The Most Mysterious Beings In The Bible.

the most mysterious beings in the Bible number one theophany there are 108 different mentions of angels throughout the Old Testament angels are shown as playing a role in the stories told in the Book of Genesis specifically in the lives of Abraham and Jacob so who are these mysterious angels theophany what are the orphanum in ancient Hebrew ofenim literally means Wheels the word in its solitary form is often wheels are mentioned multiple times in the Old Testament and ofanim can refer to Conventional wheels on a cart or chariot who was this Prophet that saw this vision Nebuchadnezzar's Conquest in 597 BC Ezekiel was one of ten thousand prisoners captured from Jerusalem and most likely he prophesied in Babylon to the Exiles and settlement of Tel Aviv on the river keyboard Ezekiel sees theophanum Ezekiel had been an exile when God appeared to him God used this encounter to start ezekiel's ministry as a Prophet by showing him an astounding vision it is hard to define the oftenham depicted in ezekiel's Vision Without considering the entirety of the revelation God chooses to open the heavens in front of ezekiel's temporal eyes the description of ezekiel's inaugural vision is one of the most difficult passages to translate in the Old Testament Ezekiel first tells where he was when he saw the vision Ezekiel chapter 1 verses 1 through 4. now it came about when I was in my 30th year of life on the fifth day of the fourth month while I was among the Exiles beside the river kibar in Babylonia the heavens were open and I saw visions of God on the 5th of the month which was in the fifth year of King jehoiakim's captivity the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest the son of buzai in the land of the Chaldeans by the river kibar and the Hand of the Lord came upon him there as I looked I saw a stormy wind coming out of the North a great cloud with fire flashing continually from it and a brightness was around it and in its core there was something like glowing amber colored metal in the midst of the fire he tried to put into words something that couldn't be explained clearly he used similes to describe it comparing it to other things to give an idea of what it was like Ezekiel observes what appears to be a fearsome cloud of lightning and fire moving in from the north four luminous entities are hidden within the cloud emitting a brilliant light although the beings appear like humans they are not human in any way each possesses four different faces one human face one lion face one Ox face and one Eagle phase the prophet doesn't record these creatures by name in Ezekiel 1 where the recounting of his vision begins but by chapter 10 they're identified as cherubim after seeing the cherubim Ezekiel Saw the wheels like the chariot wheels a gyroscope is the most helpful equipment for visualizing what Ezekiel witnessed Ezekiel was describing something that could move in any direction without turning keep in mind that Ezekiel was describing the indescribable Ezekiel chapter 1 verses 15 through 21. now as I looked at the living creatures Behold a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces the appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of barrel and all four had the same likeness the appearance of their workings was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel when they moved they went toward any one of four directions they did not turn aside when they went as for their rims they were so high they were awesome and their rims were full of eyes all around the four of them when the living creatures went the wheels went beside them and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth the wheels were lifted up wherever the spirit wanted to go they went because there the spirit went and the wheels were lifted together with them for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels when those went these went with no stood they stood and when those were lifted up from the earth the wheels were lifted up together with them for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels Ezekiel continued to explain the constant interaction between the wheels and the chairman the wheels traveled in the same direction as the cherubim he said that the manifestation of the spirit of God could be seen in all that was taking place Ezekiel was also seeing God's omniscience the multiple eyes he saw represented God's complete awareness he sees and knows everything this great book begins with a vision Ezekiel receives a revelation from God of four Angelic figures in this Vision God calls the prophet to be his spokesman and Watchman to the Hebrew exiles this vision is the first of four in the book Ezekiel describes this first Vision in vividito Ezekiel used analogies to provide Visionary insight all together the huge Wheels the living creatures the enfolding fire and the eyes in the rims of the wheels made for a very terrifying image what a compelling illustration of the Providence of God which is constantly a work intricately designed never wrong and never laid would Ezekiel Saw or described In this passage is difficult to visualize it is presumably an image of a magnificent Chariot with four wheels that is bringing the Throne of God everything in this image from the living beings to God's Throne seems to be in constant motion and activity the wheels and their mechanisms may have been free to travel in any direction yet their emotions did not indicate disorder or confusion the description of full of eyes was how John described the cherubim themselves the sense is of excellent knowledge and intelligence often him are also mentioned similarly in Ezekiel 10.

