But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:37)
But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; (1 Corinthians 13:8)
Contents
Introduction
When we read the phrase “as in the days of Noah”, what does it really mean for us? What were those days like? There have been a number of different interpretations, or should I say aspects that people have focused on: there is the disaster aspect, being ready, giants returning, fallen angels returning, and even the hybridization of humans. Which of those Our Lord meant for us to focus upon is open to interpretation.
The question becomes, what of those different areas of focus are supported by other scriptures? Authors who have written about the different scenarios have accumulated what they believe are supporting scriptures, therefore, each area of focus appears to have some merit, whether that was our Lord’s original intention or not.
For the purposes of this post, the emphasis will be on the topic of fallen angels and on a new, never before discussed aspect. Those who focus upon the fallen angel viewpoint, believe those angels who originally fell, will be the ones returning. The view I am putting forth now is that the fallen angels who will be coming have not fallen yet. That’s right. What assurances do we have that future angelic defections will not happen? There aren’t any; God respects free agency above all else, and apparently that includes angels.
Fallen Angels
According to what we do know, there was the initial rebellion when Lucifer fell and became Satan, taking with him a significant number of other angelic and created beings (one-third apostatized and departed). Then there was another defection “in the days of Noah” when :
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 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.
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. (Genesis 6:1–4)
Other translations use the word Nephilim in place of giants. What is assumed by many (but not actually stated in the text) is that it was the Nephilim who “took” the women and “had children” that were giants. The difficulty in believing the Nephilim were fallen angels is the fact that angels are incapable of reproducing. So the Nephilim must have come from somewhere else and are a different class of beings who were capable of reproduction.
Angel Defined
The word angel in its more specific definition is messenger, which could apply to any of number of other created beings who are likewise on assignments for God. For example, Elijah was taken up in a chariot and never tasted death. He then came as a messenger to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and could be viewed as an “angel” during that mission. This was explicitly stated during John’s encounter with an angel:
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10)
Thus we see that the term “fallen angel” can include beings other than the traditional angel. In the strict meaning of the word, the Nephilim, who were on assignment from God, fell, which means they were, according to the definition “fallen angels.” But because they could co-create, they were not angels in the traditional sense. What the Nephilim did when they fell totally disrupted life on earth and eventually led to the flood.
Premise
The premise of this post is this – God trusts His angels, His children, and other created beings, particularly those in positions of leadership, and He probably would not intervene until after they committed a crime (as with the flood). And because God wants to be known as merciful, He may give them ample time (in earth time this could be hundreds of years, who knows) to turn back (repent) before stepping in. In the case of the Nephilim we don’t know how many of them repented (if any did) and we don’t know if they or their offspring could be killed by the flood or if they had to be physically removed like this scripture says:
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;
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; (2 Peter 2:4–5)
One Final Revolt
What percent of humans are on the side of God, including the living and the dead? Pastor Howard Pittman was allowed during his Near Death Experience to observe how many of the dead are making it into Heaven at any given time. He stated these numbers are 50 out of 2000, which is 2.5 percent; the rest are on the side of darkness. One of the unfortunate side-effects when people turn to darkness and give their allegiance to Satan (directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly) is he grows stronger.
“As it is on earth (with spirit beings), so it is in Heaven.”
Satan by default is not strong on earth, he only becomes strong when people think on him, whether directly or indirectly. The same is true where he dwells in the spirit realm. It is possible that with so many turning to Satan (directly or indirectly) that his strength has grown over the millennia to become stronger than he originally was. He may be extremely powerful (including aspects of breadth and depth) now and the angels would be very aware of this and some may chose to change sides; it’s happened before.
Are there any prophecies besides what the historical narrative suggests that there will come not just a Final Battle, but a Final Revolt?
