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The New Oxford Annotated Bible With Apocrypha

The New Oxford Annotated Bible With Apocrypha The New Oxford Annotated Bible With Apocrypha

Students, professors and general readers alike have relied upon The Oxford Annotated Bible for essential scholarship and guidance to the world of the Bible for nearly four decades. Now a new editorial board and team of contributors have completely updated this classic work. The result is a volume which maintains and extends the excellence the Annotated's users have come to expect, bringing new insights, information, and approaches to bear upon the understanding of the text of the Bible.

The new edition includes a full index to all of the study material (not just to the annotations), and one that is keyed to page numbers, not to citations. And, to make certain points in the text clearer for the reader, there are approximately 40 in-text, line drawing maps and diagrams.

With the best of the Annotated's traditional strengths, and the augmentation of new information and new approaches represented in current scholarship, the Third Edition will serve as the reader's and student's constant resource for a new century.

About the Author

Michael Coogan is Professor of Religious Studies at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, and director of publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum. Carol Newsom is at Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, Georgia.

Paperback: 2180 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; College edition (January 25, 2001)

The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament Volume One
The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament Volume One The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament: Apocrypha

The most esteemed body of books left out of the Bible, the Old Testament Apocrypha is of interest to historians, religious scholars, and ordinary laypeople alike. For more than 70 years this version, edited by R.H. Charles, has been the definitive critical edition. Out of print for years, Apocryphile Press is proud to make it available once more to scholars and the curious.

Paperback: 700 pages
Publisher: Apocryphile Press (November 1, 2004)

The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Volume Two
The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Volume Two The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Volume Two

Of all the books left out of the Bible, only the Apocrypha rivals the Pseudepigrapha in popularity and importance. This edition of the Pseudepigrapha was edited by R. H. Charles and was the definitive critical edition for over 70 years.

Paperback: 800 pages
Publisher: Apocryphile Press (November 1, 2004)

The Urantia Book
The Urantia Book The Urantia Book

Love

Love is truly contagious and eternally creative. (p. 2018) “Devote your life to proving that love is the greatest thing in the world.” (p. 2047) “Love is the ancestor of all spiritual goodness, the essence of the true and the beautiful.” (p. 2047) The Father’s love can become real to mortal man only by passing through that man’s personality as he in turn bestows this love upon his fellows. (p. 1289) The secret of a better civilization is bound up in the Master’s teachings of the brotherhood of man, the good will of love and mutual trust. (p. 2065)

Prayer

Prayer is not a technique of escape from conflict but rather a stimulus to growth in the very face of conflict. (p. 1002) The sincerity of any prayer is the assurance of its being heard. … (p. 1639) God answers man’s prayer by giving him an increased revelation of truth, an enhanced appreciation of beauty, and an augmented concept of goodness. (p. 1002) …Never forget that the sincere prayer of faith is a mighty force for the promotion of personal happiness, individual self-control, social harmony, moral progress, and spiritual attainment. (p. 999)

Suffering

There is a great and glorious purpose in the march of the universes through space. All of your mortal struggling is not in vain. (p. 364) Mortals only learn wisdom by experiencing tribulation. (p. 556)

Angels

The angels of all orders are distinct personalities and are highly individualized. (p. 285) Angels....are fully cognizant of your moral struggles and spiritual difficulties. They love human beings, and only good can result from your efforts to understand and love them. (p. 419)

Our Divine Destiny

If you are a willing learner, if you want to attain spirit levels and reach divine heights, if you sincerely desire to reach the eternal goal, then the divine Spirit will gently and lovingly lead you along the pathway of sonship and spiritual progress. (p. 381) …They who know that God is enthroned in the human heart are destined to become like him—immortal. (p. 1449) God is not only the determiner of destiny; he is man’s eternal destination. (p. 67)

Family

Almost everything of lasting value in civilization has its roots in the family. (p. 765) The family is man’s greatest purely human achievement. ... (p. 939)

Faith

…Faith will expand the mind, ennoble the soul, reinforce the personality, augment the happiness, deepen the spirit perception, and enhance the power to love and be loved. (p. 1766) “Now, mistake not, my Father will ever respond to the faintest flicker of faith.” (p. 1733)

History/Science

The story of man’s ascent from seaweed to the lordship of earthly creation is indeed a romance of biologic struggle and mind survival. (p. 731) 2,500,000,000 years ago… Urantia was a well developed sphere about one tenth its present mass. … (p. 658) 1,000,000,000 years ago is the date of the actual beginning of Urantia [Earth] history. (p. 660) 450,000,000 years ago the transition from vegetable to animal life occurred. (p. 669) From the year A.D. 1934 back to the birth of the first two human beings is just 993,419 years. (p. 707) About five hundred thousand years ago…there were almost one-half billion primitive human beings on earth. … (p. 741) Adam and Eve arrived on Urantia, from the year A.D. 1934, 37,848 years ago. (p. 828)

From the Inside Flap

What’s Inside?

Parts I and II

God, the inhabited universes, life after death, angels and other beings, the war in heaven.

Part III

The history of the world, science and evolution, Adam and Eve, development of civilization, marriage and family, personal spiritual growth.