Ezekiel was meant to understand that God's Chariot or Chariot Throne was on the move in the passages the Throne of God is set on Wheels often him and then pushed by Four Angels there are wheels inside of wheels at Cross angles with the effect that the throne can move in any direction without having to turn the offenim has been a point of Fascination for many and later Jewish apocalyptic writers gave them a life of Their Own the wheels were eventually recognized as a separate type of Angel known as the ofenim why do some refer to the ofenim as angels there is not a single mention of the office in the scriptures being Angelic creatures but apocryphal Jewish writers branded them as a class of angels and list them in their hierarchy of angels along with the seraphim and cherubim because of the oftenham's unique life likeness their Supernatural power and their proximity to God's throne not to mention the multitude of eyes whether or not theophanim or Angelic beings or merely a divinely powered mechanism of multi-dimensional Transport doesn't matter what does matter is theophonyms function in displaying God's glory to Ezekiel and every other believer who would one day read his account and gain A Renewed vision of God's kingship what do the oftenham reveal about God both in appearance and function the oftenham that appear in ezekiel's Vision shows God's complete dominion over the entire Cosmos as the spirit of God guides the cherubim that same spirit indwells theophanim and the eyes covering the wheels and the cherubim symbolize God's omniscience he is all seeing all-knowing God consistently provided Ezekiel with unusual visions that drove him to speak in unusual ways from hands and Scrolls descending from Heaven the four Abominations committed in the temple to Vines Eagles Lions dry bones and fires Ezekiel trafficked in strange but memorable pictures it reminded them of his Holiness and power as the Lord of all creation the message was clear though his people were in Exile and their nation was about to be destroyed God was still on the throne and able to handle every situation number two behemoth the behemoth the Behemoth is a beast that God himself speaks of we see this great beast in the Book of Job it all started with a prosperous man named job who lived in us with his large family and numerous herds of sheep he is blameless and upright and he makes it a point to always do the right thing his Devotion to God was steadfast and unwavering God extols job's virtues to Satan but Satan encounters that job was only righteous because God has lavished him with favor Satan dares God that job will change and curse God if approved to inflict suffering God allows Satan to torment Joel to test this bold claim yet he stops Satan from taking job's life Joel receives four reports within one day each informing him that his sheep servants and 10 children have all perished due to being stolen by invading thieves or being slammed by natural disasters job tears his garments and shaves his head in response to the pain that he is experiencing but he never stops praising God throughout his prayers Satan reappears in heaven and God gives him yet another chance to prove job's worth by testing him this time around job is suffering from severe skin rashes that are bothersome job's wife tries to convince him to curse God give up and end his life but he fights her and strives to bear his pains instead job is driven to his Breaking Point by the ordeal and as a result he becomes resentful anxious and terrified he laments the Injustice that God lets evil people thrive while he and many other honest people suffer job wants to face God in protest but cannot physically find God in the end God decides to intervene 36 instances Joel prayed to God to converse with him His Wish has been granted at this point God communicates with job in the middle of a storm on both occasions the way God speaks to him with much humor God tells job he is the one who made the universe and everything in it he runs through his excellent activity of creating and sustaining the world asking job whether he could match this word he finishes by asking whether job is able to judge telling him that it is impertinent for job to believe that God should explain himself to him job is made to feel very small in the second round God doesn't talk about himself as Creator but about his creatures Job chapter 40 verses 15 through 24. look now at the Behemoth which I made along with you he eats grass like an ox see now his strength is in his hips and his power is in his stomach muscles he moves his tail like a cedar sinews of his thighs are tightly knit his bones are like beams of bronze his ribs like bars of iron he is the first of the ways of God only he who made him can bring near his sword surely the mountains yield food for him and all the beasts of the field play there he lies under the Lotus trees in a culvert of reeds and Marsh the Lotus trees cover him with their shade The Willows by the Brooks surround him indeed the river May rage yet he is not Disturbed he is confident though the Jordan gushes into his mouth though he takes it in his eyes or one pierces his nose with a snare previously the focus was more on the mystery of the animal creation however now the focus has shifted to the fear and yet the magnificence of God's creations the Behemoth was first among the works of God the Behemoth is a creature that has been the subject of much debate among historians while there are still no consensus so many aspects of this creature two things are certain it was massive in size and possessed a belly button the evidence of a belly button shows that it is not an animal that lays eggs we read he eats grass like an ox his power is in his stomach muscles God seems to take great pleasure in describing the Marvel of this extraordinary creature pointing out its size appetite and behaviors along the way the picture is clear if job cannot contend with his fellow creature how could he ever contend with the God who created the behemoth the word behemoth in Hebrew has the same structure as the plural of Behemoth which means Beast suggesting an augmentative meaning great Beast the word of God makes it very clear who created this great Beast John chapter 1 verse 3. all things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made there can be no possible exception if a thing was made he made it as Creator he is of course Superior to anything he has created all three persons of the godhead were involved in the work of creation is it possible that such a beast used to roam the Earth with people some believe that the Behemoth is a is a hippopotamus many people think God had in mind what we would call the hippopotamus one of the world's largest most powerful and most dangerous land creatures the