More than a Conqueror

Alexander the Great. Julius Caesar. Genghis Khan. Napoleon Bonaparte. The names of these men and others echo throughout the halls of history because they conquered nations and forged empires. However, despite the aptitude of their generals, their victorious strategies, the efficiency of their armies, and the most advanced weaponry known at the time, there were two enemies these men and their armies could never defeat: sin and death. The One who dealt the decisive blow to the curses of sin and death and is coming back to conclude his march against the army of darkness: The Lord Jesus Christ.

Please keep in mind that I am not glorifying war. I believe the horrors left by war have damaged the psyches of our brave men and women who have fought and have left a Grand Canyon size wake of tragedy and destruction in the lives of all of the innocents affected since time began. I believe it will be the return of Christ and only the return of Christ that will wash out these horrific stains from the fabric of humanity.

Though most of us may never serve our country in the respective branches of the military, we do on a daily basis face spiritual battles. In these battles against our sin natures and Satan’s forces, we are either winning, losing, or trying to maintain against the siege. Our demons can come from within or from the pits of hell, it is all the same. The struggle takes its toll and we can become fatigued from the constant fighting. When the despair grows stronger, we can find ourselves giving into the darkness, the bottle, or the needle, but it does not have to be that way.

If you are reading this and you have made it this far into life, let me congratulate you. You are an overcomer. You have been blessed with another day to seek God and to vanquish your foe. You have strength beyond measure. Life may have knocked you down to your knees, but you are in the perfect position to pray and receive your new strategy.

Romans chapter eight is among one of my favorite passages of Scripture. I cannot but be encouraged every time I read it. In particular, we will take a look at Romans 8:28-39.

 God is working it out

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28, KJV, italics mine).

Whether you are experiencing a nightmare while awake or just living day by day, keep in mind that God is working it out for your good. This does not mean that everything in life will be good, but God can turn the situation around to show His glory and make Himself known in our lives.

Your life has purpose

“For whom he did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.” (Romans 8:29-30, KJV).

Though our lives can seem to be an unending series of obstacles, God is using these obstacles as opportunities to make us more like Christ.

 God is on your side

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31, KJV).

How can we even consider fainting and fretting when the fickle opinions and perceptions others have of us when the God who created the universe is in our corner?

God gave His all

“He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32, KJV).

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, so who are we to doubt that God will carry us through this current trial?

We are justified in Christ

“Who is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34, KJV).

If the people around you reject you or do not hold you in high regard, do not worry about it. You have a God who believes you are to die for and He is praying for you at this moment.

We are more than conquerors

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, ‘For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” (Romans 8”35-37, KJV, italics mine).

The word used for conquerors is Hupernikao (Strong’s #5245), which means “to vanquish beyond; a decisive victory.” Hupernikao is derived from the words Huper (Strong’s #5228), which means “over, above, beyond, etc.,” and Nikao (Strong’s #3528), which means “to subdue.” Keep in mind that Nikao is the same word used in 1 John when it talks about us being overcomers in Christ. So to summarize this point, our relationship with Christ and our victory in Christ has earned us a clear and easy victory. In essence, Christ has run up the score so badly on the devil that he will never catch up. There are no substitutions or adjustments the enemy can make, the game is over, we are waiting for that last trumpet to blow. Because of His love for us, Christ will continue to intercede and defeat the enemy on our behalf. We are “hyper-conquerors” in Christ because we have more than enough firepower to subdue our enemy and to occupy what Christ has given to us.

We cannot be separated from Christ

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 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 8:38-39, KJV).

Go forth and conquer in Christ, for He has given you the victory. God bless you all.

 

 

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Resting During the Storm

My dog, Henry, is terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks. Henry, before and during the storm, will get jittery, pace around the house, and seek comfort from me and/or my wife. A thunderstorm rolled through this afternoon and I took to our dog calming ritual of turning on the space heater and sitting with Henry in our home office. Within minutes of reassuring Henry it was going to be alright, he fell asleep at my feet. I smiled and thought about how we are supposed to sleep at our Heavenly Father’s feet during the storms of life. Just as my presence and the warmth of the space heater comforted Henry, so too are we to be comforted in the warm embrace of our God’s presence.

