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The Promised Head-Crusher Prophecy was a sentence of doom for Satan: “The Seed of the Woman — the Messiah to come — will crush your head” (Genesis 3:15).
In these episodes with Mark Russak, we explore the possibility that fallen angels impregnated women in a vain attempt to corrupt the human bloodline and thwart the Messiah from coming. Who were the mysterious Nephilim? Dive deep with us. You decide.
A New Point of View
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Mark Russak
Mark Russak lives in the greater NYC area. He is a broadcast and media engineer. He is an in-depth student of Scripture, teacher, and content creator.
The Russak Outlook YouTube channel
Email: russakoutlook@gmail.com
Resources
This is Dr. Tim Mackie of The Bible Project on Genesis and the Nephilim:
This video segment is taken from the complete video, The Satan and Demons Question and Response — Bible Project. Scroll lower on this page to see additional videos and articles.
Who Are the Nephilim and What Is Their Origin? Dr. Michael Heiser:
In his book, The Unseen Realm: Discovering the Supernatural World of the Bible, Dr. Michael S. Heiser (Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Semitic Languages at the University of Wisconsin-Madison) unpacks this controversial topic by looking at the passages where the Nephilim show up, exploring a few explanations for the Nephilim’s existence before—and after—the flood. This article is adapted from The Unseen Realm.
Who Were the Nephilim with Dr. Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe:
Demonic Invasion with Dr. John MacArthur:
Dr. John MacArthur of Grace to You has done extensive studies on Genesis 6:1-4 and correlating scripture passages. See Demonic Invasion – Sermon and transcript by Dr. John MacArthur of Grace to You. “And here is one of the heinous ways in which they (demons) corrupted that early society. ‘The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.’ Whatever this is, it’s something different than marriage. Verse 1 deals with marriage, people multiplying and having babies. This, this is some twist on that, some perversion to that general normal pattern of marriage and procreation. This is some aberration of that.”
Were the Sons of God in Genesis 6 Fallen Angels? Who were the Nephilim? Dr. Peter Gentry of Phoenix Seminary
Scripture for Meditation, Prayer, and Proclamation
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. Genesis 3:15 NKJV
Now it came about, when mankind began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim (Lit., fallen ones) were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of mankind, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:1-4 NASB
The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God in Genesis 6:1-4 are understood as angels in other Old Testament references. See Job 16, Job 21, and Job 38:4-7.
But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” Numbers 13:30-33 ESV
And Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities. There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain. Joshua 11:21-22 ESV
And angels who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling place, these He has kept in eternal restraints under darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in sexual perversion and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude, the brother of Jesus, likely sees the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4 as angels or spiritual beings who rebelled and left their domain. They had sexual relations with the “daughters of men.” They are a subset of demonic powers who are now kept in “eternal restraints.”) Jude 6-7 NASB
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, held for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example of what is coming for the ungodly; and if He rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the perverted conduct of unscrupulous people (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and despise authority. 2 Peter 2:4-10 NASB
And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man: people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, and they were building; but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. Luke 17:26-30 NASB
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT — Episode 219: The Promised Head-Crusher … with Mark Russak, Part 1
Welcome to Jesus Smart, the podcast where we explore how Jesus Christ knows how our lives work best and is passionate about developing his followers as intimate friends and co-agents in his kingdom. I’m your host, Brian Del Turco, and if you want to go further with King Jesus and his enterprise, this is the podcast for you.
Jesus Dynamics: Planning Your Way While God Directs Your Steps
We all have a promised land we are destined to possess, both individually and together with others in the body of Christ. You have new promised territory in front of you right now—today, this week, this month, during this season.
Proverbs 16:9 tells us that the mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. The Hebrew word for “mind” here really means heart—the inner man, the inclination, thought, reflection, and the seat of emotions and passions. You plan your way, but the Lord directs your steps. The word “steps” in Hebrew means pace or stride.
The Lord has created the heart, and your heart knows. While the heart can be desperately wicked and deceive you, God gives us a new heart in Christ and circles us back to his design. Listening to the heart is good under Christ. Remember, before original sin, there was an original blessing. Just take that first step. The Lord works with us as we step into the promises.
Go ahead and plan your way to the best of your ability, trusting in what you are sensing from the Lord. He will then direct your movement as you step. That more accurate sense of direction and alignment comes in the stepping. More is given as you take your first steps. Paul said that we walk by faith, not by sight.
Proverbs 3:6 promises that in all of your ways, acknowledge him—which means to know him by direct, intimate contact—and he will make your paths straight, direct, and smooth.
Understanding Genesis Through Historical and Spiritual Lenses
I remember sitting in a seminary class where the professor expressed uncertainty about Genesis chapters one through eleven, suggesting these passages might be symbolic or mythological rather than literal. I take a different view. I stand in the school of scholarship and interpretation that takes a literal reading of Scripture in Genesis one through eleven, just as we do the rest of the Bible, including the intriguing passage we’re focusing on today: Genesis 6:1-4.
Two Essential Hermeneutics for Bible Study
Let me present two hermeneutics—models or patterns of interpretation for approaching Scripture. First, I’m a firm believer in a hermeneutic that is historical, cultural, and grammatical in nature. We look at the historical context, the cultural context of Scripture, and pay deep attention to grammatical interpretation through word studies, understanding what the Hebrew and Greek mean, how language is used scripturally, and how the Bible interprets itself.
I would love for you to consider wedding that hermeneutic with the hermeneutic of the Holy Spirit, who provides increasing illumination and understanding of Scripture. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture—Paul tells Timothy it is God-breathed. But on our end of the equation, as we engage Scripture, the Holy Spirit’s ministry to us is one of illumination.
In First John, we read that we all have an anointing from the Holy One, and we know things increasingly through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It’s very important for us, as we engage the Scriptures at a deeper level, to do it in community with others now and even in community with those who have preceded us—reading their writings, looking at commentaries, and exploring solid Bible study resources.
Hugh Ross, a Christian astrophysicist and founder of Reasons to Believe, says that we need a deepening understanding of nature, which is provisional—meaning our understanding is arranged for the present but possibly changed later with more information. I would add that our understanding of history can also be provisional. As we gain more materials, information, archaeology, and historical sources, our understanding of history can be refined into a more accurate picture of what happened.
We need both the Word and the wind. We approach Scripture humbly and openly, and we approach our understanding of nature and history in the same way.
Introducing Today’s Guest: Mark Russick
Brian: I’m excited to bring you today’s guest, Mark Russick. He’s a media professional, a deep student of the Word, and an excellent teacher. Thanks for carving out some time today to come on the podcast, Mark.
Mark: Delighted to be here. Thanks for the invitation.
