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The Angelic View & Extra Biblical Texts

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The Sons of God

“Sons of God” is Bene Ha'elohim pronounced “beni-ha-ello-heem” in Hebrew. It is only used in reference to a direct creation of God.

Sons of Adam = ben-'adam

If the sons of God as seen in Genesis 6 were anything other than angelic beings, the scriptures would say so by identifying them as sons of Adam or sons of Seth. Instead, we see a consistent use of the phrase “Bene HaElohim” describing beings that are a direct creation of God.


Sons of God in the Old Testament

Sons of God in Scripture (Old Testament) – Each appearance of the phrase sons-of-God in the old testament clearly describes angelic beings.

• Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
• Gen 6:4 (TNIV) The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of the human beings and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
• Job_1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
• Job_2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
• Job_38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Sons of God in the New Testament

Confusion in interpreting the phrase Bene Ha'elohim arises when considering the use of the phrase in the New Testament where we see several references to man as sons of God.

• Joh_1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
• Rom_8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
• Php_2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
• 1Jn_3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
• 1Jn_3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Direct Creations of God

It is not until one considers the nature of redemption in Christ do we understand that we are new creations, born of incorruptible seed through Christ and thereby direct creations of God and no longer sons of Adam. As new creations, those in Christ are the sons of God. So we see that in both the old and new testaments, the phrase sons of God is always used to identify beings that are a direct creation of God and as such we know for certain that the use of sons-of-god in Genesis 6 clearly identifies angelic beings and not sons of Seth.


Keeping Women Protected

Knowing it was not God’s will that angels take human women for wives, Paul clarifies God’s role for women and warns of keeping women protected from the angles in 1Co 11:8-10.

1Co 11:8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
1Co 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
1Co 11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.


Nephilim & the Giants

As we briefly saw last lesson, modern science has demonstrated mixing species one with another to produce a giant. With scientific understanding, this is not a work of magic but rather definable biology. By removing the gene responsible for controlling growth, the organism does not receive the “stop growing” signal and continues to grow.

Nephilim – Commonly called “the fallen ones” is not accurate.

From Greek “gigantes” from which root “gigas” means “earth born.”


Nephilim Tribes

Several tribes of Nephilim are identified in the bible. They are:

• Descendants of Anak of the Nephilim (Numbers 13:33)
• The Emim, like the Anakim and counted as Rephaim (Deu 2:10,11)
• The Zamzummin (Due 2:20-21)

King Og’s Bed

Deu 3:11 (For only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bedstead was an iron bedstead; it is in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon. Its length was nine cubits and its width four cubits by ordinary cubit.)

King Og’s bed was almost 15’ 6” long and its width 6” 10”

Assuming King Og was slightly shorter than his bed, Og would have been about 15’ tall.


The Height of Cedars

Amo 2:9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, Though his height was like the height of cedars And he was strong as the oaks; I even destroyed his fruit above and his root below."

“Cedar trees will usually grow to a height of up to fifty feet, but others can reach one hundred or more feet in height.” – About Cedar Trees

“The cedars of Lebanon grow very high, sometimes to a height of 120 feet.” – Living Bible Studies


Like Grasshoppers

Num 13:27 Thus they told him, and said, "We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
Num 13:28 "Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there.
Num 13:29 "Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan."
Num 13:30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it."
Num 13:31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us."
Num 13:32 So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size.
Num 13:33 "There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."


The Diminishing X Chromosome

Theologians disagree on single or multiple angelic incursions. I believe there was only one angelic incursion. Those that support the multiple-incursions interpretation, argue that there were giants after the flood, therefore there must have been a second incursion, but I think what we’re seeing is the diminishing X chromosome. Remember from lesson one that the X chromosome recombines to weed out defects. We know that Noah and his generations were pure because scripture is clear on that, we therefore know that Noah and his sons provided pure male Y chromosomes that do not recombine. Their wives, coming from the gene pool God declared corrupt, appear to have carried Nephilim seed in their X chromosomes, however recombination would purge the defect over subsequent generations.


Perfect in His Generations

Gen 6:9, (KJV) These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

“Perfect” is sometimes interpreted to mean righteous before God.

“Perfect” is the Greek word Tamiym “Taw-meem” which is the same word used to describe the “red heifer” in Numbers 19:2


A Holy Cow

Numbers 19:2 – The word blemish (tamiyn) is the same word applied to Noah.

Num 19:2 This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:

From Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge: a red heifer: The following curious particulars have been remarked in this ordinance:

1. A heifer was appointed for sacrifice, in opposition to the Egyptian superstition, which held these animals sacred, and worshipped their goddess Isis under this form; and this appears the more likely, because males only were chosen for sacrifice. So Herodotus says, they sacrifice males, both old and young; but it is not lawful for them to offer females.
2. It was to be a red heifer, because the Egyptians sacrificed red bulls to the evil demon Typhon.
3. It was to be without spot, having no mixture of any other colour. The Egyptians "sacrifice red bulls, and select them with such scrupulous attention, that if the animal has a single black or white hair, they reckon it αθυτον, unfit to be sacrificed."
4. Without blemish. (See note on Lev_22:21.)
5. On which never came yoke. Because an animal which had been used for a common purpose was deemed improper for sacrifice.

Without Blemish

Lev 22:21 – The word blemish (tamiym) is the same word applied to Noah.

Lev 22:21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.

God chose Noah because Noah was still unblemished or perfect in his generations meaning that Noah’s seed was pure and could carry on the bloodline leading to the Messiah.


Cleansing the Gene Pool

All Flesh is Corrupted:

Gen 6:13 And the Lord God saw the earth, and it was corrupted; because all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.

The 7 Nations of Canaan:

Act 13:19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.


Angelic Incursion – The Definitions

Tartarus – 2Pe 2:4

• (WNT) For God did not spare angels when they had sinned, but hurling them down to Tartarus consigned them to caves of darkness, keeping them in readiness for judgement.
• (LITV) For if God did not spare sinning angels, but delivered them to chains of darkness, thrust down into Tartarus, having been kept to judgment;
• (JUB) For if God did not forgive the angels that sinned, but cast them down into the deepest abyss [Gr. Tartarus] and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

The Watcher Class Angel

Dan 4:13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;
Dan 4:23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven,…


Azazel – Leader & Watcher

Taught metallurgy for the making of weapons.