Somewhere right now on our planet, people are experiencing both meteorological and spiritual storms. Rain is essential for life on earth. If it did not rain, crops would not grow, which in turn would hurt the world’s food supply. All of us will experience spiritual storms in our lives, whether it be overwhelming grief, illness, family issues, financial stress, a loss of faith, or all of these trials at once coming at us with the force of a hurricane or tsunami. God can uses these storms to grow us and to feed our faith.

In the midst of our pain and suffering, we cry out and pray to God for relief, yet, there are times when the rain keeps coming with seemingly no relief in sight. However, your storm will pass. Just as the storm that terrified Henry was over in a few minutes and the sun came out, so too will your dark clouds give way to the sunshine on the horizon.

The big questions we ask during a storm is “Where is God in all this?” “Why doesn’t He do something?” “Why doesn’t He just stop it?” Be honest, you have posed those questions. I know I have. Believe me, you are not the first person to pose such questions, for The Bible gives us multiple examples of people weathering storms.

Probably the most famous biblical example is Jesus quieting a storm as recorded in the gospels of Matthew (8:23-27), Mark (4:35-41), and Luke (8:22-25). Matthew and Mark place this event after Jesus spent the day teaching a crowd of people on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Night came and Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” (Mark 4:35b, NIV). Jesus and His disciples left the crowd on the shore and began their trek to the other side. Mark’s Gospel describes the scene: “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.” (Mark 4:37, NIV).

Notice Jesus’ approach to the storm compared to that of the disciples, four of whom- Peter, Andrew, James, and John- were experienced fishermen and I am sure weathered many storms while on the water.

“Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’” (Mark 4:38, NIV, italics mine).

This must have been quite a storm to upset such experienced fishermen, but these are the same disciples who saw Jesus perform many miracles- healings, exorcisms, and raising people from the dead! The disciples’ reaction is not really that much different from ours, as we question God, asking Him, “Don’t you care about me?” or “Why did You let this happen?”

“He [Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be Still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!” (Mark 4:39-41, NIV).

The storm did not catch Jesus off guard, just as He knows when the storms will come in your life. Man with his radar technology tries to predict when storms will come in and determine their path. However, despite our technological advancements, the weather predictions do not always pan out, due to circumstances beyond our control- the wind could shift the weather front. God’s “radar” is never wrong.

Just as Jesus and His disciples had contrasting reactions to the storm, my dogs have different reactions. My other dog, Maggie, is older than Henry and has seen many storms. Being the older, more experienced dog, Maggie can sleep easy through the strongest summer thunderstorms. As we grow older in our faith, we can rest easier with each passing storm, because we know the Lord has carried us through so many storms before.

Our response can determine the length of the storm. If we have right thinking and are standing on the Word of God, we can stand upright. We go through storms so that we may be a future comfort to someone else. Jesus knew He was going to quiet the storm. He knew His disciples had not built up their faith to ride out the storm. Jesus also knew something that the disciples did not know- that there was a demon possessed man on the other side of the Sea of Galilee who needed to be delivered. The disciples went through the storm so another man could be delivered from a legion of demons and proclaim Jesus’ work.

Just as God spoke to Job in the midst of his “whirlwind,” so too can God speak and comfort us in our storms. God will also sustain us in the storm.

“When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” (Proverbs 10:25, NIV).

The Lord will also guide us out of the storm:

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:28-30, NIV).

God bless you all.

Temple of Baal coming to U.S. and Europe

I received a message earlier this week from a friend asking me if I had heard of a temple of Baal being constructed in  New York City and London. I researched several articles, the YouTube link provided by my friend and even came across an article in the New York Times concerning this issue. From what I have read, there will be reproductions of the temple’s archways placed in New York City’s Times Square and London’s Trafalgar Square on April 19, 2016.  This particular temple of Baal was located in Palmyra, Syria and was destroyed by ISIS in August 2015. Though the New York Times article discussed the reproduction of the temple arches is being done to honor the razed temple as a world heritage site. However, could something more sinister be at hand?

Who is Baal?

