Book Review:The Rise and Fall of The Nephilim by Scott A. Roberts

Offering us a chance to take a closer look at the Nephilim mentioned in Genesis is a great idea. The topic is interesting and timely and Mr. Roberts is a good storyteller. I wish I could say he has written an excellent book on the subject but his lack of integrity in his personal approach to scripture brings confusion to a topic he is attempting to shed light on. Starting with the Holy Bible, the Book of Enoch and Jubilees, he uses the right resources, but his interpretations of his sources are disappointing. Jumping back and forth between calling the Nephilim angels and aliens, as well as categorizing them as "lesser gods," when they were created to be God's servants, only serves to hide the truth about their origins and purpose.

It would take a book to clear up unfounded claims made by Mr. Roberts in this book so I'll limit myself to only discussing a handful or so. 

1. Serpent Seed Theory: This theory is unsupportable in Genesis or anywhere else in scripture. If Cain was truly the son of Eden's serpent (Fallen Angel or Satan), why wasn't he a giant or a mighty warrior like the sons of the other fallen angels mentioned in Genesis and the Book of Enoch? Why was Cain upset when his offering was not acceptable to God? Why would he even make an offering? Why would he care if God rejected it? And, why would God need to put a mark on Cain to protect his life if he was a mighty Nephilim?
2. The Fall Involved Adultery: Are we to believe that Adam let the serpent seduce Eve in his presence? If Eve's sin was adultery, what was Adam's sin? Contrary to Mr. Robert's assertions, Adam's sin brought death into the world because he sinned willfully; whereas, according to Paul, Eve sinned because she was deceived by the serpent. (Deceived not seduced!) The story of the fall is clearly told in Genesis. The sin was disobedience and did not involve sex. No decoder is needed to understand the passage.
3. Daughters of Men: Remarks about the "daughters of men" throughout the book were sexist! It was implied that the women were lusty and chose to have relations with the fallen angels. (You know how women are!) Their perversity defiled the earth and led its destruction in the flood. It seems there is always a reason to blame women. The Holy Bible; however, says the fallen angels saw them and "TOOK" them. If it was humanly possible to stop them, why weren't the men intervening to save them? And, why does the Bible say, "men's thoughts were continually evil"?
4. Moses:  Mr. Roberts paints Moses as a power hungry, arrogant, "Egyptianized" sociopath who sought to be a Pharoah-God to the slaves. The Holy Bible says Moses was the meekest man on earth, willing to give up all the wealth of Egypt to suffer with his brethren. Moses was saved from destruction as a baby and called by God to lead the people out of Egypt. Although he was reluctant at first, Moses took on the leadership role in obedience to God.  If the Holy Bible is true, Roberts is wrong, which devalues his book.  
5. Theophany: Mr. Roberts refers to Moses' having "face to face" encounters with God from the pillar of cloud at the door of the tabernacle as one more ploy to elevate himself in the eyes of the people. Then, if that's not bad enough, he "questions" how God could let Moses see His face on those occasions and then turnaround and deny him that same experience on Mount Sinai. The answer is that Moses wasn't asking for the same experience. Moses knew he was seeing a theophany at the tabernacle and he asked YHWH to let him see HIS FACE in HIS ETERNAL GLORY! YHWH refused but allowed him the unprecedented experience of glimpsing HIS BACKSIDE. (A theophany is an appearance of God in a physical form that a man can look upon and relate to. Seeing God as HE IS IN HIMSELF is not allowed for a mortal man.)   
6. Marriage of Jesus:  Without proof it is conjectured that Jesus was married. A rule that rabbis were required to be married is offered as proof. The fact that Jesus was set forth for ministry by His Father in heaven and not by a synagogue seems lost here. The people called Jesus Rabbi because he taught them, not because of an official religious affiliation. 
7. Misjudging the Prophet Elisha: I realize it is politically incorrect nowadays to hold people accountable for their actions but that was not the case in ancient Israel. Mr. Roberts attributes evil behavior to Elisha when his encounter with a group of mocking youths leads to their deaths. Roberts fails to see the incident from a divine perspective. Elisha had been the Prophet Elijah's servant. When God miraculously took Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind, Elisha received a double portion of God's Spirit operating in his life compared to Elijah. That means he was a powerful prophet in Israel and should have been treated with the utmost respect by all the people. However, in this incident a large gang of youths mocked Elisha as he walked past their town. They taunted him saying, "Go up, baldhead. Go up." This was blatant disrespect for him and for God's act of taking Elijah to heaven. (It is also possible they were consistent trouble makers and Elisha had prior experience with the, had heard of them, or was given spiritual insight concerning their prior deeds.) At any rate, after some time, Elisha pronounced judgement on their actions and 2 female bears came out of the woods and killed 42 of them. (42 is not a few. That's a gang!) Roberts needs to rethink his comments on this passage and on many others.   
8. For Christian Fundamentalists "nothing exists outside the bounds of written scriptural text". I disagree with this statement (and several others Mr. Roberts makes about Christians) because it is mistaken. We do believe facts that contradict scripture are wrong. However, we are not so closed minded as to believe that scripture covers everything that's out there. There are many avenues to discover various aspects of the truth. Nature itself, rightly observed, reveals much.  And, the Holy Bible mentions additional resources like the Book of Enoch, Jasher and Jubilees, which expand our knowledge of certain issues lightly covered in the scriptures. These books are available today (in the last days-- like the days of Noah-- which Mr. Roberts referenced so many times) because God has preserved them for us according to His plan. And they are worth reading. 

