The Villain

Introduction:

In chapter 1, I introduced the creation story, the opening act in the Biblical narrative. God created the world out of a formless void, bringing order to it, and then built within it a temple where he would meet with mankind. Mankind, being the caretakers of creation, were commanded to keep and expand God’s good creation. I used the details of the temple in Genesis 2 to connect the opening chapters of the Bible to the tabernacle of early Israel, to Solomon’s temple later in Israel’s history, and then to the end-times temple presented in Ezekiel 40-47 and Revelation 21-22. This ties the beginning and the end of the Bible together. I argued that the mandate given to mankind in Gen. 1:28, to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, is fulfilled in Rev. 21-22. The Bible concludes by fulfilling the goal set forth in its beginning. It’s a story. The connection to the garden temple and Israel’s tabernacle and later temple raised a question at the end of the first chapter. Why does God’s plan to expand the garden through mankind’s work first go awry? The answer is a series of rebellions that begin in chapter 3, where we are introduced to the serpent. The serpent is our story’s central villain, but he is not the only villain. There are three rebellions[1]described in the early chapters of Genesis, and together they help us understand the rest of the narrative. The serpent’s rebellion, the lust of the sons of God, and the people's rejection of God provide the foundation we need to understand the rest of the story. These rebellions pop up everywhere in the story, but we generally don’t recognize them or shrug our shoulders when we do. This chapter will help you realize these rebellions are integral parts of the story, rather than overlooking them as mere curiosities. 

The Serpent

The main characters of the story are barely settled at the close of Chapter 2 when a serpent appears to open Chapter 3.

Gen. 3:1

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

What is the Serpent?

What, or who, is the serpent? Debates rage over this question. The arguments range from a talking snake to a member of God’s heavenly council, a seraph, perhaps similar to those described in Isaiah. 6. Some argue that the serpent is a metaphor, representing the evil inclination within man. The Hebrew word is נָחָשׁ (nā·ḥāš), or nachash, and it helps fuel the debate. Dr. Hesier, an ancient language scholar, states, “The most straightforward meaning is the one virtually all translators and interpreters opt for: serpent.”[2] This meaning takes the word in its noun form. But the same word can be translated as a verb when the vowels are changed. It helps to know that Hebrew originally had no vowels. Dr. Heiser says, “But n-ch-share also the consonants of a verb. If we changed the vowels to a verbal form...we would have nochesh, which means ‘the diviner’.”[3]Already, we see the word expresses the literal translation of serpent and the idea that the serpent is a divine member of God’s heavenly council, a diviner. The latter takes the edge in my opinion when we go a bit further and find the wordN-ch-sh, can also be used as a descriptive noun that functions like an adjective. In this case, Heiser argues that the word would describe something shiny, such as “burnished bronze.”

The scale is leaning towards a member of God’s council. We have a shiny diviner speaking to Eve in God’s earthly temple. The place where he would dwell with mankind on earth. To further tip the scale, we are told that the nachash was more crafty than any other beast. The word there is interesting. Crafty can mean tricky, like deceptive, but more often it means wise or prudent.[4] It seems to me that we are being given a hint as to why Eve is comfortable speaking to the serpent. He belongs in the garden because he is a wise member of God’s council.

Polemics

In Chapter 1, I presented the creation story as God’s way of correcting the Egyptian creation propaganda to which the Israelites had grown accustomed after living in Egypt for 400 years. Genesis 1 states that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the creator, not Ptah. The appearance of the serpent, what he does, and his punishment may also be polemical. Dr. Walton identifies a few Egyptian deities that the Israelites might recall when hearing about the serpent. He says:

Many Egyptian gods, especially the primeval gods, were represented in serpent form. Wadjit, a lower Egyptian deity, was considered the protector of the pharaoh and is represented by the uraeus serpent on his crown. The earth-god Geb had a serpent’s head. The snake-god Apophis was considered the enemy of order.[5]

With Israel crossing the Red Sea and Pharaoh with his armies being drowned by the waters, the first god Walton mentions is found to be lacking in Israel’s eyes. The god who was supposed to protect the Pharaoh failed miserably. The second god mentioned, Geb, is connected to the earth. In Egyptian cosmology, Geb is the ground, and his sister, Nut, is the sky. Remember, God curses the ground in Gen. 3 and makes it the serpent’s home. The third serpent-like deity is Apophis, the god of chaos. He looks for every opportunity to disrupt maat, or order.

