Is this merely a peripheral issue or is it highly significant?
I agree with Chuck Missler in that one cannot understand major portions of the Old Testament and major prophetic issues (dating as far back as Genesis 3:15) unless you recognize the reality of this strange passage in Genesis 6:4. The passage says, "There were giants in the earth in those [Flood] days; and also after that." So there were some occurrences of this kind even after the Flood. In Genesis 14 and 15 and later in the Old Testament, certain tribes--the Rephaim, the Emim, the Horim, the Zamsummim--are Nephilim. Arba, Anak and his seven sons were the Anakim. (Learn the Bible in 24 Hours, Missler, pg. 26)
They were encountered in Canaan in Numbers 13 when Moses sent the 12 spies. The ten who came back terrified said, "There are giants in the land" (the word is Nephilim).
Og, the king of Bashan, is the King of the Giants in Deuteronomy 3 and Joshua 12. There are 5 explicit references to the Nephilim in chapters 1 - 5 of Deuteronomy.
The story of Goliath is unmistakably one about a descendant of the Nephilim among the Philistines. (1 Samuel 17)
Have you ever wondered why David took 5 smooth stones with him into his fight with Goliath? Your answer can be found in 2 Samuel 21. Goliath had 4 Gathite relatives (likely brothers); all giants. This is one of the most telling passages in Scripture about the strange physiological differences these giants exhibited in their bodies. 2 Samuel 21: 20 says, "And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant." If you read too fast, you can easily miss this astounding fact recorded in Scripture.
1 Chronicles 20: 5 - 6 details the same encounter outlined in 2 Samuel 21. The text says, "And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam. And yet again there was wear at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot and he also was the son of a giant."
Repetition in God's Word always equates to reinforcing that certain details are very important to note and remember. Another point worth mentioning here is that David's friends (like Elhanan) had so learned from him that they also became giant slayers!
Centuries later, Sioux and other Native American tribes claimed encountering giants in North America (presumably from the Amorites who managed to escape extermination at the hands of Joshua and Israel as they took possession of their Promised Land). The giants they claimed to encounter almost always had six fingers and six toes, leading to certain precautionary tribal customs in their hand signal greetings out of paranoia and fear of these mighty, monstrous hunters.
Now, is this an exhaustive look at all the references of the giants in the Bible? No, there are still yet other compelling references to giants in the Bible. Amos 2: 9 - 10 says, "Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite."
1 Chronicles 11: 22 - 23 details yet another account of a giant and two "lionlike men of Moab" among a pit on a snowy day.
I have provided 15 specific references to nephilim/giants in the Old Testament. I have not even referenced Nimrod from Genesis 10 and 11 at the Tower of Babel (until now). Scripture seems to hint that he somehow became or developed into a Nephilim or HaGibborim according to Genesis 10:8. His story (also partially told in the Epic of Gilgamesh) is just as deep, troubling and fascinating as the Days of Noah. The Book of Jasher is the best place to go for a more detailed narrative on this charismatic giant of many names responsible for the language/diaspora judgment of Babel. Could the spirit of this ancient Assyrian play a role in reviving the Nephilim in the last days (see Apollo's story in Revelation 9)? An interesting fact about him is that he was the world's first king/dictator of a one-world socioeconomic religious system of total rebellion. Does that sound familiar? He was the world's first anti-christ.
How fascinating, mysterious and incredible is the Bible? I hope that my coverage of some of these murkier subjects has ignited or revived a greater desire in you to daily mine the treasure readily available (but often hidden) in HIStory.
If you're not certain about the significance of this topic yet, please understand that the world has an insatiable hunger for regaining the esoteric knowledge of the ancients. Occult activity is burgeoning to unprecedented levels! If the Church continues to refuse to engage or lead the culture on these topics, we will continue to become even more irrelevant (if that were really possible). Consider briefly the following 21st Century evidences...
- History Channel's Ancient Aliens on its 5th Season (creating new believers in "aliens" every day)
- The intellectual giant, Richard Dawkins, has been recorded speculating as to plausibility of the Ancient Astronaut theory for the seeding of this planet in his debates against those who support intelligent design. In other words, the Annunaki or aliens traveled intergalactic space and stepped into our world in the ancient past to alter or tamper with our distant ancestors' genetic code to create modern man. He seems to surmise there is some kind of evidence for alien mischief in our past. He just won't call them what the Bible does.
- Hollywood pumps out more of this type of material to condition its audience to the normalization of the hybrid/eugenics/transhumanist agenda. Five explicit examples from the past five years follow below:
That which has been is that which will be,
That which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.
(Ecclesiastes 1:9)
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