Grasshoppers in the Church

“And there we saw the giants…we were in our own sight as grasshoppers” (Numbers 13:33)

Do we dare look at the church today in the light of Israel’s history? Is there a promised land waiting to be entered?

Most church folks are familiar with the story in Exodus – the deliverance of the Israelites – and in Numbers, how the spies returned from Canaan with a frightening report of towering giants that sent the multitudes scampering instead of entering. It’s considered an interesting story but not relevant to us who live in a giant-free scientific society. As for a promised land, such a place is reckoned to Israel’s past history or Revelation’s future heaven.

As a church member I understand that viewpoint, yet, I must confess, from time to time there have been stirrings deep within my spirit…unsettling and strangely beckoning. It happens usually after meditation on incredible promises such as, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give you” (John 16:23), “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these…” (John 14:12), and “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you.” (Matthew 17:20)

There has always been something more – something beyond what is seen going on in the traditional church. The promises in the Bible are too great to be ignored but church practices (in general) are geared to the comfort zone, not wanting to risk offense. So, few find it. Missionaries occasionally visit, show their slides (now power-point), and leave without eliciting much more than an offering. Thankfully, there are exceptions. And it was through such exceptional believers that my own heart was so moved. God’s promises are often contingent on our move – “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

The great adventure started with a one-year journey through Design for Discipleship, a series of Bible study booklets by The Navigators that had been suggested by a teacher. An inner fire was kindled. Opportunities followed to exercise faith and discover spiritual gifts. And eventually, seminary. Along the way I met others also gripped by that Holy Hand, whose lives were refreshingly out of sync with the world system. I did not know where it all was going but I knew that it had to be good - like finding the fountain of youth, but even better. For life in Christ is abundant and eternal.

Then one day it happened. God stepped out of His Bible and spoke – not audibly, but with compelling impression that perfectly agreed with the written Word. His calling was clear and confirmed in other unmistakable ways – our family was to go to the former USSR, as it turned out, to teach in the first above-ground Bible & pastoral training school, helping to equip nationals to start new churches. So, for 2-1/2 years in Latvia and in Moscow, we experienced a new, exciting, gloriously fruitful walk with God. Of course there were challenges and temporary set-backs along the way, but the LORD was with us fulfilling His promises, and our lives were forever changed. We would never return to “normal”. For us, the Red Sea had parted and we had crossed over. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). What He has done for others, He will do for you. I am convinced that all it takes is a seeking, sold-out heart – a desire to press into the Kingdom. There is great treasure waiting for the person willing to pay the price. Now we are thankful to be part of a church fellowship that is filled with God-hungry hearts, among many yearning to know and serve Him better. But unfortunately, such assemblies are like sparsely scattered diamonds.

For those with eyes to see, the church is now in the place that Israel once was – wandering in the wilderness. The things that happened to that ancient Jewish nation were recorded as an example for us today. This is made clear in 1 Corinthians 10:11 – “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” Multitudes of church goers are perishing along the way, paying greater heed to worldly counsel than to Jesus. Some pastors tragically play the part of the spies that quenched the walk of faith and the discovery of promised blessings. The allurement of worldly things has brought such bondage to the church that it is practically powerless to respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Will the church wake up to what is happening, or will it be but a remnant that inherits the place of promise? It was a remnant of Israel that arrived to cross the Jordan and a remnant that God uses in the last days (Micah 4:7).

Consider the cry of the faithful few, those who held fast to the guarantee of God:

“And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephuneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.” (Numbers 14:6-9)

Do you want the victory and blessings of God more than the approval of the world? Have you tasted of the Kingdom – the righteousness, peace, and joy found in the Holy Spirit – through your faith declaration in the crucified and risen Son of God. If so, then the LORD is with you. It was Caleb who stilled the murmuring Jews and said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30)

Yes, there is more! And it is time to awaken and press in!

Should Jack start believing in giants?

It does not matter that a size-30 shoe was found outside of his window. Jack has gone to school where he has been taught that giants do not exist and does not want to look like a fool climbing a beanstalk.