hippopotamus was definitely known in biblical times particularly in Egypt the Romans reduced their population due to the harm they caused to crops or was Behemoth an elephant according to most Bible apologists Behemoth in Hebrew refers to a four-legged Beast which they believed to be an elephant those who favor hippopotamuses do so because Job chapter 40 verse 23 talks about the behemoth's huge mouth drinking up the gushing Jordan River however there are two concerns with this Theory first The Book of Job describes the Behemoth as having a big tail that moves like a cedar elephants have small weak pig-like tails second job characterizes the Behemoth as an incredibly huge creature that even humans cannot tame can anyone capture him when he is on watch or pierce his nose with barbs to trap him based on verse 19 it seems that the creature described in job's story was too large for the people living during his time to defeat when the Book of Job described the Behemoth as the chief of the ways of God so powerful that only he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him it was no exaggeration after discussing the frightening behemoth God urged Joel to consider another terrifying creature number three Leviathan man's pride and Grandeur paled in comparison to the terrifying and unconquerable strength of the Leviathan how much more humble is man in God's presence and that's the point neither job nor anyone else has the right to criticize God's work the one who created Leviathan is worthy of our reverence ah and worship the Leviathan is a large aquatic creature of some kind the Bible describes it as a fearsome Beast with monstrous ferocity and great power the Hebrew word for Leviathan has the root meaning of coiled or twisted Isaiah chapter 27 verse 1 speaks of the Leviathan in that day the Lord with his severe sword great and strong will punish Leviathan The fleeing serpent Leviathan that Twisted serpent and he will slay the reptile that is in the sea whatever this monster of the sea is or was its strength and wild nature were well known the Old Testament contains several mentions of the Leviathan according to most of these passages the Leviathan is a real creature that people knew of although they kept their distance it only knew of it by reputation rather than sight in Psalm 104 verses 25-26 God is praised as the one who created the habitat for the Leviathan this great and wide sea in which our innumerable teeming things living things both small and great they're the ships sail about there is that Leviathan which you have made to play there only a great God could have created Leviathan and then made a home big enough to frolic safely what was the purpose behind God's creation of such a magnificent animal and what was the lesson he intended to teach job and subsequently all of us the lesson was one of humility God utilized the first and largest and most powerful land mammal to help Crush job's self-righteousness God created this giant of mammals to Humble people who like job let vanity swell their sense of greatness and importance job 41 gives the most detail about Leviathan as an actual sea creature in that chapter God describes Leviathan emphasizing the animal's size strength and viciousness Job chapter 41 verses 1 through 8.

can you draw a leviathan where the hook or snare his tongue with a lie in which you lure can you put a reed through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook will he make many supplications to you will he speak softly to you will he make a covenant with you will you take him as a servant forever will you play with him as with a bird or will you leash him for your maidens will your companions make a banquet of him will they abortion him among the merchants can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing Spears lay your hand on him remember the battle never do it again this creature was first mentioned in Job chapter 3 verse 8. May those cursed who curse the day those who are ready to arouse Leviathan in that context Joel refers to house Sailors and fishermen would curse the menacing creature known as Leviathan similarly with intense emotion job cursed the day he was born usually a leviathan is considered to be a mythical sea monster or dragon that terrorized Sailors and fishermen yet in the context of job 41. God does not seem to consider Leviathan to be mythical at all there are differing opinions regarding the description of Leviathan some suggest that it could be an ancient dinosaur similar to a dragon that may have survived until the time of job or remained in the memory of humanity serving as an example for God to refer to on the other hand some believe that Leviathan is simply a powerful crocodile in this context the term Leviathan signifies a twisting one and is also referenced in other intriguing contexts within scripture Psalm 89 verses 8 through 10 also tells of a serpent that was connected with a sea and that God defeated as a show of his immense strength this serpent is given the name Rahab which means proud one in the verses Psalm 89 verses 8 through 10.

oh Lord God of hosts who is like you Almighty Lord your faithfulness surrounds you as an intrinsic unchangeable part of your very being you rule the swelling of the sea when his wave rise you steal them you have crushed Rahab Egypt like one who is land you have scattered your enemies with your Mighty arm if mankind can't overpower Leviathan it can't hope to overpower God there is a second also important point that God himself was Master over Leviathan everything under Heaven Is Mine by telling of his dominion over Behemoth and Leviathan the author and reader have a complete understanding of the situation that job is unaware of Job chapter 41 verses 12 through 17. I will not be silent about his limbs or his mighty strength or his graceful frame who can strip off his outer covering who can pierce his double armor who can open the doors of his face around his teeth there is Terror his strong scales are his pride locked as with a tight seal one is so close to another that no air can come between them they are joined one to another they clasped each other and cannot be separated some people believe that the description of Leviathan with its rough armor-like scaly skin and numerous terrifying teeth suggests that in this Biblical context God was envisioning a powerful crocodile however this description of Leviathan seems definitely beyond that of a crocodile Job chapter 41 verses 18 through 21. his sneezings flashed forth light and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning out of his mouth go Burning Lights Sparks of fire shoot out smoke goes out of his nostrils as from a Boiling Pot and burning rushes his breath Kindles coals and a flame goes out of his mouth job 41 verses 22 through 34.

