Numbers 21:1 (KJV) “And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.”

This seemingly straightforward verse in Scripture is actually an amazing insight into the world of the paranormal. 
Moses was leading the Israelites toward their Promised Land, having escaped from Egypt in the Exodus. As they traveled, their route detoured into the northern parts of the Arabian Peninsula. This was necessary because the Edomites would not allow them to go through their land to enter Canaan. 
While the wandering Israelites were still many miles away from Canaan and going in the opposite direction, a band of Canaanite warriors attacked them, capturing Israelite civilians and dragging them away. 
How did the enigmatic King Arad know about the Israelite presence many miles to the south of his land, on the other side of a neighbouring kingdom?
The simple answer is that he had spies. 
Here’s where it gets interesting: the usual word for spies in Hebrew is “ragal.” Moses uses that word many times to refer to spies. But not here. In this instance, he chose “Atharin.” That’s not even a Hebrew word. Moses borrowed it from the land and language of the place where this attack occurred. It’s Arabic. 
So why would Moses pick one Arabic word and use it in his Hebrew text? 
Because Hebrew doesn’t have a word for “spies without feet.”
The Israelites were being watched by supernatural spies. King Arad was employing some form of divination when he learned about Israel’s presence to the south. And the tip-off came when Moses’ brother Aaron passed away. Aaron’s death was detected by the spirits of the Rephaim, and they armed Arad with that knowledge so he could strike while the Israelites were mourning. It was a cruel blow to a suffering people. And it would be answered with swift vengeance - now that Israel had finally learned that this was spiritual warfare. 

- T.J. Steadman

Recently, a paper was released by the archaeological team currently excavating the site of the Biblical city of Gath, once the home of Goliath, the Philistine giant (link to media article here). They are exploring the 11th-10th century BC layers (corresponding to the time of David and Goliath), and they have discovered an interesting phenomenon. The thickness of the city walls happens to exactly match (in the number of cubits employed) with the height of the giant Philistine as recorded in the earliest manuscript traditions of the Hebrew Bible (which exclude the Masoretic Text). The discovery has led to talk of Goliath himself as perhaps not really a giant but rather a literary representation of the city of Gath; a way of embodying the strength of the city by personifying it as a giant soldier.
But this interpretation is not without its flaws. Here we will see why it is incoherent to arrive at the conclusion that Goliath may not have been a giant on the basis of this discovery:

1. The Biblical text explicitly refers to Goliath’s height: 1 Sam. 17:4 “And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.”
2. Height is not the same as thickness, and the words are not easily confused (gobahh “height” as in 1 Sam. 17:4, against rochab “thickness” as in Ezek. 40:5).
3. If a comparison or simile was intended, it would have made more sense to use consistent dimensions, for example Goliath’s height vs. wall height or Goliath’s thickness (perhaps a chest measurement?) vs. wall thickness. Drawing a comparison using measurement of differing dimensions (height vs. thickness) is not an effective illustration, especially as a literary device. 
4. A cubit of 54cm (21.25” as seen at Tell Es-Safi, as opposed to the common cubit of 18”) would make Goliath taller (from 6’9”to 7’11”). Biblical authors generally make less of Israel’s enemies rather than glorify them, so making Goliath any bigger actually works counter to the narrative. 
5. Nothing else in the description of Goliath has been shown to correlate with any other aspect of the city of Gath, save for the fact that he came from there. This makes the single coincidental statistic seem out of place. 
6. Adding to the cognitive dissonance of this suggested correlation is the fact that the battle in which Goliath is defeated does not take place at Gath, nor does that city fall in the aftermath of said battle. It would have been presumptuous to compare Goliath’s death with the anticipated fall of a city that was clearly still standing at the time. 
7. The repeated epithet “Goliath of Gath” serves not to equate Goliath with Gath, but to associate him with the Anakim, who were said to be of great stature (Num. 13:32-33) and known to have fled there at the Conquest of Canaan under Joshua (Josh. 11:22). The association reminds us that he comes from a land of giants, thus reinforcing the understanding that he really was an enormous warrior. 