In Egyptian myth, the sun god is known as Ra, and his eternal enemy is Apophis, who is depicted as a serpent. Each night, as the sun set, the god Ra, traveling on his barge through the sky, would enter the darkness where he would battle Apophis, who attempted to defeat Ra, keeping him from rising. This was a nightly battle where Ra was only able to fend off the serpent but never defeat it. In the Genesis account, Yahweh and the serpent are not equals like Ra and Apophis. God curses the serpent.

Gen. 3:15

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

This verse prompts the reader in two ways. First, it signals that this is only the beginning of the story. The reader understands that more is to come. Second, the author aims to pique the reader's curiosity.  How will the prophesied seed crush his head? The Bible answers this question much later.

There’s another point to be made concerning Apophis. Apophis is called “the serpent of the Nile.”[6]Yahweh’s power over the Nile, and by implication, the serpent of the Nile, is demonstrated in the first plague.

Ex. 7:20-21

20 Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

The story of the serpent, alongside the depiction of Yahweh as one who creates by speaking, shows that the gods of the Egyptians are inferior to the God of Israel, who has come to Egypt, defeated their gods, taken their creation story as his own, killed their Pharaoh, and delivered Israel from bondage. Yahweh is the Most High God.

The Bookends

Chapter 1 established that the Bible ends the way it begins. It begins with creation, followed by the construction of a temple. It ends with recreation and temple building. Above, I established that Gen. 3:15 supposes that the story has more to offer. It introduced a villain, like every good story does. It also foretold of his eventual defeat. This is precisely how the Bible ends. The Bible concludes with the heavenly temple descending from heaven to earth, but just before that, the serpent is finally crushed. Rev. 20 begins by identifying the serpent.

Rev. 20:1-2

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

The serpent is then dealt one final blow in verses 7-10.

Rev. 20:7-10

7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Satan is released from his prison to gather the remaining enemies of Yahweh to a battle that delivers the final blow. He is thrown into the lake of fire to never be heard from again. This completes the story. The Bible concludes with the solution to the problem introduced in Genesis 3, and what was disrupted —the creation and temple communion between God and humanity —is restored, fulfilling the original mandate given to mankind in Genesis 1. It is, obviously, a story, a complete narrative. Like every good story, the Bible has a happy ending where the problem, or villain, introduced early in the story, is solved or defeated.

Who is The Serpent

In chapter 1, I answered the question, “What is the serpent?”. Now I want to address the question, “Who is the Serpent?”. This is answered in Rev. 20:1-2 in the above section, but it’s worth considering it a bit deeper. While the Old Testament never identifies the serpent as Satan or the devil, there are numerous verses that describe God’s enemy as a dragon or serpent (Ps. 74:13-14, Isa. 51:9-10, and Isa. 27:1-2), but they are never referred to as Satan. They are called by other names such as Leviathan, Rehab, and the twisting serpent. We will explore these later. Should this lack of direct identification concern us? No. As believers in Christ, we accept both testaments as being inspired. Dr. Heiser describes the NT as an inspired commentary on the Old. It helps us understand the OT. Accepting that idea helps us see that John reveals what the Bible has been hinting at. The serpent, the original sin influencer, is Satan. It’s called character development. The Bible develops the character of the serpent throughout the narrative, finally pulling back the curtain and revealing the wizard, to use an old movie reference, in the final installment.