Enoch 69 – Rafael was told by God to bind Azazel in chains and bury him in a place called Dodael where he’ll remain until judgment and ascribe all sin to Azazel.

Leviticus 16:8,10,20,26 teaches ascribing sin to Azazel by way of a scapegoat.

Lev 16:8 There he shall draw lots, using two stones, one marked "for the LORD" and the other "for Azazel."
Lev 16:10 The goat chosen for Azazel shall be presented alive to the LORD and sent off into the desert to Azazel, in order to take away the sins of the people.
Lev 16:20 When Aaron has finished performing the ritual to purify the Most Holy Place, the rest of the Tent of the LORD's presence, and the altar, he shall present to the LORD the live goat chosen for Azazel.
Lev 16:26 The man who drove the goat into the desert to Azazel must wash his clothes and take a bath before he comes back into camp.

The scapegoat mentioned in Leviticus 16 is part of God’s instructions to the Israelites regarding the Day of Atonement. On this day, the high priest would first offer a sacrifice for his sins and those of his household; then he would perform sacrifices for the nation. “From the Israelite community [the high priest was instructed] to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering” (v. 5). The priest brought the animals before the Lord and cast lots between the two goats – one to be a sacrifice and the other to be the scapegoat. The first goat was slaughtered for the sins of the people and its blood used to cleanse the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar (v. 20). After the cleansing, the live goat was brought to the high priest. Laying his hands on the scapegoat, the high priest was to “confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites – all their sins – and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness” (vv. 21-22). Symbolically, the scapegoat took on the sins of the Israelites and removed them (v. 10). For Christians, this is a foreshadowing of Christ. (http://www.gotquestions.org/Azazel-scapegoat.html)


Angles and Demons Are Not the Same

• Angles have bodies or habitation
• Demons are always seeking bodies or habitation
• Jesus said demons return to their home when they enter a man further characterizing demons as disembodied spirits
• Jesus spoke of demons in a place where they find no rest – ie: homeless
• Disembodied spirits that were never meant to be – an abomination with nowhere to go

A Dramatization of the Angelic Incursion

The following is a dramatization of the angelic incursion and combines Genesis Chapter 6, The Book of Enoch, The Book of Jasher, and The Book of Jubilees into a single interpretational dramatization.

The Cast:

The Archangels:

• Michael
• Gabriel
• Uriel
• Raphael

The Incursion:

• Azazel – An Incursion Leader
• Semjaza – Leader of the Chiefs-of-Ten
• Chiefs-of-Ten – Leader of each group of 10 angels

Additional Cast:

• The Daughters of Men – Human Women
• The Nephilim or Giants – The Children or Offspring of the Watchers & the Daughters of Men – 1st Generation Nephilim
• Enoch – The Man Who Walked with God, an Arbitrator for the Watchers
• Watchers – A class of angel from which the 200 fallen angels under Semjaza’s command came.
• Noah, the son of Lamech

There Came a Day…

Please watch streaming video to hear the dramatization. No transcript is available.


Gene Warfare

Genesis 6 shows us a gene-pool problem for both man and animals. God dealt with the problem by separating clean flesh from corrupted flesh and destroying the tainted genes.

Satan was behind the attack on the gene pool as we can see the sons-of-god or fallen angels were organized and knew what they were about to do. In modern terms, the Genesis 6 angelic incursion was a covert black-ops mission to infiltrate enemy territory and destroy the enemy from within with something akin to gene-warfare.

 

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The Stratagems of Satan

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The Stratagems of Satan

The dictionary defines “stratagems” as:

1. A military maneuver designed to deceive or surprise an enemy.
2. A clever, often underhanded scheme for achieving an objective.

The Angelic Incursion & the Birth of the Nephilim – Gen 3:15 (4000 BC)

Gen 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Gen 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.

The angelic incursion is one of three main points of contention among Bible scholars. The other two points are the Nephilim or giants and the purpose of the flood in Genesis chapter six.

All those details fit inside two packages, one package is called the Angelic View and the other package is called the Sethite View. The Angelic View interprets Genesis 6:2 as fallen angles who took daughters of men as wives. The Sethite View believes that the wives were taken by the sons of Seth and not angels. For the purpose of considering how Gen 6:1-4 fits into the Seed Wars, we will follow the viewpoint of the Angelic View during this lesson.


The Incursion (4000 BC)

The word “incursion” means “an aggressive entrance into foreign territory; a raid or invasion.” Was the arrival of angels as some understand “the sons of God” to mean an actual invasion? In considering this, let’s focus on four points:

1. If it was an invasion, who ordered it?
2. Who carried out the order?
3. What was the objective of the invasion?
4. What was the effect of the invasion?

Extra Biblical Texts

In our lesson on hermeneutics, we learned the value of considering knowledge known to the writer and/or considered common or understood. In keeping with that, we will consider the viewpoint of several historical and non-biblical texts. Those texts are:

• Septuagint – LXX
• Flavious Josephus – The Book of Antiquities (The History of the Jewish People)
• The book of Jasher
• The book of Enoch
• The book of Jubilees

Sam’s Shirt (Illustration)

Bible students need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit when considering historical or non-canonized text. Your final decision to accept or reject historical or non-biblical text must come from the Spirit of Truth who leads you into all Truth.


Canon Referenced Texts

In canonized scripture there are no less than eight verses that either reference or directly quote extra-biblical text. They are:

• Jude 1:14-15 quotes the book of Enoch.
• 2 Peter 1:20-21 quotes the book of Enoch.
• Joshua 10:13 quotes the book of Jasher
• 2 Sa 1:18 quotes the book of Jasher
• Romans 2:29, 4:13, 4:23, and 9:24 all quote the book of Jubilees

There are times when the Spirit of Truth will use non-biblical text to connect-the-dots and guide you into a deeper understanding of the canonized scripture.

When considering non-biblical texts, proceed with caution. Be aware that the enemy desires you to misunderstand God’s word and without due diligence, will seize such an opportunity to lead you astray.


