(From the study "The Identity Of The Nephilim")
In the previous article, we examined some of the Biblical passages that seem to describe hybrid Nephilim-type entities reemerging during the end times. But since we recognize the distinction between the Nephilim and the sons of God (or fallen angels of Genesis 6), it is important for us to also examine what the Bible says about the return of these fallen entities.
It turns out that Scripture provides plenty of often-overlooked passages that do discuss the end times return of the fallen angels who sinned in Genesis 6. One passage we mentioned in the previous article, Luke 21:25-26, we believe may also relate to the return of the sons of God. In this verse which is part of Jesus' famed Olivet Discourse, He describes men’s hearts failing them for fear of the things coming upon the earth during the Day of the Lord. As we will see, it’s not only the Nephilim that are said to return during the end times, but the sons of God as well. We will begin by going back to the Old Testament prophets, where there are a number of passages that routinely get overlooked by Christians.
First, we need to focus our attention on Ezekiel Chapters 31 and 32, which we believe give us a panoramic view of past history, as well as the future destiny of the fallen sons of God from Genesis 6. These chapters refer to an enigmatic being called "the Assyrian." Author and researcher Ryan Pitterson advocates that this is a reference to a pre-Flood fallen angelic ruler who was preeminent on the earth during that time. Pitterson summarizes these two important chapters by writing the following.
Ezekiel 31 and 32 chronicle the rise and fall of the supreme angel who ruled the antediluvian kingdom of fallen angels and their Rephaim [or Nephilim] children. This king, referred to as "the Assyrian," was the first global ruler and the most powerful of all the Genesis 6 apostate angels. The book of Ezekiel chronicles his rise to prominence, the destruction of his kingdom, and one of the main reasons the Lord administered such a catastrophic flood judgment. Unlike the extra-biblical texts, the Bible provides specific details regarding the means and timing of the judgment of the sinning angels and the Nephilim and how they ended up deep in the abyss. It also contains prophetic references to the future return of the angels who sinned and the fate of the giants in hell. [1]
While this unfamiliar linkage may at first seem to be a stretch, let's look a bit deeper into it. Often in Scripture, God will issue a prophetic address that appears on the surface to be directed toward a human being, such as an earthly king. However, at some point in the discourse, it becomes clear that this address transcends that earthly figure and instead is directed toward a supernatural being – possibly the true power behind that earthly figure.
This is done in some very well-known passages, such as Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. In Isaiah 14, the passage begins by addressing the earthly king of Babylon, but as the chapter continues, it becomes obvious that the message is really directed at the power behind that earthly king – none other than Satan himself. This is clear as the passage later on addresses the figure as “Lucifer, son of the morning,” describing him in a way that clearly transcends any earthly king.
In Ezekiel 28, this same type of address takes place, first appearing to be directed toward the earthly king of Tyre. But as the chapter progresses, it clearly begins to again concern Satan himself.
Yet another example is Psalm 22, in which the passage seems to begin by describing the earthly trials of King David – but later on, clearly begins to transcend the experiences of David and becomes a clear Messianic prophecy of the future experiences of Jesus Christ on the cross.
With this in mind, we can better understand Ezekiel 31, which similarly records a cryptic address to the figure called “the Assyrian,” who could very well be a fallen angelic ruler of the pre-Flood world. You can come to your own conclusion as we continue.
In similar style to the other prophetic chapters we just referenced, as this Ezekiel 31 passage begins, it appears to be addressing the earthly ruler called Pharaoh, the king of Egypt – but as it progresses, it begins to describe a mysterious angelic being referred to as “the Assyrian,” whose pre-Flood kingdom was brought to ruin by the judgment of God.
While a comprehensive treatment of this passage is beyond our scope here, Pitterson undertakes a detailed analysis of this chapter in Ezekiel – including all of the key imagery – in Chapter 11 of his book Judgment of the Nephilim. He points out that Ezekiel 31 is full of language that is past tense (related to a former judgment of the Assyrian and the sons of god), but that Chapter 32’s language is future-tense (detailing their future final judgment). But as we will see, this final judgment will only take place after God allows for a final end times rampage of the Assyrian when he and his fallen horde are temporarily released from their captivity in the abyss. We will piece this together and show how clear the Bible is about this end times return.
Let’s begin by asking the question: “Where does Scripture tell us the fallen sons of God of Genesis 6 fame are currently being held?” As we’ve shown throughout these articles and address in even further depth in our study, the answer is clear – they are currently imprisoned in chains of darkness in Tartarus – the pit, the lowest part of hell, or the abyss. We were clearly told this in Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4 – two passages we reviewed in great detail in a previous article.