Brian: We met through Steven Lauterbach and I began to look at some of your content. I’ve always instinctively believed what we’re going to be talking about today out of Genesis 6. I haven’t done super in-depth study in this area, but I think you have. Before we get into that, Mark, just give our listeners a point of reference about you and what you do, a little bit about your background.
Mark: Sure. I was raised in the Catholic Church as a traditional altar boy, attending Catholic grammar school and high school. While I instinctively believed I had a relationship with Jesus, I felt there was more than what I was learning at that point.
This began a ten-year journey where Mark attended different churches and denominations. Around age thirty, he gave himself fully to the Lord, unable to walk away from the truth of God’s Word. He was hungry for more of Him, and that began a thrilling lifelong journey.
Professionally, Mark has been involved in various forms of broadcasting and media for most of his career. During COVID, he began leading an online study covering various topics, and people encouraged him to get this information out there more broadly.
Mark: One of the things, and I say this very humbly, is that I believe the Lord has given me a gift as a teacher. So I wanted to use those gifts in my studies and make presentations that are clear.
My mission is really twofold: first, to engage the veracity of Christ and Scripture by addressing questions that nonbelievers, agnostics, and those who have fallen away from faith may have through honest intellectual conversation. I believe the church should have answers because Jesus is the truth, and we should always present truth respectfully. Second, I offer information to Christians that may help them share the Gospel of Jesus within their sphere of influence.
Brian: Excellent. I understand that in your content creation space you deal a lot with current events, Christian apologetics, and you really have a value in presenting both sides of an argument, enabling the listener to reach a conclusion. We’re really in a post-truth time, aren’t we?
Mark: Exactly. I almost draw the equation of making a purchase—if you need to make an informed decision, you need both sides of the argument. I like to present different perspectives, not relying solely on the Bible but bringing in archaeological evidence, eyewitness accounts, and historical records. The listener needs to make a decision. I kind of equate them as being the jury, and I’m presenting the case of the Lord Jesus Christ humbly, letting them decide whether this is truth or not.
Genesis 6:1-4: When Angels Impregnated Women
Brian: Today we’re examining a topic that may challenge your understanding: the very real possibility that angels impregnated women in early Genesis, and how this could inform our faith, prayer life, worldview, and the kingdom contribution we make.
Let me read Genesis 6:1-4: “It came about when mankind began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the Lord said, ‘My spirit will not remain with man forever because he is also flesh. Nevertheless, his days shall be 120 years.’ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of mankind and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”
I think the word Nephilim from the Hebrew means “fallen ones,” and some translations, including the Septuagint (the old Greek translation), translate this word as “giants.” Am I right about that?
Mark: Correct.
Giants and Hybrids in Popular Culture
Brian: Now, what do we have happening in popular culture today with movies or shows that are being produced which feature these hybrid creatures—part animal, part human, or part human, part angel?
Mark: Absolutely. Some of the more popular ones could be Wolverine and that franchise. You see them drawing it as good versus evil, and they have characters that are part man, part animal with different attributes not natural to mankind. You see that certainly in Hollywood movies and also a lot on television.
Brian: Yeah. Sometimes it seems like the world is more open to seeing things through a spiritual or supernatural lens than much of the North American church. Is that an overstatement, or…?
Mark: No, I think that’s fair. I’ll speak specifically as an American—we’re bombarded with media and information, almost a sensory overload that dulls our senses into what is critical thinking and thwarts our ability to process information correctly. I think that’s by intent and design.
The First Gospel Promise and Satan’s Response
Brian: Now, there’s this verse in Genesis 3:15, which I think theologians call the proto-Evangelium, or the first mention of the Gospel of the kingdom. Immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve, God comes on the scene and speaks to Satan through the serpent: “I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her descendant. He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
This is the first prophecy in the Bible—a Messianic prophecy. Satan obviously heard this declaration. I’m wondering if we need to imagine what he felt when he heard this and what his reaction may have been. You’re contending now, as we pick it up in Genesis 6, that Satan attempted to penetrate the human bloodline or the Messianic bloodline and corrupt it and stop this from happening. Is that correct?
Satan’s Attempt to Corrupt the Messianic Bloodline
Mark: That’s correct. You will see throughout the Bible that Satan attempted to thwart the bloodline leading up to Jesus. But I would just shift the paradigm for a second—Genesis 3:15 is really the Lord giving Satan his death sentence.
Brian: Okay.
Mark: It is the first prophecy in the Bible. I think as Christians we need to understand that Satan is obviously very much aware of who the Lord is, but he also knows the Bible probably better than a lot of people. So he understands what that means. This is a life and death situation for him. If he can thwart this attempt—which is kind of silly if you think you’re going to thwart the Lord—but nonetheless, if you’re being under attack, you’re going to do everything you can to fight whatever is attacking you.
If he can thwart this from happening, that means in essence he is really causing the Lord’s Word to not be true and not be correct, which means all bets are off at that point. So I see, in my opinion, that he began that stage by thwarting the bloodline leading up to the Messiah.
By that I mean, if you believe as I do that fallen angels went into the daughters of men and created this offspring, you’re looking at DNA that’s mutant DNA—it’s no longer human. It’s part human and part angelic, and therefore it is not the creation of God. God has not created these Nephilim, and that DNA is now potentially infesting the bloodline of the human race.
Three Views of Genesis 6:1-4
Brian: Yes, I understand. So take us through Genesis 6:1-4. Let’s let the listener consider this. I’ve been about 95% on this just instinctively over the years. Plus there’s some witness from the New Testament which I believe supports this interpretation. I understand there’s three different models of interpretation of Genesis 6:1-4. Maybe you could briefly take us through that survey and then begin to give support to your view that these were angelic beings who came down and had relations with women.
Mark: Well, I think the three theories—we’ll call them—are that the fallen angels are the sons of God, or that they came from a godly line of Seth, and then there’s the aspect of the mythological past. Those are the three that I believe you’re alluding to.
I would contend that these fallen angels are the sons of God—the fallen sons of God. So you’re going back to, I don’t want to go down a rabbit hole, but let’s just say at this point, before the fall of man, you had the fall of Satan.
Brian: Yes.
Understanding the Hebrew Terms
Mark: And so if you look at Genesis 6:4, it says there were Nephilim, and the implication there is giants. I’ll just briefly go through what that means. Nephilim is “fallen ones”—it is a fallen spirit and their offspring. The root word is “nephal,” which means to be cast down, to fall away. Then there is “havagibion,” which is “the mighty ones.”
When this was translated into Greek, it is “gigantes,” or as Spanish speakers would know it, “gigantes”—so they’re giants. There are so many records in human history of recordings of these giants.