Like Jack, evolutionists have been confronted with some hard evidence from eastern Montana – the discovery of soft tissue and flexible blood vessels inside the thigh bone of a Tyrannosaurus Rex*. And like Jack, they have been to school where they were taught that dinosaurs have not existed for seventy million years. It doesn’t matter that the Genesis record of creation can explain such a finding. They do not want to look like a fool by suggesting that their method of dating might be in error.

Responding to fellow evolutionists, one stated, “Finding these tissues in dinosaurs changes the way we think about fossilization, because our theories of how fossils are preserved don’t allow for this.” Imagine Jack saying, “Finding this shoe changes the way we think about the effect of weather on shoes.”

Jack needs to strongly consider the location of the big shoe. Likewise, evolutionists need to consider the location of this surprising bone – entombed in porous sandstone, hardly a vacuum seal. Realizing that biological material is soon broken down in the presence of ground water, an impartial investigator would quickly rule out the possibility of tissue remaining soft and squeezable after a million years. It has been suggested by the discoverer that more such bones may exist but have not been found because they are not being looked for - preconceived ideas are hindering the search. But now, more soft tissue has been found – in other T-Rex samples and in two Hadrosaurs – all of the “Cretaceous-period”.

Now, Jack we can excuse. After all, it’s just a story. But what about all the “knowledgeable” scientists who stubbornly cling to textbook age-assignments, even when faced with such glaring impossibilities?

Even Darwin admitted difficulties with his own theory: “To suppose that the eye with all its (complexities) could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.” (Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species, P. 75)

For the truth-searcher who is open and interested in considering the evidences for creation, there are some great sites to explore, like www.answersingenesis.org and www.icr.org. There’s far more than a giant to be found. Of course, if you want to read about the ancient giants of Genesis, see the novel.

*2005 discovery by Dr. Mary Schweitzer, reported in Science magazine, describes T. Rex bone tissue as “soft,” fibrous,” “flexible,” and “resilient”. MSNBC Science Editor Alan Boyle reported on July 24, 2007, “Today, paleontologists are still stunned – not only to find material that looks like dinosaur cartilage, blood vessels, blood cells and bone cells, but to see the stuff in so many different specimens.” It has come to light that similar findings have been found elsewhere (but not widely reported). Other reports were published in 2007 and 2009 (Science). See article, “Dinosaur Soft Tissue Issue Is Here to Stay” (Sept. Acts & Facts, ICR).

Mysterious origin of the Genesis giants

There is a verse in Genesis Six that some prefer to ignore than try to explain. Even seminary training offers little help here. And the questions do come – from young and old alike – “What happened with the angels? Can angels and humans reproduce? Who were the sons of God?” Irritated with the subject, they reply, “Just stick with the New Testament.” Or, “It can’t be read the way it sounds.” Well, let’s take a closer look:

(Gen 6:4) 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 bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Let’s begin with the assumption that the Bible is God’s written word (through man) to man (2 Peter 1:21, 2 Timothy 3:16). Before I discovered this, I suffered from a faulty foundation – one that was always wobbling based upon the current views of human authorities – and with no real hope. It’s the only Book with all the answers we need.

In Genesis 6:4, it’s hard to hide the connection between the sons of God / daughters of men and the resulting giants (or Nephilim). The glue comes with the little words “when” and “same”, which connects the ones that were born with those “mighty men..of renown”. So, whatever was going on definitely ties in with the birth of the giants. However, those who choose not to believe the incredible, generally pick on something else – the meaning of “the sons of God”.

The argument is that this term refers to the godly lineage of Seth that married into the ungodly lineage of Cain. But the term is not “daughters of Cain”- as if the union between a believer and non-believer produces giants. And when the original language is examined for the phrase, “sons of God” (bene elohim), quite disturbingly to some it is also found in Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7, and Daniel 3:25 as an unquestionable reference to “angels”. See also Psalm 29:1 and 89:7. But let’s not try to pretend to know the original Hebrew writing. Let’s look to those who did – the Jews. After all, in Romans 3:2 we are told “…unto them were committed the oracles of God.” Within The Torah, by The Jewish Publication Society of America, we find their translation of Genesis 6:4:

It was then, and later too, that the Nephilim appeared on earth – when the divine beings cohabited with the daughters of men, who bore them offspring. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown. (The official interpretation of bene elohim has been italicized for emphasis. Interesting how Jewish scholars see it.)