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. -Jude 1:6
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; -2 Peter 2:4
Like we pointed out, Tartarus is the word used in Greek "mythology" to refer to the abyss, or the bottomless pit – the lowest part of Hell, a place where the giant Titans had been imprisoned.
As we also said, this word Tartarus has been variously translated in our English Bible versions. For example, the New English Bible translates Tartarus as “the dark pits of hell,” the Revised Version has it as “pits of darkness,” and the New International Version says “gloomy dungeons.” In all of these translations, depth and darkness are the distinctives of Tartarus. And as both Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4 state, this is the place where the angels that sinned are being held until their final judgment. And as it seems we’re told in Ezekiel 31 – our chapter in question – these imprisoned angels have a king referred to as the Assyrian.
With this as our background, we should now be able to understand exactly what’s happening as the 5th Trumpet sounds during the Tribulation, as later seen by John in his apocalyptic vision recorded in Revelation Chapter 9. In this passage, Tartarus (the bottomless pit or abyss) is opened, and the Assyrian and the fallen angels of Genesis 6 are temporarily released during the Day of the Lord to wreak havoc upon the earth.
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. -Revelation 9:1-11
The first thing to note is that these are not actual locusts (as in insects). Locusts do not have the faces of men, the hair of women, the teeth of lions, breastplates like iron, or stings like scorpions. Locusts also do not have kings reigning over them as these Revelation 9 locusts are said to have. In fact, we see this plainly written in Proverbs 30:27, describing actual locusts.
The locusts have no king… -Proverbs 30:27
Furthermore, locusts don’t live in “the bottomless pit” – which is the place from which these “5th Trumpet locusts” get released. So then, what are these creatures?
Well, who do we know is currently being held in the abyss, or the bottomless pit? That of course would be the fallen angels who sinned with women in Genesis 6 that Jude and Peter told us are currently being imprisoned there in chains of darkness. These “locusts” in Revelation 9 are the fallen angels being released from the abyss! This is positive confirmation of a return of the fallen sons of God in the Day of the Lord.
They are led by a king, who is described as “the angel of the bottomless pit” – another confirmation that these locusts are fallen angels. This angel’s name is called Abaddon in Hebrew, but Apollyon in Greek. We believe this king to be the Assyrian of Ezekiel 31 and 32, who, along with the other fallen angels, are being released to torment the earth for a time. We’re told that their torment will be so severe that it will cause people to want to die, but for some reason they will not be able to.
Interestingly, the Hebrew term Abaddon (Strong’s # H11) means “(a place of) destruction or ruin,” [2] and is first used in the book of Job in direct connection with Hell.
Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof. Hell is naked before him, and destruction [Abaddon] hath no covering. -Job 26:5-6
In fact, the New American Standard Bible doesn’t even translate this word – it leaves the Hebrew term Abaddon.
Sheol is naked before Him, And Abaddon has no covering. -Job 26:5-6 (NASB)
But the Septuagint brings out an additional nuance, as it actually mentions the giants who are in Hell.
Shall giants be born from under the water and the inhabitants thereof? Hell is naked before him, and destruction [Abaddon] has no covering. -Job 26:5-6, (LXX) [3]
So, it would seem as though the Assyrian took on a name descriptive of Hell itself – which makes perfect sense, as he is called the “angel of the bottomless pit” in Revelation 9.
Let’s also understand another interesting connection to the pre-Flood judgment – the duration of five months. In the passage we just read (Revelation 9), we saw that the so-called “locusts” would torment the earth for a period of five months. It’s critical to understand that the prophetic Biblical calendar uses 360-day years instead of our modern 365.25-day solar year. It was Sir Robert Anderson who first recognized this key and used it to help unlock the mystery of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy found in Daniel 9:24-27. [4]
If you would like to learn more about this, please consult our study entitled, “The Daniel 9:25 Prophecy: An Exact Timeline For The Arrival Of The Messiah”. In that study, we show that the only Biblically sound way to calculate the duration of Daniel’s seventy weeks of years is by utilizing this key of the 360-day prophetic year. A quick summary of our rationale is that the Bible clearly describes the final week – Daniel’s seventieth week, what many refer to as the Tribulation – as consisting of 360-day years. We find that the Bible refers to this final seven-year “week” as consisting of two halves each comprised of periods of forty-two months or 1,260 days. When you do the math, it requires that this final seven-year period is comprised of thirty-day months and 360-day years.