Then if you continue, it says “in the earth in those days and also after that, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men”—human women. So right there in that opening verse, there’s a clear distinction between what the Nephilim are, what the sons of God are, and what the daughters of men are. You have the three classifications: part human, part angelic; then sons of God being angelic; and daughters of men being human women.
The Ancient and Scholarly View
Brian: Okay, so this was the early view, wasn’t it, of the early church in the early centuries of church history and even late Judaism before the incarnation of Christ? Wasn’t this the dominant view—that these were angels who came?
Mark: That’s correct. Yeah, that is correct.
Brian: And then maybe later, beginning with Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, and you know, you could look up maybe a modern theologian today who would believe that this is the godly line of Seth—referring to the godly line of Seth who came in and married the daughters of Cain, two different lines, and that God was displeased with that.
But there are also theologians today—I was amazed, Mark, when I was looking at this topic initially. What I’ll do is grab three mainline study Bibles and just look at them. I was amazed that all three—the John MacArthur Study Bible, which is quite scholarly; the Spirit-Filled Life Bible with Jack Hayford as general editor, again scholarly; and the Nelson New King James Version Study Bible—all three held to the ancient view. I was a little shocked. I was expecting that there would be this more modern view of Seth.
But okay, so angels. And we’re going back to the Hebrew word Nephilim, and then this phrase “sons of God” appears, what, five or six times in the Old Testament. Am I right about that?
The Hebrew Phrase “Sons of God”
Mark: I know you see that throughout the Book of Job. Luke—and I don’t know whether we’ll talk about this or not—even though it is not canonized, but the Book of Enoch makes reference to it. Depending upon what you’re reading, it can mean something else. In other words, “sons of God” could be a reference to Adam because Adam was a son of God—he was created by God. But then we are called the sons of Adam.
Brian: Yeah, yeah. So like in Job 1:6-7, for example: “There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.” Well, this is the exact Hebrew phrase, obviously referring to some form of spiritual beings or angels.
Again, in Job 2:1: “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.”
And then in Job 38:7, when God is confronting Job and talking about creation—you know, “where were you when I did all this?”—that whole conversation that God had with Job. “When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy”—that’s at the creation process. Again, angels.
I don’t know how you feel about Daniel 3. It’s an Aramaic passage, but when Nebuchadnezzar looks into the furnace, he sees four men instead of three, untied and walking about, and “the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Do you see that fourth one as a Christophany, an appearance of Christ, or would you possibly…?
Mark: I do. I see that as Jesus.
Brian: Okay, all right. It refers there to that same Hebrew phrase, “sons of God.” So it seems to me, the research I have done and I have looked at some credible sources on this, it seems that unanimously this particular Hebrew phrase “sons of God” unanimously refers to angels in Old Testament passages. Maybe with the exception of this Daniel 3 passage.
Mark: And again, that’s up for interpretation. I can’t say that definitively, and it’s really a topic for another time. But the way you—I have my reasons for believing.
Brian: I’ve always believed that was a Christophany too. And so it’s not a human, that’s for sure. Right? I mean, it’s not a son of Seth or any other kind of human.
New Testament Evidence
Brian: Now, what about the New Testament witness? Why don’t you talk about the passage in Jude and also Second Peter 2?
Mark: Sure. I believe you’re alluding to Jude 6, where it says, “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.”
So this would be an account of the sons of God, the fallen angels. But what’s interesting here is it says “left their proper domain.” Although we don’t necessarily understand exactly, or at least I don’t know what that means, but let’s just say that they have an assigned area from which they can operate, even though this is after the fall of Satan, and they’ve defied that and left.
The implication is they went down to Mount Hermon and engaged in fornication with women and basically raped them. Because of that sin, he has put them into—and later it goes into Peter—put them in Tartarus, which is, let’s call it, a level below what we would associate as hell.
And then Second Peter 2:4, and I believe this is what you’re alluding to, and if not, you can certainly clarify for me. It says, “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell”—or Tartarus—”and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment,” which inevitably is the Great White Throne judgment. I think that’s what you’re pointing to.
Brian: Yes.
Mark: There you have New Testament account of what was revealed in Genesis, but it’s kind of a little bit of further elaboration, specifically really from Jude, where he says they left their proper domain.
Brian: Yeah. And even back in the Jude passage, the verse you read—verse 6—and then it says in verse 7: “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in sexual perversion and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”
Now, the New American Standard has the word “angels” italicized—I guess the translators have added that; they believe that’s what it’s referring to back to verse 6. But what are your thoughts on verse 7 in Jude as it builds upon verse 6?
Mark: Read that passage again, verse 7. I don’t have that in front of me. I just want to make sure.
Brian: Well, I’ll start with verse 6, if that’s good. “Angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper dwelling place—these he has kept in eternal restraints under darkness for the judgment of the great day, comma, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in sexual perversion and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”
I don’t know if the “strange flesh” is a reference to the homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorrah or if it’s also…
Mark: Well, it could certainly point to that, but at the very least it points to a sexual perversion. And what I would say is, you look at—I believe it’s Luke—when the disciples ask him, “What will be the signs of your coming in the last days?” And he says, “It will be as in the days of Noah and as in the days of Lot.” So I really think that’s kind of…
Brian: What the statement by Jesus also includes Lot.
Mark: Yeah.
Brian: Okay, okay. That’s a fresh reminder for me.
Mark: I believe it’s Luke. There’s two passages in the Gospels, and I’m going to say Matthew and Luke. Yeah, Luke 17.
Brian: Okay, you know what? On the show notes page, we’re going to put all these Scriptures and some helpful links to dive further. We always like to put a “go deeper” section. So listening to this, you’re going to have that on the show notes page.
Okay, take some time with this and study. You know, I mean, you’re not going to do this in like one 60-minute session of study. But if you open up a thread of deeper Bible study on certain themes like this, it could be amazing. It could really be amazing.
So even in that instance in Sodom and Gomorrah, one scholar, one authority said that in Genesis 6, you have the angels initiating and going after human flesh. In Sodom and Gomorrah, there is almost an inversion of it. You have the humans, at least in the account there, wanting to have sexual relations with the angels who had come to visit Lot. Right?
Mark: Yep, that’s exactly right.
Brian: They were ready to tear the door off to get after it, if I could put it that way. Wow.
Okay, so then in Second Peter 2:4, you’re saying that God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell, committed them to pits of darkness, held for judgment, and did not spare the ancient world but protected Noah. All of this just precipitated Noah’s flood, right?
Mark: That’s correct.
Brian: And then verse 6, he mentions Sodom and Gomorrah. He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example of what is coming for the ungodly. Amazing.
So some New Testament witness or support for this interpretation of Genesis 6:1-4, linking it back to Genesis 3:15. Also looking at how the Hebrew phrase “sons of God” is used throughout the Old Testament. Now, what about Enoch?