In order to fully understand the implications of reproducing arches to an ancient temple, we must understand for whom the temple is named. Baal was a Canaanite fertility god worshipped in the land of Canaan before the Israelites came into the Promise Land. Despite God’s many warnings not to worship the gods of the Canaanites, Israel fell into idolatry, for which they were judged and punished multiple times by God. Baal, like the other Canaanite gods and goddesses was worshipped in what the Bible calls “the high places,” which were simply altars built on top of hills and mountains.

Israel’s history of Baal worship

“And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.”(Judges 2:11-13, KJV).

“And they [the nation of Israel] left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire [child sacrifice], and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.” (2 Kings 7:16-17, KJV, brackets mine).

Kings of Israel and Judah who worshipped Baal

There is an adage that says, “As a nation’s leaders go, so go its people.” In the Old Testament, as kings turned away from God, so did the people turn away from God.

Ahab           

“And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.” (1 Kings 16:31-33, KJV).

Ahaziah

    “Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. For he served Baal, and worshipped him and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.” ( 1Kings 22:51-53, KJV).

Manasseh

“And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father destroyed; and he reared up the altars of Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab, king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.” (2 Kings 21:2-3, KJV).

God’s Instruments of Judgment against Baal Worship

*Gideon destroyed his father’s altar to Baal (Judges 6:25-32).

*Elijah confronted and slayed the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19-40).

*Jehu destroyed all Baal worship in Israel, but did not follow God (2 Kings 10:18-31).

*Jehoiada the priest led the people to destroy the house of Baal (2 Kings 11:18).

*Josiah removed the high places, smashed altars and ordered the priest of Baal to be slain (2 Kings 23:4-6).

*722 BC- The Assyrians invaded Samaria and Israel ceased to be a nation (2 Kings 17:18; Jeremiah 23:13).

*586 BC- The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem and begin the process of the seventy year exile (Jeremiah 23:25-27; Jeremiah 32:29-35).

The Bible makes it explicitly clear that we are to worship God and that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. If we worship any other entity or idol, we are engaging in idolatry. For any nation to erect even a replica of any temple or building where child sacrifice took place is the epitome of apostasy. New York and London, to put it bluntly are building monuments to Satan in the most prominent places in their respective cities. I have placed the links to the original New York Times article and the YouTube video below. Please study the Scriptures for yourselves and pray that God will move upon the hearts of the nation’s leaders and people. Pray that people’s eyes will be opened to the truth. Satan is a deceiver, a liar, and the father of lies who wants to lead astray as many people as he can in these last days.  God bless you all.

YouTube Video; The New York Times article

 

Overcoming Fear

Fear can be defined as a response to a threat, whether real or perceived. In the world of psychology, there are hundreds of fears known as “phobias.” For instance, someone who suffers from “xenophobia” is said to be afraid of strangers or people from foreign countries. If one is “claustrophobic,” that person has a fear of confined spaces. If someone is afraid of animals, they are said to have “zoophobia.” More specifically, if one has a fear of spiders, that person has “arachnophobia.” Of course, not all fear is bad and I am not belittling or judging what someone is going through in their life. The Bible discusses “the fear of the Lord,” which is showing reverence and honor for God. In regards to parenting, for fear that a child may be seriously hurt or killed, parents will warn their children about dealing with strangers or running out into oncoming traffic.

Fear becomes a serious issue when it controls someone’s life.  Fear can paralyze us in both the physical and spiritual senses. Fear can lead to anxiety, inaction, indecision, depression and medical problems. Have you ever woke up with a sense of dread about the upcoming day? You are allowing fear to dictate your thoughts and emotions. Have you allowed the news of the day to dictate how you respond to the world? You are being controlled by fear. Do you allow thoughts to run through your mind about your spouse leaving you, losing your job, or that you have failed as a parent or Christian or you might have a self-diagnosed illness? Once again, you are walking in fear.

Faith is the opposite of fear. If we are saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no need for us to walk in fear.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, KJV).

Let’s take a few moments to break down the key words in 2 Timothy 1:7.

Spirit (Strong’s #4151) Pneuma- “current of air, breath, or a breeze.”

Fear (Strong’s #1167) Deilia- “cowardice, unmanliness, and timidity.”