42 months x 30 days per month = 1,260 days
…or…
1,260 days / 3.5 years = 360 days per year
With this in mind, we can understand that the five months of the locusts’ torment (described in Revelation 9) is equivalent to 150 days (five 30-month days = 150 days).
But another Biblical example that bears direct connection to the locusts’ 150-day period of torment is the time of the original judgment of the pre-Flood world in Genesis. During the time of the Flood, Noah tells us that a period of 150 days began on the seventeenth day of the second month, and ended on the seventeenth day of the seventh month (Genesis 7:11, 24; 8:3-4). This is an exactly five-month period (150 / 5 months = 30 days per month).
What’s the point here? Pitterson summarizes it well.
These locusts are released from Hell for 150 days to torment the earth as part of God’s judgment – the exact amount of time the Assyrian, the sinning angels, and their Nephilim sons were tormented by the Flood in the days of Noah. [5]
But Revelation Chapter 9 is not the only prophetic glimpse the Bible gives us concerning this latter-day return of the sons of God. Joel Chapter 2 also seems to warn us of this same event with similar descriptive detail. As we read through this somewhat lengthy passage, notice all of the details that identify it as the same time period and same event described later in Revelation 9.
Sound the trumpet in Sion, make a proclamation in my holy mountain, and let all the inhabitants of the land be confounded: for the day of the Lord is near; for a day of darkness and gloominess is near, a day of cloud and mist: a numerous and strong people shall be spread upon the mountains as the morning; there has not been from the beginning one like it, and after it there shall not be again even to the years of many generations. Before them is a consuming fire, and behind them is a flame kindled: the land before them is as a paradise of delight, and behind them a desolate plain: and there shall none of them escape. Their appearance is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they pursue. As the sound of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, and as the sound of a flame of fire devouring stubble, and as a numerous and strong people setting themselves in array for battle. Before them shall the people be crushed: every face as the blackness of a caldron. As warriors shall they run, and as men of war shall they mount on the walls; and each shall move in his path, and they shall not turn aside from their tracks: and not one shall stand aloof from his brother: they shall go on weighed down with their arms, and they fall upon their weapons, yet shall they in no wise be destroyed. They shall seize upon the city, and run upon the walls, and go up upon the houses, and enter in through the windows as thieves. Before them the earth shall be confounded, and the sky shall be shaken: the sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their light. And the Lord shall utter his voice before his host: for his camp is very great: for the execution of his words is mighty: for the day of the Lord is great, very glorious, and who shall be able to it? -Joel 2:1-11, (LXX) [6]
This passage in Joel contains many of the same themes also mentioned in Revelation 9 – for example, the prevalence of darkness and smoke, a strong army unlike any other that consumes everything in front of it, their appearance being like horses, their sound like many chariots, the extreme horror and distress of the earth-dwellers, and the heavenly bodies failing to give light.
In addition, we should make note of the immediate context of the book of Joel. In the first chapter, it describes a literal locust plague that had devastated the land of Israel (Verse 4). Then (similarly to Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28 and 31, and Psalm 22), the context clearly begins to transcend that event and focuses on an ultimate far-term context during the eschatological Day of the Lord. The prophet begins to see a day when “locusts” of another kind will terrorize the inhabitants of the earth. Although Joel does not explicitly call these beings locusts, we’ve shown from the contextual parellels that he’s very likely describing the same event that John saw in Revelation 9 – and of course, John did call them locusts.
So, we have very good reason to believe that Joel and John are speaking of the same event – the release of a supernatural army of the fallen sons of God who have been imprisoned in the abyss since the judgment poured out upon them by God in the days of Enoch. Pitterson says it well.
For 150 days, Hell will literally be unleashed upon Earth. These passages affirm why Jesus Christ prophesied the final years on earth would be "as the days of Noah" (Matthew 24:37). [7]
Let’s also acknowledge the possibility that these passages in Revelation 9 and Joel 2 could be also connected with the passage we examined in the previous article – Isaiah 13, which describes the same time period, speaking of giants coming through a gateway and God bringing “His warriors” to bring judgment upon the earth. Are the fallen sons of God who are being released from the abyss also part of the army of warriors God spoke of in Isaiah 13? We examined that passage through the lenses of the return of the Nephilim. But is it possible that this all happens at the same time? It’s certainly something to consider, as the context in all three chapters is the judgment phase of the broad Day of the Lord.