These seven points outlined above ought to be sufficient to show that the traditional understanding of Goliath as a giant warrior is not seriously challenged by this coincidental statistic discovered at Tell Es-Safi. And we would do well to remember that earlier reports from the dig confirmed megalithic construction consistent with large inhabitants. When pressed about bodily remains of giants, officials stated that they had not found any remains of people taller than an average NBA center (see media article here) - an average that happens to be exactly the same as the height of Goliath (6’9”) according to the Greek Old Testament, Dead Sea Scrolls and the records of the Roman historian Josephus.
​Remember that the average Israelite man at the time was around 5’3”. Even if Gath’s inhabitants were no taller than seven feet, we are still justified in referring to some of them as giants, and the Bible's assertions in this regard continue to be upheld as truth.

- T.J. Steadman

Many have credited Nimrod with the origin of the various cults and religious organisations that sprang from the fateful Babel event. It is believed by some that these occult associations formed the power structures that still underpin today’s governments and world powers.
But perhaps we have given Nimrod credit beyond his due. What if he was merely a pawn in the game of an intelligence far greater than his own? What if he were merely being used by the supernatural powers of evil to do their bidding? Could Nimrod’s rebellion have unleashed an evil not seen since the days of Noah?
The religions and political structures of the world were not invented by Nimrod. They came from the fallen sons of God - known to the Mesopotamians as the Anunnaki. And once Nimrod had drawn on their power to invoke the spirits of the dead Nephilim giants from the Flood, the Anuna-gods had an army that would do their bidding. They were the Rephaim, and they enforced the enslavement of humanity to the new gods of the ancient world.
The first part of their plan to defy the Lord God was to tell a story of creation that centres around the “Chaoskampf,” the idea that the earth was formed when a chaos monster (usually a dragon) was defeated in battle by a god, allowing him to bring order to the world. In this story, the dragon is portrayed as inferior to a second-tier god of the cultural pantheon, thus elevating this created god to Creator status. The story removes focus from the original master over chaos, the Creator, and places it squarely on the ambitions of an up-and-coming lesser god whose identity and power were intrinsically connected to the human ruler of the land.
In “Answers to Giant Questions,” you’ll learn how most efforts to understand the Biblical version of the Chaoskampf are misguided, because they are trying to find it in Genesis One. Yet, when we read Psalm 74, Deuteronomy 32 and other associated passages of Scripture, we find that the true Chaoskampf actually occurred at the Tower of Babel, the birthplace of the post-Flood giants.
The origin of the religions of the world can be traced back to this point. However, we can stop short of laying 100% of the blame at the feet of Nimrod. His legacy of failure as a world dictator was widely told in ancient times. He was little more than a tool in the hands of a greater, darker power. The Leviathan, that coiling, piercing serpent, poisoned him against Yahweh, but was swiftly defeated ("cut into pieces") by God’s intervention at Babel.
Since then, the spirit of Nimrod, also known as “the Assyrian” or “Rahab” has been slowly reassembling his shattered pieces, rebuilding a single monolithic force united against Yahweh and the allegiant believers who have displaced the old sons of God by the power of Christ.
The Leviathan will rise again, but his swift - and permanent - annihilation is assured as foretold by the prophet Ezekiel. Make sure you are on the right side of history.

- T.J. Steadman

Were the Nephilim (giants) invented by ancient Israelites, or are there other reliable sources that back up the Biblical claims?
Genesis 6:1-5 (KJV) “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

The Church Fathers believed in the reality of giants that came about as a result of intermingling between the divine sons of God and the human daughters of men. Here is a sample of their writings from the first centuries of the church:
“The angels transgressed [their] appointment and were captivated by love of women.” - Justin Martyr
“Just as with men..., so is it among the angels. Some... outraged both the constitution of their nature and the government entrusted to them... (you know that we say nothing without witnesses, but state the things which have been declared by the prophets); these fell into impure love of virgins, and were subjugated by the flesh, and became negligent and wicked in the management of the things entrusted to [them]. Of these lovers of virgins, therefore, were begotten those who are called giants.” - Athenagoras
“Angels were united with the daughters of the race of mankind; and they bore to them sons who for their exceeding greatness were called giants... of the world of the second race.” - Irenaeus
“The author ... asserts that those [Nephilim] whom he defines with such a name because of the extraordinary size of their body were generated by angels and women.” - Ambrose