The Angelic Incursion

In researching this topic, I found that nearly all references were biblical commentary. A biblical commentary is a teaching as seen through the eyes and understanding of the teacher. Many very biblically solid teachings are commentaries; however one must consider the credibility of the source.

After considering several interpretations by leading and respected bible scholars as well as considering the events as depicted in non-biblical texts through my own reading and research, here is my consolidated summary of all those sources.

A group of fallen angels called “watchers”, a class of angel found in canonized scripture, left their heavenly realm and took a fleshly form upon the earth (detailed by canonized scripture). There were 200 watcher angles in all, divided into 20 groups of 10, each having their own leader called a “chief-of-ten”.

The leader of all 200 was an angel called Azazel who is referenced in canonized scripture. The watchers made a pact to carry out their sinful plan knowing it would bring the fullness of God’s wrath. This part reminds me of a Kamakazi mission.


They Took Wives

These watchers then took human women and procreated with them producing offspring later known as Nephilim. The Nephilim had an insatiable appetite to sin and consume the resources of the earth. The watchers also taught men forbidden knowledge such as charms, enchantments, metallurgy for the making of weapons, astrology, fortunetelling by the position of the sun, moon, and constellations, and even how to kill embryos while it was still in the womb which we know today as abortion.

There are several references calling these fallen angels “the lawless ones.”

The “great sin” these lawless ones committed, that nearly “devoured mankind” by corrupting all flesh, is in line with what God declares in Genesis 6:12…

Gen 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

In view of the Seed Wars, the sins that corrupted “all flesh” was a major offensive against the bloodline of Christ, but why would the flesh be corrupted and how does that effect the bloodline?

Remember from lesson one that God declared all species would reproduce after their own kind, but the offspring of a fallen angel and a human woman is not a species reproducing its own kind. This is a mixing of seed – the seed of the fallen angel is mixed with the seed of man rendering a contaminated bloodline – a genetic line that is no longer pure. If this contaminated bloodline should seep into the bloodline of the Messiah, Christ could not be born.

Satan was trying to contaminate the bloodline of the Messiah with his own seed, and obviously Christ could never be born of Satan’s seed or of a contaminated bloodline that was an abomination of God’s design.

Remember, this is Satan’s first response to the Seed Wars – the enmity God put between Satan and the woman, who is Israel or God’s people. This is Satan’s first response to the curse God put on him in Genesis 3:14-15.


Four Questions

• Question #1 – Who Ordered the Invasion?
• Question #2 – Who Carried Out the Order?
• Question #3 – What Was the Objective of the Invasion?
• Question #4 – What Was the Effect of the Invasion?

Gen 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die.


Cain Kills Able (3000 BC)

As we saw in Lesson 1, the Seed Wars began with Genesis 3:15 when God put enmity between Satan’s seed and the woman’s seed. Now, in the very next chapter, we find a battle between the seeds when Cain kills Abel.

Gen 4:6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."
Gen 4:8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Gen 4:9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
Gen 4:10 He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground.

Notice when God confronts Cain, God asks the exact question He asked Eve at the fall, “What have you done?” and just like Eve, Cain denies responsibility.

God tells Cain “sin is crouching at your door,” in verse seven knowing that Satan desired to destroy the woman’s seed and as we all know, Abel became the first fatality of the Seed Wars.


The Replacement Seed

Gen 4:25 And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Seth, saying, For God has raised up to me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.


All Flesh is Corrupted (2500 BC)

The flood happened around 2500 BC. As we’ve already seen, the flood was God’s response to Satan’s invasion that corrupted all flesh and nearly destroyed man.

Gen 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.


Tower of Babel (2100 BC)

The Tower of Babel is found in Genesis 11:1-9.

Gen 11:1 Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words.
Gen 11:2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
Gen 11:3 They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.
Gen 11:4 They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."
Gen 11:5 The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
Gen 11:6 The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.
Gen 11:7 “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech."
Gen 11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city.
Gen 11:9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.


Why a Tower?

Look at verse 11:4 and notice the preposition. The tower wasn’t meant to simply reach heaven, but rather its purpose was to reach into heaven.

Gen 11:4 They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."


The Populating of Canaan – Gen 12:6 (2090 BC)

Around 2090 BC, though it appears as a quiet period in history, Satan used this time to repopulate and build the seven nations of Canaan, which God later sent His people to destroy as stated in Acts 13:19.

Act 13:19 "When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance"--all of which took about four hundred and fifty years.

Who were the seven nations of Canaan? We find that in Gen 10:15-20.

Gen 10:15 Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth
Gen 10:16 and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite
Gen 10:17 and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite
Gen 10:18 and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad.
Gen 10:19 The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
Gen 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, by their nations.

It's interesting to note, that not all of the Land Of Canann tribes were destroyed. The few that survived can be traced to the land now called Gaza, where the inhabitants are now known as Palistinians.


Abraham’s Seed – Gen 12, 20 (2090 BC)

In Genesis 12:11-14 We see Abram fear for his life and instruct his wife Sarai to lie and claim she is Abram’s sister so Abram may escape death. Abram was a link in the bloodline from Adam to Christ. In view of the Seed Wars, breaking the bloodline would have prevented Christ from redeeming man and the dominion.


Destruction of Male Line – Exo 1:22 (1539 BC)

In Exodus chapter one we see yet another attempt to end the bloodline.

Around 1539 BC, a new king came to power in Egypt. Seeing the sons of Israel continue to grow in numbers worried the new king as he feared the Israelites joining forces with his enemies for they were great in number.

The king ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all the male births.

Exo 1:15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah;
Exo 1:16 and he said, "When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."

The midwives refused to obey the king and received God’s favor for their faithfulness.

Then the king decreed that all male births were to be thrown into the Nile river.

Exo 1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive."


Pharaoh’s Pursuit – Exo 14 (1446 BC)

Moses parts the Red Sea and the Israelites escape from Egypt under the pursuit of the Pharaoh’s army.

Had God not worked His miracle through Moses and parted the sea, the Israelites could have been wiped out having been cornered between the Pharaoh’s army and the sea severing the bloodline between Adam and Jesus, chalking up a victory for Satan in the Seed Wars.


