INTRODUCTION
The Fall of Humanity in Eden was not the only act of rebellion that led to all the evil in today’s world. As Tim Mackie of the Bible Project and Michael Heiser of the Naked Bible podcast teach, there occurred the rebellion of Humanity in building the tower at Babel. They wanted to forestall the Creator’s wish that they spread throughout the Earth to bring Creation order to it. There were also the actions of the sons of God (spiritual beings in the heavenlies) violating the boundaries of the heavens (Genesis 6:1-4).
Out of Bounds Sons of God
The lights in the heavens, those spiritual beings – “sons of God”, were created to inhabit the heavens. The Sun, Moon, and host of stars were made to signal the passage of time, to mark appointed times. In the cosmology of ancient Israelites, these lights lived above the dome of the sky. They were the rulers in heavenlies.
These sons of God saw the loveliness of the daughters of Eve and went in to them. Their offspring became the Nephilim, giants and kings who opposed Israel’s conquest of Canaan (Deuteronomy 3:8-11).
According to Mackie and Heiser, the book of First Enoch (found among the Dead Sea scrolls) says that when these giants were killed, their spiritual beings became disembodied. They became the evil spirits – demons – that sought to influence humans, if not take over their fleshly bodies. Some of these were the demons Jesus drove out of
- the man called “Legion” (Mark 5:1-16)
- the boy whose father begged the Rescuer for help (Matthew 17:14-18)
- the woman bent over for eighteen years (Luke 13:10-16).
Some of these were spirits Phillip (Acts 8:5-7) and Paul (Acts 16:16-18) expelled. We, who are God’s rulers on the Earth, are supposed to rule over the principalities and powers – the sons of God – who rule over human territories and organizations. We are also to rule over and expel the disembodied Nephilim, the evil spirits, who ruin people’s lives.
Questions
Have you ever encountered someone so full of evil it’s obvious evil spirits are ruling that person? Psychological therapy will help to a degree. Deliverance from those spirits will free them.
Can you perceive the evil thoughts and motivations at work in organizations or groups of people? These principalities and powers must also be conquered by the Good News of God’s reign over all the Earth.