The Corruption of Humankind

We are witnessing a resurgence of the corruption that plagued us in the past. Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection were necessary in order for God to rectify the impact that the rebellious angels had on humankind. Once more, today, we are observing the reemergence of the rebellious influence that had previously affected humankind. Have these malevolent spirits resurfaced, or have they been present in our midst throughout? The question arises whether the scripture is telling the complete story if these spirits were locked away until the final judgment, showing that if they are still around, there is more to the story. Does the corruption of society today pertain to the teachings of Jesus to his disciples in the gospels, as well as the warnings given by Paul and Peter regarding the last days? By carefully examining ancient writings and the scriptures, we can gain valuable insights into the peculiar occurrences we witness in the present day. These texts shed light on the significance of Paul’s writings in 2 Corinthians and Ephesians, particularly identifying our adversaries and how we are to prepare to confront these spiritual entities.

Let’s begin:

Ephesians 2:1–10. “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of humankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

In a display of divine justice, God took hold of the fallen angels and placed them behind bars. It doesn’t pertain to you and me. The watchers’ influence on humankind had a profound impact, ultimately leading to the catastrophic flood that wiped out all of humanity. Tasked with starting over, Noah and his family embarked on a new journey, free from the corrupt presence of the watchers and the remnants of the giants destroyed in the flood. Despite this, their spirits remained bound by God, as the scriptures show. Regardless of all the doctrinal studies and speculation about the Bible, our belief in Jesus and His redemptive actions remains unaffected. Our present reality is marked by an enduring cosmic battle between heaven and the underworld, which has profound implications for our connection with God and the way we interact with one another. Regardless of the circumstances in the netherworld, we are unequivocally Christ’s, and He is unequivocally ours. In our daily lives, we rely on our faith in Christ to guide us. We have a significant role to fulfill in the grand cosmic struggle. Regardless of the season, our mission is to spread the gospel to all who are open to receiving it. The various denominations or non-denominations, their comprehension, merely reflect their spiritual growth in the Lord. Let’s refrain from being vindictive towards anyone who professes their beliefs. If they claim to believe, I have no reason to question their sincerity, unless their actions mirror those of fallen angels or exhibit a lack of holiness. Similar to me, I am not flawless (mature), yet Christ is; and aspiring to be like Jesus means attaining growing up in Christ, which will manifest in a loving heart and a focus on the kingdom of heaven.

2 Corinthians 10:4–6 (ESV). “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.”

Obstacles: 

The evidence of the Dead Sea Scrolls has shown that the earliest surviving apocalypse is not the book of Daniel, as had long been thought, but the Book of Watchers found in chapters 1–36 of the compilation of five apocalyptic chapters known as 1 Enoch. In chapter 14, Enoch, who, according to Gensis 5:24, walked with God and then vanished because “God took him,” ascends to heaven, where God is manifested to him. This is the first personal account of a bodily ascension in Jewish literature. Enoch is mentioned again in Hebrews 11:15. “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: (He could not be found, because God had taken him away.) For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.”

Most Christians and Christian leaders know next to nothing about 1 Enoch. Few have read the book. It’s unreasonable to expect most Christians to have ever thought about the importance of 1 Enoch’s recounting of how the Watchers’ sin and corruption of humanity needed to be reversed by the Messiah. This element of New Testament theology is basically absent from popular Christian understanding of the New Testament. There are several reasons for this systemic ignorance. Foremost is the matter of canonicity. A handful of important early Christian writers, such as Tertullian, Irenaeus, Origen, and Clement, either advocated 1 Enoch as worthy of canonical status or considered it authoritative on certain matters of truth and doctrine. The book was assigned full canonical recognition in the Ethiopian Church. Heiser, M. S. (2017).