Against the Line of David – 2 Sam 7 (852-474 BC)

• Jehoram kills his brother – 2 Chr 21 (852 BC)
• Arabians slew all but Ahazariah
• Athaliah kills all but Joash – 2 Chr 22 (841 BC)
• Hezekiah assaulted, etc – Isa 36,38 (712 BC)
• Haman’s Attempts to wipe out the Jews – Est 3 (474 BC)

All of these are attacks against the bloodline of the Messiah in the Seed Wars.


Daniel’s Interpretation – Dan 2 (604 BC)

In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that only Daniel is able to interpret. The dream is prophetic and speaks of kingdoms and ages yet to come.

In the dream, King Nebuchadnezzar saw an image of a man with a head of gold, a breast of silver, thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of a mix of iron and clay.

It is accepted interpretation to understand the head of gold to represent the Babylonian Empire, the breast of silver to represent the Persian Empire, the thighs of brass to represent the Greek Empire, the legs of iron to represent the Roman Empire, and feet of iron and clay to represent a divided empire of many nations.

The verse describing the feet of iron and clay tells us something profound concerning the Seed Wars.

Dan 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

While many scholars will interpret Dan 2:43 as “divided nations” of a second Roman Empire, a careful examination of this verse reveals another meaning. Notice the phrase, “they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men.” The verb mingle is very specific and means that the pronoun they must be something other than men in order to mingle their seed with the seed of man. This verse is telling us that something non-human will mix its seed with Humanity.


Herod attempts to Kill the Messiah – (4 BC)

In Matthew chapter two we see another attack in the Seed Wars. This time, King Herod tries to kill the newborn Christ child.

Mat 2:13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."


Enraged Crowd Tries to Kill Jesus – Luke 4:29 (27 AD)

In the fourth chapter of Luke we find another battle in the Seed Wars. This time an enraged crowd tries to throw Jesus off a cliff, however, if we back up and take the full chapter into perspective, we find an interesting detail.

Luke chapter four opens with Jesus being led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan. Between verses 4:3 and 4:12, Satan tempts Jesus three times. It’s not until verse 4:13 do we learn something about Satan’s battle strategy.

Luk 4:13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Notice the phrase “until an opportune time.” I suggest that “opportune time” arrived just 15 verses later where Satan is able to play off the “rage” of the people in an effort to kill Jesus by throwing Him off a cliff.


Two Supernatural Storms at Sea – (28 AD)

Luk 8:22 Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." So they launched out.
Luk 8:23 But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.
Luk 8:24 They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.
Luk 8:25 And He said to them, "Where is your faith?" They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?"

Remember the First Rule of Interpretation? Discover the author’s point-of-view.

Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen by trade. They knew the seas and they knew how to handle a boat. You take four experienced fisherman and throw a gust of wind at them, even a sudden storm and they’re not going to panic and fear death. No, there was something unusual about the sudden storm in these verses - something supernatural.

Notice in verse 8:24, Jesus rebukes the wind instead of commanding it. Here is the Creator who spoke the wind into existence, so why not simply command the wind? Why is there a need to rebuke it?

By following the rules of hermeneutics we learned in lesson two, we can gain an understanding of the word rebuke by looking at other occurrences of the word.

The 8 Rebukes of Jesus:

1. Mark 1:29-30 Jesus rebukes a high fever
2. Luke 4:40-41 – Jesus rebukes demons
3. Mat 8:26 – Jesus rebukes the elements (wind & waves)
4. Mark 4.39; Luke 8.24 – Again Jesus rebukes the elements
5. Matthew 16.23; Mark 8.33 – Rebukes Satan
6. Matthew 17.18; Mark 9.25-27; Luke 9.42b – Jesus rebukes a deaf & mute spirit
7. Luke 9.54-55 – Jesus rebukes James & John
8. Mark 16.14 – Rebukes His disciples for lack of faith

At least half or more of the times Jesus rebukes something or someone, He is rebuking a spiritual condition such as demons, illness, Satan, and spirits.

Considering the point-of-view of the writer and the nature of rebuking spiritual sources, the sudden storm at sea may have been an attack in the Seed Wars to kill Jesus and the “opportune time” the devil was waiting on in Luk 4:13.


The Cross (30 AD)

Jesus’ victory on the cross was Satan’s defeat.

When Jesus declared His work on the cross perfect and complete, He ended the Seed Wars. Through Christ, man can be reborn of incorruptible seed.

Though defeated, Satan took off to continue his war against the seed of the woman.


Revelation Chapter 12

In Revelation chapter 12 we see the big conclusion to the Seed Wars. Paraphrased, the woman clothed with the sun is the nation of Israel who births the Messiah. A war ensues and the dragon of old is defeated and goes off to make war with her offspring, her seed, those reborn through Christ.

Rev 12:17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

 

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Genesis 6 - Historical & Sethite Views

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Genesis 6:1-4

Gen 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Gen 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.


Points of Contention

• Were the Sons of God angles or were they human?
• Were Nephilim really giants?
• Noah’s Generations & the Bloodline
  • Sethite view holds that “Noah’s generations” infers right standing with God and does not infer a condition of his flesh.
  • Angelic view holds that “Noah’s generations” refers to Noah’s still pure bloodline in a world where all other flesh was genetically contaminated.

Are Giants for Real?

“King of the big cats is the liger, a lion father and tiger mother bred together in a way that enhances both species’ gene expression for size. Resulting in a cat that’s about eleven feet tall and nearly a half a ton in weight.”


Angelic View Summary

• The sons of God were fallen angles that took the daughters of men, human women, as wives.
• Their offspring were an angel-human mix commonly referred to as Nephilim.
• The Nephilim are of great physical size and referred to as giants.
• The Nephilim had an insatiable appetite and consumed the land.
• The Nephilim were an abomination of corrupted seed.
  • Offspring of angels and humans are hybrids.
  • Nephilim were not a product of species reproducing according to their own kind.
  • Nephilim are from the seed of Satan that God spoke of in Gen 3:15.
  • The Nephilim were born of evil and were corrupt in all ways.
• Over 1,500 years, the Nephilim seed contaminated all flesh save for Noah and his sons.
• The flood cleansed the earth of corrupted seed.

