My story – why this site exists

Why make an entire website dedicated to discussing and researching the event described in Genesis 6:1-4?

Some reasons would be because of how this topic is both ignored and/or misunderstood generally.

But the main reason is my own curiosity. I would like to find satisfactory answers myself to this truly interesting Biblical footnote!

My own experiences compelled me to try to get to the bottom of it, and I have seen so much apathy, disdain and outright hostility to that quest!

Beginnings

I grew up in a church very focused on digging into the depths of the Bible and the deeper we went, the richer and more connected it became.

This appreciation for the scripture was instrumental in developing my views that the Bible was God’s way of revealing himself to his creation so that we might all know Him and our own place in his creation. You might not hold to that same position, but that’s ok. Stick with me, because I’m making this website with you in mind as well!

However, even growing up in a church that took the Biblical record so reverently and carefully, these verses were totally skipped over during Sunday School class and even the more in-depth adult Bible studies. 

So I came upon them when I was doing a report on the age before the flood. I thought it’d be interesting to compile any and all information I could find on what that 1600 year time period was like. I was familiar with Sumerian king lists and stories of Cain and Abel and how the earth had grown so corrupt that God had destroyed and renewed it so that people could start again.

But I didn’t expect to discover a topic that would hold my interest now for 20+ years. I looked at these verses, went to a few commentaries, and looked up some more information online….

I was a bit terrified. 

I went to my pastor and asked for his take on these verses. He smiled, nodded at the associate pastor sitting at the next to him and they both chuckled knowingly. Apparently, they both held different positions on how to interpret these verses, and so they spent a few minutes sharing their thoughts and differing opinions on what the Bible was describing here. And they encouraged me to continue my research and come back to them for more discussion.

I have to say, I appreciate how they handled that so much. Instead of sheltering me from beliefs they didn’t hold, they asked me to weigh the textual and historical evidence myself. Even though they disagreed with each other, they believed the Bible could withstand true examination and didn’t try to control my thinking in this area. I have a lot of respect for them for that.

So off I went, and soon found there was more information on this topic than I could have imagined.

So I wrote my report based on what I found to be the best interpretation based on the textual and historical evidence. And the implications were disturbing, I won’t lie! But it also clarified other things that we find in scripture.

HERETIC

I didn’t make a habit of discussing this topic with everyone. It was controversial and required a real long conversation if broached, due to most people knowing next to nothing about it. And in the scope of Biblical truth, it’s a relatively minor footnote in the Biblical record that does not have to have any bearing on our Christian lives today. So I really didn’t bring it up much with others.

I made the mistake of bringing it up one time at the next church I was attending. I was on a long drive with the pastor’s son, who was also the associate pastor, and as we were having in-depth theological conversations, we the topic of the ‘sons of God’ and the Nephilim came up. 

The next Sunday, the senior pastor, his father, brought it up in his sermon, to my utter surprise. He proclaimed that anyone who believed in the interpretation I did was a heretic. Little did he realize that he unknowingly was calling Peter, Jude, and the majority of the orthodox early church fathers heretics (who spent their lives battling REAL heresies)! There were other reasons we eventually left that church, but you can surmise from there 😉

A Fringe and Misunderstood Topic

Countless other times, when this topic has been brought up, I’ve stood there for a minute or so, listening and trying to determine if I should even say anything. When I do, I know I can make my case fairly easily, but I know I’ll have to deal with the emotional responses and/or hostility of others in the conversation.

It’s very rare to be able to discuss this rationally and plainly. Most Christians know nothing about it, and the ones that do usually haven’t done any serious research. They just parrot back whatever they hear.

So, first I found the topic largely ignored, and then encountered groundless hostility, but neither of those motivated me as much as the third way I’ve seen this topic dealt this – misunderstanding.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist. In my circles, I’m the debunker! You may find that you disagree with me on some things, but truth and BS never go hand-in-hand, and nothing angers me more than a complete lack of discernment among Christians and conservatives. So eager to make enemies out of people who disagree with us, many Christians don’t scrutinize things that support our ambition to be the persecuted righteous ones. Sorry, that was a bit off-topic…

But it’s really a shame how much these verses are a source of confusion and launch conspiracies for some. I’ve been sent pictures of giant bones by friends, thinking that I’ll jump up and down for joy that there is clear evidence for the Biblical giants… they’re always disappointed when it takes me less than a minute to let them know that these are just examples of bad photoshop, creative angles meant to overemphasize size and creative art exhibits. So, this, more than anything, is a reason why I believe we should understand what’s going on in these verses, how they were understood over the last few millenia, and then we can have a basis for which to discern things that shouldn’t ever be taken seriously.

Bad Writing

A lot of the fiction written that was inspired by these events is also a serious disservice to clarity about the original story. Instead of helping people understand it better, most of these contribute to even more confusion. I would include things ranging from Ancient Aliens on one side to Christian fiction that uses Nephilim characters in historical or modern settings. Most of these do a huge disservice to discernment on this topic.

Now, that’s a bit of my story and perspective on why I think this website can offer some value. Depending on your own worldview and perspectives, you’ll come to different conclusions. I understand that. I’ve read ‘Chariots of the Gods’ and watched ‘Prometheus’. I’ve read secular scholars and their take on all this. I’ve read Christians who want to take it all mythologically and not deal with it as an event that the writers believed really happened. 

I understand many won’t look at these passages the same way. But the content and history I believe will still be of mutual interest.  We can still analyse the same data, so I don’t mind if you have a different take on this. I’ll explain mine, but the facts/data are pretty fascinating regardless.

Why this website exists

I’m going to speak from my own perspective, and I hope that diving into the texts and data will be enjoyable for you regardless of your perspectives. No matter what you believe, there is a mountain of data to go through, and I think we can enjoy that process together. I hope you can join me and find this a fascinating journey into the past, and clear up a lot of misconceptions and unintentional ignorance. 

Fortunately, there is a growing amount of solid teaching on this topic. The Bible Project guys have done an excellent job of presenting that to a wider audience, and other Christian YouTubers are tackling it as well. 

An Antediluvian Adventure Epic

As well, I’ve worked on my own novel bringing this story to life – The Descent of the Gods.

Contact me

I’d love to hear from you. jake@chasingthegiants.com