If we were more familiar with the context from which our Bible comes we would better understand the developments. The serpent is identified as Satan, or the Devil, in Second Temple period writings. Second Temple period writings are writings that come out of the period between the Testaments. They are sometimes called intertestamental writings. The Wisdom of Solomon is an example. In the second chapter, we read, “but through the envy of the devil, death entered into the world, and those who are party with him experience it.”[7]This is obviously a reference to Genesis 3 and the event that separated humanity from the Tree of Life. The Wisdom of Solomon is dated roughly to the mid-1st century BC. Other names are applied to the serpent figure in other second temple writings: Belial, Azazel, Mastema, and Leviathan. Leviathan is referenced in the OT but no direct connection is made to the serpent of Gen. 1. Leviathan is recognized as a chaos creature, and the serpent is the author of chaos in the Bible. Because second temple period books aren’t considered inspired, many Christians discourage people from reading them. They may have good motives, but the result is a lack of proper Biblical understanding. What we must come to realize is that the Bible comes to us from a context. It was not written in a vacuum, absent of any outside influences. I hope that has been clear with the above references to the polemical nature of some parts of it. The Bible is written to correct the opposing cultures. That will become clearer by the end of this chapter. However, there is one more thing I want to tackle concerning Satan.

Satan’s Fall

Scholars argue about when Satan rebels. Many believe the Bible opens after a major conflict between God and Satan has taken place. Many refer to Satan drawing away a third of the angels as if it happened pre-creation. This makes the serpent’s presence in the garden unwelcome. He has snuck in. There’s a problem with that idea. The story of Satan drawing away a third of the angels is found in the Revelation. It’s first told as a great dragon who sweeps down a third of the stars from heaven to the earth. (As a side note, we can see how the dragon of Rev. 12 helps connect the testaments by remembering the earlier references to dragons in the OT.) This seemingly metaphorical description of the dragon dragging down a third of the stars is explained a few verses later.

Rev. 12:7-9

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

The dragon is the serpent and Satan, but that’s not why I’m discussing this passage. I want to highlight the timing of this war in heaven. It is not precreation; it comes after the birth of Jesus.

                  Rev. 12:4b-5

And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne...

The Child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron is a messianic reference from the Old Testament which foretold the reign of the coming messiah.

Ps. 2:7-9

                  7 I will tell of the decree:

                  The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

                  8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

                  9 You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”[8]

The war in heaven is because Satan tries to prevent the reign of the Messiah by killing him. Michael and his angels come to prevent it and cast Satan and his armies down to earth. Satan’s original rebellion is much earlier than this, but it is not before creation. Furthermore, when he rebels, he is alone; others do not join him until much later.

There is no evidence of a pre-creation fall of Satan. Every indication is that the serpent belonged in the garden and was trusted by Eve as a member of God’s council. She isn’t surprised by a talking snake; she is conversing with a seraph or cherub. His conversation seems perfectly okay with Eve. There is no indication she is fearful or weary of him. This event is not only man’s original sin, but the first rebellion. The Serpent is the first to fall, and he is the first to be judged. His judgment is the key indicator. He doesn’t enter the garden judged; he is judged based on what he does in the garden. Notice the first thing God says to the serpent, “Because you have done this...” This indicates he is cursed because he deceived Eve. There is no indication he is cursed prior to this. The original audience would not have immediately recognized the serpent as a symbol of evil. Above, I pointed out that the word sometimes translated as “crafty” is more often translated as “wise”. Of the three Egyptian deities we mentioned earlier, only one was considered evil; the other two are highly respected, and one is regarded as a protector of rulers. There is no reason to expect that this serpent is up to no good by his appearance alone. 

Another piece of evidence for this idea is found in the apparent reference to the serpent figure in Ezekiel 28.[9]Not everyone agrees this is a reference to the serpent, but if you do, you will see the serpent’s role before he deceives Eve. In verses 11-15, the king of Tyre is described as being the signet of perfection, in the garden of God, and covered with precious stones; an anointed guardian cherub; and on the holy mountain of God. This hardly describes an earthly king. These verses are likely references to the spiritual power behind the king. That will be discussed in a later chapter. Accepting that this is about the Serpent, we see that he was a member of God’s household and meant to be in the Garden of God, on God’s holy mountain. That being said, verse 15 becomes important.