Mark: And I would just add New Testament, but plus Jesus saying it as well.
Jesus’s Own Words
Brian: The premier part of the New Testament witness. Right. Jesus’s statement—again, quote that verse, quote that statement if you would, Mark, about the days of Noah.
Mark: Luke 17:26: “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up until the day that Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.”
Brian: Okay, so the days of Noah, you have every sort of sin going on. Right? Covetousness, murder, hatred. And also this egregious sin in this interpretation—angels coming down, crossing a barrier, and having sexual relations with women. And we will talk about how this can happen, like physically, what is the reproductive system. We can touch on this because I know people might be wondering about that.
And then also mentioning Sodom and Gomorrah later with Abraham after the flood. Tremendous sin going on—homosexuality. And again, this instance in that account that we have to think about: they are going after those angels. Humans are wanting to have sexual relations with those angels. Amazing. So now, what about Enoch? Enoch is quoted in Jude, right? Is Enoch quoted anywhere else in the New Testament?
The Book of Enoch Connection
Mark: Well, it’s mentioned in Hebrews. So let’s—so New Testament, Jude 1. That would be it. It says, “Also about these, Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones.'” So Jude is quoting the Book of Enoch.
Brian: Yep.
Mark: Then Hebrews 11:5 just alludes to Enoch where it says, “By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death.”
Brian: Yeah. And it gives witness to him that he was pleasing to God there, Hebrews 11:5. And God translated him. It’s really a pre-foreshadowing of the Rapture, right?
Mark: Correct.
Brian: Okay, so then Enoch talks in quite some detail about Genesis 6:1-4 and what he believes happened there.
Mark: Absolutely. Enoch—so the Book of Enoch goes into great detail.
Blending Scholarship with Spirit-Led Study
Jesus said the Holy Spirit will teach you all things and bring you into truth. John writes in First John that “you all have an anointing from the Holy One and you know all things.”
I encourage a blending of historical, grammatical, and cultural interpretation as a hermeneutic with full engagement with the Holy Spirit. Don’t merely do inductive Bible study without giving credence to the person of the Holy Spirit to help bring illumination. We should pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide our study.
Scripture shows us that angels circle the throne room of the Lord, and each time they circle, they see something new. The Lord is so fresh, so clear that his revelation and depth are available to us. We would be foolish not to engage the Holy Spirit and ask him for revelation, to shift our paradigm and see things from his perspective.
Those angels keep crying out “holy, holy, holy” forever because they keep seeing another facet of God. It’s the same with the extraordinary nature of the Bible—inspired, God-breathed. While always rooting ourselves in sound scholarship (and acknowledging there will always be differences in scholarship and interpretation), if you can find a strong dose of scholarship and it resonates with what you sense the Holy Spirit is saying to you, you’re in a safe space for deep Bible study.
What This Means for Noah’s Flood
All of this precipitated Noah’s flood. Second Peter 2:4-6 connects these events: God did not spare the angels when they sinned but cast them into hell, committed them to pits of darkness held for judgment. He did not spare the ancient world but protected Noah. He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, making them an example of what is coming for the ungodly.
There is powerful New Testament witness supporting this interpretation of Genesis 6:1-4, linking it back to Genesis 3:15 and examining how the Hebrew phrase “sons of God” is used consistently throughout the Old Testament.
Looking Ahead
This survey introduction calls us to deeper study. Why study this topic? When in doubt, zoom out. This is big picture world material that may shape your understanding and deepen it concerning spiritual warfare, prayer, and your own unique kingdom contribution.
At the show notes page at jesussmart.com/giants, you’ll find all the scriptures referenced in this episode, helpful links for deeper study, and a video featuring Dr. Hugh Ross, PhD astrophysicist, Christian apologist, and founder of Reasons to Believe, supporting this view of Genesis 6:1-4.
Stay tuned for part two of this conversation with Mark Russick, where we’ll dive even deeper into this fascinating biblical topic and its implications for our faith today.
Resources:
- Visit jesussmart.com/giants for full scripture references, study resources, and videos
- Learn more about Mark Russick’s ministry and content
- Subscribe to Jesus Smart podcast for part two of this conversation
Keywords: Genesis 6, Nephilim, sons of God, fallen angels, giants in the Bible, spiritual warfare, biblical interpretation, Genesis flood, Enoch, biblical prophecy, Messianic bloodline, Genesis 3:15, Christian apologetics, Bible study methods
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT — Episode 220: The Promised Head-Crusher … with Mark Russak, Part 2
Welcome to episode 218 of Jesus Smart, the podcast. This episode features part two of an in-depth dialogue exploring one of Scripture’s most mysterious passages: Genesis 6 and the origin of the Nephilim giants.
Brian: I believe that Jesus Christ knows how our lives work best in the now and that he is passionate about developing his followers as intimate friends and co-agents in his kingdom. If you want to go further with King Jesus and his enterprise, this podcast is for you.
I just took my shot of Linda’s sweet honey Ohio Raw natural wildflower premium honey straight out of the bottle. By drinking out of the bottle, I ensure that none of my daughters or wife will access any of my honey as well. It’s a little bit of glucose for the brain getting juiced up for the podcast. I don’t watch sitcoms—I like to make my own sitcoms by just giving shock value to the women around me. Penny and I, with our daughters, finally got together with my mom and sister and her family for Christmas just a couple days ago, January 23rd. My mom had Covid during December right before Christmas, so we had to delay that particular gathering. But we had a great time.
Understanding Your Promised Land
Brian: Before we get to part two of this bracing dialogue with Mark Russick, we have a new episode feature we’ve been rolling out called Jesus Dynamics. Dynamics are how things work and we’re seeking to apply the Jesus way to all dimensions of life. We all have a land we’re designed to fight for and possess. You may want to call it your promised land. Maybe I would call it Brian Land under God.
David said in Psalm 16:5-6, “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; you support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.” Firstly, to use a British way of saying it, the Lord himself is our inheritance. He is our first quest. Then the Lord supports our lot in life. From the Hebrew, it carries the concept of a decision, a portion, even recompense to make amends for harm or loss suffered.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Lines from the Hebrew, meaning a measuring line. You see, the Lord determines the dimensions of your life with your engagement. Not others. They don’t determine it, not your past, not even yourself apart from Christ determines it. The Lord determines it, and then we partner with him.
Now here’s the key: your view of the Lord and your view of yourself affects your ability to fight for and possess what the Lord has for you. Don’t look at your land through the lens of your grasshopper self. It’s likely there are big things you need to bring down. Cross the river and engage. And notice what David says in Psalm 16 after those verses: “I have set the Lord continually before me because he is at my right hand. I will not be shaken.”
