The Bible tells a Grand Story that is still, believe it or not, being played out today! God created Adam (literally, “the man”) from the dust of the ground, and from him and his wife Eve (which is translated “mother of all”), came all of the “races” of the earth. They were “perfect,” not knowing the difference between good and evil and lived on a paradise on earth known as the Garden of Eden. God instructed them on how to live, and gave them only one law, which was not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Then, one day the serpent came to the woman and enticed her to break God’s only command. Adam ate the fruit with her, and for their actions, sin and death entered the world. God pronounced a curse on the serpent and on the man and woman. They were soon thereafter banished from Eden.
After they had left the garden, they began to have children. One of their sons, Cain, became jealous of his brother Abel, who gave a better sacrifice to God, and he murdered his brother with a rock. Angels from Heaven saw the beauty of human women, and some were disobedient (the Watchers), and came down to mate with them, creating a hybrid race known as the Nephilim – a race of giants, who, according to the book of Enoch1, were over 11,000 feet tall! Within ten generations of Adam, the earth was filled with wicked people, and it grieved God’s heart. God found favor with Noah and told him to build an ark, and to bring in two of every kind of animal, because he was going to flood the world. Not only were the people on earth completely wicked and depraved, He needed to deal with the Nephilim. Only eight survived the flood. When the ark landed, that started the current age that we are in right now...and I believe this age is coming to a close. God chose a man named Abraham, who gave birth to Isaac, who then gave birth to Jacob, who would later become known as Israel – the father of the nation of Israel. This makes Abraham the originator of the Jewish people. The Old Testament (OT) is filled with stories of God dealing with the imperfect people that He had made, from Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt; to 300 Israelite soldiers defeating an army of 135,000; to crowning David, a simple shepherd of short stature, king over Israel. David became famous for defeating Goliath, who himself was likely a descendant of the Nephilim, although a shorter one. The Lord often clashed with them, calling them “stiff-necked” because of their stubbornness. Finally, He removed His protection from them and let them be captured by the Babylonians. Some of the Jews eventually returned to their homeland and rebuilt the temple, which was needed to make daily sacrifices as an atonement for sin.
From these same Jews, the Savior would come, and defeat the devil and would completely take away the sin of the world. This was prophesied way back in Genesis, when God began to pronounce a curse and said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life; and I will put enmity, between you and the woman, and between your seed (the Nephilim) and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Gen 3:14-15, NASB). The day of Jesus’ crucifixion, He crushed the serpent’s head. The devil didn’t win, and Jesus Christ was able to purchase all from death, the penalty for sin (Gen 2:17, Eze 18:20, Rom 6:23)! The veil in the Holy Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Now, God was going to dwell with Israel, without needing to have the High Priest intervene in their behalf – because the resurrected Jesus was going to be their High Priest!
1Yes, I know the book of Enoch is not considered to be “inspired,” but it does give a historical account, just like Josephus or any other historian.
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