Let’s go back to those who prefer to stay in The New Testament. Here we are confronted with at least two references to a serious angelic God-problem:

(2Pe 2:4) For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

(Jud 1:6) And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

At first glance it may be thought that this angelic sin was simply leaving heaven for planet earth – following Lucifer in his rebellion. But when the context of Jude 1:6-7 is examined, something far more is found:

(Jud 1:7) Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

First notice the connecting words, “even as”, which links the angelic sin with what follows. Then notice the description of Sodom and Gomorrha’s sin – the words, “strange flesh” is italicized for emphasis. Isn’t it awesome how the Bible itself explains stuff that few people teach? Are we getting closer to seeing what really happened?

Now it’s time to hear from an ancient man who walked with God…and one day “was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24) His name was Enoch and some of his writings are found in The New Testament. This particular quote is not part of our Bible, so some may choose to ignore it – but there are some branches of Christianity that do recognize and include all the writings of Enoch as authoritative. Personally, I have read them and found them to be very edifying and helpful in understanding more of God’s Word (without conflict). As an antediluvian on-scene reporter, Enoch should be able to give us the scoop:

And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.' And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' And they all answered him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn
and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. (Enoch 6:1-7)

Another ancient historical record is the Book of Jubilees, included in some Bibles:

And it came to pass when the children of men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them, that the angels of God saw them on a certain year of this jubilee, that they were beautiful to look upon; and they took themselves wives of all whom they chose, and they bare unto them sons and they were giants. (Jubilees 5:1)

As you can see, the Biblical and early historical records are quite persuasive. It seems that some angels and some human women found a way to make giants. As for the reference in the Bible to angels in heaven not marrying, that apparently means in heaven. Hopefully, it won’t happen again on earth (though some say it will – a good subject for a later article).

The Missing Movie on Fallen Angels and Demons

We’ve been hearing about angels and demons quite a bit lately thanks to the popularity of the movie and book by Dan Brown. The author is adept at dramatizing religious mysteries as seen also with the Da Vinci Code – and yet another, The Lost Symbol. If you’re into conspiracy theories or simply love a fast-paced mystery bordering on the supernatural, Brown’s novels are sure to entertain.

However, a far greater mystery – one which I am amazed has not yet manifested in film – is the ancient revelation of fallen angels and women that resulted in a race of giants. It is found in the early verses of Genesis, chapter six.

This shadowy controversial passage of the Old Testament has caused irreconcilable concern for generations of readers, and produced pages of commentaries with alternative meanings. Yet, a straight-forward reading from most any translation is still an eye-raising experience and it will be surprising to many how strong the historic support is for such a bizarre angelic-human happening. All this makes it even more perplexing that no movie company has attempted to capitalize on this deeply embedded religious mystery.

To help clarify the passage (Gen. 6:4), let us draw upon Hebrew / Jewish understanding of these ancient writings, as published in The Torah: “It was then, and later too, that the Nephilim appeared on earth – when the divine beings cohabited with the daughters of men, who bore them offspring. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown.” [Nephilim is translated as giants, and the Hebrew words translated as divine beings are translated as angels in other versions of the Bible] Other passages in Jude (6-7) and 2 Peter (2:4) may well point to this event.

Based upon these early documents, the deep dark secret little discussed in the church does exist as a strong possibility. Why then is it being ignored…because it happened too long ago to leave any lab evidence? Or is it that the idea is too disturbing to accept? I’ll quickly admit that such a thing as angels and humans producing giant offspring is extremely disturbing, outside of a movie – although demonic play (deceptive) with humans is gaining acceptance within our twisted culture.

What are demons, anyway? Are they as some teach, fallen angels, and should we look outside of the Bible for answers? It may be of interest that the writings of Enoch are quoted from in the Bible and were read by the early church. For some reason the governing council decided not to include them in the later canon (approved collection of books). But it is within these writings that much revelation emerges not only on the subject of demonic spirits but also about the Nephilim.