Power (Strong’s #1411) Dunamis- Force “new and higher forces working in this world; It is “power, ability,” physical or moral, as residing in a person or thing. Power in action.

Love (Strong’s #26) Agape- “affection or benevolence.” This type of love is often referred to as an “unconditional” love or love expressed by actions, such as God sending Christ to die for our sins.

Sound (Strong’s #4995) Sophronismos- “discipline, self-control.” In a literal sense, “saving the mind through admonishing and calling to soundness of mind, and to self-control.”

Mind (Strong’s #4995) This Greek word is the same word as the above word for sound.

If the word “spirit” indicates a wind or a breeze, think of how the wind can move a sail boat, a kite, or tree branches- the wind is dictating the direction of these objects. Thus, if we are controlled or oppressed by a spirit of fear, the fear is dictating the direction our life is going and keeping us in bondage to our fears. However, God through His ultimate expression of love and His Holy Spirit has given us the ability to overcome our fearful thoughts. Through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we have the power and authority to overcome our fears, whether they are real or perceived and have our direction guided by the wind of the Holy Spirit.

There are both people who know Christ and those who do not know Christ who are tormented by fear because the enemy of our souls seeks “to kill, and to steal, and to destroy,” (John 10:10).  However, we must feed our faith and starve our fears.

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13, KJV).

There are hundreds of verses in both the Old and New Testaments that God reassures us to “fear not” or “be not afraid” we must take these Scriptures and take the fight to the enemy and the fears that we face. I will share a handful of verses, but I encourage you to search the Scriptures for yourselves. If you believe you are being tormented by a spirit of fear, seek wise Christian counseling. Do not allow your lives to be controlled by fear because we are free in the Spirit. Christ came to set the captives free. There is no need to sit in the prison of fear, as these Scriptures will attest.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10, KJV).

“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” (Isaiah 41:13, KJV).

“But now thus saith the Lord that created thee O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” (Isaiah 43:1, KJV).

“…Be not afraid, only believe.” (Mark 5:36, 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).

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage unto fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:14-16, KJV).

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18, KJV).

“…Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Revelation 1:17-18, KJV).

May the Lord bless and keep all of you.

A Revelation of the Blood of Christ

I was hospitalized earlier this month (August 2015) for a low hemoglobin count in my blood. Hemoglobin carries the oxygen in our red blood cells. After three days in the hospital, two blood transfusions, and two bags of iron, my hemoglobin levels came up enough for me to go home. I believe the Lord used these transfusions to save my life. A few days after I came home, the Lord gave me a revelation about the blood I received. This is the revelation: if the two pints of blood helped save my life, how much more does the blood of Jesus Christ save us from our sins and give us new life in God? The donors volunteered a pint of their blood but the Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed and shed all of His blood for all of the sins of humanity.

There have been countless hymns, songs, and sermons written about the blood of Christ, yet the importance of the blood may not be emphasized in a lot of churches. In our modern world, especially in the Western world, the idea of blood sacrifice can make us uncomfortable. Is it because the shed blood of Christ makes us face the magnitude of our sins? Does it bring us to the realization that we cannot live for God for two hours on Sunday and live like the world the rest of the week? We have been bought with a price and our lives must reflect the sacrifice of Jesus. In order to do this, we must have a revelation of what Jesus’ shed blood means for us.

The Sacrifice of Christ is Greater than the Old Testament Sacrifices

 “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:12-14, KJV).

Apart from the Blood of Christ, there is no Forgiveness

 “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7, KJV).

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14, KJV).

“But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7, KJV).

The Blood of Christ allows us to draw near to God

“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:12-13, KJV).

“And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled.” (Colossians 1:20-21, KJV).

The Blood of Christ gives spiritual authority to us and the Church

“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood. And He hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” (Revelation 1:5-6, KJV).

“And they sung a new song, saying, ‘Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by the blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” (Revelation 5:9, KJV).

The Blood of Christ gives us victory over sin, death, and Satan

“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; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:14-15, KJV).

“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. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:10-11, KJV).