Even non-Christian sources gave testimony to the ancient giants:
“For many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and 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. […] There were till then left the race of giants, who had bodies so large, and countenances so entirely different from other men, that they were surprising to the sight, and terrible to the hearing. The bones of these men are still shown to this very day, unlike to any credible relations of other men.” - Josephus

There were many other statements made by the church fathers in their writings of the first centuries of Christianity. You can find more of them in "Answers to Giant Questions."
But these attestations only give us very late textual evidence. How can we be sure they weren't just allegories or "colourful storytelling"? What we need is something closer to the historical context of the giants.
What other evidence do we have of the reality of the Nephilim?
Perhaps we might consider something from outside of the Judeo-Christian worldview and a few centuries closer to the days of the giants. Pausanias, in his 2nd century BC work, "Description of Greece," wrote that a "son of Anax", named Asterios, was buried in ancient time on the island then named after him, and that his corpse measured not less than ten cubits (fifteen feet) in length. Perhaps now we understand more clearly why the Israelites were terrified at the first mention of the "sons of Anak" as recorded in the book of Numbers - before their incredible height was even mentioned by the spies.
What this means is that the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (the Septuagint, or LXX, translated in the 3rd - 2nd centuries BC) shares a common vocabulary with extra-biblical sources of the same era, with shared definitions. In other words, today's Bible (if you have one that actually translates the words instead of employing transliteration) preserves the same meaning that the Greeks of that day understood. When they said "giants," they meant it the same way we moderns understand it - Very Big People.
That translation in the LXX achieves more than just to inform us that the Anakim were tall by association with the Rephaim (translated "gigantes" in the Greek). Because the same Greek is used to translate the earlier 6th century BC Aramaic "Naphilin" (plural form of Naphila, which means "giant") which was preserved in the Hebrew Bible as "Nephilim." And that explains to us why a term that most take to mean "fallen ones" really cannot mean anything other than "giants" - as we understand the word today.

- T.J. Steadman

Why do creepy crawly critters make our skin crawl? Could it be a reflection of the ancient belief that some insects were associated with ancient supernatural forces of terror?
Insects and other creeping, swarming things were considered sacred in ancient times. They were often connected to spiritual beings. One example of this is the “hornets” of the Bible.
Exodus 23:27-28 “I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.”
By carefully picking through the Scriptures we are able to find that these “hornets” may have actually been the spirits of the dead Emim giants killed by the Moabites. “Emim” literally means, “terrors.” God used these evil spirits to flush out and destroy the Rephaim Giant tribes in front of the Israelite advance toward the Promised Land.
Another example from the Bible is the locust. You can hear me talk about this with Jack Ashcraft on his show, “Expedition Truth” here: https://kcorradio.com/expedition-truth-2020.htm
Joel speaks of a peculiar locust plague in his prophecy about the future Day of the Lord - but he seems to have the life cycle of the locusts all muddled up in chapter 1, even though he clearly knows how it’s meant to be in chapter 2. What is he trying to say in his cryptic message to a future generation? By using the description of different stages in the life cycle of the locust, he is actually describing the different forms of the Nephilim through the ages - a description that John the Revelator would later struggle to find words for in Revelation 9.
Why does John mention scorpions three times while describing these locusts? And are they hybrid creatures of some sort - a mixture of insects, demons, animals and humans?
You'll find out - when you get "Answers to Giant Questions."

