It’s dusk on the primeval plains. Thunder rumbles low, and an unnatural tension fills the air.
Ancient shadows stretch longer as strange figures descend from a darkened sky.
Beings of heaven step down upon human soil, radiant but twisted, powerful but rebellious. The line that separated sacred from common, heavenly from earthly, spirit from flesh… shatters.
Genesis whispers cryptically:
"The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose...The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown." (Genesis 6:2, 4)
If you’ve ever stumbled across this passage, you’ve likely had more than a few questions. Giants? Angels marrying humans? Mighty warriors of ancient renown?
Strange as it sounds to modern ears, ancient readers knew exactly what was happening: This is a story about seizing power and the corruption in its wake.
Just as Adam and Eve were enticed by the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, so some of the angels were enticed by the daughters of mankind.
Like Adam and Eve, they took what they wanted without thought to the consequences. And chaos ensued.
It’s a compelling message… But is it true? Did this actually happen?
Well, friends, something can be true, even if it didn’t happen. But, then again, perhaps it did happen!
There are two major views that attempt to make sense of this passage:
View 1: The “sons of God” were godly descendants of Seth who married rebellious descendants of Cain, corrupting humanity. This is a comfortable interpretation, reducing the story to a moral lesson on marrying within one’s faith.
View 2 (the ancient consensus): The “sons of God” were supernatural beings—angels, members of God’s divine council—who rebelled, crossed forbidden boundaries, and bore supernatural offspring. This was the unanimous view of ancient Jewish and early Christian writers. It’s also vividly detailed in the ancient Book of Enoch, where these heavenly beings, called Watchers, descended in rebellion, producing violent, giant offspring known as the Nephilim.
Before you dismiss it as bizarre, ask yourself why so many ancient cultures held nearly identical stories of demigods and warrior-kings descended from divine beings.
Archaeology, anthropology, and history whisper this chilling question: Did giants once roam the earth?
However we interpret their identity, the Nephilim represent something profound and spiritually significant:
The tragic consequence of divine rebellion.
The chaos that follows humanity’s collusion with spiritual evil.
Horror is unleashed when the boundaries God sets are violated.
The Nephilim were tangible reminders of rebellion against heaven itself and the unnatural blending of holy and unholy that led humanity further into corruption and violence.
When Moses’ spies returned from the Promised Land, they panicked, claiming: "The land we explored devours those living in it…We saw the Nephilim there…We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes." (Numbers 13:32–33).
More on that story in our next email! We’ll explore whether the Nephilim survived the flood or not.
The Nephilim came to symbolize overwhelming evil, rebellion, and spiritual darkness that stood in the way of God’s promises.
ENOCH & THE NEPHILIM?
What would it have been like for a righteous follower like Enoch to interact with the corrupt Nephilim? We made a short film inspired by that idea! Don’t click here if you don’t want your imagination sent into overdrive!
Today, we may not face literal giants, but we confront spiritual darkness every day.
Like ancient Israel, we stand before the giants of evil: greed, corruption, injustice, and spiritual deception.
The Nephilim teach us a sobering truth: When God’s boundaries are ignored, chaos and corruption always follow.
Maybe it’s not angels and giants in your life. Perhaps it’s the boundaries around your marriage, your integrity, your finances, or your spiritual walk.
When we ignore those boundaries—lines clearly drawn by God for our protection—we invite spiritual chaos into our lives.
Yet, there is hope. Even in Genesis, God steps in, cleansing the earth through the Flood. Later, through Israel, He defeats spiritual evil embodied in pagan kingdoms.
And ultimately, He defeats spiritual darkness through Jesus Christ.
Christ didn’t just come to give us ethical guidelines or moral lessons. He came to reclaim territory lost to rebellion.
On the cross, Jesus reversed the evil unleashed by the Nephilim and the spiritual rebellion that birthed them. Through His resurrection, He disarmed every spiritual power:
"Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Colossians 2:15)
In Christ, the chaos of spiritual rebellion is subdued, boundaries restored, and creation set right.
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