Brothers and sisters, whether it be trials and tribulations or just the ordinary battles of everyday life, we must always carry with us the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God’s grace is free to all, but we must never cheapen God’s grace to indulge in the pleasures of sin for a season. The blood of Christ justifies us, saves us, redeems us, and gives us our new life in Christ. Just as donated blood is stored until needed, the blood of Christ is available to all, for all sins, past, present, and future. Do not neglect such a great salvation.

As in the Days of Noah

In what has become known as the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25, also parallel accounts in Mark 13 and Luke 21), Jesus describes what the earth will be like at the time of His return. Jesus describes a time of wars, natural disasters, false prophets, and the persecution of believers. Jesus also describes how people will be unprepared for His return and draws parallels to the days of Noah.

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For in the days that were before the Flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the Flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:36-39, KJV; see also Luke 17:26-27).

What were the days of Noah like? According to Genesis 6, verses five and eleven, the days of Noah were full of evil, wickedness, corruption, and violence. Just a casual glance of the news will bring you images of wars, natural disasters, violence, civil unrest, and the persecution of Christians all around the world.

Jeremiah wrote of the human heart. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it.” (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV). However, what if there was something more to all of this wickedness than humanity’s fallen, sinful nature? What if there were also evil, supernatural forces at work in these last days? What if we can trace these forces back to almost the very beginning of biblical history?

In previous posts, I have spoken concerning the Book of 1 Enoch and the Nephilim. Once again, the Book of Enoch is not to be held with the same authority as the accepted canon of Scripture, it is being used for illustrative purposes. The opening verse of the Book of Enoch states that its contents are meant for the End Times generation:

“The words of the blessing of Enoch, with which he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed” (1 Enoch 1:1).

The Book of Enoch elaborates on Genesis 6:4, which tells the story of angels coming to earth and having sex with human women, which produced a race of giants. 1 Enoch chapters seven and eight teach that these fallen angels also humanity about witchcraft, astrology, the making of weapons of war, drug use, idol worship, all of which began to turn humanity further and further away from God, until the Flood. These demonic forces were at work in the earth in the days of Noah just the same as they are in our world today.

After David and his men killed the remaining giants as recorded in 2 Samuel 21, giants are no longer mentioned in the Bible. Remember the Nephilim and the other groups of giants were not created by God, but were the work of Satan, who tried to corrupt the human bloodline so that Christ could not come to save humanity. 1 Enoch describes the giants (Nephilim) as evil spirits on the earth.

“And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits on the earth, And shall live on the earth. Evil spirits have come out from their bodies because they are born from men and from the holy Watchers, their beginning is of primal origin; They shall be evil spirits on earth, and evil spirits shall they be called spirits of the evil ones. [As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling, but as for the spirits of the earth which were born on the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling]. And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, war, destroy, and cause trouble on the earth…And at the death of the giants, spirits will go out and shall destroy without incurring judgment, coming from their bodies their flesh shall be destroy until the day of the consummation, the great judgment in which the age shall be consummated, over the Watchers and the godless, and shall be wholly consummated.” (1 Enoch 15:8-10, 16:1).

From those verses, we see that once the giants died off, their spirits would roam the earth and afflict humanity until the final judgment, of course this will be after the millennial reign of Christ. The New Testament cites numerous examples of both Jesus and the Apostles encountering demon possessed people. On one such occasion, Jesus encountered the Garadarene Demoniac, a man who was possessed with a legion of demons. Upon seeing Jesus, the demons said, “And suddenly they cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29, NKJV). These demons were awaiting a specific time of judgment, as described in 1 Enoch.

With how 1 Enoch described the spirits of the giants, could the days before Jesus’ return be fulfilled with an increase of demonic and occult activity? Could the spirits of the Nephilim still be at work in the earth today? The Book of 1 Enoch 7:5 describes how the Nephilim began to sin against animals and plants. Could this verse be discussing the hybridization or genetic modification of humans, plants, and animals? In our time, there have been cloned animals, genetically modified crops, and other instances where science and humanity are in essence “playing God.” I believe so. The Bible states that Satan knows his time is short and that his judgment, along with the judgment of the other fallen angels, or demons, is coming quickly, thus he is doing all he can to deceive the world. Brothers and sisters, we cannot be ignorant of these times, we must continue to watch the signs, for our redemption draws near.