as you said, which is difficult to understand in-and-of-itself given that in Judaism angels are described as spiritual beings created with no free will (which applies to Satan as well being an angel). It is therefore curious that they sought cohabitation with human women. I have worked out a way to understand this in accordance with other elements of Jewish thought.
Another, more naturalistic approach in Jewish thinking is related to the meaning of the word "el," "elohim," or "bnei elim" (sons of elim) in Hebrew. Depending on context, "El" can mean "God," or it can mean "powerful or mighty people" of some sort. It is used this way in the Tanakh on various occasions, such as when Aaron accompanied Moses as his speaker in which the verse says that Moses will be an "elohim" to Aaron. In this context it obviously means "an authoritative figure" of some sort.
Keep it up.
Really? Could we be the only one in this entire cosmos? In this cosmos, earth is a super micro speck of dust and we think the remaining part of the cosmos is a wasteland? Anyway, it's not surprising to me. What I've learnt by reading through history is that we never learn from history. Our forefathers of Christianity wanted to murder Galileo because he thought the earth was not flat, which was very inconsistent with the bible. Thank God for modern science, we now know the truth. I don't think any amount of rhetorical flourishes can convince me that we are the only most advanced and intelligent beings in this cosmos. We consider anything that's outside the logical perception of what we know to be either angels or demons.🤦🏻♂️This is a delusion passed down by our founding fathers to us. SMH. With all the numerous unfolding evidences of alien life, we are still insistent on being the only existing intelligent being in this cosmos. Within the next 25years, we would be forced to come out of our delusion of disregarding anything that's outside our logical perception of what we know. The evidences would be too clear that we won't be able to disregard.
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