The assumption that uninspired ancient books aren’t valuable for understanding Scripture is deeply flawed. Biblical writers in both testaments show detailed knowledge of ancient writings now known to the modern world. That this material wasn’t inspired didn’t bother biblical writers. It is well known among scholars, for example, that Old Testament covenants follow the structure of differing types of ancient Near Eastern treaties, that prophets and psalmists quote from the Baal Cycle (e.g., KTU 1.5.I; Psalm 74:13), and that Solomon borrowed material from the Wisdom of Amenemope for Proverbs 22:17–23:11. In the New Testament, Paul’s quotations of Greek poets are well known (Acts 17:28, Epimenides and Aratus; 1 Corinthians 15:33, Euripedes or Menander; Titus 1:2, Epimenides) as is the use of the apocryphal (“deutero-canonical” to Roman Catholics) Wisdom of Solomon in Hebrews 1:2 (Wisdom of Solomon 7:26). These are far from the only instances Heiser and others point out.

1 Enoch (1–36), Book of the Watchers 

1 Enoch 15: 1–7. And He answered and said to me, and I heard His voice: Do not be afraid, Enoch, you righteous man and scribe of righteousness. Approach and hear my voice. Say to the Watchers of heaven, for whom you intercede: “You should intercede for men, and not men for you.” Why and for what cause have you left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and had sex with women, and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men and taken to yourselves wives (Genesis 6:1–4; Numbers 13:33), and done like the children of earth, and begotten giants (as your) sons? Though you were holy, spiritual, living the eternal life, you have defiled yourselves with the blood of women, and have begotten children with the blood of flesh, and, as the children of men, you have lusted after flesh and blood like those who die and are killed. Therefore, I have given men wives, that they might impregnate them, and have children by them, that deeds might continue on the earth. But you were formerly spiritual, living the eternal life, and immortal for all generations of the world. Therefore, I have not appointed wives for you; you are spiritual beings of heaven, and in heaven was your dwelling place.

Luke 20:34–36  And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to get that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

1 Enoch 16:1. And at the death of the giants, spirits will go out and shall destroy without incurring judgment, coming from their bodies their flesh shall be destroy until the day of the consummation, the great judgment in which the age shall be consummated, over the Watchers and the godless, and shall be wholly consummated. 

Matthew 8:28–29. And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

1 Enoch 16:2–4. And now as to the Watchers who have sent you to intercede for them, who had been in heaven before, (Say to them): “You were in heaven, but all the mysteries of heaven had not been revealed to you, and you knew worthless ones, and these in the hardness of your hearts you have made known to the women, and through these mysteries women and men work much evil on earth.” Say to them therefore: “You have no peace.”

Moving along.

1 Peter 3:14–22 (ESV), and reflection on two books and what they reveal.

“14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”

It is been widely acknowledged by various scholars that the Jewish traditions surrounding Enoch, specifically those related to Genesis 5:24, particularly the book of 1 Enoch, have had a significant impact on Peter’s thinking and potentially even his choice of words. In the book of 1 Enoch, spirits are mentioned as the souls of the deceased, however, they are always described with qualifying genitives, such as in Hebrews 12:23.

You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.

Heiser: Who are the imprisoned spirits? The context links them to the days of Noah, right before the Flood, but this connection is not enough to answer the question adequately. Are these spirits the departed souls of the people who perished during the Flood? Do these individuals refer to the fallen sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6:2 (the Watchers) who engaged in sinful relations with human women? Do these spirits represent the ethereal watchers of deceased Nephilim or demons? Is the reference to “spirits” applicable to everything mentioned earlier?

Wommack: Lucifer, who was God’s most prominent angel, was sent to earth by Him to serve Adam and Eve. At that point, Lucifer had not yet disobeyed God and transformed into Satan. He was a divine angel sent by the Lord Himself on a special mission in the Garden of Eden.

Hebrews 1:13–14. And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

All angels are assigned to minister to our needs. Lucifer was not sent to Earth by God to tempt Adam and Eve, but to serve and minister to them.

He entered the garden with a divine mission. But once he arrived, he misbehaved. Most of our knowledge about the angel known as Lucifer, who later became Satan, comes from Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 14:4, the prophet started both passages by addressing two individuals, the king of Babylon and the king of Tyrus, in Ezekiel 28:12.

The words of the prophet in Isaiah 14:12 and Ezekiel 28:13 clarify that the focus is on the demonic power behind the physical person being addressed.