in his neck dwells strength and dismay leaps before him the folds of his flesh are joined together firm and immovable on him his heart is as firm as a stone and as firm as a lower Millstone when he rises up the mighty are afraid because of the crashing they are bewildered the sword that reaches him cannot prevail nor the spear the dart or the javelin he regards iron as straw bronze as rotten wood the arrow cannot make him flee sling stones are turned into stubble for him clubs are regarded as stubble he laughs at the rattling of the javelin his underparts are like sharp pieces of pottery he spreads out like a threshing Sledge on the mud he makes the depths boil like a pod he makes the seal like a jar of ointment behind him he illuminates a pathway one would think the Deep to be gray-haired nothing on Earth is like him one made without fear he looks on everything that is high he is King over all the sons of pride in the final detailed description of Leviathan God used language that closely linked the idea of Leviathan with Satan job was instructed by God to think about these unconquerable creatures God completes his remarks to job without ever telling him the story behind the story job was left unaware of the situation that prompted his whole crisis the whole job did not know the entire story God did tell him of his great victory over Leviathan Satan giving job Assurance for the past the present and for the future a leviathan was a dangerous creature that caused seasoned Warriors to turn and run Leviathan is no myth but rather a real creature of the sea subject only to its creator all nature glorifies God and these two beasts honor God Isaiah chapter 43 Verse 20. the wild animals honor me the jackals and the owls because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the Wasteland to give drink to my people My Chosen the strength of this creature or any creature is derived from God who therefore is the ultimate power source whose arm we cannot contend with God is able to instruct us and communicate with us through the natural world number four Nephilim Angels Origins are distinct from those of humans they were made on different times and for different reasons however scripture indicates a portion of Satan's Fallen Angels failed to keep their proper domain by materializing and interacting with humans in ways Angels were never meant to do this interaction is depicted in Genesis chapter 6 verses 1 through 4. now it came about when mankind began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them that the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful and they took wives for themselves whomever they chose then the Lord said my spirit will not remain with man forever because he is also flesh nevertheless his days shall be 120 years the Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward when the sons of God came into the daughters of mankind and they bore children to them those were the Mighty Men Who were of old men a renown this refers to the unnatural progeny of the partnership between the sons of God and the daughters of men however there were individuals of distinctive size on the earth both Before and After the flood the individuals who lived before the flood were noteworthy due to their demonic lineage they were known as the powerful and famous men of ancient times at first glance there is no indication of angelic or demonic involvement a passage in job on the other hand provides a better understanding God explains to job his omnipotence by recounting his power over creation Job chapter 38 Verses 4 through 7.

where were you when I laid the foundation of the Earth tell me if you have understanding who said its measurements since you know or who stretched the measuring line over it on what were the bases sunk or who laid its Cornerstone when the morning Stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy the morning stars are best interpreted as angels we also know that mankind had not yet been created when God laid the foundation of the Earth so the reference to sons of God is another reference to Angels implying that the sons of God in Genesis 6 are also angels the context implies that the Nephilim were the resulting offspring of spirit beings and humans the Nephilim or Fallen ones in Genesis chapter 6 verse 4 are mysterious personalities the Mighty Men Who were of old the men of renown the text does not explain how the Nephilim arrived it simply States the Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward when the sons of God came into the daughters of man and bore children to them Jude likely understands Genesis chapter 6 verses 1-4 to refer to the intermarriage between Spirit beings and humans Jude 6 tells of angels who did not stay within their position of authority but left their proper dwelling God did not intend for the human race to stay in this defined State indefinitely this means that our rejection of God has reached a point of no return God will not woo us indefinitely there will come a time when he says no more the Nephilim were one of the primary reasons for the great flood in Noah's time immediately after the mention of Nephilim God's word says the Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only Evil all the time it saddened the Lord deeply that he had created humans on Earth in his heart was Heavy with sorrow God then flooded the entire Earth destroying everything except Noah his family and the animals on the ark everything else perished including the Nephilim but why were men suddenly so violent was it because the Godly line mixed with the ungodly line or was it at least in part because Humanity had mixed with Spirit beings I would like to argue for the latter were there Nephilim After the flood it appears that the Fallen Angels committed their sin again after the flood however it is likely that it occurred to a much lesser extent Than Before the Flood the Israelites returned to Moses with the following information after scouting the land of Canaan Numbers Chapter 13 Verse 33.