- T.J. Steadman

What a crazy time we live in! With so much going on, it’s hard to know where to start. But a good place to begin would be the website. giantanswers.com has been live for a few weeks now and provides a great central hub for keeping up to date with all things related to Answers to Giant Questions (ATGQ). Please take the time to explore the site, subscribe for free to the blog on your RSS feed, and bookmark the site so you can come back again and again. 
T.J. Steadman now has a presence on the Parler social media platform with the same handle that you can use on Twitter and FB, @giantanswersguy. Alternatively you can stay in touch via Instagram (tj_steadman) or Facebook (@giantanswers). All roads lead back to the website though, so don’t forget to check in on giantanswers.com for all things ATGQ. Speaking of leads, it was important to T.J. that the gospel be presented on the website, so be encouraged that funds from book sales are (in part) going towards spreading the message of hope in Jesus Christ by funding the website. 
Media appearances: T.J. spoke with Nik Hunter on the UFO Chronicles Podcast recently, talking about a sleep paralysis episode in which a demonic entity manifested in his bedroom back in childhood. You can catch the audio via the link on the blog page at giantanswers.com or visit the UFO Chronicles podcast website directly (Episode 77).
More media appearances are scheduled for December, notably a discussion of Darren Aronofsky’s 2014 film “Noah” (starring Russell Crowe as Noah) for the “Commentarians” podcast with Joe Zaragoza. 
Look out also for a discussion with Ken Ammi, as we debate for/against giants after the Flood, live on Jack Ashcraft’s “Expedition Truth” radio show, on the KCOR digital radio network. 
So, that’s all coming up for December, and in the meantime preparations are underway for the Answers to Giant Questions Podcast, which will launch in 2021. 
Speaking of the podcast, now is your opportunity to have your say about the sort of content you’d like to hear on the show. It couldn’t be easier - just select an option from the list on the website’s main page (giantanswers.com). So far, the feedback has been great and very positive. 
That leads to another important topic - feedback. If you’re reading “Answers to Giant Questions,” please take a moment to leave your thoughts at Amazon so that others can find out about the book. And if you haven’t got your copy yet, don’t wait - grab one now to get it in time for Christmas. Maybe one for a friend too...? Anyway, the book is receiving some really positive attention lately and don’t forget that if paperbacks aren’t your thing, you can get it on Kindle too. 
So, what if you have read ATGQ but you still have questions about the Nephilim or other topics addressed in the book?
Send an email to T.J. Steadman and you could have your question answered on the podcast! Just use the link on the website to submit your Giant Questions. If you would like to have T.J. Steadman appear on your media channel, you can use the email link for that too. 
“Answers to Giant Questions” remains at #14 on Amazon Australia’s Hot New Releases in Christian Angelology and Demonology, and your reviews are helping to maintain that good standing. Did you know that putting the book on your Amazon Wishlist actually helps to boost its ratings? It does! So if you can’t grab one now, please put it on your list to help others find out about this critically-acclaimed “five-star tour de force on the topic.” Or just bite the bullet and Get Answers - now! Thanks for your support, and please - more than ever before - remember, we are all God’s children. Some of us just need some help coming home. 

- T.J. Steadman.

