Thanks, Star Traveler. One of my daughters was asking about it, and I didn’t know the background. I’ll do some hunting around, and I’m sure she will as well. Thanks again for the help! :)
I was half-asleep when I read that and posted back. I hate to tell you that I sometime even check FRee Republic when I'm in bed... LOL ... [I can do it on the iPhone and post that way, too...]
So, I didn't really get too much information for you.
But, let me tell you what this is all about. These particular pictures are not the "main story" here. The main story is in Genesis Chapter 6, and also involves why the world-wide flood came about, that is told to us in Genesis.
If anyone is to go "researching" it actually should be on the "main story line" here and not so much the pictures.
So, I'm going to gather up some materials that speak to that issue and post them here.
Some people may think that we're dealing with very little information here... so "slim pickings" so to speak. But, we know a lot of things from the Bible from just a few verses, on different subjects. And what we learn from the Bible and some "key" to understanding -- can, very many times -- hinge on just one word and understanding that one word in the original language, as it was originally intended and as it was given to us.
Genesis Chapter 6 1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. 3 And the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
In chapter 5, we just had a rundown of all the generations from Adam to Noah, so we could see his "genealogy"...
Verse 9 is sort of a wrap-up from the previous Chapter 5, when it says ...
This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
Noah was a just man (and that's "just" in the same way that we are "justified" in the Lord, today). AND.., in addition, Noah's "genealogy" was "perfect" -- or, in other words (and in the context of how it's to be understood) -- Noah's genealogy was "all human" and not "half-human and half-non-human".
In verses 1 and 2, we see it says ...
Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
There's your context for understanding what was going on here, and it also leads one to the realization of why the world-wide flood was required, too.
We see in verse 4 ...
There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.That wording, "sons of God" always means angels in the Hebrew Old Testament. It's never used of anything else, except one -- and that's Adam. And you'll see why. The angels were all creations, directly, of God, and thus they were all "sons of God". Now, Adam was also, an original creation of God, so that made Adam a "son of God" -- which he is referred to, also. Outside of just the instance of Adam, only the angels are "sons of God" -- so that's how it's understood. In addition, if we go to the New Testament (different language, though), we've got the terms "sons of God" there, too. It's a completely different context here, though, and you'll understand why and how that's "perfect" too -- in its use in the New Testament.
At the resurrection, we are "sons of God" (both men and women, of course). And how perfect is that, because we are "each one" -- "a new creation in Christ". We are directly made from the hand of God, at that point and are not of our father, here on earth, a "son of Adam"...Luke 20:34-36 34 And Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
Note that for Jesus, the Messiah of Israel ...
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
- Hebrews 9:11
He is not "of this creation" (as "Son of Man", he is a new creation of God). He is not part of that creation of all that was and is, from that "creation" that we see in the beginning of Genesis.
And..., we shall be like Him...
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
- 1 John 3:2
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
- Galatians 6:15
We don't regard Jesus, the Messiah of Israel as someone "according to the flesh" (previously a "human being"), but as a "new creation of God" and "not of this creation". And likewise, the same of us, who are "in Christ".
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
- 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
I did the "rundown" of this in the New Testament to show that it also fits into what the Old Testament says about "sons of God". And so, in the New Testament, we're told about those who are also to be like Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, a "new creation" (a direct creation of God), just like the angels and Adam, in the Old Testament -- and we all will be "like the angels" in that regard -- and also we will not be "of this creation" just like Jesus is not of this creation. That puts us, in a higher order and status, over the angels, as we've been told.
Mankind initially was lower than the angels ..
What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
- Psalm 8:4-5
But, then as a "new creation in Christ" we are of a higher order ...
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels?
- 1 Corinthians 6:2-3a
All that to come back to the "sons of God" in Genesis 6, and those particular angels who took women on earth for wives and had children by them, and that these were the "hybrids"....
Genesis 6:11-13 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
We see the destruction of mankind (except for Noah and his family, whose genealogy has been traced from Adam to his time) is going to happen, and this is told in context of the angelic corruption of mankind with hybrids. And God says the following, which I think indicates something in particular....
And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me ...
It appears to me that God is saying that He sees the end of mankind, as a result of this corruption by the angels, into the genealogy (and gene pool) of mankind. And thus, this would be a blow against God and His prophetic word in that a savior would come from mankind, to save human beings who are now under the judgment of God (a death sentence and separated from God).
God is not saying "I see this and I'm going to end all flesh because of this." No, He's saying "what He sees" and God sees that if He allows this to continue -- that He sees the end of all flesh coming before Him. He sees that as the result of this angelic corruption of the human race.