Ezekiel 28:15

You were blameless in your ways

from the day you were created,

till unrighteousness was found in you.

The unrighteousness found in him could only have been found after he was in the Garden of God and considered a signet of perfection. Man’s original sin happens because of the initial sin of one who is counted among the elohim. The sin of the elohim is the subject of our next section.

The Second Rebellion

In our first section, we learned about the original sin. It’s not just man’s sin, but the serpent fell as well. This episode is often associated with humanity's separation from God. That’s true in a sense. They are expelled from the Garden of Eden, but the stories that follow seem to suggest the exile is more about separating them from the Tree of Life than from God. God appears with man after the fall.

In chapter 4, God is present with Cain and Abel. They bring him offerings, and He speaks to them. Even Cain, whose offering is rejected, has a personal conversation with God (Gen. 4:6). In the next chapter, we learn about the descendants of Adam to Noah. Within that sequence, we learn of Enoch. Enoch walked with God.

Gen. 5:21-24

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

A later descendant of Adam is Noah. After the second rebellion of chapter 6 we are told, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9). We are told later God calls on him to build the ark to preserve him and his family because of the coming judgement due to the second rebellion.

What is the Second Rebellion?

The second rebellion is briefly described in Gen. 6:1-4.

Gen. 6:1-4

1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

While the Bible offers only a brief description, the book of Enoch, a second-temple-period book, describes this rebellion in great detail. Enoch clearly describes divine beings called Watchers lusting after human women and taking them as wives. We will look at relevant passages from Enoch below. But first, I would like to consider why such an incredible story is only briefly mentioned in the opening chapters of the Bible. Some scholars believe that the first 11 chapters of Genesis were added later, after Israel became familiar with Mesopotamian literature that describes a similar event. Dr Heiser writes, “Because the content of Genesis 1–11 has so many deep, specific touch-points with Mesopotamian literary works, many scholars believe that these chapters either were written during the exile in Babylon or were edited at that time.”[10]I’ve no issue with accepting that they may have been edited during the exile, but the touchpoints I’ve mentioned with Egyptian creation myths prevent me from believing they were authored during the much later exile in Babylon. It is possible that God is preparing the Israelites for the culture they are about to encounter. There are giants in Canaan; they are related to the Nephilim in Genesis 6, and this brief story is meant to prepare them for what they will encounter.[11]It may even prepare them for what they will be asked to do. They will be asked to cleanse the land of the existing people and their cultures. They are told to expel some groups. They are told to destroy others.

The Book of Enoch

Minor debates continue to be had concerning the question of canonicity for the book of Enoch. The consensus is apparent, as Enoch does not appear in the canon; however, some argue that it should be included nonetheless. It is not an issue for me. I do not need the Book of Enoch to be a part of the canon to take it seriously. I need only to understand that the biblical writers were familiar with it and took it seriously. The fact that they did is shown by their use of it in Jude 6 and 2 Peter. Other references to it might be found in Paul’s encouragement to women to keep their heads covered because of the angels, and his reference to the purpose of the law being to inhibit the sin of the watchers in Gal 3:19.[12]  It is my opinion that we should make ourselves aware of anything that informed the authors of the bible. Second Temple literature, such as the Book of Enoch, falls within this category.

While Genesis 6 mentions the transgressions of the sons of God in passing, First Enoch describes it in detail.

                  Enoch 6:1-2

1 And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters.

2 And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.’ [13]

From there, a discussion among these angles is described. One seems to be the instigator. His name is Semjâzâ. He seems to think that the others will not do what has suggested and he will be left alone to face God’s wrath.