The ancient Mesopotamians, like many others, made images or representations of their gods. Some of these man-made idols have been discovered in recent times, and one of the more profound discoveries was that of the mats-tsarey or “watchers.” The ancient Mesopotamians would craft various figurines of the pre-Flood gods, the Apkallu, along with various hybrid monsters, all of which find place in the Babylonian creation myths. These idols were then buried in the foundations and aligned along the inside walls of homes and other buildings, with each one positioned and oriented in such a way as to allegedly provide guardianship against various evils such as diseases or disasters. Thus, the Apkallu figurines were referred to as “watchers.”
These idols represented the ancient spirits that were believed to have brought protection, knowledge and culture to ancient people. These Apkallu were believed to be initially benevolent towards humanity, before becoming corrupt and being associated with evil. However, once defeated by a superior deity, they were believed to be subdued, becoming once more a force for good – from the Babylonian point of view. They were then entrusted with the safekeeping of the family dwelling, the royal house or even the city gates, as the case may be. Basically, the ancients figured they could “tame the gods.”
The Biblical parallel to the Apkallu before the Flood would be the fallen sons of God from Genesis 6. Their children (the Biblical Nephilim) were also called Apkallu but were considered only partly divine, as they were also part human. Thus, the Nephilim were thought of as lesser Apkallu. The strange hybrid monsters depicted in the Babylonian material may be a reference to the corruption of the animals at the hands of the fallen sons of God.
The Mesopotamian material also indicates that there were at least one (and possibly four) of the Apkallu demigods present on the earth in the time after the Flood, as we saw already in our study of Enmerkar, the man the Bible calls Nimrod. So, there is evidence to suggest that the Mesopotamians believed that these spirit beings remained active on the earth after the Deluge.
But what is absent from the ancient Apkallu traditions, is the notion that other beings of the same status as the original Apkallu were both widespread and active on the earth after the Flood. The Biblical record, however, paints a different picture with the Apkallu equivalent, the fallen sons of God, given dominion over the nations and active in the affairs of men. The Babylonian silence on these other Apkallu can be attributed to an unwillingness to concede similar status for the gods of the surrounding nations. The pride of Babylon revolved around the premise that they alone had access to the primeval wisdom.
These sons of God may be identified as the selfsame ones that participated in the Genesis 6 rebellion, given the connections between Genesis 6 and 11. While the New Testament authors (and that of 1 Enoch) described their status as “chained under darkness,” it would be a mistake to take this figurative language as literal. The Abyss is no more a physical place than the earth is flat – it is a cosmological understanding, not a scientific one. The sons of God were restrained in terms of a loss of freedom or power, but there is no evidence of banishment to some other place. They still operate within the geography that they were assigned to. The fact that the conceptual language of “sons of God” appears in Genesis 6 and Deuteronomy 32 is not coincidental. These powers still roam the earth even today (see Job 1 and 2), and their power is limited but still very real. While they do not reside in heaven, they can appear before God at His command.
Like the Mesopotamian characters, these sons of God in the Biblical record continued to influence the destinies of humankind, in particular through human rulers such as those found in the Sumerian King List including Enmerkar (Nimrod). Consider also Nebuchadnezzar II, who features prominently in the book of Daniel. And Nebuchadnezzar refers to these entities in Daniel as “Watchers,” the same terminology of function as we find applied to the spirits behind the idols.
We can narrow the apparent gap between the Mesopotamian Apkallu and the Watchers by considering that both groups fall within a common class of beings known in Mesopotamian mythology – that of the Anunnaki/Igigu. Although the Apkallu appear to be differentiated from the Anunnaki/Igigu, it would seem that the difference is in the roles the groups play. While the Anunnaki and the Igigu serve as ministers to the gods, the Apkallu direct their ministry toward mankind as benefactors of wisdom and power. However, they all are considered to be siblings as sons of the high god (the name of the god varies depending on which of the pantheon was considered to be the greatest at the time).
The Anunnaki and Igigu are territorial beings, serving the gods within their respective allotted domains. While the Igigu and Anunnaki are considered to be of equivalent status, only the Anunnaki are associated with dominion in the underworld, whereas the Igigu are not. Both groups, however, are mentioned in heavenly contexts, which would indicate that the Anunnaki have greater “access.”
The picture painted in ancient cosmology then, is one of a hierarchy of function. The Biblical sons of God are correlated to the Anunnaki or Igigu. What separates the Anunnaki from the Igigu appears to be their range of access within the three tiers of the cosmos (heaven, earth, and underworld). Likewise, Biblically, we find the fallen sons of God present and active in every plane (see Job 1, Jude 6), whereas the ones that are loyal to Yahweh maintain their proper place and are not attested in the underworld. All are alike in that they do not seek their own glory, but the angels in heaven glorify God alone, in contrast to the rebel angels who distract from His glorification. There is no evidence whatsoever that there existed any cult or system of worship devoted to the Anunnaki/Igigu (in Mesopotamia at least – the story changes once the Greeks get their hands on these ideas); they were always recognized as subservient to greater gods.
The sons of God are given particular status as overseers of regions, typically by means of influence through an appointed human ruler, being the political king and/or priestly representative. These are the entities that the Mesopotamians regarded as the Apkallu sages. Incidentally, the connection to the giants is even seen in the name – “Apkallu” comes from Sumerian “ab” (which means “water”), “gal” (literally, “big”), and “lu” (man). Thus “apkallu” means, “big man from before (or out of) the water.”
- Extract from T.J. Steadman, “Answers to Giant Questions: How Understanding the Biblical Nephilim Will Enlarge Your Faith.”