Part IV

The life and teachings of Jesus including the missing years. AND MUCH MORE…

Excerpts

God, …God is the source and destiny of all that is good and beautiful and true. (p. 1431) If you truly want to find God, that desire is in itself evidence that you have already found him. (p. 1440) When man goes in partnership with God, great things may, and do, happen. (p. 1467)

The Origin of Human Life, The universe is not an accident... (p. 53) The universe of universes is the work of God and the dwelling place of his diverse creatures. (p. 21) The evolutionary planets are the spheres of human origin…Urantia [Earth] is your starting point. … (p. 1225) In God, man lives, moves, and has his being. (p. 22)

The Purpose of Life, There is in the mind of God a plan which embraces every creature of all his vast domains, and this plan is an eternal purpose of boundless opportunity, unlimited progress, and endless life. (p. 365) This new gospel of the kingdom… presents a new and exalted goal of destiny, a supreme life purpose. (p. 1778)

Jesus, The religion of Jesus is the most dynamic influence ever to activate the human race. (p. 1091) What an awakening the world would experience if it could only see Jesus as he really lived on earth and know, firsthand, his life-giving teachings! (p. 2083)

Science, Science, guided by wisdom, may become man’s great social liberator. (p. 909) Mortal man is not an evolutionary accident. There is a precise system, a universal law, which determines the unfolding of the planetary life plan on the spheres of space. (p. 560)

Life after Death, God’s love is universal… He is “not willing that any should perish.” (p. 39) Your short sojourn on Urantia [Earth]…is only a single link, the very first in the long chain that is to stretch across universes and through the eternal ages. (p. 435) …Death is only the beginning of an endless career of adventure, an everlasting life of anticipation, an eternal voyage of discovery. (p. 159)

About the Author

The text of The Urantia Book was provided by one or more anonymous contributors working with a small staff which provided editorial and administrative support during the book's creation. The book bears no particular credentials (from a human viewpoint), relying instead on the power and beauty of the writing itself to persuade the reader of its authenticity.

Leather Bound: 2097 pages
Publisher: Urantia Foundation; Box Lea edition (August 25, 2015)

The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation

The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation

From the Back Cover This collection of apocryphal texts supersedes the best-selling edition by M. R. James, which was originally published in 1924, and regularly reprinted. Several new texts have come to light since 1924 and the textual base for some of the apocrypha previously translated by James is now more secure, as in several cases there are recently published critical editions available. Although a modest appendix to James's edition was added in 1953, no thorough revision has previously been undertaken. In this volume, J. K. Elliott presents new translations of the texts and has provided each of them with a short introduction and bibliography directed to those who wish to pursue further the issues raised in the texts, or to consult the critical editions, other versions, or general studies. The translations are in modern English, in contrast to James's deliberate imitation of the language of the Authorized Version. The collection is designed to give readers the most important and famous of the Christian apocrypha, together with a select sample of gnostic texts. Full translations of the earliest texts are printed.

About the Author

J. K. Elliott (Editor)

Paperback: 774 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; First Paperback Edition edition (December 22, 2005)

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English

From Library Journal

This one-volume translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls joins those of Florentino Garcia Martinez (The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated, Eerdman's, 1996) and Michael Wise and others (The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, LJ 12/96) and is the latest edition of The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, first published in 1962. In a 90-page introduction, Vermes (emeritus, Jewish studies, Wolfson Coll., Oxford) briefly summarizes the 50-year history of scrolls research. He presents an overview of the sectarian community associated with the scrolls (whom he identifies as the Essenes), its history, and its beliefs. Though dubbed "complete" (the preface explains that "meaningless scraps or badly damaged manuscript sections are not inflicted on the reader"), Vermes's translation is generally the most selective of the three. This sometimes saves the reader from the possible frustration of line upon line of brackets and ellipses, but it gives a limited idea of the extent of the textual material available. However, the translation is good and has stood as the standard for many years. As with Bibles, libraries should have more than one version of the Dead Sea Scrolls.?Craig W. Beard, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Lib. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hardcover: 648 pages
Publisher: Allen Lane / The Penguin Press; 1st edition (July 1, 1997)

The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)

The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library) The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)

"Bentley Layton's "The Gnostic Scriptures is the one indispensable book for the understanding of Gnosis and Gnosticism. No other translations are within light-years of Layton's in eloquence, pathos, and accuracy, while no other commentaries match his as an introduction to this perpetually relevant religious stance. Layton is particularly brilliant in his appreciation of Valentinus, the central Gnostic visionary, whose "Gospel of Truth is marvelously served in this translation." --Harold Bloom, author of "The Book of J and "The Western Canon

"Bentley Layton's "The Gnostic Scriptures" is the one indispensable book for the understanding of Gnosis and Gnosticism. No other translations are within light-years of Layton's in eloquence, pathos, and accuracy, while no other commentaries match his as an introduction to this perpetually relevant religious stance. Layton is particularly brilliant in his appreciation of Valentinus, the central Gnostic visionary, whose "Gospel of Truth" is marvelously served in this translation." --Harold Bloom, author of "The Book of J" and "The Western Canon"

About the Author:

Bentley Layton was educated at Harvard University and taught for five years in Jerusalem at the Ecole biblique et archeologique francaise. He worked in Cairo with UNESCO Technical Subcommittee to reconstruct the Coptic Gnostic manuscripts of Nag Hammadi and then taught at Yale University, where he was appointed to the Goff Professorship of Religious Studies. He is the recipient of fellowships from American Council of Learned Societies, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Guggenheim Foundation and past President of the International Association of Coptic Studies.

Paperback: 337 pages
Publisher: Independently published (January 9, 2018)


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Enoch & the Nephilim
Liber VII

Todd J. Jumper

318 W Snyder St
Selinsgrove, PA 17870
(570) 374-1450
enochtheos@eagle-net.org


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Enoch & the Nephilim

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Part IV


Who Are The Nephilim?

"...climax at the beginning." -Arthur Custance.