You can go to the show notes page for this episode at jesussmart.com/giants. It’s a page which is burgeoning and growing, and I really want to build it out as a major page on the website. You can find links and additional resources to take it deeper.
The Promised Head Crusher Prophecy
Brian: The promised head crusher prophecy was a sentence of doom for Satan in Genesis 3:15, the proto-evangelium. The seed of the woman, God says, will crush the seed of the serpent. In this episode with Mark Russick, we explore the probability that fallen angels impregnated women who bore these mysterious Nephilim. You can dive deep with us in this episode and you decide.
We always want to approach the Scriptures with humility, and we understand there are different interpretations for passages. This is one of the most difficult passages in all of Scripture. But we’re pretty convinced just by using a solid historical, cultural, grammatical hermeneutic that this interpretation—the plain reading of Genesis 6:1-4—is that these were spiritual beings who engaged human daughters of men and produced the Nephilim.
I’m excited to bring you today’s guest, Mark Russick. He’s a professional with many years working in media for a major media company in the New York City area. He’s a deep student of the Word of God and a teacher. Mark, I appreciate the work that you do, the extra work. I know a little bit about what it takes to create content and you are putting out substantive, deep content. I know you’re working hard at it. You have to be. We appreciate the study and the content creation that you’re engaging.
Deepening our understanding of the big picture is a worldview issue. As our worldview is enriched—a biblical kingdom worldview—it gives perspective and affects everything. I’m excited about this topic today.
The Book of Enoch and Early Church Testimony
Brian: What about Enoch and maybe even other extra-biblical literature? We see Enoch quoted in the Book of Jude, a literal quote. We see Enoch referenced in Hebrews 11:5: “Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death. He was not found because God had taken him. Now before he was taken, he was commended as having pleased God.” This is quite an endorsement of Enoch in Hebrews 11, isn’t it? And of course the quote in Jude. So it’s not included in the Old Testament canon, is it? His writings. But yet it seems like the early church was very familiar with his writings.
Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery
Mark: That’s absolutely correct. It’s very clear that the early church was familiar and gave a high degree of credibility to its writings. One thing I would say right off the bat is the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the mid-20th century, which included all of the Old Testament outside of the Book of Esther—they were found intact, many different books. But what’s important is the Book of Enoch and some other books were also included in there, which means that the early church held a high degree of praise, I would say, or at least validity and substance to the Book of Enoch and some of the other books. There’s Jasher and the Book of Jubilees which allude to a lot of these writings in the early Old Testament, Genesis 6:4, and what’s called the antediluvian period. I think it’s very worthwhile to at least consider the writings of Enoch, and his first book in particular, which a lot of people hold in high esteem. I would just close in saying that the Ethiopian church also includes it as part of their canon.
Brian: It’s part of their scripture today, the Ethiopian Christian church. So it’s not included in the canon of the Western church or of Eastern Orthodox Church. We wouldn’t say that it rises to the level of inspired scripture that we hold, would we?
Mark: Correct. I would not say that. I agree with you.
Brian: We just see it as a corollary piece of literature that is quoted in the New Testament. Enoch himself is greatly commended in Hebrews 11:5. This discovery in the mid-20th century was massive in terms of Old Testament scholarship and archaeology. They discovered many manuscripts in these caves near the Dead Sea. It supports the accuracy of the whole manuscript tradition from the Old Testament, right?
Mark: That’s correct. And what’s so very important is it comes within 98% accuracy of what we read today in the King James. So that means we can have a high degree of comfort in knowing that the Bible that we read today is the same Bible that was written and quoted by Jesus and his disciples. Remember, in Jesus’ time, that’s the Bible, that’s the Word of God that they had, that they were quoting and referencing. This was written hundreds of years before Jesus, going back to at least their writings of these books. All of the prophecies of the birth of the Messiah and the crucifixion were written hundreds of years before Jesus and validated in the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Harmonizing Ancient Texts with Genesis 6
Brian: What about harmonizing some of this verbiage or phrasing from the Book of Enoch with the account in Genesis? Can you lead us through a few examples of that?
Mark: Sure. I’ll give you an example. Genesis 6:1-2 says, “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive, and they took as wives any they chose.” Enoch 6 writes this: “The angels, the children of the heavens, saw and lusted after them and said to one another, come, let us choose wives from among the children of men, and beget us children.” So that goes right in line.
The Book of Jubilees writes: “The angels of God saw them on a certain year of this jubilee as they were beautiful to look upon. They took themselves wives of all whom they chose, and they bore unto them sons that were giants.” Genesis 6:5-7, you can read the same verbiage very close to it in Enoch 7:3-7 and Jubilees 5:2-4. Genesis 6:8-10, you can find in the Book of Jasher chapter 4 and 5, Jubilees chapter 5.
Brian: Okay, so the Book of Jasher also references what Genesis 6:1-4 says?
Mark: That’s right, Genesis 6:8-10.
Brian: Jasher is actually referred to in the book of Joshua, right? When Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, does it not say that this was recorded in the Book of Jasher?
Mark: That’s exactly right.
The Early Church Understanding of Genesis 6
Brian: In Antiquities of the Jews, this is the esteemed Jewish historian Josephus. What is his quote again?
Mark: Here’s his quote: “Many angels of God accompanied with women and begat sons that were proved unjust despisers of all that was good on account of the confidence they had in their own strength. For the tradition is that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians call giants.”
Brian: Wow. So the Jewish scholarship preceding the birth of Christ and then early centuries of the Christian tradition believed in the older interpretation that these were angels in Genesis 6, right? Only later—I don’t know where it actually began, but I know that by the time of Augustine they came up with the sons of Seth view, and later on Thomas Aquinas and Luther. But the early understanding—and I’m just sharing my personal thought—one of the things that I like to think about when I think of biblical interpretation is to look at the generations that were closest to the events, like the early church, the first, second, third centuries. It seems that as we move through church history, we typically will begin to see a pattern of diverging doctrinally.
Mark: There’s another interesting quote by Josephus where he says, “The giants had bodies so large and countenances so entirely different from other men, they were surprising to the sight, terrible to the hearing. The bones of these men are still shown to this day unlike any credible relations to other men.”
How Angels Reproduced with Humans
Brian: This is absolutely wild. I know somebody’s thinking, and I’ve been thinking: how do these angels somehow, in terms of their physicality, materialize? How are they materializing with reproductive systems? Or could it be that they heavily demonized men—I was going to ask it this way—that they heavily demonized men, as we understand men, and somehow worked through that process of so possessing their bodies? What would you say to that?