The term “spirits” in 1 Peter: 3–19 is often rendered as “pneuma” and commonly refers to non-human spirits, like angels or malevolent spirits, or even the ethereal essence of a deceased person, a ghost (Matthew 14:26, Luke 24:37).

It is worth questioning whether Peter’s terminology for referring to humans in other contexts can apply to spirits that are not human. Peter mentions in 1 Peter 3:20 that eight people were safely brought through water. Psychē, as a term, is specifically limited to describing human spirits and not those of nonhuman beings. Instead, it refers to the vital essence of human existence, the innermost thoughts and feelings, the desires and emotions, or the departed spirit or soul of a human being. What Peter is actually referencing in the nonhuman sense begins in Genesis 6:1–4, and Numbers 13:33, the watchers. This is where Wommack picks up the story by stating that in the beginning the angles were sent to minister (watch) the humans, and to minister to their needs.

Heiser: Nowhere in biblical literature is the world of the dead, called phylakē. In the Syriac Peshitta version of 1 Peter 3:19, ev phylakē is rendered by “in sheol.” This is an interpretation rather than a strict translation, which derives from the later church tradition, found in Syriac writings, of Christ’s “harrowing of hell.” In this tradition, sheol is regarded as a prison in the keeping of Satan, from which Christ at his descent to sheol liberated all the souls of the dead. This later, non-biblical tradition cannot be used to interpret the text of 1 Peter 3:19. Phylakē is used in the New Testament for the prison in which Satan is chained: “And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison.” This usage is normal. It is important to note that, in both [1 Enoch and 2 Enoch], the fallen angels are described expressly as “in prison,” or in equivalent terms “locked up”. In 1 Enoch, they are condemned by God to prison as they await their final judgment (1 Enoch, 14:5).

The reference to the spirits being imprisoned is decisive. Any literate Second Temple period Jewish reader of 1 Peter 3:19 would have understood that Peter was referring to fallen nonhuman spirits, the Watchers who sinned before the Flood (Genesis 6:2).

Wommack: Why Jesus Came Since God is a Spirit and doesn’t have a physical body (John 4:24), and since He gave the power and authority over the earth to physical human beings, He would have been unjust to come down here and intervene in the affairs of man. He couldn’t just step in and straighten out the mess. He had the power to do so, and as Judge He could have said, “Alright, I’m tired of this whole mess. I’m going to wipe out the entire human race.” He came close to doing that with Noah and the flood. As Creator and owner, He’s always had the right and privilege, but outside of total judgment, He didn’t have the authority to just come into the affairs of men and change things. He didn’t have it because He had given that authority to rule and reign over the earth to humankind. (Psalm. 115:16.) Even though they used that authority in a way contrary to what He desired, God would have been unjust and untrue to His own statements to come down here and change things. Therefore, God had to become a man. This is the reason that God had to send His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to this earth. It all comes back to this issue of authority being given to physical human beings. God didn’t have a physical human body, so He wasn’t free to just operate unrestricted on this earth. He had to become a man. Jesus—the Word made flesh, the God Man had to become a physical person so that He could have authority on this earth. John 1:14. God couldn’t have saved humankind any other way. Until He got a physical human body, He was limited in what He could do. He tried to work through people, but they were all corrupted, deceived, and under the devil’s control.

My reason for this article is to reveal that much of what we have been taught is not as complete as one believes. These watchers that desired human sexual activity to corrupt and pervert humankind are spoken about throughout the Old and New Testaments; but we are not taught that these ancient texts have a purpose and that they should bot be hidden. Instead, we are taught what man wants us to be taught. God is not someone who people should have full knowledge of. People are to address, and trust in the church instead. We are given a glimpse of us gaining power through Christ, by faith, and by professing that faith only to be told that portions of what Jesus is conditional. Miracles, healing, casting out of demons were for the apostles we are told.

True is the fact that Jesus did not reclaim what Adam and Eve lost and returned it to us. No, we are given the power Adam and Eve had through Jesus Christ alone, where we exercise His dominion over the earth if we believe and trust in Him and the promises He gave to us.