My own faith (and future expectation) does not spring from the book of Enoch, but neither is it weakened by it. In ages past it was the prophets like Enoch, who walked with God, that were used to communicate special truths to mankind. So we would do well to at least consider the content of his writings while searching for keys to these ancient mysteries.

In brief, what does he say? If accurate, a copy of Enoch’s writings reveals that there were a number of angels, sometimes referred to as watchers, which transgressed their God-given domain and used their powers to charm and take for themselves women. Their offspring became the giant heroes of the land, the Nephilim, with characteristics of both angels and humans. Upon death their spirits were consigned to earth thus becoming evil spirits seeking other bodies to inhabit and control. As giants they became cannibals and as spirits they sought human destruction – apparent vengeance for their reduced state of being.

Think on this. If the earth before the flood of Noah’s day had become a land of encroaching giants, how narrowly did a remnant of humanity manage to survive? Does the name of Noah’s father, Lameck – which means “conqueror” – relate to their survival? How else would life have been affected by the great creatures like Leviathan and Behemoth that reportedly once existed upon this earth? Perhaps it all seems too extraordinary to consider – understandable if one is not aware of the detailed prophecies fulfilled hundreds of years after they were written. God’s written Word is one witness. His Holy Spirit is a second witness to an even far greater event that transpired in the fullness of time – the Seed long ago promised to Adam and Eve in the garden finally manifested as the Son of God, Jesus Christ, to destroy the works of the devil and to shed His blood for the salvation of all those who turn to Him in repentance.

Such things as the Nephilim I had never heard discussed in Sunday-school class (or even in seminary), perhaps for good reason – too little Scripture on the subject and too much imagination required. But I am still looking forward to seeing the movie, one day – maybe helped by the novel I finally managed to publish after five years of research and writing. But then again, who would ever invest such money to create a scene showing Leviathan rising from the Pison River to consume a Cainite apprentice priest in 3,017 BC? Would people even come to see a movie about a world that no longer exists?


If curious about the book, you can go to www.TheNinthGeneration.com

The Meaning of 9, and Future Predictions

Nine out of ten diners open their fortune cookies. Some people read their horoscopes. And more than a few look to tarot cards in hopes of gaining hidden knowledge about the future. As numbers go, nine is reportedly held in great reverence by all who study the occult sciences - I am not one of those, nor do I make any prophetic claims of my own (not wanting to be stoned by those still following Mosaic rules). But for the serious inquirer as well as the simply curious, I offer some findings that I hope will be not only revealing but helpful in the year 2009 and beyond.

So, what qualifies me to write on such a topic as number nine and the future? A fair question. It is not the traditional schooling, which may have helped. But I believe that it is the bent I have taken as a historic novelist, and the five years of research and writing required for a story set in the ancient earth, The Ninth Generation. Granted, a book does not make an expert in a field, but it does usually suggest some investigation into the subject. And in this case, the past sheds light on the future. Fortunately the way has been blazed by Ethelbert W. Bullinger in his classic 1894 reference, Number in Scripture. To him I am indebted for much of this material.

Let us begin with the fascinating properties of the last of the digits – nine. Mathematically, its uniqueness is found in no other number. The sum of the digits which form its multiples are themselves always a multiple of nine; e.g., 2 x 9 = 18 (1 + 8 = 9); 3 x 9 = 27 (2 + 7 = 9); 4 x 9 = 36 (3 + 6 = 9); Etc. And even so with larger numbers: 52843 x 9 = 475587 (4 + 7 + 5 + 5 + 8 + 7 = 36 (and 3 + 6 = 9).

Some scholars have attached numerical values to the letters of the Hebrew and Greek alphabet, a science known as Gematria. In analyzing the ancient books of Moses (The Torah), they have discovered that verses pertaining to judgment – as the judgment of Sodom – are characterized by values that are multiples of nine. The sieges of Jerusalem also happen to number twenty-seven (9 x 3). According to Bullinger, it is the number signifying finality or judgment. For those wishing to study this in more detail, Bullinger’s work is recommended.