Mark: I would say it’s not thoroughly conclusive, but the one thing that stands out to me is, number one, the account in Jude where he said they left their place, meaning their assigned position, and they came down to earth. We know they came down to Mount Hermon. I believe that they could have imparted themselves into men, that they had that ability to utilize sexual parts. If you go through a lot of the accounts in very ancient Egyptian cultures where a lot of this is pretty much prevalent, there are depictions of giants with very large privy parts or penises. There are accounts in Enoch of bestiality and accounts of engaging with animals. There are very freaky things that are written and accounted for. It would be my contention that they had some means of either possessing or engaging with men and coming about with those sexual organs.
Brian: I mean, we know that angels can eat, apparently. It seems that angels, when they visited Abraham, they sat down to a meal.
Mark: They looked like men.
Brian: They looked like men. It seems like the manna was called angel’s food, was it not? This is very interesting. I was actually dialoguing with a friend about this this morning on Signal. It says in Hebrews to entertain strangers, for some have entertained angels unaware, does it not? To express the gift of hospitality.
Mark: Yeah, that’s right.
Angelic Activity Around Christ’s Birth
Brian: Here’s a sidebar. Is it possible that angelic traffic around the birth of Christ and around the most early years of the church was so high because there was so much spiritual conflict going on in warfare? Were there angels on the earth walking around?
Mark: I absolutely believe so. Think about the birth of Christ and the announcement that the Lord made, that the heavens were rejoicing. Obviously they cannot do anything without the Lord’s consent. If you think about the shepherds in the field when Jesus was born, or the signs in the heavens—angels are sometimes referred to as stars—they could have been magnifying and seeing stars and just the rejoicing, the overwhelming party, I’ll call it, that Jesus has arrived on the earth to save mankind.
Brian: There was a lot of angelic activity. They’re showing up in dreams, guiding Joseph, I think guiding maybe the Magi. Those shepherds must have looked up into the Judean skies and saw the host, the angels, militant armies of angels. We know that Satan was trying to kill Jesus through Herod.
Mark: No question. You have so many different accounts. That’s really what I would contend is one of the missions and strategies of Satan—to destroy the bloodline leading up to the Messiah, as he did when you talk about Herod. There are so many accounts.
Satan’s Strategy to Corrupt the Messianic Bloodline
Brian: Leading up to it, can you give us a very fast track survey of the attempt of Satan to corrupt the Messianic bloodline throughout Old Testament history?
Mark: Well, yeah. You think about the beginning of Exodus, we know about trying to destroy the male child. That’s how Moses was set free down the river and born into that family. Then you had the ten plagues and killing of the babies. Then you think about Herod. Scripture points to no less than ten separate attacks on the bloodline from David in Second Samuel, Second Chronicles, Second Kings, and Esther. There’s a long lineage of biblical attacks to the bloodline of Jesus. I would say this was part of the strategy with the Nephilim, because he wanted to destroy the DNA.
Brian: And you’re saying this is all traced back to the proto-evangelium in Genesis 3:15, the first mention, the death sentence upon Satan.
Mark: That’s correct. That’s where Satan received his death sentence. Then it goes on further after Jesus is born because I’m sure Satan thought he had it won. Then to understand that was the game plan all along—but then he tries to stop the advancement of the Israelites, of the Hebrews. You can look to the Spanish Inquisition and World War II and the killing by the Nazis. Matter of fact, in 70 AD when the Romans conquered Jerusalem, they destroyed and killed over a million Jews.
Brian: Yeah, yeah.
Mark: Again, it’s the bloodline of Jesus and then his family.
Brian: Yes. And the parallel role of Israel developed alongside the church since Christ. The super sign of Israel reconstituting as a nation in 1948—that had to be another death knell for Satan, right?
Mark: Well, I would say if again, flip the paradigm, put yourself in Satan’s shoes. He sees in 1943, 1944, the buildup in Israel of the Hebrews and the government on the cusp of being built. So what does he do? Basically assigns or invades Hitler himself and attempts to eliminate the Jews.
Brian: That’s pretty clear, I think. So as to the reproductive process of Genesis 6:1-4, are you saying that either these angelic beings somehow materialized—I mean, we know that angels can eat, so they must have some sort of maybe super-enhanced digestive system or I don’t know, they’re eating. Could they have the capacity to materialize with some sort of reproductive system, or were they doing it through the demonization of some really dark humans that they gained control of? What do you think?
Mark: I would say it’s not definitive, but it would be my contention it could be either one or both.
Jesus’ Statement About Angels and Marriage
Brian: What about Jesus’ statement then, that angels do not marry in heaven? Some have said, see, Jesus said in Matthew 22 that in the resurrection—the Sadducees who don’t believe in the resurrection were trying to trap Jesus and they came up with this fantastic story of somebody who married seven different women. In the resurrection, Jesus says they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven. How is that different from the phenomenon that we’re seeing in Genesis 6?
Mark: He’s speaking about what would happen to us after we die, to those who were disciples of Jesus. But remember, again, I’m going to go back to Jude where they left their assigned place. So now they are in the earth and it says they married. Does that mean a wedding ceremony? I don’t think so, but I would contend that they forced themselves on these women and the implication is that they obviously had sexual relations with them and conjured that relationship. But I would not equate it to you or I and our wives being married today. That’s different than what they’re talking about.
Brian: And certainly the state of angels in heaven who have not abandoned their proper domain is different from those who have, right?
Mark: Correct.
Giants After the Flood
Brian: So what about giants who appear post-flood, like in the Promised Land? Apparently the Promised Land was full of them. I think one statement you had or piece of content you had said that it’s as if Satan made the Promised Land a minefield. He made sure that there were these giants in the land, and it goes all the way up to the time of David. Where did they come from? Giants after the flood.
Mark: Right. There are a couple of different thoughts there. Let me just put it this way: it’s a question that I think Christians wrestle with. What happened to the Nephilim or these giants? Why did they appear in the Old Testament after the flood?
Let me backtrack a little bit. It’s important to notice that God eliminated the Nephilim himself. In the Old Testament after the flood, God empowered the Israelites to eliminate the Nephilim and their families. He listed seven tribes. We have many different accounts from it. You can go to Goliath or King Og and others where he assigned Joshua and others to kill, destroy, eliminate every man, woman, and animal in those tribes. That’s unlike the nature of God. So clearly there was something important there. But he gave the power to the Hebrews, to the Israelites, to do that. So we know that they were there. The question is, how did they get there?
Possible Explanations for Post-Flood Giants
Mark: It’s possible that they could have gone in the water, some of them, during the flood. We know First Corinthians—Paul lays out there are different kinds of flesh in First Corinthians 15 where he says there’s flesh of men, flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. If you go to Genesis 6 when talking about the flood, he eliminates every man except for the eight—Noah and his family—beast, creeping thing on the earth and fowls of the air, never alluding to anything in the water. So it’s possible that they could have gone into water, and because that type of flesh is omitted from that statement. What else is interesting in my view is Satan is often referred to as Leviathan, that ancient serpent, which is aquatic in nature.