Of all the imaginable phenomena on Earth, the progeny of this union between extraterrestrials and humans is the most bizarre. Man has paid little attention to them until now, for the fact of their existence has been shrouded in legend. But can they be dismissed as myth any longer? In this end time hour many strange phenomena are occurring. Jesus said,

"As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:37).

It was the wickedness of humanity and the abominable union of the supernatural with the natural that moved God to judge the world. We are fast approaching a new period of God's wrath.

The return of these super creatures may even now be a threat to us.

THE NEPHILIM: ETYMOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

Who are these beings? A clue to their identity is found in their name--Nephilim. The word itself is Hebrew, and it is first used in Genesis 6:4.

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.

Nephilim is translated "giants" in the Authorized King James Version, but "giants" is in no way a complete description.

Commentators like Lange trace the word "Nephilim" to the root "Niphal" meaning "distinguished ones." This corresponds perfectly with the "men of renown" at the end of Genesis 6:4, nevertheless it is not a generally accepted translation.

Others have sought the root of the word in the Hebrew consonants "npl" as found in Psalm 58:8. Here it means "miscarriage." Accepting this theory, the Nephilim would be those superhuman beings that resulted from miscarriages. Genesis Rabbah (26:7) seems to confirm this translation when it states:

Nephilim denotes that they hurled the word down, themselves fell (naflu) from the world, and filled the world with abortions (nephilim) through their immorality. 1

Most scholars, however, reject both these interpretations and trace the word "Nephilim" to the Hebrew root "Naphal" meaning "to fall." The Nephilim are the "fallen ones." A direct reference to the fallen angels who sired them. Some writers such as Ben Adam believe the word "Nephilim" refers to the fallen angels themselves and not to their offspring.

Because of some uncertainty in the translation of the Hebrew word, more and more Bible versions are now leaving the original word untranslated.

  •  Thus the New International Version renders the passage: "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days..." (Genesis 6:4).

  • This also does justice to the fact that the definite article precedes the word in the original. "The Nephilim were on the earth..."

  • The same definite article is also found in the other biblical passage where the word "Nephilim" occurs, namely, Numbers 13:33. "We saw the Nephilim there..."

Interpreting the Nephilim as "the fallen ones" dismisses the suggestion of one modern author that belief in the Nephilim could lead to racism. He fears that people would boast of having celestial blood in their veins and consider themselves superior to those of ordinary, human ancestry. To claim descent from stellar explorers could lead to a class distinction surpassing anything ever seen in society, but he need have no such qualms! If the Nephilim are stellar, they are also infernal. To claim descent from such beings would be to admit an ancestry from Hell.

Although there is no etymological evidence to justify "giants" as an accurate translation for "Nephilim," such a translation is not without merit.

In more senses than one, Nephilim were giants.

GIANTS IN SIZE

For one thing, they were giants in size and strength. Much documentation of the exceptional physical stature and super- human strength of the Nephilim exists, and this is not in the least surprising, knowing that they were "fathered" by angels. Angels as already stated, do "excel in strength" (Psalm 103:20). They are greater "in power and might" than men of earth (2 Peter 2:1 1).

What applies to holy angels, applies equally to rebellious angels. Their moral fall does not seem to have reduced their physical prowess. The Book of Enoch states that their "height was like the tallness of cedars and whose bodies were like mountains."

A modern author describes them in the following terms:

Perverted power and strength are (thus) conspicuous attributes of fallen angels. This titanic energy is displayed in the supernatural strength demons can impart to the human body when they enter it and possess it. 2

The New Testament supplies many such examples. One of the most noted is that of the Gadarene demoniac, who by his super-human strength could snap fetters and break chains.

The Roman Catholic Church confirms this attribute of fallen angels when it demands the presence of super-human strength before it will diagnose a person as being demon-possessed.

Actually a person under investigation must reveal the presence of three phenomena before the Roman Catholic Church will categorize him as "possessed."

  • First, he must be able to speak in a language unknown to him.

  • Second, he must have knowledge of secret facts, previously unknown to him.

  • Third, he must possess unnatural strength beyond his age and ability. 3

Dr. Kurt Koch, from his vast experience and extensive research into occultism, has discovered that even children or delicately built women can offer effective resistance to three or four strong men when demon possessed. 4

Similarly, Professor Oesterreich cites a number of examples from his research, demonstrating the same super-human strength in demon-possessed people. One example he gives is of a ten-year- old boy who could be scarcely held down by three adults. Another is of a young girl who could barely be controlled by two men. 5

In a similar vein, Robert Pearson wrote from Borneo in 1967 concerning the Dyak uprising:

Evidences of demonic power were witnessed at Andjungan. Dyaks used their fists and feet to break display cases with glass flying all over the place. Some actually danced on it with bare feet but no one was injured. One missionary watched Dyaks step into pans of acid used to coagulate rubber. Undiluted, this acid can normally burn the flesh to the bone, but these men were unharmed. Others struck locked and barred doors with their bare hands, breaking them down so easily as if they had been rammed by a truck...These things are hard to understand, but we know that Satan is powerful and...able to endow men with his power when it suits his purpose. 6

John Wesley in his journal entry for May 2, 1739, writes of a certain John Haydon, a respectable person, present in one of his meetings, and who,

"fell off his chair and began screaming terribly and beating himself against the ground ...Two or three men were holding him as well as they could. The man then roared out, "O thou devil! thou cursed devil! Yea, thou legion of devils! thou canst not stay! Christ will cast thee out!"' Fortunately, after prayer, Wesley reports that "both his body and soul were set at liberty."