Within the field of Biblical Hermeneutics (the study of Scriptural interpretation) there is a rule called “the law of first mention”. It is the principle that requires one to go to that place in the Scriptures where a specific term or doctrine in found for the very first time, and to study that first occurrence in order to obtain the fundamental inherent meaning. The word “nine” is first mentioned in Genesis 5:5 – “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” To the casual reader, 930 years may seem a glorious longevity depicting a grandiose era. But in the context of Genesis history, death of man had been a tragic revelation. The thousand-year mark was never reached, based upon the genealogical records. And at one point, in the beginning, there had been at least a possibility that man might have lived indefinitely. So, in this occurrence, the number nine is associated with the short-fall of man and resulting judgment – separation and death.

The subhead of the recently published novel, The Ninth Generation: Conquering the Giants, speaks of a race of beings described in ancient history who were ultimately destroyed. I will leave the method of destruction up to the reader’s imagination. But the fact of their once fearful size is strongly supported by the manuscript evidence of Deuteronomy 3:11 – “For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was the length thereof…” Based on the length of a cubit, Og must have stood at least thirteen feet high. Was the recorded length of the ancient giant’s bed – nine cubits – a Scriptural connection with judgment? That I am not sure, but they were ultimately removed from this earth. Whether they will ever reappear is the subject of other novels on the Nephilim.

Bullinger states that nine… “marks the end and issue of all things as to man – the judgment of man and all his works.” If one ventures to the top of any major mountain range on earth, they can find evidence of fossilized sea life. The legends of every race also testify to that ancient universal judgment. Of course there will be those who deny that this world was ever completely covered with water. Such people were predicted long ago by the same Scriptures that record the flood: “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers…ignorant of…the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished…” (2 Peter 3:3-6). The consideration of such a truth is so unsettling that many are driven to concoct theories to explain away the obvious worldwide evidence. And even fewer care to think about the following verses which speak of the earth that now exists... “being kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (vs. 7). It is interesting that verse nine gives the reason that we are still living in our present condition: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (vs. 9). Bullinger concludes, “the significance of the number nine is judgment, especially divine judgment.” A God with the power and will to judge is a scary thought, especially when the cross (man’s only God-given escape) is ignored.

“As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be…” (Luke 17: 26) Sobering words delivered by Jesus concerning the condition of the last generation just prior to his final spectacular return. Can we glean anything from those who were alive in the days of Noah – the generation that existed just before the watery judgment? In my research for the novel, The Ninth Generation, I discovered that the ninth patriarch in Seth’s lineage from Adam was Lameck, Noah’s father. Biblical names conveyed meanings and his meant “conqueror” according to some sources. This was of special interest that such a title would be conferred on the eve of judgment and plays a prominent part in the story leading up to the ark. I believe that it also has a meaning for the church in the last days.

Nine is also most noticeably a transitional number, being the last of the digits. Prophetically, as such, it may mark the end of an era. It is of interest that in the popular and political news today that so much of what we hear has to do with change. And I agree that change is needed, but I doubt that we will see the types of changes that will be truly beneficial to mankind without a change in heart toward the God who created us.

In the Gospel of Luke (17:11-19), there is an account of ten lepers who were healed by Jesus. They had all cried out for mercy, but only one turned back to worship Him – giving Him thanks and glory to God. “Where are the nine?” asks Jesus. Does this nine represent the multitudes who continue through the “wide gate” to destruction? (Matthew 7:13) Those who think they are well? (Matthew 9:12-13) In the last days, just before the revealing of the ultimate “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3), the Scriptures predict a massive “falling away” with “great deception” (vs. 9). With worsening economic conditions, the faith of many will be sorely tested. The love of many will grow cold and evil will continue to increase (Matthew 24:12). However there is a positive aspect to the number nine.

Nine is the square of three. And three represents Divine perfection – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The manifestation of God through His Spirit is expressed in the quantity of nine: The gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10) are 1-The word of wisdom, 2-The word of knowledge, 3-Faith, 4-Healing, 5-The working of miracles, 6-Prophecy, 7-Discerning of spirits, 8-Divers kinds of tongues, 9-The interpretation of tongues. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are 1-Love, 2-Joy, 3-Peace, 4- Longsuffering, 5-Gentleness, 6-Goodness, 7-Faith, 8-Meekness, 9-Temperance. Both the gifts and the fruit are nine in number, a great blessing to be imparted through the believers.