Sethite View Summary

• The sons of God are not angels at all but rather the Godly sons of Seth taking wives from the ungodly human daughters of Cain.
  • The godly sons of Seth took the daughters of Cain as wives.
  • The Sethite view does not address giants or the Nephilim.
  • The flood was God’s response to sin that had covered the earth.
• The Sethite view also known as the Sons-of-Seth view is the popular view held by nearly all denominational churches and taught in nearly all seminaries.

Pre 5th Century View

Throughout history including the translation of the Septuagint and the time of Christ, the sons of God in Genesis chapter six were understood to be angels.

2Pe 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;


Joesephus on Sons of God (93-94 AD)

“For many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength; for the tradition is, for these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians call giants,” (Joesephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Chapter 3, footnote 11) (93-94 AD)


Joesephus on Giants (93-94 AD)

“For which reason they moved their camp to Hebron; and when they had taken it, they slew all the inhabitants. There were till then left the race of giants, who had bodies so large, and countenances so entirely different from other men, that they were surprising to the sight, and terrible to the hearing. The bones of these men are still shown to this very day unlike to any credible relations of other men.” (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 5:2:3) (93-94 AD)


Philo on Giants (20BC – 50AD)

“And when the angels of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, they took unto themselves wives of all of them whom they chose,” (Gen 6:2) Those beings, whom other philosophers call demons, Moses usually calls angels; and they are souls hovering in the air.” – (Philo, On the Giants, II, 6)


Philo on Sons of God (20BC – 50AD)

“On what principle it was that giants were born of angels and women? The poets call those men who were born out of the earth giants, that is to say, sons of the earth.” “These giants were sprung from a combined procreation of two natures, namely, from angels and mortal women.” (Philo, Questions and Answers on Genesis, Part 4, Note 92)


Philo of Giants (20BC – 50AD)

“They saw that they were very numerous indeed, and giants of exceeding tallness, with absolutely gigantic bodies, both as to their magnitude and their strength.” (The Works of Philo Judaeus)


Reuben on the Watchers (100 AD)

The Testament of Reuben comes from the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs which is believed to be the dying commands of the twelve sons of Jacob. Its final form dates back to the second century and is referenced as historical text.

“For thus they allured the Watchers who were before the flood; for as these continually beheld them, they lusted after them, and they conceived the act in their mind; And the women lusting in their minds after their forms, gave birth to giants, for the Watchers appeared to them as reaching even unto heaven.” (Testament of Reuben 18-20, Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs)


Post 5th Century Summary

Timeline of the Origin of the Sethite View:

• Julius Africanus resorted to the Sethite view as a more comfortable position. (180-250 AD)
  • Julius Africanus resorted to the Sethite view as a more comfortable position. (180-250 AD)
• In the 5th Century, Celsus and Julian the Apostate used the traditional Angelic View to attack Christianity. (Roman Emperor 361-363 AD)
  • Today we would call this "political correctness".
  • Julian came from a pagan background and wished to see the new Christian church fail. He launched a literary attack against the doctrine of Christ.
  • Part of this attack purported the absurdity of angels mating with human women.
  • Julian died after only two years as Apostate but successfully planted the seed that would grow into the Sethite View.
• Julian died after only two years as Apostate but successfully planted the seed that would grow into the Sethite View.
  • The most famous defense of the Sethite interpretation is Augustine’s explanation of the sons of God as Sethites, in City of God 15.23.
• Cyril of Alexandria used the Sethite view to repudiate the orthodox position of the church. (376-444 AD)
• The Sethite view prevailed into the middle ages.
• The Sethite view is the accepted interpretation of denominational churches and seminaries today.

Augustine (A.D. 354-430)

“But God’s holy angles could not fall in such a fashion before the deluge. Hence by the sons of God are to be understood the sons of Seth, who were good. While by the daughters of men the Scripture designates those who sprang from the race of Cain. (Augustine St. Augustine’s City of God and Christian Doctrine) (A.D. 354–430)


Calvin Commentary (1509-1564)

“That ancient figment, concerning the intercourse of angles with women, is abundantly refuted by its own absurdity; …it is surprising that learned men should formerly been fascinated by ravings so gross and prodigious.” – (Calvin Commentary)


Calvin Commentary (1509-1564)

“Moses, then, does not distinguish the sons of God from the daughters of men, because they were of dissimilar nature, or of different origin; but because they were the sons of God by adoption, whom He had set apart for Himself; while the rest remained in their original condition.” – (Calvin Commentary – Genesis 6:1)


Calvin Commentary (1509-1564)

“Moses does not indeed say, that they were of extraordinary stature, but only that they were robust. Elsewhere, I acknowledge, the same word denotes vastness of stature, which was formidable to those who explored the land of Canaan, (Jos 13:33) But Moses does not distinguish those of whom he speaks in this place, from other men, so much by the size of their bodies, as by their robberies and their lust of dominion.” (Calvin Commentary – Genesis Chapter 6)


Sethite View Defense

Angelic view is often rejected because of the use of non-biblical texts (ie: Enoch, Jasher, etc.) While historical and non-biblical texts can confirm scripture or provide a clearer point-of-view of the writer, canonized text alone provides many details of the angelic incursion.


The Sons of Seth - 01

The Sethite view holds that the sons of Seth were “godly” in that they worshipped God or Yahweh properly. Genesis 4:26 is quoted in support of this interpretation.

Gen 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.


The Sons of Seth - 02

The phrase “then began men to call upon the name of the LORD” is a poor Greek to English translation because it implies worship. Let’s examine each word carefully as we learned to do in lesson two.

• This phrase in Hebrew reads “chalal qara shem yhwh.”
• Chalal is defined as “to pierce, defile, be profaned, or be desecrated”
• Qara means to “call, summon, announce, or proclaim”
• Shem is defined as “name”
• YHWH is the name of God

Properly translated, this phrase reads, “men defiled the name of God.” Not exactly the godly sons of Seth this view suggests.


The Sons of Seth - 03

Some argue that “chalal” does not mean to profane God’s name, but when we use our rules of hermeneutics and look for other occurrences of this word, we find “chalal” used in Leviticus 19:12 where it clearly means profaning God’s name.