These and countless similar examples are reminiscent of what happened to the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19. A demonized man out-numbered seven to one, was able to overcome all seven by a phenomenal show of strength.

The Bible states that they were fortunate to escape from the house naked and wounded.

A SECOND INCURSION 

In Genesis 6, where the word "Nephilim" is first used, we are told that the Nephilim appeared on the Earth just before the Flood, and that their appearance was the main reason for the Flood.

There followed another incursion of these fallen angels at a later date.

  • We read in Genesis 6: "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward..." (N.I.V.).

  • This data is found in Numbers 13:33: "We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim)" (N.I.V.).

This second eruption was probably on a more limited and restricted scale than the first. Nevertheless, God ordered their complete destruction.

One has often wondered at the severe an extreme measures that God asked Joshua to put into effect once he entered the land of Canaan. God commanded him to "utterly destroy them." We have found it difficult to reconcile this with the character of God. One can only surmise that God had a special reason to issue such a command. Could it be that God knew the heritage of these Nephilim?

God was aware that the Canaanites and their neighbors manifested the whole gamut of demonical practices, and that they were a threat to the character and destiny of His chosen people, who were entering the land at that time. This is why He warned the Israelites not to imitate the occult practices of these people whom they dispossessed. With the same unmatched anger that He had displayed in Genesis 6, Godorders the complete extermination of the inhabitants of Canaan.

"But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee" (Deuteronomy 20:17).

However, Israel, as so often in her history, failed to obey God, and there is reason to believe that some of the Nephilim survived (Joshua 13:13, 16:1 0; Judges 1:28-34).

The progeny of these Nephilim went under various names. We read of,

  • the Anakim, descended from Anak (Numbers 13:28)

  • the Rephaim, descended from Rapha

  • the Zamzummims, the Emims, the Avims, etc.

All shared the characteristics of being huge, tall and strong. Rabbi Bahya ben Asher, a Spanish Cabalist, claimed the Nephilim were heads of the family called "sons of God." They were so called because terror fell on those who saw them. As the virility of the stock declined, they were called Anakim and later Rephaim7 Here is an Old Testament description of the Emim:

"The Emim dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim; which also were accounted giants, as the Anakim; but the Moabites called them Emims. (Deuteronomy 2:10, 11)."

These men were such giants that the Israelite spies who went in to reconnoiter the land, cowered before them:

"And there we saw the giants, 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 13:33).

Flavius Josephus, the noted Jewish historian of the first century A.D., described these giants as having "bodies so large and countenances so entirely different from other men that they were surprising to the sight and terrible to the hearing." 8 And he adds that in his day, the bones of the giants were still on display!

Deuteronomy 3:11 describes one of these giants in more detail:

"For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants: behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was the length thereof and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man."

A super king-sized bed! In modem measurements it was 18 feet, 6 inches long, and 8 feet, 4 inches wide!

Some of these giants carried spears that weighed from ten to twenty-five pounds. One carried a spear whose staff was "like a weaver's beam" (II Samuel 21:19). Goliath wore a coat of armor that weighed 196 pounds, and he was said to be about nine feet tall.

Some of these giants had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.

EVIDENCE FROM OUTSIDE THE MIDDLE EAST

These giants were not confined to the Middle East. Two dozen human footprints of abnormal size have been found in the Paluxi riverbed, Texas, some of them measuring eighteen inches long. Other giant markings have been discovered in such diverse places as Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

In the Mt. Vernon area of Ohio, Dr. Wilbur G. Burroughs of the Geological Division of the Berea College, Kentucky, reported finds of human foot prints 23.75 cm. long and 10.25 wide! Near Antelope Springs, Utah, William Meister discovered in 1968 two human footprints 32.5 cm. long and 11.25 wide.

Similar giant footprints have been discovered in other countries especially in the Mt. Victoria region of Australia.

Not only do we have footprints of giants but actual skeletons as well. In 1936 Larson Kohl, the German paleontologist and anthropologist, found the bones of gigantic men on the shore of Lake Elyasi in Central Africa. Other giant skeletons were later found in Hava, the Transvaal and China. The evidence for the existence of giants is incontrovertible.

"A scientifically assured fact," says Dr. Louis Burkhalter. 9

GIANTS IN KNOWLEDGE

The Nephilim also were giants in knowledge. According to the Book of EnochGod was incensed against the fallen angels partly because they disclosed certain classified information to humans. The ancient world associated demons with special esoteric knowledge and with superior intelligence. The word "demon" in Greek (daimon) comes from the root meaning "knowledge" or "intelligence."

The Scriptures also testify to the fact that demons have access to knowledge and information denied to ordinary mortals. We read in the Gospels how they recognized and acknowledged the deity of Christwhen humans seemed totally blind to the fact.

When the Gaderene demoniac saw Jesus, he fell down before him, and cried out,

"What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high?" (Luke 8:28).

These demons recognized Jesus at the beginning of His ministry, way ahead of His own disciples.

In the Book of Acts, with the same supernatural knowledge, demons recognized the mission and message of the Apostle Paul. The possessed damsel at Philippi cried,

"These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17).

This happened at a time when the people of Philippi had no idea who Paul was, nor did they know the nature of his mission. We cannot but note that every recorded statement made by demons in the New Testament concerning Christ or Paul was one-hundred percent accurate.

Clement of Alexandria suggested an interesting reason for this superior knowledge of demons:

It is evident, since they are demoniac spirits, that they know some things more quickly and more perfectly than men, for they are not retarded in learning by the heaviness of a body.