Now that we understand this aspect of end times prophecy – in which the fallen sons of God who are currently imprisoned in the abyss will be temporarily released during the Day of the Lord – let’s now proceed on to Ezekiel Chapter 32. Earlier, we discussed the Assyrian, whose pre-Flood kingdom was brought to ruin by the judgment of God. In Revelation 9, we witnessed the end times return of this fallen angel, now called “Abaddon” or “Apollyon,” as the Genesis 6 fallen angels are released from their imprisonment. But this release will be temporary. As we also saw in Revelation 9, they were only given permission to wreak havoc upon the earth for 150 days. As we now proceed into Ezekiel Chapter 32, we will find future-tense imagery detailing their future, final judgment.
Looking into Ezekiel 32, we find a lamentation for the “strength of Egypt,” which we believe is a cryptic reference to these imprisoned fallen angels under the Assyrian’s command who get released from the pit during the Day of the Lord, but are ultimately judged by God and condemned to an eternity in Hell fire. This is brought out more clearly in the Septuagint, which actually refers to the Nephilim giants who will greet these fallen angels upon their final descent into Hell. Verses 18-21 describe this. We will read it in the Septuagint.
Son of man, lament over the strength of Egypt, for the nations shall bring down her daughters dead to the depth of the earth, to them that go down to the pit. They shall fall with him in the midst of them slain with the sword, and all his strength shall perish: the giants also shall say to thee, Be thou in the depth of the pit: to whom art thou superior? yea, go down, and lie with the uncircumcised, in the midst of them slain with the sword. -Ezekiel 32:18-21, (LXX) [8]
This passage states that as the “strength of Egypt” (or the hordes of fallen angels serving under the Assyrian) descend into Hell, they will be greeted by the Nephilim giants who will be astonished at their defeat. The giants essentially say to them, “you’ve been defeated and cast permanently into Hell just as we were, therefore you’re no greater than us even though we’re your offspring!” The passage then continues:
And they are laid with the giants that fell of old, who went down to Hades with weapons of war: and they laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities were upon their bones, because they terrified all men during their life. And thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that have been slain by the sword. -Ezekiel 32:27-28, (LXX) [9]
This passage shows that the rebel angels will be laid right alongside the “giants that fell of old,” bringing to mind the words of Genesis 6:4, which described the Nephilim as “mighty men which were of old,” – a Biblical reference to the pre-Flood age.
This passage also mentions how the pre-Flood Nephilim had gone down to Hell with their “weapons of war.” In other words, the judgment of the Flood quickly sucked them down to Hell like a giant whirlpool – weapons and all. This brings to mind the story of the revolt of Korah in the Old Testament. When Korah rebelled against Moses, Numbers Chapter 16 tells us that God literally opened up the earth, swallowing the rebels, their families, and all their possessions. It was in this way that the Flood swallowed up the pre-Flood Nephilim and brought them down into the pit of Hell.
This is the fashion in which the enemies of God are brought down, and at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus Christ will be revealed at His coming, He will pour out this final judgment upon all of His enemies – including Satan and his angels, the Assyrian, the rebel angels of Genesis 6, their Nephilim giant offspring, and the earth-dwelling humans who followed after their wickedness instead of following after God.
So, the Bible is clear that God will allow the Assyrian and his angels one final return where they’ll be permitted to torment the earth for a short time prior to their own ultimate judgment, which has already been prophesied of in Ezekiel 32. They will be cast into the judgment of eternal Hell fire alongside the Nephilim giants and the other wicked dead.
[1] Ryan Pitterson, Judgment of the Nephilim, New York, NY: Days of Noe, 2017, p. 167.
[2] Strong’s Concordance, entry “11, abaddon,” BibleHub.com. (https://biblehub.com/hebrew/11.htm - Retrieved 8/15/21)
[3] The Brenton translation of the Septuagint, Job 26:5-6, Bible Study Tools. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/job/26.html - Retrieved 6/12/21)
[4] Robert Anderson, The Coming Prince, 10th ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, repr. 1957.
[5] Pitterson, p. 190.
[6] The Brenton translation of the Septuagint, Joel 2:1-11, Bible Study Tools. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/joel/2.html - Retrieved 8/15/21)
[7] Pitterson, p. 193.
[8] The Brenton translation of the Septuagint, Ezekiel 32:18-21, Bible Study Tools. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/jezekiel/32.html - Retrieved 8/15/21)
[9] Ibid.
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