In this judgment of the world-wide flood, destroying all except for 8 people -- God has saved mankind, not that He was trying to destroy mankind. And in the process of saving mankind, God will still keep His promise of the ultimate salvation that He says will come (which we know now to be, the Messiah of Israel).
Satan, through those angels who sinned and had relations with the women of the human race, had hoped to corrupt the human race to the point where God's promise of the coming One who would be the salvation of mankind -- could not happen.
Satan, as always, is the opposer of God and Satan wants to thwart God at every turn. So, the worldwide flood, which seems so drastic to us -- and it certainly does seem drastic to kill off all of mankind except for 8 people -- was exactly what was necessary so that God "would not see the end of all flesh coming before Him..."
As always, God seeks to save mankind and Satan seeks to destroy mankind.
We can see here what is said in the New Testament about this ...
2 Peter 2:4-9 4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)-- 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
More specifically ...
... God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly ...
Jude 1:6-7 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
We can see that this sin was so severe, that the angels who committed it were consigned permanently to being imprisoned and not allowed free (as the other evil angels are allowed, presently).
You can see that these are the angels of Genesis 6, as they are compared to thos of Sodom and Gomorrah, and "going after strange flesh" -- of which the Bible calls it something of a "similar manner" to those angels of Genesis 6.
And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day ...
AND SO..., this is the backdrop to what I'll post here, in the next few posts, from others who have written articles on it. And it's the backdrop to those pictures that were presented.
The pictures aren't the "real story" -- the real story is Genesis 6, the angels who left their abode and cohabited with women, and that it required a worldwide flood to prevent the total and complete destruction of the human race, as a result of that.
And... for you pingees... here's something of interest (no other reason than that to ping...), in regards to the world-wide flood of Genesis and the real and fundamental reason for it.
When initially considering the world-wide flood, in my early years, it always seemed to be a bit of "overkill" -- especially when we've seen the violence of mankind since then and the evil that is currently in the world. Sodom and Gomorrah came after that, but they were handled by wiping them out totally, in their own locale.
I had always thought (many years earlier) that there was "something missing" here in the understanding of it, from what I had generally heard from others. Well..., this Genesis 6 understanding from the plain and clear language of the text is that missing ingredient, if you "grab a hold of it".
When that is considered and when that is seen as to why God said that He could see the "end of all flesh" coming -- you then know why the world-wide flood had to happen, in order for God to save mankind. It was a blessing from God, in that His judgment upon the evil that had been perpetrated "against" mankind was wiped off the face of this earth, to allow mankind to live to that future time when the Messiah of Israel would come for the Salvation that God had promised from the beginning.
EXCELLENT POST, INDEED.
Why, Dear ST,
are folks—FREEPERS—Conservative Christian FREEPERS!!!!
STILL
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO QUICK AND STUBBORN
about labeling such “nutty?”
“fringe”
“tin foil hat”
????????????????????????????????
It’s almost as though they don’t believe The Bible even
or else try and read it with their heads in the sand????
I don’t think I understand that phenomenon near as well as I’d like.
It’s still mind bogglingly mystifying to me how such normally bright people could be so willfully blind.
Though I’ve clearly been willfully blind over some things in my past years as well. At some point, I woke up!
Sigh.
PING TO SOME OTHERS, TOO
EXCELLENT POST, INDEED.
Why, Dear ST,
are folks—FREEPERS—Conservative Christian FREEPERS!!!!
STILL
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO QUICK AND STUBBORN
about labeling such “nutty?”
“fringe”
“tin foil hat”
????????????????????????????????
It’s almost as though they don’t believe The Bible even
or else try and read it with their heads in the sand????
I don’t think I understand that phenomenon near as well as I’d like.
It’s still mind bogglingly mystifying to me how such normally bright people could be so willfully blind.
Though I’ve clearly been willfully blind over some things in my past years as well. At some point, I woke up!
Sigh.
You know, your post makes me think of when I read the “Lost Books of the Bible” and they were speaking of Lillith.
According to legend (or the Bible, depends on if you accept part of these works as the Bible-some do, some don’t- I personally don’t think King James’ priests were the end all be all of deciding what is valid or not, but whatever) Adam was created along side his first counterpart, Lillith. She was created just as he was created, whole and complete in her own right, and then she rebelled against Adam’s attempted dominion over her. She left the Garden of Eden to consort with “others” it said and I have always wondered if the “others” are as you state.
Then of course Adam became lonely and so God said for him to have a mate, he would have to sacrifice and there’s where the rib came in.
Anyway, it kind of falls in line with what you are saying.
Thanks for the ping!