Examples of this trait in demons is supplied by various missionary organizations. They tell us how people possessed by evil spirits acquire superior knowledge, far above that of their brethren. In an editorial in Christian Life Magazine we find these words concerning the murder of five young American missionaries in the jungles of Ecuador in 1956:

"Indians at Arajuno mission base knew in a few hours what had happened when five missionaries deep in Ecuador's Auca territory in 1956 failed to make radio contact with anxiously waiting fellow missionaries. How? They asked a local witch doctor. He obliged by falling into a trance, calling up his favorite demons and asking them to tell him where the missing missionaries were. According to the friendly Indians, they heard demons leave the scene and, in a short time, returned with the message that the missionaries were in the Curaray River with Auca lances in them."

John L. Nevius, a medical missionary in China at the end of the last century gathered a significant compendium of data on this subject. After sending a detailed questionnaire to Protestant missionaries all over China, he gleaned a vast amount of information about the symptoms of demonism.

One characteristic he found again and again was the prevalence of superior knowledge and intelligence in the possessed person--even on subject matters of which the person had no prior knowledge.

PROGRAMMED FROM SPACE

This may well supply the key to the great knowledge and expertise that characterized certain men in ancient times. As already seen, such knowledge and expertise by "primitive" men continue to defy explanation. P.J. Wiseman admits to this mysterious factor:

It was expected that the more ancient the period, the more primitive would excavators find it to be, until traces of civilization ceased altogether and aboriginal man appeared. Neither in Babylonia, nor Egypt, the land of the oldest known habitations of man, has this been the case. 10

Arthur Custance pertinently states this strange sequence right at the beginning of human history:

"...an unbelievably long time with almost no growth; a sudden spurt leading within a very few centuries to a remarkably high culture; a gradual slowing up, and decay, followed only much later by recovery of lost arts and by development of new ones leading ultimately to the creation of our modern world. What was the agency which operated for that short period of time to so greatly accelerate the process of cultural development and produce such remarkable results?" 11

Could this agency be the Nephilim? Could this expertise have been imparted by beings from outer space? And could this explain the mysteries surrounding Stonehenge, the Mayan Caracol, Tiahuanaco, the Bay of Pisco, and particularly the Great Pyramid? Did the knowledge necessary to construct these monolithic structures come from the Nephilim? Were they the ones responsible for what Custance calls the "climax at the beginning"? 12

As for the Great Pyramid, many scientists suggest a date back in the generations preceding the Flood. If so, those happen to be the very times of the Nephilim, the generations of the "giants" and of the "men of renown." But what if it could be proven that the Great Pyramid was not built until after the Flood? There is still no problem.

Could not Noah and his family have carried this information with them into the Ark, and transmitted it later to their descendants? According to the Babylonian version of the Flood, the "Chaldean" Noah was made to bury his books before the Flood, and then disentomb them after emerging from the Ark.

But there is still another possibility: Could this knowledge have come from the second eruption of the Nephilim, which occurred after the Flood?

"TREE OF KNOWLEDGE"

If we go further back, could one find a linkage between this esoteric knowledge and the "tree of knowledge" found in the Garden of Eden? We know that this was the one tree whose fruit Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat, or even touch (Genesis 2:17, 3:3). Why was this tree so named?

Few commentators have shed any light on its meaning. Many dismiss the account as mere symbolism, without even telling us what the symbolism is supposed to represent. Others look upon the passage as poetry, conveniently forgetting poetry is often the truest history. It not only relates facts but interprets them as well. Poetry has been described as "history written from the inside rather than from the outside, and therefore incomparably truer. 13 Or in the words of British author Graham Green, "Poetry is the photography of the invisible."

Supposing we applied this principle to the "tree of knowledge." If it is a symbol, then obviously it must be a symbol of something. Or if poetry, then it must convey some inner truth. But why should one speculate and search for cryptic meanings when the truth may well be on the surface. Obviously, the "tree of knowledge" must have something to do with knowledge, or why should it be so named? It undoubtedly contained the key to certain divinely classified material that God did not want early man to possess. But somehow, and it could well be by means of the Nephilim, early man did come to possess that knowledge--at least a part of it.

This was knowledge that primitive man could never have discovered on his own. Indeed, it was knowledge beyond the capacity of modern man! Kelly Segraves reminds us:

"With all our intelligences, we cannot figure out how pyramids were constructed." 14

We ask again, could this intelligence have been transmitted by the "sons of God"?

Egypt is not the only country that has pyramids. A whole network of them can be found around the planet--in Cambodia, Shen Shi, ChinaThailandMexicoNazcaYucatanAlaska... How does one account for such advanced scientific technology, on such a universal scale, and in such prehistoric times?

Could the answer be man's longevity at that time? The average age span before the Flood was close to nine hundred years-- thirteen times the proverbial "three score and ten." This, of course, provided exceptional opportunity for learning, research, experimentation and the accumulation of knowledge. If only modern-day scientists could live that long! But longevity alone could never account for the specialized knowledge that our forefathers possessed. Their awesome expertise indicates a source outside of themselves. No other viable explanation can be offered except that mankind was preprogrammed from the depths of space.

The Bible not only supplies the key to the source of this knowledge, but to the way it was transmitted--space-beings called "fallen-angels." As we have seen, such extraterrestrials possess superior knowledge. This they transmitted to man in direct contradiction to God's wishes.

Satan, the leader of fallen angels, is himself a creature of rare brilliance and inimitable genius. The Latin translation of his name, "Lucifer" (from the Hebrew "Helel"), comes from a root meaning "brilliance" or "magnificence." This is a trait he shares with his cohorts. He and they have access to classified, divine information, and are cognizant of hidden things (See Acts 16:16, 17).