In Genesis, Chapter Nine, Verse Nine, God speaks: “And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you.” – this covenant is based upon the greatest judgment in all of history. In the New Testament the meaning is given – All those who trust in Jesus Christ’s death as payment for their sins will also be raised to eternal life. The plan that God had for man from the beginning is now realized and made perfect through His Son. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Hebrews 2:9)

Like the number nine, this world is not in its place of rest. It is like a woman with birth pangs. It is painful and at times agonizing. But based upon a Book whose prophecies have never failed, we can look ahead to a new creation. And that is far better than a fortune cookie. It is a Scriptural promise found in Revelation 21 [the Divine (3) times the Perfect (7)].

In conclusion, I think we can all agree that change is coming. But the best change for now is the new creation that takes place inside the believer from the moment that he places his faith in Jesus Christ – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is the only place of hope for the coming year(s).


For a fascinating glimpse into the ancient mysteries of the pre-flood world (in novel form), go to www.TheNinthGeneration.com

Mysteries of the Ancient World

Three marvelous mysteries spark the imagination concerning world wonders of the ancient time.
(1) The centennial ages recorded of early man
(2) Legends and fossils of giants
(3) Strange descriptions of creatures

Over five years were spent in research and discovery before planning the novel, The Ninth Generation, which led to further study, questions and speculation as to what it might have been like living in such a mysterious and dark time of history.

Found in the fourth and fifth chapters of Genesis are the best documented records of how long the early patriarchs lived, averaging above nine-hundred years before the birth of Noah - His father, Lameck, was still youthful at 56 when his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Adam, died at 930 years-of-age. What unique and fascinating family reunions must have occurred with seven grandfathers all alive together with their multitudinous offspring. What wisdom and experiences must have been shared over the near millennium.

Besides the Hebrew historical records, the fossil remains also testify to a lush semi-tropical environment and the presence of giants, both among the animal and plant world. Two-legged giants are an interesting discussion, but dinosaurs, as they now are called, were earlier referred to as dragons and are widely described in ancient records of many nations - even in cave drawings. There is no shortage of bones and literature describing these creatures. Even soft, squeezable blood vessels have been discovered in an unearthed T-Rex, challenging the conventional age-dating methods.

Among the plants, horsetail reeds that today grow five feet high in the past reached heights of fifty feet. Dragonflies once had wingspans of almost three feet - their fossil impressions are in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. And cockroaches grew up to a foot long - What a messy stomp.

Evidence exists that the entire earthly climate was far more pleasurable in the ancient past. Fossils of palm fronds have been found on northern Vancouver Island in Canada. Within the arctic circle, fossilized fruit trees - with the fruit - have been uncovered in the Spitzbergen Islands. And remains of redwood forests have been found buried beneath masssive ice deposits at the South Polar region.

All of this may be of interest and perhaps already known by many, but another much different type of discovery caused this author reason to suspect that the ancients may have had to make their homes high within the trees for their own safety. Herein begins the tension for the novel - historical fiction, yet potential reality.

While reading a parallel version of Genesis from The Torah - a Jewish translation in English - my eyes were opened to verse four of chapter six: "It was then, and later too, that the Nephilim (giants) appeared on earth - when the divine beings cohabited with the daughters of men, who bore them offspring. They were the heroes of old..."

Further research in ancient writings, including the Book of Enoch, revealed the specter of canabilism within this race of giants - a growing threat to a civilization already besieged by other forms of evil. More than once, the possibility arose that this antediluvian world may have provided the foundation for many of the later mythologies - the dawn of legends.

One especially interesting example is found in a Penguin Classic, Pausanias Guide to Greece. Pausanius was a doctor from Asia Minor who lived in the second century A.D., and spent years exploring and documenting details of the Greek cities. At one point (page 350) he describes a creature that had been preserved by pickling among the wonders of Rome: "Certainly a sight; the hair on their heads...its froggy color...sleek...bodies bristling with very fine scales...gills behind the ears and a human nose, but a very big mouth and the teeth of a wild beast...eyes were greenish-grey...hands and fingers and fingernails crusted like sea-shells. From the breast and belly down they have a dolphin's tail instead of feet."