The other possible train of thought—it’s a little out there—but Genesis 9 says that Ham is the father of the Canaanites. We know that the Canaanites were one of the tribes of the giants that got ordered to be eliminated. In the Book of Jasher, supposedly the wives were selected seven days before getting onto the boat.
Brian: Noah’s sons, right?
Mark: Noah’s sons. I’m sorry, the wives of Noah’s sons. I apologize. There are some that believe that maybe that bloodline could have been contaminated because, remember, it says that Noah and his family were pure. It does not include necessarily the wives. It’s alluding to Noah’s wife and the three sons. So it’s possible. I’m just kind of putting that out there.
Brian: Could there be another option as well, that this sort of event happened again, that other angels abandoned their proper abode?
Mark: I would say that it’s certainly possible, but there is no mention of it in Scripture.
Brian: Yeah, there’s no mention of it. We just know that there were giants, right?
Mark: We know. And look, we can view everything around the world today. There are umpteen signs of ancient giants and I will call them supernatural beings that roamed the earth with man. So they were here, there’s no question about it.
Global Evidence of Giants and Supernatural Beings
Brian: So are you talking about archaeological evidence or bones or what are you referring to around the world?
Mark: What I would refer to is those megalithic structures. For instance, the pyramids—they are built with such a high degree of sophistication and weight that they needed to be done by supernatural beings that could not have been done by man. The Colossi of Memnon, Stonehenge—45, 50 tons, and they’re put together with sophisticated pins. You look at the Golan Heights, Puma Punku where you’ve got 25-foot high structures of 100 tons and they’re artistically created and they have clamps in them. The human heads of Easter Island—they’re 13 feet high, they weigh 14 tons. Stone jugs of Laos—there are thousands in the field that are 30,000 pounds. The Mayans and the villages and pyramids in Peru and Mexico—we’re littered with this. On top of it, you have all of the archaeological digs of these colossal giants where you can reproduce and put together skeletal structures that are 15, 18, 20, 25 feet long. So they’re there for us to witness today.
Brian: Okay, yeah. So theoretically this could have been a planetary event, not just something that happened in the Middle East or in the land of Israel or near Israel. There’s evidence around the world of this.
Mark: I think it clearly started near Israel in the Middle East. You can go to the Egyptians. If you look at the pyramids and the sophistication of these buildings, and they’re lined with certain stars and the cosmological alignment is just astonishing. It can’t be done by man. They didn’t have the tools that they needed. There’s no question that this expanded from that standpoint of beginning in Mount Hermon and Israel and Lebanon and that valley in Egypt. But we see that in South America, Central America, Easter Island as I mentioned. So it definitely expanded beyond that portion of the Middle East.
UFOs, Aliens, and Spiritual Warfare
Brian: I just have a couple more questions. What would you say to the issue of—there are those maybe in the New Age movement, or maybe they’re into some really extreme pursuit of knowledge about aliens or something like this that really may get off into something very extreme about this. How do you differentiate that from the biblical account, the exegetical evidence that we see scripturally, looking at the New Testament witness, looking at the Old Testament Hebrew, looking at even some of the religious texts that were known by people of faith and by the early church? Can you differentiate that? You know what I’m saying?
Mark: I think there is a correlation. I would say, number one, the Word says that we are in this world but not of this world. So that in and of itself is alluding to another world outside of here. We need to kind of put on our hat and not just necessarily look at the vantage point of what’s directly in front of us.
I personally think it’s interesting that the government, I think it was last year, released a fair degree of accounts by the government of sightings of UFOs or whatever you want to call them, with videos of military pilots and what they’re seeing. It’s well documented. Interestingly enough, a lot of that goes directly into the ocean. This is possibly alluding to some of the things that may have been available back then. It’s an element that we don’t necessarily understand. So there could be a correlation there. I personally think that there is. And why is this information being released by the government now? For years, if you believed or said anything like an alien spacecraft, you were considered a crackpot. But now you have the government saying, yeah, we’ve been visited. We don’t know what it is or what the capabilities are, but it defies anything that we know. It can go from zero to 600 miles an hour on a dime and it can turn and navigate.
I’ll just close—I don’t want to go down a rabbit hole with you—but there are some who believe, if you believe in the pre-tribulation rapture, that this would be one of the reasons that they would use as to why the Christians are gone, that they were taken by aliens.
Brian: Yeah, it’s sort of priming the global population to have a really erroneous excuse as to what happened.
Mark: Correct.
Brian: Yeah, I think that’s a very clear possibility for sure.
Mark: I would say so, yeah.
Practical Applications for Spiritual Warfare
Brian: What would you say then, just as a last question—we’re advocating study, aren’t we? Study the Scriptures, really, really study the Scriptures. Really look to the Holy Spirit for illumination and look at some of the corollary evidence as well—archaeologically, megalithic structures and so forth. But how can this possibly shape our understanding of spiritual warfare? Let’s just close and make it practical. Our prayer. Can it scale up our prayer? Can it change our worldview? You have any thoughts on this?
Mark: Well, I do. I would say, number one, look at the degree that Satan has gone in attacking Jesus, attacking the body, attacking mankind, attempting to impart his will and defying the will of God. He is at war and we are supposed to be at war. I think a lot of times, particularly in the West and as Americans, we don’t necessarily understand or do not acknowledge the gravity of what we’re at war with.
Then you have the potential—we didn’t really get into it, but these Nephilim, when they die, where do they go? Because they’re part angelic being but they’re part human. They’re not created by God and they don’t have an assignment from God. According to Enoch, these are spirits that roam the earth. So it’s possible that we’re dealing with spirits here. Jesus and the Holy Spirit—one of the gifts that we have is the discerning of spirits. Do we tap into these gifts? Do we acknowledge the power of the Holy Spirit? What’s inside of us?
The Word says we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities and princes of the air. Do we put on the weapons of our warfare? Are we willing to engage and submit ourselves to intercessory prayer, to doing what is necessary to free the oppressed, to free the sick? I’ve said before that it’s possible, and I believe in my heart, that many of these mental institutions and hospitals are filled with people who are oppressed or demon possessed. I think there’s a mission field there for the church if they would acknowledge that. Not that it’s an easy thing to do, but let’s face it, why did Jesus give us the gift of discerning of spirits? There’s a reason behind it and we need to tap into it. We need to do everything that we can and avail ourselves.