According to Professor C. S. Dickerson,

"The source of their knowledge is found in their superior created nature and in their vast experience, as they lived through many thousands of years observing and collecting information." 15

John L. Nevius, after surveying demon possession in China, documents the amazing knowledge revealed by the demon- possessed:

"Many persons while demon possessed give evidence of knowledge which cannot be accounted for in ordinary ways. They often appear to know of the Lord Jesus as a divine person and show an aversion to, and a fear of Him. They sometimes converse in foreign languages of which in their normal states they are entirely ignorant." 16

BETTY AND BARNEY HILL

Betty and Barney Hill of New Hampshire, while returning home from a vacation in Canada in 1961, spotted a flying saucer and pulled off the road to watch it land. The engine of their car went dead, but they have no recollection of what happened after that. The next thing they remembered was being close to home... sixty miles south! After this bizarre experience, they suffered from nightmares, anxiety syndromes and ulcers. They finally consulted a psychiatrist, the noted Dr. Benjamin Simon of Boston.

By the use of hypnosis, he was able to induce from them--quite independently of each other--the story of those missing hours. Both told the same story. Taken aboard the flying saucer, they underwent physical examination by the humanoid occupants. Tape recordings were made of their story (given under hypnosis), and a book was published. Later, an NBC television movie was made of the event.

Stanton T. Friedman, a nuclear physicist, studied these reports and was greatly impressed. But what finally convinced him was the map drawn in 1964 by Betty Hill of a star system unknown to science at the time. Betty claimed that she had been shown this map aboard the UFO, and revealed the details of it under hypnosis. The astronomers who examined the map at that time, dismissed it. But since 1964 new evidence has appeared on the subject--star systems that were invisible in 1964 have now been discovered. And an amazing fact has come to light.

Dr. Friedman explains:

"Using these new data, a computer came up with a  map of the Zeta Reticuli system--faint stars 220 trillion miles away - which astronomers agree matches Mrs. Hill's precisely." 17

GIANTS IN WICKEDNESS

Giants in wickedness is another distinction of the Nephilim. Sired by demonic beings, their character and activity certainly reveal the nature of the "fallen ones."

Many of the legends surrounding the cross breeding between the natural and the supernatural depict subhuman behavior. To the last one, the semi-gods of mythology--Zeus (the Roman Jupiter), Poseidon(Neptune), Eros (Cupid), Hermes (Mercury)--were violentwantonlustful and promiscuous beyond restraint. They constantly engaged in sex orgies and seduction, and produced the strangest of offspring.

Emil Gaverluk tells of Zeus:

"He disregarded marriage laws and engaged in love affairs with members of both sexes. Zeus married Hera, his sister. One of the loves of Zeus was Europa. He seduced her by becoming a bull and carrying her away. Another was Leda, daughter of Thestios, King of Aetolia and the wife of Tyndereus, King of Sparta. But this did not stop Zeus...Athene was the daughter of Metis by Zeus. Metis tried to evade him. He seduced her. She warned him that if he did this again and the child was a male, that child would depose and conquer him. Zeus didn't like the sound of this and took no chances. He swallowed the child whole. Zeus' amorous victories illustrate the actions of uncontrolled spirit-beings lusting after human flesh." 18

This is only one example from Greek mythology of the evil associations between spirit-entities from space and human beings from Earth. But it was not only the spirit-beings who acted this way; they seem to have passed on the trait to their descendants.

The Nephilim, in this respect more than in anything else, were close imitators of their fathers. They reflected the works of their demon ancestry. And just as there are degrees of goodness among the saints, so there are degrees of evil among the demons. Evidence of this is recorded in Matthew 12:43-45. It tells of the unclean spirit returning to occupy the house from which he had been displaced, and returns with "seven other spirits more wicked than himself."

Irrespective of the degree of evil, all demons are regarded by God as vile and depraved. A recurring biblical adjective is "unclean" (Matthew 10:1, Mark 1:27, 3:11). These spirits are both morally and spiritually unclean, and the same distinctive applies to their progeny on Earth. What is more, those who traffic with such beings, frequently end up like them. Indeed such is the degree of their degradation that the Lord abandons them to their own depravity. Romans 1:24-32 graphically states that "God gave them up." The depths of their degradation and the infamy of their immoralities, puts them on a level lower than animals. Abandoned by God to the consequences of their wickedness, and deranged by demonic harassment, people have been driven to insane asylums and even to suicide.

Is it any wonder when incorrigible spirit-beings and rebellious humans cooperated to pollute Earth, to seek genetic control and produce hybrids that threatened the race itself, and even tried to thwart the very plan of God, that God should intervene in a judgment terrible to behold? 19

GIANTS IN PRIDE

The Nephilim were giants in pride also. Lord Acton claimed that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So does knowledge. With their superior intelligence and knowledge, the Nephilimsoon succumbed to the sin that became the downfall of Lucifer--pride (1 Timothy 3:6). Like Lucifer, his followers also dreamed of being gods, desiring to control and rule the Earth. Their advanced knowledge was the desired diet for their egoism. Such knowledge wedded to an already arrogant nature led to self-deification.

They craved divine honors and religious worship. This was the ambition of Lucifer, of the Nephilim, and of every fallen creature. They were propelled in all that they did by self-will, self-determination, self-glorification, and ultimately self-deification. No wonder Josephus refers to the Nephilim as "sons who were overbearing and disdainful of every virtue."