If you find the Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11 interesting, and you are sure there must be more to it than what we are usually told, then you will find this fascinating.
We get a foretaste of the Babel story in Genesis 2-4 as we follow the descent of humanity from Eden to Babylon (Eridu, to be exact). The story expands in Genesis 5-6 as we learn more about the depravity of mankind that resulted from the influence of the fallen angels, and the terrible violence of the Nephilim.
When God intervened with a flood to preserve humankind from an otherwise inevitable extinction, the garden of Eden was reimagined as a lush vineyard. But it wasn't long before human sin led back to Babylon once more. The ruin of Eridu was rediscovered and rebuilt. It would later be called Babel.
But why was it constructed?
In Genesis 4, humans gained the technologies of the gods.
In Genesis 6, they became demigods (Nephilim).
In Genesis 11, humanity aspired to be not only demigods but the personal temples of the gods in flesh.
They became the Rephaim; giant warriors that took over kingdoms all over the known world so that the gods might rule through them.
This series of three rebellions left the world separated from the Creator, obsessed with altering their created nature and enslaved to lesser gods and their religions.
God responded to this final rebellion by dividing humanity so that the pace of their self-destructive path toward the deception of self-deification would be slowed. People needed time to realize what they were doing and where they were headed. And they needed someone to show the way. So began the era of the Biblical patriarchs. Abraham would become the father of a nation that would break off the shackles of enslavement to the Rephaim and take possession of a land of their own, destroying the giants and defeating the gods of the nations one by one.
Eventually, human sin overcame mighty Israel and they fell into idolatry, subjecting themselves to the foreign gods of the nations. And where did they end up? Exiled to Babylon once more.
The lessons of Babel keep coming back to teach us and guide us. The New Testament authors knew well that God alone can bring about the glorification we naturally seek - by the power of His Holy Spirit driving out the presence and influence of the Fallen Ones.
We are meant to be a habitation for a divine Spirit - but unlike the Babylonians who venerated evil powers, it is the Spirit of the Most High God, not the spirits of demons. Our biggest hint that God was planning that reversal comes from Abram. Adding the "heh" in his name signified the filling of the man with the Spirit of God; hence Abraham foreshadowed the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in those who would believe God and obey Him.

​- T.J. Steadman

Several passages of Scripture are about the unique power of Yahweh over the celestial bodies. These were represented in constellations associated with the sea. Examples include the Pleiades, Arcturus and Orion (see for example Job 9 and 38; Amos 5). The earliest Canaanite mythology would have provided the backdrop for the Babylonian understanding of these, but perhaps the most famous ancient literature regarding the stars and the sea would be the later Greek masterpiece, Hesiod’s Works and Days. A constellation associated with Mediterranean maritime navigation is Pleiades, or “the Seven Sisters.” Several myths recount the tale of Orion pursuing the seven sisters, eventually seducing one of the seven. These references make clear connections to Israelite, Canaanite and Mesopotamian understandings of Leviathan (or Lotan) and both the Sebettu (the “seven” chaos gods) and the Apkallu (the Annunaki gods who became the sages imparting culture and technology to mankind). This is especially noteworthy when we consider that traditionally, the timing of the Deluge was believed to be the exact same day upon which the Pleiades were known to set (to become no longer visible, below the horizon for 40 days) on the 17th day of the month Marḥeshwan. But even more interesting is how Orion fits into the picture. This constellation went by certain names in different cultures.
The Greeks knew Orion as “the hunter” or “the giant.” The Elamites called it “Nephila.” The Arabs also call it “Al-Jabbar, the Giant.” The ancient Hungarians knew it simply as “Nimrod.” Getting back to the Greek interpretation, the story of Orion includes the account of his birth – to his father, the sea god Poseidon and his mother, a Gorgon (snake-haired creature typically depicted with seven heads). Hesiod holds that Orion was the lover of a goddess named Eos, the goddess of the dawn, who rose daily from Oceanus, the divine personification of the sea.
Reviewing the material from Job, Amos and Isaiah 14, it is obvious that the pagan mythology of the nations as it concerned the identities and stories of (equivalents to) Nimrod and Leviathan had a similar point of origin to the Biblical material. They are different ways of telling the same stories, from different perspectives and with different agendas. Nevertheless, there are common elements that cannot be ignored. All roads lead back to Babel.
The astrology of the ancient world strengthens the Biblical position of Ezekiel 31 that Nimrod the mighty hunter, the giant, pursued the ancient pre-Flood spirits, becoming joined with one of them; one associated with the Light-bringer, Satan. In the book of 1 Enoch, there are seven stars bound and awaiting punishment in the underworld. Job picks up on the idea of stars being bound when he refers to the binding of the Pleiades and Orion. Job also connects the stars with the sons of God (Job 38:7). The Psalmist tells us that the rulers of the nations are in chains, in Psalm 2. Later, Peter and Jude both refer to angels in chains.