                  Enoch 6:3

And Semjâzâ, who was their leader, said unto them: ‘I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.[14]

The group totals 20 in all, and they are described as being the chiefs of 10, meaning there were 200 in all. The following chapter explains exactly what they did and the result of it.

Enoch 7:1-2

1 And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants.

2 And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: [15]

Ells is probably cubits, and the Ethiopic version has 300 cubits rather than 3000.[16]I doubt the point is to give exact measurements. Hyperbole is likely in play. They were big!

So far, we have enough to understand why Paul tells women to keep their heads covered. Hair was considered seductive, and the angels could be seduced or fall into lust. This will come up again later. As if this isn’t enough, the author goes on to describe further sins committed by the sons of God. They taught mankind things they were not ready for.

Enoch 8

1 And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures.

2 And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways.

3 Semjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqijâl, taught astrology, Kôkabêl the constellations, Ezêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiêl the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun, and Sariêl the course of the moon.

                  4 And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven. [17]

The opening verse of chapter 9 is relevant here.

Enoch 9:1

And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth.[18]

The sins of the sons of God have created chaos. They have produced giants, unnatural hybrids who cause death and destruction. It’s exactly as the author of Genesis has described.

                  Gen. 6:5

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

This is how the sins of the sons of God leave things. They have corrupted mankind with hybrid offspring and knowledge they were not ready for. It’s an expansion of the sin that started in the garden with the original villain. Men know more than they should, and it has brought death and destruction. God must intervene, and he does.

Gen. 6:6-8

6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Enoch 10:1-3

1 Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Urielto the son of Lamech, and said to him:

2 ‘Go to Noah and tell him in my name “Hide thyself!”, and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it.

3 And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.’ [19]

We now have a possible connection to the reason for the law as stated by Paul in Gal. 3:19. Why did God give the law to his people Israel? To keep them from taking up the forbidden way of the watchers. The third rebellion will help us gain a better understanding.

The Ziggurat  

In labeling this section, ‘The Ziggurat,’ I am referring to the Tower of Babel event in Genesis 11. This is the third event in an escalating sin problem[20]that eventually drives God to take what some might consider drastic measures. He divorces himself from mankind. This isn’t clear in Gen. 11. It becomes clear only after we consider Deut. 32:8-9.

Deut. 32:8-9

8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,

when he divided mankind,

                  he fixed the borders of the peoples

according to the number of the sons of God.

                  9 But the Lord’s portion is his people,

Jacob his allotted heritage.

It is clear that Deut. 32:8-9 is understood in the context of the Babel event. Dr. Heiser writes:

Deuteronomy 32:8–9 describes how Yahweh’s dispersal of the nations at Babel resulted in his disinheritingthose nations as his people.[21]

The Babel event caused God to divorce Himself from mankind, divide them into nations by language, and place them under the rule of His sons. What is it about the Tower of Babel that prompts God to take such seemingly drastic steps? It was their inheritance. God will give you what you continually ask for, even if it is bad for you. The parable of the prodigal son comes to mind. So does Israel’s desire for a king despite God’s warnings against it.

What did the tower communicate to God? There are a few options to choose from, but I see the tower as an invitation to the pre-flood gods, the fallen angels from Enoch, to return. The purpose of a ziggurat is to allow the gods to travel between the heavens and the earth.[22]The tower at Babel invited the gods to return with the forbidden knowledge the people hoped would make life easier. It doesn’t matter that the gods previously brought destruction through their hybrid children and forbidden knowledge corrupted men. Each new generation thinks it can take a failed idea and do it better than those who tried it before. The builders were correct about something. The tower did attract the attention of the gods, just not the ones they expected. Yahweh, the one who judged the world with the flood, came to see the tower. His reaction seems apparent to me. His judgment seems to say, “If you want the gods, I will give you the gods.” Dr. Heiser puts it this way, “This is the Old Testament equivalent of Romans 1:18–25, a familiar passage wherein God “gave [humankind] over” to their persistent rebellion.”[23]

A Temporary Problem

If we follow the trajectory of Genesis, we soon realize God’s judgment at the Babel event is not permanent. He has not abandoned mankind to the lesser gods forever. He quickly chooses a man named Abram from among the people to father his own nation. It will be called Israel, Jacob, his allotted heritage. Jacob is Abram’s grandson; his name becomes Israel, and he fathers the 12 tribal patriarchs of the nation of Israel. They will be a light among the nations (Is. 49:6). They are the guide who is to lead the people back to Yahweh.

