What and Who are Demons and What is Their Origin ?
Hi friends:
This subject is full of speculation and guesswork, even from astute Bible scholars and theologians. Yet, the facts are provided us directly from the Scriptures themselves if we diligently look for them.
First of all, demons are not fallen angels, which the general consensus of many expositors and theologians, believe the sons of God were, in Gen.6:2 and 4. For the purpose of this thread, we will approach this review with the sons of god as the fallen angels.
In the second place, where did the sons of God, come from ? They came from heaven, as is found in Job 1:6, 2:1 and 38:7. Which clearly reveals the theory of some, that the sons of God were from Adam and Eve's son, Seth's family, who of course never came from heaven. But the Scriptures document, the sons of God came from heaven. If they had been called angels in the first place we could better understand the text..
With that having been determined, the sons of God, are spirit beings, including God Himself, who have souls, according to Isa.1:14, as all of us humans do, as well. Therefore, the "citizenship," or "first estate" of the sons of God/fallen angels, was in heaven. While the natural "citizenship" or "first estate" of human daughters of men, is on the earth.
Therefore, from the above, we have established from the Bible, the sons of God were spirit beings and a part of the heavenly host. From there, we go to the following revelation:
"When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." Gen.6:1-2. Keep in mind, Jesus inferred angels do not marry nor are given in marriag - in heaven - according to Mt.22:30.
In other words, these sons of God left their first estate and citizenship in heaven, and went to the earth, with the power to become visible and appear as any physical normal man and married a daughter of human men. The offspring they had with human women, resulting in their children being the Nephilim/giants, born to them as recorded in Gen.6:4.
Take note of this important fact: The Nephilim were hybrid regarding the origin of their first estate or "citizenship," because they did not come as a citizen from heaven, nor as a natural human being, which is what this thread is all about.
Up to this point, we have found that the sons of God/fallen angels, who came down to the earth from heaven, and had children by human women, who then lost their first estate in heaven. God then imprisoned them until the day of judgement, according to 1 Pet.2:4 and Jude 6.
The fallen angels here, were only part of those belonging to Satan, who is still very active with the rest of his angels. Reference to Satan and his angels being cast from heaven, is prophecy, as recorded in Rev.12:9, yet to come, during the 70th and final week [7 years] of God's decree upon the destiny of Israel. Also recorded as Jesus Olivet Discourse of the 7 year tribulation, in Mt.24; Mk.13 and in Lk.21. Prophecy yet to be fulfilled.
That leaves us with the hybrid Nephilim, described in the Scriptures as giants both before the flood of Noah in Gen.6:4 - and after the flood in Num.13:33; Dt.1:28; 3:11; 9:2; Josh.11:22; 12:2, 4; 1 Sam17:4-7 and 1 Chr.20:6-8.
How could the Nephilim, the giants who lived before the flood of Noah be present on the earth after the flood, as recorded in Gen.6:4, when the flood killed everyone on the earth except Noah and his seven family members? The only logical answers to that is that all the sons of God/fallen angels were not all caught and thrown into the Abyss/prison until after the flood of Noah. That more of Satan's sons of God/angels sought after the daughters of men/human women, after the flood of Noah.
Remember, the hybrid Nephilim had no previous estate, "citizenship," with either the heavenly host or to humanity. Therefore, their spirit/souls were relegated to remain earthbound until the day of judgement, seeking to get into whatever body they could find to do so, regardless of whether human or animal, as recorded in Lk.8:26-33. That is what/who the demons were/are.
The Book of Isaiah says that the Nephilim and their descendants will not participate in a resurrection, as will all normal human beings. Isaiah 26:14 reads: "They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise." The original Hebrew word translated "deceased" here is the word "Rephaim," the name of a giant people, recorded in Jos.12:4 and in 13:12. It would have saved a lot of misinterpretation if the translators had left the word as it was in the original. The verse actually reads: "Dead, they shall not live; Rephaim, they shall not rise." The Rephaim were one of the clan of the Nephilim, and God's Word makes it clear that they will not participate in any resurrection. But with humans it is different: who will all be resurrected either to life or to damnation (John 5:28-29). Which leads us to examine the bodily death of the Nephilim, and the "binding to earth" of their spirits, seeking the bodies of others to invade, as the demons found recorded in the Scriptures, which will be covered later.
From Book 1 of Enoch, is the following except from Chapter 15, he writes of the Nephilim/giants, beginning with point 6.: "But you from the beginning were made spiritual, possessing a life which is eternal, and not subject to death for ever!"
7. "Therefore I made no wives for you, because you being spiritual, your dwelling is in heaven."
8. "Now the giants who have been born of spirit and flesh, shall be called upon the earth evil spirit/demons, and on the earth shall be their habitation. Evil spirits shall proceed from their flesh, because they were created from above; from the holy watchers/sons of God was their beginning and primary foundation. Evil spirits/demons shall they be upon the earth, and the spirits/demons of the wicked shall they be called. The habitation of the spirits of heaven shall be in heaven; but upon earth shall be the habitation of terrestrial spirits, who are born on earth."
9. "The spirits of the Nephilim/giants shall be like clouds, which shall oppress, corrupt, fall, contend, and bruise upon the earth."