- Adaptation of an excerpt from T.J. Steadman, “Answers to Giant Questions,” chapter 16: “Ancient Allegories.”

Many ancient texts speak of a giant tree that reached from its roots in the underworld to its foliage in the heavens, supporting and nourishing the whole world.
For those who still hold to the ancient understanding of the cosmos, the world tree forms a central part of that framework.
Many Biblical interpreters have speculated about the cosmic tree’s role in Judeo-Christian theology. Do we even have Biblical grounds for cosmic tree theology? And if so, where is the tree? Did it even exist?
The “cosmic tree” motif appears not in Genesis 1 as we might expect, but it is prominent in Ezekiel 31, where the prophet uses this imagery to denounce the Pharaoh of the day.
Ezekiel compares the Pharaoh to an ancient ruler who embodied the nature of the world tree - a man who controlled the world of his day by harnessing a dark power from the Great Deep. Ezekiel calls him “The Assyrian.” The writer of Genesis calls him that too - after he calls him “Nimrod.”
There is another historical figure in the Bible likened to the Cosmic Tree - King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, in the book of Daniel, chapter 4. The authority of the Babylonian king had a heritage that stretched back through Nimrod to the pre-Flood civilisation ruled by the Nephilim of Genesis 6.

When we read about the cosmic tree, we may often be tempted to see the text as literal; understanding the tree as real plant that formed a central anchor point to which the whole cosmos was tethered. But the text will always give us the answer to correct interpretation. The Bible uses comparative language or metaphor to tell us that the individuals being described had the properties of a great tree. Nebuchadnezzar was not a tree; he was a man.

Daniel 4:20-22 (NKJV) "The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could beseen by all the earth, whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home— it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth."

Again, in Ezekiel 31:2-11 we find the same concept at work, this time speaking of the Pharaoh of Egypt, comparing him to "the Assyrian," whom we shall know as Nimrod from Genesis 10. See how the tree imagery is used to describe power and influence:

Ezekiel 31:2-11 (KJV) "Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness? Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with  fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent her little rivers unto all the trees of the field. Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth. All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters. The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness."

The earthly manifestations of divine order and power were believed to be expressed through the kings of the ancient world. In many cultures the kings were deified or imbued with the power of ancestral or territorial spirits. At Ugarit the R'pum (Rephaim) were summoned to guide and empower the kings. In Babylon the heritage of the king was traced back to the Apkallu, ancient spirits that brought the technology of civilisation to the antediluvian world. The Jews would later see these Apkallu as the very same spirits that brought about the rise of the Nephilim, whose spirits lived on after death in the Rephaim.
Nimrod, the first giant of the post-Flood world, brought the Rephaim into existence by summoning a power from the great deep - according to Ezekiel, a power that spread to all the rulers of the world that divided from Babel, as spreading rivers water diverse plants.
Our challenge today is to ask the giant questions: Are we getting caught up in a modern version of this ancient cult? Are we placing national identity above allegiance to Christ? Are we so attached to honouring our ancestors that we neglect the needs of the living? Are we reliant on God to meet all our needs, or on the king? Are we seeking guidance from the Word of God, or the deceptive spirits of the unseen world? Are we bent on improving ourselves for the sake of our own name, or are we offering ourselves to Christ?
Just planting a seed of thought.
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- T.J. Steadman