Were these things the result of genetic manipulation - a deliberate sabatoge of the created order by the "divine beings", along with the Nephilim giants? For the interested reader who is willing to walk the thin line between fantasy and reality, herein is an invitation to step back into Genesis and an epic time-frame of history. Walk among the behemoths and face Leviathan in a preflood world of unspoiled beauty. Wake up in a tree home to the sound of a ram's horn - the signal of another daughter missing from the valley. There's enough adrenalin packed in this thriller adventure to launch any adventure lover into a world of wonder.

The Ninth Generation: Conquering the Giants / ISBN 978-1-60477-656-0

Dawn of Legends

Throughout history, every tribe and nation has been drawn to its legends…ancient stories, passed down in varied forms from generation to generation, incredible sounding to us today in our “evolved”, techno-insulated modern society. Some feed the imagination, involving half-human giants and fire-breathing dragons. Others stir the emotions, describing battles between good and evil, valiant rescues and kingdoms of eternal happiness. Sometimes we wonder how so many of these often-similar accounts might have arisen. Could there have been a beginning point…a place of truth, for what has become known as “myth”…a dawning of legends?

Beside the legends—deep within the human heart there is a yearning for a place of unspoiled beauty, long life and abundant provision. If the ultimate environment could ever enter the imagination, Rodinia or Pangaea, as it is called by some, would have been such a place. According to estimates by scientists who have examined the evidence in light of the Biblical record, this super-continent may have come into being within thousands, rather than many millions of years ago, following a unique galactic occurrence referred to by believers as “the beginning”. Those who lived in this earliest of civilizations, endowed with unusually long life-spans, perished, many in a global cataclysm, along with their cities and accomplishments. Global flooding combined with geologic upheavals, earthquakes and meteoric bombardment altered earth’s landscape to such a massive extent that today’s geography offers little clue to its pristine perfection. Even the atmosphere of early earth has changed, verified by laboratory analysis of air bubbles trapped in amber. Fortunately, such rapid burial has provided millions of fossils for study. Archeologists have unearthed the fossilized remains of huge people, gigantic beasts, lush foliage and towering forests, which testify to a past that was once an environmentally balanced, semi-tropical creation. Several ancient records in stone have been discovered, along with early manuscripts and records of a family that survived this disaster…all which together confirm the reality of this ancient and fascinating land…a place like none other we have ever seen. It is from the evidence of this age and the biblical record that this account of Adam’s sons emerges.

The story for The Ninth Generation is set in the nine-hundred and eighty-seventh year of recorded human history. The average life span was nine-hundred and twelve. Eve, the mother of the human race, had given birth to thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters (according to Jewish teachings), who intermarried and continued to produce sons and daughters over their near-millennial life-times. There must have been multitudes of Adam’s descendents living upon this early earth, along with the Nephilim (Genesis 6:4). Most of Cain’s descendents, and perhaps most of the population, lived in and around the cities which were fathered by Cain. However, with great violence and evil upon the earth, the godly remnant of Sethites, out of which Noah’s family would come, separated themselves in order to preserve their righteousness and protection with Elohim. The nine patriarchs, Adam through Lamech, who fathered Noah’s family that produced the later nations, were all still alive at this time in history, except for Adam, who died at the age of nine-hundred and thirty. The genetic information within every life form was complete and designed to perpetuate its kind, with diversity and beauty. The climate was ideal in this lush semi-tropical paradise, with no storms or polar ice. The fountains below and the waters above maintained a perfect balance of moisture and temperature…but all of this would change.

Although the specific account is fictional, the setting and many of the characters names and ages—along with the creatures—are based upon the Biblical record and writings believed to have originated with Enoch, as well as resources from the field of Creation-Science. Other factual resources were used to gain additional insight into this unique time period. This writer has invested years of research into the subject of creation and the early earth and believes that the story in all its details fits a conservative Biblical time-line and interpretation of Genesis.