There’s also no indication that God expects the sons he places over the nations to rule unjustly. He seems to have placed them over the nations as vassal kings. In fact, they are judged for not ruling justly later in the story. We will explore that in a later chapter. However, to strengthen the idea that the Bible is a narrative, and it ends by rectifying the problems spelled out in the beginning, it is appropriate to point out that these nations created at the tower event, the ones God placed under the sons of God, are gathered into a single place in the Revelation for God to deal with their rebellion. In the opening 11 chapters of the Bible, we see creation, temple building, rebellion by a single villain, and then rebellion by a larger group of divine rebels. We see the people’s choice of the divine rebels because of the lure of forbidden knowledge, much like that of the original rebel’s offer, and then God’s scattering of the nations as judgment. At the end of the story, we see those nations gathered together by the original rebel. They are gathered for judgment.

Rev. 20:7-10

7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Bible is narrative that ends the way it begins. We should approach it as such.

Conclusion

In this chapter, I introduced you to the original rebel, the first sin influencer. In Genesis 3 he is the serpent, but it is clear that the biblical authors develop the character over time and identify him as Satan. Satan is not alone in his rebellion against God. No sooner do we meet the original rebel than we meet the fallen sons of God from Gen. 6. They sleep with the daughters of men, producing giants, and share forbidden knowledge. This knowledge thoroughly corrupts mankind, so God judged the world and the rebels with the flood and began again with Noah and his family. This restart is soon corrupted by man’s desire to once again commune with the gods. They built a ziggurat to invite the gods to return, assuming they would bring with them forbidden knowledge that would help mankind to evolve. This is a step too far for God, and he judges them by confusing their language and placing them under the rule of lesser gods. All of this reinforces the idea that the Bible tells a story best understood from left to right. The problems presented in the opening chapters are ultimately resolved in the closing chapters of the Bible. The nations God scatters in the beginning, he gathers to judge the gods and the people who serve them. Those who reject the gods and believe the gospel are gathered as well, but not for judgment. They are gathered for adoption. Where do we go from here? We continue the story. We continue to push through the narrative to find our place in it.

Some notes to consider:

Change the conclusion to speak about the escalating sin problem and how the rest of the bible is correcting these issues. Especially the borders. This section would explain the problem of sin as escalating to the sons of God who fail to rule properly and take upon themselves the worship of the Most High (Ps. 82).  Jesus doesn’t come to forgive individual sins, but to redeem the nations, and all creation. He defeats the gods who have been given rightful claims to the nations but lose it because of their part in the death of Jesus. This condemns them and Jesus is awarded their dominion. God is not the king over all the nations, not just Israel. This is the point of Is. 52:7, “Zion’s God reigns.” This story from Gen. 11 and Deut. 32:8-9 explain the rest of the story. Israel’s history, coming into the land, and then the wars of the land, are all due to the borders. God makes war on the gods of Canaan taking their land, and then the gods came against God’s people making incursions into his land which he marked off clearly to Abraham and Joshua.  

On page 11 I suggest the angels falling into lust will come up again later. What did I mean?

On page 14 I state we will explore God’s judgement of the gods on a later chapter. Ensure you do that.

[1]Four if you count Cain’s rebellion in chapter 4. In vs 7, God tells Cain, “...sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” In my opinion, “sin” is the serpent. “Sin” is personified. It can be translated, “Sin is crouching at the door. His (Her) desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over him (her).” “Sin” is a feminine noun. “Crouching” is the word you would use for a lion that is ready to pounce. It is defined as lying down, but ready for action. See Rom. 5:12-21.