Lev 19:12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.


The Daughters of Men

The Sethite view holds that “the daughters of men” were the daughters of Cain and his evil line.

The Hebrew for “daughters of men” is “benovt ha ‘adam” clearly showing a descendant of Adam. Why would scripture call women the daughters of Adam and then call men the sons of God instead of the sons of Adam?

Using the phrase “sons of God” to refer to sons of Adam is incorrect translation because “bene ha elohim” or sons of God is only used to refer to a direct creation of God and not a descendant of Adam.


The Nephilim

The Sethite View does not address the Nephilim or giants.

Gen 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.

According to the Sethite View, the sons of Seth and the daughters of Cain produce giants known in the bible as Nephilim. The Sethite View offers no explanation, scriptural or otherwise to exactly how a human male and a human female produce a race of giants.


Angels Don’t Procreate

One argument commonly used to validate the Sethite View is that angels don’t procreate. Two scriptures used to support this interpretation are Mat 22:30 and Luke 20:30-36.

Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

Luk 20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:
Luk 20:35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
Luk 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Jesus is not addressing the angel’s ability or inability to procreate, but rather the need. The message here is that the flesh is mortal and needs to procreate through marriage in this world, but because the children of the resurrection can no longer die and are eternal like the angels, there is no longer a need to marry and procreate.


Angels Don’t Have Bodies or Do They?

Another argument used to validate the Sethite View is that angles don’t have bodies therefore they are not able to produce offspring with a human woman. Scriptures, however, indicate otherwise.

Angels left their own habitation…

Jud 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

The word “estate” is defined as:

οἰκητήριον

oikētērion

1) a dwelling place, habitation,
  1a) of the body as a dwelling place for the spirit


The Believer’s Heavenly Body

We see the word oikētērion used one other time in scripture and so we use clear scripture to interpret vague scripture. In 2Co 5:1 we see the only other use of the word oikētērion in the bible which describes the believer’s new heavenly body.

2Co 5:1 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands.
2Co 5:2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.
2Co 5:3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.


Angel Food

In Psalm 78:24 we see God provide manna to Moses and the Israelites in the desert. Notice that manna is called “the angel’s food”.

Psa 78:24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
Psa 78:25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.


Angel Lust

In Genesis 19:5 we see men of Sodom lusting after the angels that came to see Lot.

Gen 19:5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

We see the rule of “double-reference” in Jude 1:7

Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.


Confirmation

Through proper hermeneutical interpretation, we understand that the angels described in Jude 1:6 left behind, or did not keep, their oikētērion or heavenly body. These are the angels described by Jude who lusted after strange flesh and gave themselves over to fornication, which is sex outside of the unison of marriage. This is what we see told in Genesis 6:4.

Gen 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.

 

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A Beginner’s Guide to Hermeneutics

Click the play button to begin video lesson and follow along with the class notes below the video window. When you complete this video, click the "Lesson Assignment" button at the bottom of this page to open the lesson assignment.

Interpreting Words

Words – I love words. God’s word tells us that the power of life and death are in the tongue and therefore in words we speak.

Words imply their intended meaning and understanding or not understanding a word will reveal or conceal its intended meaning.

By misinterpreting a single word, a person may come to a completely incorrect interpretation.


Biblical Translations

The 66 books of the Bible were written by 40 authors spanning about 1,500 years. The text of the Bible was written in three ancient languages, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. These three languages combined have over 11,500 words.

The first organized translation of the bible took place between 200 and 300 BC when the Hebrew and Aramaic text of the Torah, the name of the Hebrew Bible, was translated into Greek.

When scholars first translated the Torah, they translated it into Greek. At the time, the common Jews no longer spoke Hebrew as their primary language. Hebrew had become something of a ceremonial language in much the same way Latin is a ceremonial language to Catholics.


The Septuagint LXX

Sometime between 200 and 300 BC, a group of seventy scholars, fluent in both Hebrew and Greek, were commissioned to translate the Torah into Greek. The Greek translation became known as the Septuagint taking its name from the root word for “seventy” which is septua, as there were 70 commissioned scholars. This is why the Septuagint is often referred to by the Roman numerals for seventy, LXX.

The Septuagint was the bible Jesus and the apostles used. When Jesus quoted the Old Testament in Matthew, He used the Hebrew text only 10% of the time and the Septuagint translation 90% of the time.

By the end of the 1st century, the text of the New Testament had been written in its native language, Greek and by 500 AD, the Old and New Testaments had been translated from Greek into over 500 languages. So we see that many of today’s modern translations of the Bible have their roots in the Greek Septuagint.


Biblical Translations – The King James Bible

Greek is a very complex and colorful language with far more nuances and inflections than English. The King James Bible, which is considered the modern day standard, was translated into English from Greek over a span of nearly 300 years beginning in 1611 with revisions continuing through 1885.

For today’s Bible student, this means that an accurate understanding of God’s written word often requires careful study of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text.


General vs. Special Revelation

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
2Ti 3:17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

A revelation is how God reveals Himself to the reader.


Physical Nature Revelation

Revelations are divided into two categories general revelations and special revelations.

General revelations are physical, human, or historical in nature.

An example of a physical-nature revelation is found in Psalm 19:1 which reads, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork". Here we see God revealing Himself through the heavens and the sky.


Human Nature Revelation

An example of a human-nature revelation is found in Gen 1:27 which reads, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Here we see God revealing Himself in man’s nature.


Historical Nature Revelation

God also reveals Himself through history which can be seen in Daniel 2:21 which reads, “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.” Here we see God revealing Himself through history.


Special Revelations

Special revelations are different from general revelations in that they are direct revelations from God as seen in 2Pe 1:4 which reads, ”For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” Through special revelations, God reveals Himself and the person of Jesus Christ.


Intro to Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation. As we can see, once we consider the complexities of translated scripture, it would be easy to misinterpret without some guidelines to keep us on course. Metaphorically, one may think of hermeneutics as guide rails – a set of rules to keep one from straying away from the scripture’s true message.