I was disappointed by the disparaging remarks about God's nature, His Word, the church and Christians scattered throughout the book. Mr. Roberts could have expressed his doubts and questions in less derogatory terms if he chose to. He speaks out of both sides of his mouth. Early on in the book he says, "I still cling to my Judeo-Christian roots," and acknowledges his belief in the Trinity. But, he follows these statements with complaints about being "someone's toy." Then he ends the book by announcing that his research has exposed him to information that has overwhelmed his faith and left him with serious doubts. I can only say that when one removes the cornerstone, the building will collapse.

The fallen angels and the Biblical giants reveal a clear pattern of spiritual warfare that impacted the early earth and continues today. Satan can transform himself into an Angel of Light to deceive his victims. Certainly his followers can transform themselves into secular aliens to deceive mankind in the last days. Evolution has laid a strong foundation to get people to fall for such a lie. If Scott Roberts had been true to the Bible and brought in more UFO information with theories as to how fallen angelic beings posing as aliens could be attempting to undermine the Christian faith with their deceptive alien disguise that would have been truly helpful to unaware Christians and sceptics alike. Many are unaware of the genetic manipulation and seeding reportedly going on. He missed a great opportunity.  

And how about giving God and the early Jews some credit for slowing the corruption of the post flood world by killing off so many wicked giants when they conquered Canaan? No one seems to go there!

Shredding foundations of faith and offering nothing substantial to replace them helps no one, not even Mr. Roberts. He needs to realize he has fallen prey to the deception inherent in his subject matter and truly return to his former faith. There is no God other than YHWH. He knows the end from the beginning and the proof is found in His Word. It is filled with prophecies that have already been fulfilled and many that are yet to come. Allowing ancient corrupted copycat religions and legal systems to undermine one's faith is foolish. The truth stands above all!

There is much to be learned but I advise readers to beware the false reasoning underlying much of Mr. Roberts "doubtful" conjectures.

"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." Eph 6:12 NLT

"Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.  For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority." Col 2:8-10 NLT

I can't really recommend this book because it may shake your faith. If you choose to read it, I advise you to reread all scriptures referred to and to discard the dross.