Last, I’ll close by saying I think it’s important to engage people in conversation. Look at the megalithic structures. Look at what’s practical. Look at what anybody can see with their own eyes and ears and acknowledge they can find this on the internet if they’ve not been to some of these places. Then how did they get there? Engage in conversation. Go down there. That requires, as you’ve been kind of alluding to all along, we need to be studying. We need to be spending time in the Word. Let’s look at some of our past teachers, some of the early church, some of the early church writings. There’s so much information that we can glean and learn from, and that’s working together. I would say that that’s part of what you and I are doing right now. We’re talking about building up of the church and edifying one another, but also reaching out to the lost.
Brian: Yes, yeah. Well said. I mean, did not Jesus say, if I cast out evil spirits by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you? Did he not? In a sense, a core definition, a core capacity of the kingdom is the displacement of dark powers. I mean, I think he said that. I know he said that.
Mark: He absolutely did.
Brian: And so it’s a shame if the world is becoming more interested in spiritual things—
Mark: And that’s an opening for us.
Brian: Yes, it’s an opening for the North American church to really game up, because the world is going to get confused and get into a counterfeit understanding of these things, and it’s dangerous territory. But the church—there’s just much here.
Building Biblical Literacy and Engagement
Mark: Just remember that there’s an inherent desire from people to know the truth. If you give it to them straight, if you give them the real—there was a recent survey that was done, I believe by the Pew Church, and they were getting into the Millennials. Bottom line is they acknowledge Jesus is real, but they felt like the church is just kind of glossing over it or giving them, just trying to appease them. They’re hungry for relationships with Jesus and we need to offer that.
There’s a gentleman named Mario Morello who I personally like a lot. He said we don’t need skinny jeans and fog machines. We need the preaching of the gospel in the church. I would agree with him. I think a lot of times we try to appease the culture rather than just stick to who Jesus is and the authority that he’s given us.
Brian: Yeah. A lot of times we come to the Lord and we’re in these theological systems of belief that are limiting. We have to be open, I think, to the Word of God, to the Holy Spirit. If the Lord wants to break us out into new understanding, then we have to be willing to follow Jesus in that, not just remain sort of contained in a theological or doctrinal system that we’ve always known, which may be limited. I don’t mean to be offensive to anybody, but I think we have to be open to that.
I appreciate this so much, Mark. How can people learn more about your content? Where would you direct them? What about social media?
Connect with Mark Russick
Mark: Sure. Let me say thank you and God bless you for the work that you’re doing. I so appreciate it. You’re such a precious commodity to the body of Christ, and I just want to thank you for your efforts. As for me, russakoutlook.com is the website, and I try to be posting videos at least once, if not twice a week. There’s a YouTube channel—just look up Russak Outlook. You can do a search on that. We’re also on other social media platforms. We’re on Facebook, we’re on Instagram and Twitter, and whatever we can do to get the word out. I am personally looking to engage people with the proper information, and if they don’t know the Lord, that this will give them some information to consider.
Brian: I appreciate your work. Appreciate what you’re doing, Mark. It’s R-U-S-S-A-K, Russak Outlook. There is a podcast on all the major podcast platforms but also YouTube. The YouTube channel—you kind of simulcast your audio podcast on the channel, don’t you? And you have graphics and charts and slides that you show, right?
Mark: What I do is PowerPoint presentations on YouTube, and then the audio is streamed on all the different podcast platforms. This year, hopefully next couple of weeks, we’re going to be expanding. I’m building a little video studio and we’ll be expanding that. Just trying to get the information out, engage people on different platforms, getting into live streaming. We’ll be doing some live streaming and hopefully some guests. We’d love to maybe have you on, would love to return the favor. I’m kind of looking to where the Lord leads. I believe one of the things he’s impressed upon me is to engage more in video as well as the podcast, get into some live streaming, engage with others, talk with others. I’ll have some guests on and we’ll see what the Lord wants to do. But my efforts are to be led by the Holy Spirit.
Brian: I appreciate that you’re leaning into it. You’re leaning into it. I think there is a rising tide, so to speak, of content creators. I believe the Holy Spirit is surfacing and emerging fresh new voices. I think it’s happening. It’s all part of the grander picture of things. Well, thank you, Mark. I appreciate you. God bless you.
Mark: God bless you. I’ll talk to you soon.
Expert Perspective: Dr. Hugh Ross on the Nephilim
Brian: Here’s that promised audio excerpt from Dr. Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe. Who were the Nephilim?
Dr. Hugh Ross: Well, like with any controversial issue in the Bible, you want to look at all 66 books, not just what you see in Genesis 6. It turns out this subject pops up again and again as you look at other books of Scripture. It says in Genesis 6 that they were present before the flood and after the flood. So there are two inputs of the Nephilim going on.
What you see in Genesis 6 is that they’re the result of the sons of God visiting the daughters of men. Evidently this is happening before and after the flood. As you go on in the rest of the chronologies of the Bible, they show up again, often with different names like the Anakites or the Rephaim. The Nephilim—they’re all interchangeable terms. What you notice is the last appearance you see of them is in King David’s time. King David’s mighty men wiped out the last of the Nephilim.
They’re tall. I mean, the shortest one we see mentioned is Goliath. Using the shortest possible cubit in Hebrew measure, he’s at least 9 feet 9 inches tall. Then you’ve got the king of Bashan who had a bed that was at least 13 feet long, made out of iron. So these were big people. The other thing you notice is no mention of women. They’re all men and they have birth defects like six fingers and six toes. We also know they’re all evil. None of them are good. But they were mighty men in battle and they were a threat to the emerging Hebrew nation and Hebrew religion. That’s why God set up procedure where they could be eliminated from the human race.
Go to Jude 6. Jude 6 talks about a subcategory of evil angels, the fallen angels, the demons who left their estate. Because they left their estate, they were consigned to the abyss, a place that the demons don’t like at all. It’s quite clear when you read the Gospels—every time Jesus cast out demons, they said don’t send us to the abyss. Jude is indicating it’s a special place for demons who crossed the line.
Brian: Well, it’s a very interesting hypothesis and I know that there are other competitors. This isn’t the only one. What would be your recommendation as people study Genesis 6 for themselves? How to think this through?
Dr. Hugh Ross: What I did in Navigating Genesis is lay out the three predominant hypotheses, give people the Scripture passages, and tell them: read these passages and draw your own conclusion.
Continuing the Conversation
Brian: Thanks again, Mark Russick. You can explore the Russak Outlook podcast—look it up on your favorite podcast app. He has a correlating YouTube channel and you can stay in touch with the content that Mark is creating. Again, the show notes page jesussmart.com/giants—we’re building it out. It’s rich with links and resources. Check it out.
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Jesus Smart is a podcast exploring what it means to follow Jesus Christ as the smartest way of living. The future belongs to him, and walking with him now allows you to catch the brilliance of what he’s bringing in the new heavens and new earth.