Seven Rules of Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics gives us guidelines, like fence posts, that help keep us from straying into misinterpretation. There are seven basic rules of hermeneutics:

1. Rule 1 – Discover the Author and the Culture’s Point-of-View
2. Rule 2 – Discover the Facts and Note the Exact Wording
3. Rule 3 – The Golden Rule of Interpretation
4. Rule 4 – The Law of First Mention
5. Rule 5 – The Law of Double Reference
6. Rule 6 – The Law of Recurrence
7. Rule 7 – The Law of Paronomasia

Rule 1: Discover the Author’s Point of View

The first rule of hermeneutics is to discover the author’s point-of-view. What exactly does this mean?

Point-of-view, sometimes abbreviated POV, is the understanding of something as seen through the eyes or in the mind of another person.

The meaning and importance of your message is completely lost if your audience is not privy to the same knowledge and understanding you have. In other words, they do not have your point-of-view.


Consider Common Knowledge

In considering point-of-view while searching scriptures, you must consider the factors that the writer took for granted as common knowledge. Customs of the time or traditions that everyone at the time understood are the sort of thing a writer expects you to already understand. A writer of the bible may very well expect you to understand Jewish law and assume that no additional explanation is needed.

One must also consider customs of the local society or religions that are practiced at the time of the writing.


Applying the Author’s Point of View

Paul writes to the church of Corinth in chapter 11, verse 13 and 14:

“Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him,”

From these two verses, one may incorrectly conclude an instruction for woman to wear their hair long and for men not to wear long hair, but that is an inaccurate interpretation because the point-of-view of the writer is not understood.

Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian church in the first century. At that time, Corinth was under the political control of the Roman Empire and was greatly influenced by the Roman cultures and religions, many of which were borrowed from the Greeks.

The predominant religious practice of that day was the cult worship of the Greco-Roman gods. One of the most prominent gods was Dionysus (dī-on-nī-sis), the god of wine, which was especially popular among women. It was believed by his followers that Dionysus was a homosexual, she-male sort of character that had been raised as a female though born a male. As part of their worship, his followers would kill live animals by ripping them limb from limb and then drink the animal’s blood while eating the raw meat (cf. Acts 15:28,29). Worshipping the god of wine, they would also drink wine to the point of incoherence and engage in lewd homosexual acts with one another.

According to researchers, the female worshippers of Dionysus would frequently dress like men. They would remove their veils and either cut their hair very short or completely shave their heads. The men, attempting to imitate women, would grow their hair long and don veils during the worship ceremonies.

According to Rev. Jimmilea Berryhill, M.A. author of First Century Woman, “In the Dionysiac cult, as well as other Greco-roman mystery rites, transvestitism was a specific distinction and by the second century A.D. was considered to be indispensable. Veils and long hair were worn by men as sign of dedication to their god while the women used unveiling and shorn hair. Men masqueraded as women and women as men.”

By understanding Paul’s point-of-view, we can interpret the scriptures with a completely different understanding. Paul’s concern is not about long hair or short hair, he is concerned that the Church of Corinth is not confused with pagan god worship and the sinful acts associated with worship to the god Dionysus.


Historical and Additional Texts

In understanding the author’s point-of-view, one should also be familiar with texts considered common knowledge. texts were common, known, and read by the writers of the bible who casually imply references to these texts they consider as common knowledge.

Two such examples are found in Joshua 10:13 and 2Sa 1:18 both of which use the understood reference to add understanding and/or validation to the canonized text.

Jos 10:13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

2Sa 1:17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,
2Sa 1:18 and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

Without an understanding of the texts known to the author, or the author’s point-of-view of the additional texts, the bible student may misinterpret the scripture.


Rule 2: Discover the Facts and Note the Exact Wording

The second rule of hermeneutics is to discover the facts and note the exact wording. The proper understanding of a single word, sentence structure, the use of conjunctions, and the facts surrounding a word can change the entire interpretation of a verse.

An excellent example of exact wording is the first two sentences in the Bible – Genesis 1:1-2. These two simple sentences have the church divided into two camps, each subscribing to different interpretations. The two verses read…

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

By noting sentence structure, the bible student should see that verse one is connected to verse two with a conjunction and in grammar, a conjunction ties together two independent clauses. So, we begin by understanding that we are looking at two separate sentences because two independent ideas are presented.

So, we have verse one which tells us “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Then in a separate verse we learn that “the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”

The next thing a bible student should note is the phrase “without form and void.” This phrase always describes the desolation in the wake of a judgment. So this changes our interpretation of verse two to read, “the earth was in a state of desolation in the wake of a judgment.” This reveals to us that something must have happened after verse one and before verse two that warranted a judgment of God.


Created Not in Vain

We further know that God did not create the earth without form and void because Isaiah tells us in chapter 45, verse 18 “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited…” and so our interpretation of the conjunction “and” as two independent sentences is confirmed – for if it were not, God’s word would be in conflict with itself for God cannot create the earth void in Gen 1:2 and not create the earth void in Isaiah 45:18.

Next, a careful study of the verb “was” reveals that it is not a condition that was always there, but rather it came into its current condition, so instead of “darkness was on the face of the deep”, a proper understanding would be “darkness came upon the face of the deep”. So, for something to become dark, it had to first be light and again we see the condition of the earth change from its original state in verse one to its state in verse two.


A Deep Unhappiness

Now our interpretation reads, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was in a state of desolation in the wake of a judgment of God and darkness came upon the deep.”

Finally, we need to interpret the final sentence, “and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” In this case, the interpretation of Greek to English is a little vague. The verb “moved” correctly implies movement, but movement with emotion, specifically brooding. What is brooding? Brooding is a deep unhappiness.


With Interpretation

Now, with interpretation, Genesis 1:1-2 reads like this…

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. At some later point, the earth was in a state of desolation in the wake of God’s judgment and darkness came upon the deep. And with a deep unhappiness, the Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.”

Wow! Now that gives us a completely different understanding of this scripture. Discovering the facts and noting the exact wording helps us interpret God’s word.


Rule 3: The Golden Rule of Interpretation

“If the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense, lest it results in no sense.” – Dr. Clennon Saulsberry

The Golden Rule of Interpretation states the one should take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages indicate otherwise.