Repost: Greatest Church Soon To Be Mega Mosque?

by Raymond Ibrahim
FrontPageMagazine.com
June 8, 2012

http://www.meforum.org/3259/hagia-sophia-church-mosque

Ostensibly dealing with a building, a recent report demonstrates how Turkey's populace—once deemed the most secular and liberal in the Muslim world—is reverting to its Islamic heritage, complete with animosity for the infidel West and dreams of Islam's glory days of jihad and conquest. According to Reuters:

Thousands of devout Muslims prayed outside Turkey's historic Hagia Sophia museum on Saturday [May 23] to protest a 1934 law that bars religious services at the former church and mosque. Worshippers shouted, "Break the chains, let Hagia Sophia Mosque open," and "God is great" [the notorious "Allahu Akbar"] before kneeling in prayer as tourists looked on. Turkey's secular laws prevent Muslims and Christians from formal worship within the 6th-century monument, the world's greatest cathedral for almost a millennium before invading Ottomans converted it into a mosque in the 15th century.

Hagia Sophia—Greek for "Holy Wisdom"—was, in fact, Christendom's greatest cathedral for a thousand years. Built in Constantinople, the heart of the Christian empire, it was also a stalwart symbol of defiance against an ever encroaching Islam from the east. After parrying centuries of jihadi thrusts, Constantinople was finally sacked by Ottoman Turks in 1453. Its crosses desecrated and icons defaced, Hagia Sophia—as well as thousands of other churches—was immediately converted into a mosque, the tall minarets of Islam surrounding it in triumph. Then, after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, as part of several reforms, Ataturk transformed Hagia Sophia into a "neutral" museum in 1934—a gesture of goodwill to the then triumphant West from a then crestfallen Turkey.
Even though Hagia Sophia is a Christian center under Islamic domination, several Christian authorities are content seeing it remain a museum, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians: "We want it to remain a museum in line with the Republic of Turkey's principles," adding, "if it became a church it would be chaos."

True enough; one need only recall how back in 2006, when Pope Benedict was scheduled to visit Hagia Sophia, Muslims were outraged. Then, Turkey's independent paper Vatan wrote: "The risk is that Benedict will send Turkey's Muslims and much of the Islamic world into paroxysms of fury if there is any perception that the Pope is trying to re-appropriate a Christian center that fell to Muslims." Before the Pope's visit, a gang of Turks stormed and occupied Hagia Sophia, screaming "Allahu Akbar!" and warning "Pope! Don't make a mistake; don't wear out our patience." On the day of the Pope's visit, another throng of Islamists waved banners saying "Pope get out of Turkey" while chanting Hagia Sophia "is Turkish and will remain Turkish."

All this is yet another reminder of the Islamic world's double standards: when Muslims conquer non-Muslim territories, such as Constantinople and its churches—through fire and steel, with all the attendant human suffering and misery—the descendents of those conquered are not to expect any apologies or concessions. However, once the same Muslims who would never concede one inch of Islam's conquests, including buildings, are on the short end of the stick—Palestinians vis-à-vis Israel, for example—then they resort to the United Nations and the court of public opinion, demanding justice, restitutions, rights, and so forth. (See this 2006 LA Times Op-Ed for more on this theme.)

Even in the brief Reuter's report, evidence of such "passive-aggressive" behavior emerges. First, this is not about Muslims wanting to pray; it's about Muslims wanting to revel in the glory days of Islamic jihad and conquest: Muslims "staged the prayers ahead of celebrations next week marking the 559th anniversary of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet's conquest of Byzantine Constantinople." According to Salih Turhan, a spokesman quoted by Reuters, "As the grandchildren of Mehmet the Conqueror, seeking the re-opening Hagia Sophia as a mosque is our legitimate right."

Sultan Mehmet was the scourge of European Christendom, whose Islamic hordes seized and ravished Constantinople, forcibly turning it Islamic. Openly idolizing him, as many Turks do, is tantamount to their saying "We are proud of our ancestors who killed and stole the lands of Christians." And yet, despite such militant overtones, Turhan, whose position is echoed by many Turks, still manages to blame the West: "Keeping Hagia Sophia Mosque closed is an insult to our mostly Muslim population of 75 million. It symbolizes our ill-treatment by the West."