Prophecies
These prophecies may have relevance to a Final Revolt:
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (Matthew 24:29)
As with most scriptures, this can be read from a physical or spiritual viewpoint. Here are some other star verses that imply a spiritual meaning for stars, and in particular that they represent angels:
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (Isaiah 14:13)
9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. (Daniel 8:9–10)13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. (Revelation 6:13)
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to HIM was given the key of the bottomless pit. (Revelation 9:1)
20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20)
From those scriptures we see that stars have reference to host and angels. Host is another word for multitude as in a “multitude of angels”:
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, (Luke 2:13)
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 4:1)
The host of heaven.—Probably meaning the stars, as Jeremiah 33:22, (Ellicott’s Commentary)
22 As the host [stars] of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me. (Jeremiah 33:22)
In the Book of Enoch, which, since it is modeled on this book, furnishes us with the earliest commentary on it, we find the stars are invariably the symbol of the angels. When we pass to the Book of Revelation, we find the same thing. (Pulpit Commentary)
Thus, Daniel 8:10 implies that stars or angels will be overpowered by another more powerful being and Revelation 6:13 implies that some stars or angels will defect on their own because it says they leave Heaven (their natural abode) in an “untimely fashion.” When so many angels defect, it will cause, according to the prophecies, “the powers of Heaven” to be “shaken.” Now it does not say that they will collapse, but it does say they will be “shaken”:
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (Matthew 24:29)
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. (Mark 13:25)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. (Luke 21:26)
It is important to note that it says the “powers of heaven” and not the “heavens” themselves will be shaken for there are prophecies that say the earth and the heavens will be shaken and it should not be assumed that the two sets of prophecies are speaking of the same thing. One may ask, “What could possible shake the very powers of Heaven itself”? For those who have visited Heaven, they described giant walls with gates, and giant warring angels standing by which begs the question, “If a threat to God exists out there, how large is it?
Walls & Gates
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: (Revelation 21:10–12)
Movies
One may also ask, “How did the idea get into the human consciousness that God can be dethroned, as portrayed in recent movies?” The latest version of Superman has him being defeated. I guess the idea remains, since the fall of Satan.
Gather Elect
In support of the Premise that there will come one Last Revolt by the angels (and other heavenly created beings of God) consider the following verse:
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:31)
What has traditionally been viewed as a Rapture verse can now be viewed in a different light. The first part of the verse (gather His elect) has long overshadowed the second part (from one end of heaven to the other) which is speaking of something entirely different. Whereas The Rapture is about taking people from earth up to Heaven, the second part of this verse is referring to people (God’s elect) who are ALREADY in Heaven, and gathering those for a battle of sorts.
Who might some of these elect be whom God is planning to gather from the four winds of Heaven to help?
Ancient of Days
Who is the Ancient of Days spoken of by the prophet Daniel who will come and assist Believers?
21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21–22)
The speculation has been that it is Father God, but when read in context, it could not be Father God for it says Jesus comes to this Ancient of Days who is already on the earth:
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7)
The only other ancient being that we know of is Father Adam who is a resurrected being. It has been promised he will return with other resurrected beings and reign with Jesus throughout the Millennium of Peace:
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)
The following prophecy addresses the work of Father Adam:
1 Behold, I will send my messenger [Father Adam], and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:1–3)
John the Baptist prepared the way before Our Lord the first time that He came, but people fail to acknowledge that he had many disciples who helped him (Lk.11:1; Jn.1:35, 3:25). Father Adam will come to prepare the way this time and like John, he will have many helpers to assist him.
A key word that crosses with the prophecy of Daniel 7 is that he will “sit”:
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit (Daniel 7)
We most often associate holiness with Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because He was sinless, but that should not exclude the possibility that there are others who were nearly sinless. The only sin we know that Adam and Eve committed happened in the Garden of Eden, and they lived a very long time. To live righteously for 900 years is a long time and could justify his title and those prophecies.
The reference to the sons of Levi will make better sense if we review what they did:
4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.
5 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.
6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.
7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
8 But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 2:4–8)
Since the New Covenant of Jesus Christ, Believers are considered priests (or they are supposed to be) therefore the prophecy of Malachi applies to each of us. We are to be true to what the New Law and Covenant says, and our teachers and ministers should be the most faithful among us. Instead, we find them teaching, practicing, and doing things that have no scriptural basis (organized religion) which has certainly led to divisions among Believers.
The following gives specifics about who Father Adam and Our Lord are particularly upset with:
5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Malachi 3:5–6)
The glory of Our Lord will be revealed and it will be greatly tuned against:
- witches, warlocks, satanists
- fornicators, people living in sin
- people living a lie, and those who lie
- people who take advantage of others so they can live high on the hog while others don’t
- people who have no fear of God
Translated Beings
We can expect other translated beings to return including Enoch, Elijah, Esdras, John, and others:
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14–15)9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. (Isaiah 13:9)
Timing
When might these things take place? This is a possible timeline:
1. Sun and moon are darkened because of the stars/angels defecting:
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (Matthew 24:29)
A similar thing happened when Jesus was betrayed on the cross:
32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15:32–35)
2. Then shall appear The Sign of Jesus’ coming:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30)
Everyone will see the newly arrived Sign, it will be bright, and no doubt experts will measure its power the same way they do the Sun, and might try to give us an estimate of how powerful it is. Considering the sign is the glory of Jesus, and everyone will see it, everyone will be affected by it spiritually just as if they were standing before the throne of God (to a lesser degree of course). The only people who will mourn the sign will be the disobedient. Anyone who has been true to their conscience will be at PEACE, they will thrive. This will be the beginning of the prophesied wealth transfer from the unrepentant to the faithful.
