The Nephilim Question: Biblical Answers

CHAPTER 1
The Fall Before the Fall
Do you remember what you were doing in the year 1989? There is a good chance many of the readers of this book were not even born yet. Ah yes, the close of the 1980’s with the big hairdo’s, the popular television show “Full House”, and Bruce Springsteen taught us all how to dance in the dark.
For the purpose of what I am going to talk about in this chapter, let me draw your attention to the year 1989 and to the place Tiananmen Square, the large city square in the center of Beijing, China.
For some of you out there your memory is starting to come back, for this was a major social and political event and a human interest story for the ages.
The focal point of what was going on in Tiananmen Square was that after years of oppression, horrible living conditions, and unfair economic policies, the citizens of China have made a brave and dangerous stand on the streets in and around Tiananmen Square. What is happening here is a revolt, an attempted overthrow of the totalitarian government of China by freedom loving pro democracy advocates.
The mainstream news coverage of this was intensive and many gravitated and praised the Chinese civilians that started the revolt. The end though was predictable, sad, and unfortunate. Martial law was declared by the Chinese government, the protests were controlled with military force, and large tanks began filling up the streets of Tiananmen Square. No one knows for sure, but the end result was the death of hundreds, if not thousands of Chinese civilians.
The pages of history are littered with many such revolts and uprisings against brutal and unfair governments and regimes. But now let’s do something different; let us focus on something a bit strange and unusual, for indeed, biblical history begins with a revolt and an uprising. But this revolt was not against a brutal, evil, self centered government, this revolt was actually against the most perfect, complete, joyous, government in the history of all time and the history of the entire known universe.
If you turn on your television set every night and catch up on the day’s news events then you know without a doubt that there truly is not much good going on in the world these days, and that makes this Scripture I am about to share sort of insightful.
The biblical character Job, many of you are familiar with his story for he underwent intense loss and suffering to himself and his possessions and his loved ones and family. In a high stakes game of cat and mouse between the Most High God and the once exalted brilliant angelic creature known as Satan, Job is questioning God’s motive for all that has happened to him, he is having an open and honest conversation with God, now for God’s answer.
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38: 4-71
In the context of God’s answer to Job’s complaints, we are told that there was a time when all of the celestial beings (sons of God) sang for joy. If we are honest with ourselves we do not know how long this heavenly state continued before Lucifer’s rebellion took place. Some Bible students ponder that after the initial creation of Genesis chapter 1, verse 1, there is a gap of time before verse 2 which states the earth was void and without form, and this would account for the earth’s apparent millions of years of geological ages. This is sometimes referred to as the “pre-Adamic world conditions” being that this was before Adam showed up on the biblical scene. From my perspective, we can just say that in “eternity past” there was a revolt of massive and devastating proportions which plunged the entire universe and all things seen and unseen into complete chaos. I wish there was an entire chapter of the Bible which deals with the fall of Satan in eternity past, but unfortunately there is not. There is no play by play account of everything that transpired. There are 2 critical Old Testament passages that give us some insight, let’s look at them now.
“You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.” Ezekiel 28: 14-152
Ezekiel chapter 28 is speaking of the very human ancient ruler of Tyre; however, there is little doubt among scholars that the above passage refers to Satan. The “fiery stones” could be the stars and planets, and the holy mountain of God could be a heavenly location.
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14: 12-143
This created being that once walked among the fiery stones( which some see as the planets), now wants to control the very stars of God. Would you not agree that it seems Satan’s most sinful attribute was self generated pride? None of us have ever struggled with that, now have we? You don’t have to answer that!
In the gospel of Luke, Jesus sends out 70 followers who return extremely excited for it seems they are now able to control and cast out demons in the name of Christ, so Jesus says this:
“And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Luke 10: 184
Now, here lies the complexity when discussing the fall of Satan. Was Jesus talking about the casting of Satan from God’s presence in eternity past, which we just saw in the Ezekiel and Isaiah passages? Was Jesus describing Satan’s fall in conjunction with the mission of the 70 followers that He had just sent out, or was Jesus referring to the fall of Satan in a future setting?
In the book of Job, we see the angels or heavenly host present themselves before God and Satan comes with them. So did Satan still have access to God’s court in heaven even after his fall, or maybe God allowed Satan inside because He was going to let Satan begin to attack Job?
Clearly referring to the time period right before Jesus Christ’s second coming, we find this passage in the book of Revelation.
“And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12: 7-95