If merely keeping a historically Christian/Western building—that was stolen by Islamic jihad—as a neutral museum is seen as "ill-treatment by the West," on what basis can Muslims and non-Muslims ever "dialogue"?

Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

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YEHOVAH Declares HE IS THE ONLY GOD and SAVIOR

“Thus says YEHOVAH, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer,YEHOVAH of hosts:
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.

^{Isaiah 44:6}

 “Listen to Me, O Jacob,
And Israel, My called:
I am He, I am the First,
I am also the Last.
 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth,
And My right hand has stretched out the heavens...

^{Isaiah 48:12-13}

“You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
I, even I, am YEHOVAH,
And besides Me there is no Savior.

Isaiah 43:10-11

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” 

^{Rev 1:11, 17, 2:8, 22:13} 

If you will open your Bible and read the passages from Isaiah in context you will see that they are a powerful personal testimony. YEHOVAH, Himself, is speaking. He boldly proclaims that He is God! He is not just a god, He is the only God, and He offers proof. His proof is His Omniscience. He knows all things and He has no rivals, not men or false gods. He knows and has declared the truth about the beginning and the end. The Bible is full of His prophetic revelations about the past and the future and none has been proven false. So, YEHOVAH'S testimony is trustworthy.

YEHOVAH declares that He is the ONLY GOD. There was no god before YEHOVAH and there will be no god after YEHOVAH. He is the ETERNALLY EXISTING "I AM." To be clear, in the Bible, YEHOVAH has revealed Himself as existing eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All Three Persons of the Godhead are YEHOVAH. They are One God in three Persons: the Trinity.

YEHOVAH is the CREATOR of heaven and earth! He tells all about His creative activity in Genesis. He says He spoke everything into existence in six days and rested on the seventh day. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all evident in the creation process. 

YEHOVAH says He is the King of Israel. Jesus, in His resurrected body, will reign over this renovated earth in the city of Jerusalem for 1000 years and then over the new earth for eternity! Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead in human form but the Trinity will abide with believers forever.

YEHOVAH is also the Redeemer of mankind, and the Only Savior. Jesus died on the cross to reconcile us with the Father. When we believe in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, the Holy Spirit brings us into the body of Christ and guarantees eternal life. 

Reading these three verses you find two critical concepts: belief and unbelief. Our place in eternity depends on belief in Jesus or unbelief concerning Jesus.

A believer is not currently condemned and will not be condemned in the future. He will not be called before YEHOVAH'S Great White Throne for judgment and perish eternally. He has now and will continue to have everlasting life. His name is written in the Book of Life. He will stand before the Bema Seat of Jesus Christ to receive rewards for good deeds done after salvation, or he will lose rewards if He has no acceptable deeds. Either way, he has everlasting life with YEHOVAH, Angels and all Believers because he was saved by grace for Jesus' sake.

On the other hand, an unbeliever is currently under the wrath of YEHOVAH for rejecting the sacrifice made for him by Jesus, God's Son. He is condemned to perish. His name is not written in the Book of Life and all his evil deeds are recorded in a book which will be reviewed when he appears for his trial and sentencing at the Great White Throne judgement. He will never experience life. All who go to that judgement will be cast into the Lake of Fire with Satan, fallen angels, demons and unbelievers to suffer for eternity. This is called the second death. See Revelation 20:10-15. 

If you have not believed in Jesus before now, I urge you to consider your situation. YEHOVAH (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) loves you! Jesus died for you! 

If you sense the Spirit of God drawing you through His Word, please respond to Him. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He paid your sin debt you will be saved. Today is the day of Salvation and there is no other Savior. Please put your trust in Him and call on Him today.

May you experience peace, joy, love and everlasting life! 

 All scriptures are from the NKJV but I have removed "the LORD" and reinserted YEHOVAH to restore
God's Name to His Word as He intended it to be there originally.