[2] Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 87.

[3] Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 87.

[4] 6874 עָרוּם (ʿā·rûm): adj.; ≡ Str 6175; TWOT 1698c—1. LN 32.24–32.41 prudent, shrewd, crafty, discerning, sensible, i.e., pertaining to wisdom and shrewdness in the management of affairs, showing a capacity for understanding (Pr 12:16, 23; 13:16; 14:8, 15, 18; 22:3; 27:12+), note: often referring to prudent, wise persons; 2. LN 88.262–88.270 crafty, clever, i.e., pertaining to being tricky and cunning, with a focus on evil treachery (Ge 3:1; Job 5:12; 15:5+)[4]

[5] Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 12.

[6]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apep

[7] Rick Brannan et al., eds., The Lexham English Septuagint (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Wis 2:24.

[8] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 2:7–9.

[9] Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 83. “Ezekiel 28 presents us with the tragic portrait of the prince of Tyre. The prophet uses the literary strategy of drawing on an ancient story of a divine being in Eden who thought himself heading “the seat of the gods” (Ezek 28:2), the divine council. This being was punished with expulsion from Eden to the underworld. The portrait of this being as a divine guardian cherub, using the imagery of brilliant, shining gems and a serpent, has conceptual links to Genesis 3.” (See also chapter 10 of the same work.) Dr. John Walton disagrees. See the following: Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 1377. “In the history of interpretation some have construed this passage as referring to Satan’s fall. Satan is not referred to in this passage, and he is never identified in the Bible as either having been a cherub (a guardian of sacred space, not an angel) or as having a role in the Garden of Eden. The passage tells us who it is talking about (Eze 28:12), and the background available makes perfect sense of that identification and the metaphoric analogies that the text uses. Sound interpretation calls on us to refrain from adding ideas into the text that are not there. Instead, when we enter the world of the Israelite author and audience we can fill gaps in our understanding with information that the cultural context provides.”

[10] Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 107.

[11] Additionally, there is some evidence that suggests the Israelites may have been familiar with giants in the land of Egypt. The following is from much later in Israel’s history. Nevertheless, it puts giants in Egypt. 1 Chronicles 11:23: “And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.” Goliath was six cubits and a span.

[12] Fallen Angels, Bastard Spirits, and the Birth of God’s Son: An Enochian Etiology of Evil in Galatians, Tyler A. Stewart.

[13]R. H. Charles and W. O. E. Oesterley, The Book of Enoch (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1917), Enoch 6:1–2.

[14]R. H. Charles and W. O. E. Oesterley, The Book of Enoch (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1917), Enoch 6:3.

[15]R. H. Charles and W. O. E. Oesterley, The Book of Enoch (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1917), Enoch 7:1–2.

[16] The Diagonal (Yale University Press. 1920) 98 (Pulled from A Companion to the Book of Enoch, Heiser, 75-76)

[17]R. H. Charles and W. O. E. Oesterley, The Book of Enoch (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1917), Enoch 8:1–4.

[18]R. H. Charles and W. O. E. Oesterley, The Book of Enoch (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1917), Enoch 9:1.

[19]R. H. Charles and W. O. E. Oesterley, The Book of Enoch (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1917), Enoch 10:1–3.

[20] Unseen Realm, Heiser. P 110. The divine transgressions of Genesis 3 and 6 are part of a theological prelude that frames the rest of the Bible. These two episodes, along with a third we’ll cover in this chapter, are core components of the supernatural worldview of ancient Israelites and the Jewish community in which Christianity was born.

[21]Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 113.

[22] NIV Cultural Background Study Bible, Keener and Walton. The key for understanding the tower of Babel is to realize that the tower was not built so that people could ascend to heaven, but so that deity could descend to earth.

[23]Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 113.