Man's fascination with the occult and otherworld phenomena is amazingly significant today. At no other time has he been more conditioned to accept the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Having once escaped his Mother Earth, man now strains at his celestial tether, wondering what or who lies beyond the final frontier. With this starward look, the stage could be set for the coming of the unwelcome guests from space.

The "days of Noah" are again here; perhaps even now agents from another realm are plotting the return of the Nephilim.



NOTES

1. Tr. I. Epstein 1.218.

2. Merill Unger, Demons in the World Today (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1971), p. 26.

3. Quoted by F. Seth Dryness, Jr., The Journal of Christian Reconstruction, Vol. 1, No. 2, Winter 1974, p. 51.

4. Kurt Koch, Christian Counseling and Occultism (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1973).

5. Ibid., p. 22.

6. Robert Pearson, Storm Over Borneo, (Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1967).

7. Rabbi Bahya ben Asher., Biur al ha Toral (Venice, 1566), p. 179.

8. Josephus, The Work of Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews (London: G. G. Rutledge), 1.3.1., Book vii.

9. Revue du Musee de Beyrouth.

10. P.J. Wiseman, New Discoveries in Babylon about Genesis (London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 2nd edition), pp. 28-29.

11. Arthur C. Custance, Genesis and Early Man (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House 1975), p. 103.

12. Ibid., pp. 81ff.

13. J. Cynddylan Jones, Primeval Revelation (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1897), pp. 206-7.

14. Kelly Segraves, The Great Flying Saucer Myth (San Diego: Beta Books, 1975), p. 52.

15. C. S. Dickerson, Angels Elect and Evil (Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), p. 165.

16. John L. Nevius, Demon Possession and Allied Themes (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1894), p. 161.

17. Stanton T. Friedman, UFOs A Complete Nightmare (Dick Adler, Los Angeles Times, October 20,1975), p. 14.

18. Emil Gaverluk, Did Genesis Man Conquer Space? (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1974), pp. 88-89.

19. C. S. Dickerson, Angels Elect and Evil (Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), pp. 170-174.


Enoch & the Nephilim


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Disclaimer

Disclaimer:
Some material presented will contain links, quotes, ideologies, etc., the contents of which should be understood to first, in their whole, reflect the views or opinions of their editors, and second, are used in my personal research as "fair use" sources only, and not espousement one way or the other. Researching for 'truth' leads one all over the place...a piece here, a piece there. As a researcher, I hunt, gather and disassemble resources, trying to put all the pieces into a coherent and logical whole. I encourage you to do the same. And please remember, these pages are only my effort to collect all the pieces I can find and see if they properly fit into the 'reality aggregate'.

Personal Position

Personal Position:
I've come to realize that 'truth' boils down to what we 'believe' the facts we've gathered point to. We only 'know' what we've 'experienced' firsthand. Everything else - what we read, what we watch, what we hear - is what someone else's gathered facts point to and 'they' 'believe' is 'truth', so that 'truth' seems to change in direct proportion to newly gathered facts divided by applied plausibility. Though I believe there is 'truth', until someone representing the celestial realm visibly appears and presents the heavenly records of Facts And Lies In The Order They Happened, I can't know for sure exactly what "the whole truth' on any given subject is, and what applies to me applies to everyone. Until then I'll continue to ask, "what does The Urantia Book say on the subject?"
~Gail Bird Allen

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The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with Apocrypha
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This volume combines a cultural guide to the biblical world and an annotated Bible. Its notes feature the reflections of Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish scholars.

  • Twenty-three insightful articles on aspects of the history, literary background, and culture of the biblical era.
  • A special index of people, places, and themes of the Bible.
  • 36 pages of full-color New Oxford Bible Maps, with index.

Paperback: 1860 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (March 12, 1992)

Nave's Topical Bible: A comprehensive Digest of over 20,000 Topics and Subtopics With More Than 10,000 Associated Scripture References

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"Nave's Topical Bible, " the best known of all topical bibles, has been a valuable Bible-study reference and a best-seller for more than 75 years. It is a comprehensive digest of over 20,000 topics and subtopics with more than 100,000 associated Scripture references. The most significant references for each topic actually include the full text of the verse cited saving the need to separately look up each verse.

Because "Nave's "groups verses by "idea" (or "topic"), it offers a better overview of relevant Scriptures than a concordance, which only lists or indexes verses according to specific words. This edition also includes the helpful Scripture index (left out of some other editions), which makes it possible for the reader studying a particular biblical text to locate every topic and grouping of Scripture in "Nave's "whenever a particular verse is included. That way, it is possible for the reader to study either all the verses related to a particular topic "or" all the topics related to a particular verse it works both ways.

For the pastor or teacher interested in saving hours of time but not willing to give their second best, and for anyone wanting to be challenged by what God has to say about a given subject, "Nave's Topical Bible" is the passport that will allow immediate and successful entry to the many points of interest."

About the Author

Orville J. Nave, A.M., D.D., LL.D., compiled this magnificient reference work while serving as a Chaplain in the United States Army. He referred to his work as "the result of fourteen years of delightful and untiring study of the Word of God."

Hardcover: 1616 pages
Publisher: Hendrickson Pub (July 1, 2002)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (Super Value Series)

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Read the best of Matthew Henry's classic commentary on the Bible in one convenient book. Henry's profound spiritual insights have touched lives for over 300 years. Indexed maps and charts make this a book any pastor, student, Bible teacher, or devotional reader will treasure!

About the Author

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) was a Presbyterian minister in England who began his commentary on the Bible in 1704. He completed his work up to the end of Acts before his death. Afterward, his ministerial friends completed the work from Henry's notes and writings.