10. "They shall cause lamentation. No food shall they eat; and they shall be thirsty; they shall be concealed, and shall not rise up against the sons of men, and against women; for they came forth during the days of slaughter and destruction."
Accordingly, the bodies of the Nephilim died, but their spirit/souls remain on earth as the evil spirit/demons present during the days of Jesus, as seen in 8:28-32. Without bodies, they try to find bodies to get into.
How big does the Bible describe these Nephilim/giants to be after their spirit/souls found bodies to live in after the flood of Noah ?
"Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites." Dt.3:11
"A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp, he was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing 5,000 shekels [over 156 pounds]; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels [18.75 pounds]. His shield bearer went ahead of him." 1 Sam.17:4-7
See also:
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/giants.htm
And:
http://www.bibleprobe.com/nephilim.htm
Quasar92
Where to find the Nephilim/Giants in the Bible:
ji'-ants The word appears in the King James Version as the translation of the Hebrew words nephilim ( ); repha'im ( , etc.); rapha' ( ), or raphah ( ); in one instance of gibbor, literally, "mighty one" ( ).
In the first two cases the Revised Version (British and American) changes "giants" into the Hebrew words "Nephilim," nephilim, and "Rephaim," repha'im, respectively. The "Nephilim of are not to be confounded with the "mighty men" subsequently described as the offspring of the unlawful marriages, of "the sons of God" and "the daughters of men." It is told that they overspread the earth prior to these unhallowed unions. That the word, whatever its etymology, bears the sense of men of immense stature is evident from the later passages; . The same is true of the "Rephaim," as shown by the instance of Og ( ). There is no doubt about the meaning of the word in the ease of the giants mentioned in and .
When did Giants live after the flood of Noah?
Those mentioned in the Bible, Nephilim, Emim and Anakim, may have been a tiny element of a once expansive human giant civilization, especially before the Great Flood of the Bible, and other sources.
Giants (1.) Heb. nephilim , meaning "violent" or "causing to fall" (
Gen 6:4). These were the violent tyrants of those days, those who fell upon others. The word may also be derived from a root signifying "wonder," and hence "monsters" or "prodigies." In
Num 13:33 this name is given to a Canaanitish tribe, a race of large stature, "the sons of Anak." The Revised Version, in these passages, simply transliterates the original, and reads "Nephilim." (2.) Heb. rephaim , a race of giants (
Deu 3:11) who lived on the east of Jordan, from whom was descended. They were probably the original inhabitants of the land before the immigration of the Canaanites. They were conquered by Chedorlaomer (
Gen 14:5), and their territories were promised as a possession to Abraham (
Gen 15:20). The Anakim, Zuzim, and Emim were branches of this stock. In
Job 26:5 (R.V., "they that are deceased;" marg., "the shades," the "Rephaim") and
Isa 14:9 this Hebrew word is rendered (A.V.) "dead." It means here "the shades," the departed spirits in Sheol. In
Sam2 21:16,
Sam2 21:18,
Sam2 21:20, 33, "the giant" is (A.V.) the rendering of the singular form ha raphah, which may possibly be the name of the father of the four giants referred to here, or of the founder of the Rephaim. The Vulgate here reads "Arapha," whence Milton (in Samson Agonistes) has borrowed the name "Harapha." (See also
Ch1 20:5,
Ch1 20:6,
Ch1 20:8;
Deu 2:11,
Deu 2:20;
Deu 3:13;
Jos 15:8, etc., where the word is similarly rendered "giant.") It is rendered "dead" in (A.V.)
Psa 88:10;
Pro 2:18;
Pro 9:18;
Pro 21:16 : in all these places the Revised Version marg. has "the shades." (See also
Isa 26:14.) (3.) Heb. 'Anakim (
Deu 2:10,
Deu 2:11,
Deu 2:21;
Jos 11:21,
Jos 11:22;
Jos 14:12,
Jos 14:15; called "sons of Anak,"
Num 13:33; "children of Anak,"
Num 13:22;
Jos 15:14), a nomad race of giants descended from Arba (
Jos 14:15), the father of Anak, that dwelt in the south of Palestine near Hebron (
Gen 23:2;
Jos 15:13). They were a Cushite tribe of the same race as the Philistines and the Egyptian shepherd kings. David on several occasions encountered them (
Sam2 21:15). From this race sprung Goliath (
Sa1 17:4). (4.) Heb. 'emin , a warlike tribe of the ancient Canaanites. They were "great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims" (
Gen 14:5;
Deu 2:10,
Deu 2:11). (5.) Heb. Zamzummim (q.v.),
Deu 2:20 so called by the Amorites. (6.) Heb. gibbor (
Job 16:14), a mighty one, i.e., a champion or hero. In its plural form (gibborim) it is rendered "mighty men" (2 Sam. 23:8-39;
Kg1 1:8; 1 Chr. 11:9-47;
Ch1 29:24.) The band of six hundred whom David gathered around him when he was a fugitive were so designated. They were divided into three divisions of two hundred each, and thirty divisions of twenty each. The captains of the thirty divisions were called "the thirty," the captains of the two hundred "the three," and the captain over the whole was called "chief among the captains" (
Sam2 23:8). The sons born of the marriages mentioned in
Gen 6:4 are also called by this Hebrew name.
http://www.ryanmcginty.com/fallen/
Quasar92