The entire issue of the watchers, giants, and other fallen angles has not entirely departed. According to scripture, God locked up these rebellious angles, but the spirits of the giants may still roam around harassing people in their dreams, thinking, emotions or while they daydream. Who but God knows for sure? Ancient Jewish text, these spirits were believed to be around during the 2nd temple period and the Jews then understood this. Second temple period Jews and others were aware of Enoch’s text, as we can see throughout the scriptures. These spiritual beings are around today, corrupting humankind with abandon, and we humans, believers or not, permit them to ruin lives because we are not taught that they exist.

Ephesians 6:12 states: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

If these demon spirits are with us today, can people be possessed like they were in Jesus day? If they are present today, and people can be possessed, how can we tell? In Mark Hitchcock’s book 101 Answers to Questions About Satan, Demons, & Spiritual Warfare, there is a way to tell.

Here are ten manifestations of demon possession in the New Testament:

1. Superhuman physical strength (Mark 5:3; Acts19:16)
2. Fits of rage and ferocious behavior (Mark 5:4)
3. High pain tolerance (Mark 5:5)
4. Self-Mutilation (Mark 5:5)
5. Foaming at the mouth (Luke 9:39)
6. Seizures or convulsions (Luke 9:42)
7. Divided personality (Mark 5:6–7) The demonic ran to Jesus while crying out of fear.
8. Resistance to spiritual things, especially the name of Jesus (Mark 5:7)
9. Clairvoyance or supernatural knowledge (Mark 5:7; Acts 16:16)
10. Change in voice (Mark 5:9)

We who believe know that our fight is spiritual, and that fight is against the same spirits that Jesus and the apostles confronted. Another point is that Jesus did not only come to pay for the sins of Adam and Eve, and the sins of humankind; He came and paid for the sins of the world (cosmos), to set us free from from all our sins, and to give us authority, through Him over the influence of the Satan and his cohorts?

What we see happening culturally and socially around the world today is the result of evil spiritual forces in heavenly places. The same spiritual forces mentioned in Genesis 6:1–4, and various other scriptures. Jonathan Chan for example, does an excellent job telling us about these spiritual forces in his books, the Paradigm, and Return of the Gods. Heiser’s work on the other hand is not for the casual reader, it is intense, thought provoking, and packed with scriptural references that allow us to see what the first century Jews knew about the other documents that we have not been introduced to, or told to avoid.

Wommack’s book is based on our regained authority over the earth through Christ, and not on our own, or through a church, but through Christ Jesus. All the references show that we are in a spiritual battle, and are told to put on the full armor of God. We may become frustrated with what we see happening. We me lose heart and see no light through the darkness overwhelming the earth today. We may even desire to see and end to all the hatred, corruption, sinfulness, and be with the Lord in Heaven. We must know we will enter the fight, and we must endure in that fight until the end. We will not lose or be defeated. Satan cannot destroy us. He cannot prevail against us. Besides, Jesus has won the war, Satan has lost and we appear to be the last to know. Nevertheless, there is a battle for our souls waging all around us, and we are to be steadfast in the faith, and fight the good fight.

We have been sealed

Ephesians 1:13–14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

We have hope

1 Peter 1:3–7 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Ultimately, it has become clear to us that there exist numerous additional texts that provide further details to the narratives that often leave readers with unanswered questions in the abridged version of the scriptures that we presently possess. Having said that, it is important to understand how all this information can be helpful, and more importantly, how it can alter our perspective on the biblical story. In regards to any assistance required, this information not only addresses concerns related to cultural comprehension of the past but also provides additional details that are absent in numerous books within our present rendition of the scriptures. In terms of how the information impacts our perception of the scriptures, I firmly believe that it does not alter it in the slightest. As previously mentioned, the information provided not only enlightens us about cultural aspects we were unaware of, but also presents a wider perspective on the accomplishments of Jesus and illustrates that his death and resurrection had a much more profound impact than we had previously comprehended. The information provided does not have any impact on the process of obtaining forgiveness, sanctification, salvation, and eternal life. The only way to attain salvation is through the belief in Jesus Christ, as there is no other path to salvation. The only way to reach heaven is by accepting Him as your savior. To put it succinctly, there have been no alterations aside from acquiring a more comprehensive outlook on the diverse elements that make up the scriptures.

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Shalom