3. He then sends His faithful angels to gather the rest of the elect from the four corners of Heaven.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:31)
The Sign will be the result of the New Jerusalem leaving it’s abode in Heaven and coming midway to earth. The Elect throughout the universe will be invited to a gathering there.
4. The wicked will be removed shortly after this just like the wicked were removed in the Great Flood in Noah’s day:
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (Matthew 24:37–41)
Of course the people at that time were not entirely surprised. Noah had warned them for many years and demonstrated his faith by building an ark. Christians have been warning the world for a long time about the coming of Jesus.
5. After the Sign is given, how much more time will God allow further warnings to be given? This will no doubt be the trigger for his earthly army – The Army of the Lord to go forth. Despite this marvelous sign, the defiant, the fence-sitters, and the weak in spirit will still defy God, and He in His great mercy will give more and more signs until all sign-related prophecies have been fulfilled. Then the hammer will fall as in the flood and the uncooperative will be systematically removed.
6. This will be the ultimate test for God to see who He can trust, thus the final part of this prophecy is about who God will place in positions of leadership during The Millennium:
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. (Matthew 24:45–47)
Effects
It’s up to each person how they interpret scripture and I’m sure there were a great many plans and prophecies in Noah’s time that became interrupted by the unexpected rebellion of God’s servants. If, and I say if another rebellion were to happen, when would be a key time for it to develop? It’s conceivable it could begin just before God’s Final Act in an attempt to thwart it. Is it possible this is where we are now?
As has been noted by a number of Believers, many modern prophets have made prophetic statements that have not come to pass. Either they are getting inaccurate information by God’s angels, or, the darkness is so great that said prophecies are not able to materialize. If an angel is planning to defect, how long might that angel thwart God’s plans and objectives by barely tweaking a vision, dream, or revelation just to play with the minds of Believers causing them to become disheartened; or for their family and friends with whom they’ve shared such things to lose faith?
There is a reason that Paul said we will judge angels:
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? (1 Corinthians 6:3)
Why would we judge angels unless they have freedom as we do, and thus a stewardship with how they carry out God’s will in someone’s life? We don’t hear about these things because as a rule, no one should have to second guess all correspondences from God. Is it possible for the Holy Ghost himself to defect? If one-third of the angels defected, what’s to say that one-third of the Godhead has not or will not defect?
Consider all the prophecies of a deception to come in the last days that would deceive even the elect of God. How could God’s elect, who ARE hearing His voice (or should I say the voice of the Holy Ghost and/or angels) be deceived unless it was coming from an insider who had turned but not gotten caught? Are these the questions of someone being sacrilegious or a realist? This type of deception would be of the highest order if the elect could be deceived.
We are not talking about the usual evidence of an antichrist such as denying that Jesus came in the flesh, or overtly worshiping Satan, but instead these would be minor tweaks that could go entirely undetected in a spirit-filled meeting of fellow believers. The presence of God is still there, there’s just a minor form of misinformation given, or something similar:
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:24)
24 That there will be false Christs and false prophets. They will show great signs and wonders so that many will be misled. This includes some of the chosen ones. (Matthew 24:24 NSB)
Jesus escorted Mary K. Baxter through Hell for 3 hours each night, for 30 nights. Many of those whom Jesus showed to Mary (which she was commanded to write and share with the world) were ex-ministers who, for the love of money, did bring in damnable heresies as was prophesied which did result in the loss of many souls from going into the Kingdom of God. These were not isolated cases, there were many ministers, pastors, priests, and evangelists who even defected after a personal visit and warning from Jesus or an angel.
All of Christianity, according to Jesus, Paul, John, and others, would apostatize because of sneaky, conniving, false spirits. This includes deceiving angels who had already defected or who are going to abandon their allegiance to God.
29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. (Acts 20:29 NLT)
17 Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. (Galatians 4:17 NLT)
19 Although these false teachers promise such people freedom, they themselves are enslaved to immorality. For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved. (2 Peter 2:19 NET)
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. (2 Peter 2:1–3)
Implied
So what is being implied by both the history lesson and prophecies given? The conclusion is this: all prophecies that have been given, both ancient and modern may be preempted by a wide-scale defection such as happened several times before. We cannot expect things to NOT get messy in the Final Episode of the manifesting presence of the Sons of God.