Series: Super Value Series
Hardcover: 1200 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (July 30, 2003)

Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
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Like a redwood that towers above all other trees, The Strongest Strong’s takes James Strong’s classic concordance to unprecedented heights. Reflecting thousands of research hours, custom computer technology, and an exclusive database perfected over twenty years, The Strongest Strong’s is packed with features that make it the last word in accuracy and usefulness. No other Strong’s concordance can touch it. This is no mere study tool. Destined to become a foundational resource for Bible study the world over, The Strongest Strong’s is a landmark in biblical reference works.

What Makes This Strong’s the Strongest? Rebuilding Strong’s time-honored concordance from the ground up, biblical research experts John Kohlenberger and James Swanson have achieved unprecedented accuracy and clarity. Longstanding errors have been corrected. Omissions filled in. Word studies simplified. Thoroughness and ease of use have been united and maximized.

Kohlenberger and Swanson have also added the Nave’s Topical Bible Reference System―the world’s most complete topical Bible, updated, expanded, and streamlined to meet the needs of today’s Bible user. No other edition of Strong’s or Nave’s gives you all the information combined in The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

A Stunning Array of World-Class Features

In order to experience all the advantages of The Strongest Strong’s, you’ll have to look inside. But here is a thumbnail sketch of what awaits you:

  • Computer-verified accuracy. For the first time ever, cutting-edge computer analysis provides unparalleled, pinpoint accuracy
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  • The most up-to-date Hebrew and Greek dictionaries ensure precise meaning in your word studies
  • Nave’s Topical Bible Reference System supplies the complete descriptive content and references (without the Bible text) of Nave’s Topical Bible, expanded to provide a total of more than 100,000 verses indexed by subject, word, phrase, synonym, and example
  • Cross-references to places and names used in Bible translations besides the KJV
  • Word counts furnish a complete accounting of every word in the Bible
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  • Words of Christ highlighted in red
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  • Major Social Concerns of the Mosaic Covenant
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About the Author

Dr. James Strong (1822-1894) was formerly president of Troy University and professor of exegetical theology at Drew Theological Seminary.

Hardcover: 1742 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; Supesaver ed. edition (September 1, 2001)

Zondervan Pictorial Encylopedia of the Bible, Vols. 1-5
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From the Back Cover

The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, the result of more than ten years of research and preparation, provides Bible students with a comprehensive and reliable library of information. Varying viewpoints of scholarship permit a well-rounded perspective on significant issues relating to doctrines, themes, and biblical interpretation. Well-organized and generously illustrated, this encyclopedia will become a frequently used resource and reference work because of its many helpful features: - More than 5,000 pages of vital information of Bible lands and people - More than 7,500 articles alphabetically arranged for easy reference - Hundreds of full-color and black-and-white illustrations, charts, and graphs - Thirty-two pages of full-color maps and hundreds of black-and-white outline maps for quick perspective and ready reference - Scholarly articles ranging across the entire spectrum of theological and biblical topics, backed by recent archaeological discoveries - Two hundred and thirty-eight contributors from around the world. The editors have brought to this encyclopedia the fruit of many years of study and research.

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Merrill C. Tenney was professor of theological studies and dean of the Graduate school of Theology at Wheaton College.

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HarperColins Bible Dictionary
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The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary puts the latest and most comprehensive biblical scholarship at your fingertips. Here is everything you need to know to fully understand the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the New Testament. An unparalleled resource, The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary explains every aspect of the Bible, including biblical archaeology, culture, related writings such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Bible‘s influence on Western civilization, biblical history, theological concepts, modern biblical interpretations, flora nad fauna, climate and environment, crafts and industry, the content of individual books of the bible, and more.

The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary features:

  • Contributions by 193 noted experts on the Bible and the ancient Near East
  • More than 3700 entries covering the Bible from A to Z
  • Outlines for each book of the Bible
  • 590 black–and–white photographs
  • 53 color photographs
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  • 72 black–and–white maps
  • 18 color maps
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About the Author

Paul J. Achtemeier is Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. A widely respected authority on the Bible, he is the author or co-author of 14 books, former editor of the quarterly Interpretation, and New Testament editor of the Interpretation Biblical Commentary Series. Professor Achtemeier has also been chief executive officer and president of the Society of Biblical Literature, and president of the Catholic Biblical Association.

The Editorial Board of the revised edition of The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary includes associate editors; Roger S. Boraas, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Religion, Uppsala College; Michael Fishbane, Ph.D., Nathan Cummings Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Chicago Divinity School; Pheme Perkins, Ph.D., Professor of Theology (New Testament), Boston College; and William O. Walker, Jr., Ph.D., Professor of Religion, Trinity University.

The Society of Biblical Literature is a seven-thousand-member international group of experts on the Bible and related fields. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Amazon.com Review

For the maps alone, this book is worth it. Following 1,250 pages that describe and explain the people, places, terms, and events of the Bible from Aaron to Zurishaddai, the 16 spectacular maps detail the political entities and boundaries of biblical times, bringing the historic times to vivid life. A fascinating book, an impressive collection of scholarship, and a possession to cherish, the 188 contributors and five editors show what can be produced if you don't cut corners on excellence. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary Old and New Testament

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A Nelson exclusive. Study the meaning of biblical words in the original languages-without spending years learning Greek or Hebrew. This classic reference tool has helped thousands dig deeper into the meaning of the biblical text. Explains over 6,000 key biblical words. Includes a brand new comprehensive topical index that enables you to study biblical topics more thoroughly than ever before.

Hardcover: 1184 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 2nd Edition edition (August 26, 1996)


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