A good example of the literal sense is found in Jonah 2:2-3:

Jon 2:2 and he said, "I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice.
Jon 2:3 “For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me."

According to the Golden Rule of Interpretation, we are to take the words , depth, deep, seas, breakers, and billows literally as referring to water – unless there are indications showing that these terms are not used literally.


Literal or Figurative

Be aware that there is risk of misinterpreting scriptures by taking passages too literal or by not taking a passage literal enough. If one misinterprets scripture, there is a tendency to reinterpret surrounding scriptures to support the original misinterpretation.

For example, consider Numbers 13:33 “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.”

If we interpret the word “giants” figuratively, meaning they weren’t really giants but the just appeared that way because of our point of view, then we create a problem with Amos 2:9 that tells us that the Amorites were the height of Cedar trees which happens to be about thirty feet. The only way we can remedy this conflict is to either change the interpretation of Amos 2:9 so it works with Numbers 13:33, or we interpret Numbers 13:33 in the literal sense.


Rule 4: The Law of First Mention

The simple precedes the complex. The law of first mention requires one to go to where a word or phrase is mentioned for the first time and study its use in order to understand its basic meaning. The first appearance of words in scripture, tend to set precedence on how a particular word or phrase will be used in subsequent appearances.

The law of first mention may also be applied to whole themes in the bible as well as individual words and phrases. For example, the book of Genesis is considered the “book of beginnings” for it contains the creation of the universe, the creation of man, the doctrine of sin, sacrifices, biblical chronology, the judgment of the Wrath of God, the Rainbow Covenant, and the beginnings of Hebrew history.

By beginning with simple and clear verses, we are able to interpret more complex verses. Remember, the clear interprets the vague – the simple interprets the complex.


Rule 5: The Law of Double Reference

The Law of Double Reference is the principle of the association of similar or related ideas and is often found where the writer is describing both the present and the future within the same text.

In some cases, the writer describes the present which also describes the future. In other cases, the writer shifts from describing the present to describing the future within the same passage. In such cases, there are two messages or references within the same passage, hence the term Double Reference.


Rule 6: The Law of Recurrence

The Law of Recurrence involves the record of an occurrence of an event and the repetition of the account. Recurrence may occur within the same passage, within the same chapter, within the same book, within the same testament, or within the Bible as a whole. Essentially, the Law of Recurrence is God’s word repeating itself or further clarifying a subject previously presented.


Rule 7: The Law of Paronomasia

The Law of Paronomasia is defined as placing beside a word or an idea a similar word or idea with a slight variation. Paronomasia can also be a play on words.

Here is modern example of paronomasia:

What is the difference between a conductor and a teacher? The conductor minds the train and a teacher trains the mind.

In this simple example, the position of the verb and noun of each phrase is reversed creating a play on words.


Additional Principles of Hermeneutics

There are several additional principles of hermeneutics. Let’s review a short list of these additional forms of writing.

1. Symbolic Language – Uses a symbol to imply an understood meaning. For example, the symbol of the cross implies the perfect and complete work of Jesus.
2. Figurative Language – Figures of speech are often specific to cultures and languages. A person not wanting to work a certain task might say, “It can set there until the cows come home.” The phrase implies a time without end and has nothing to actually do with cows. This is a figurative phrase
3. The Parable – The parable is the bible’s preferred tool to illustrate a concept or principle. The parable teaches relationally through images familiar with the student. Worldly parables are called fables which use common situations to teach a lesson.
4. The Allegory – The allegory is the cousin to the parable and fable in that it is a complete story that uses the narrative to illustrate or define a concept of a larger story.
5. The Simile – The simile makes a comparison or observes a resemblance between two different things. Example: The sun was like a beach ball floating in the sky.
6. The Metaphor – The metaphor makes a comparison between two unrelated things. Example: At sunset, Sam heard a hiss as the sun touched the ocean.
7. The Metonymy – Metonymy is like the opposite of a metaphor in that is draws a comparison from two related things rather than two unrelated things. Example: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” – Julies Caesar is not actually asking to borrow people’s ears, rather he is asking for their attention whereas ears are closely related to listening.

Techniques of Hermeneutics

Let’s conclude our brief overview of hermeneutics with a list of techniques:

• Compare Scripture with Scripture – What God says on any one topic is often distributed among many verses. Knowing this, the bible student should study each occurrence of a word or phrase to gain the whole bible understanding of the topic.
• Examine Quotations in the Light of Both Contexts – Often more than one voice is quoted on the same topic and each voice will present a different view or understanding. The student of the bible should endeavor to understand the point-of-view of each writer of a particular topic.
• Hebrew Poetry – The mechanisms of poetry are far too complex for our discussion. Students should keep in mind that some books of the bible are considered books of poetry such as Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Students will likely find passages where a fundamental understand of poetry will aid in proper interpretation.
• Obscure Passages Must Be Interpreted in the Light of Plain Ones – It is sometimes possible to interpret the same scripture with two very different meanings. In such situations, a student of the bible must allow clear scriptures to interpret vague scriptures.
• Study the Exact Grammar – Small nuances within Greek and Hebrew can reveal the true meaning of a scripture whereas an English translation is more of a paraphrase. For example, verbs in the original languages are often gender specific. Understanding the object of a verb as masculine or feminine can change the interpretation of a passage. English verbs seldom imply gender.
• The Meaning of Words – The use of words in the scriptures are always specific and are there to render a specific meaning. Failure to understand the meaning of a specific word can change the interpretation of the entire verse.
• Note the Difference between Biblical and Present Day Terminologies – Over the years, many English word meanings have changed and no longer reflect the original meaning of the translation. It’s important for a bible student to understand the meaning of the word at the time the passage was translated.

Key Point Summary

• Discover the Author’s Point-of-View
• Consider Common Knowledge
• Consider Texts the Author Considers Common Knowledge
• Discover the Facts & the Exact Wording
• The Golden Rule: "If the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense lest it results in no sense."
• Consider the First Mention of a Word or Phrase
• Be Aware of Double References Within the Same Passage
• Repeating Words Clarify the Word or Phrase’s Meaning
• Consider Some Words Play Upon Themselves

 

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