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DEMONS IN THE WORLD TODAY

(SERMON #79 ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS)

by Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr.

A sermon preached at the Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles
Lord’s Day Morning, May 25, 2014

“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” (Genesis 6:1-2).


Keep your Bible open to this passage. Before I explain these two verses, I am going to give you a key to today’s apostasy. We looked at the prophecy Jesus gave last Sunday, and we are going to think about it again now.

The Disciples asked Jesus, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3). Christ gave them many signs. But then He gave them one great sign that would include all the others. Christ said,

“As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37).

If we want to know what it will be like in the general period before the Second Coming of Christ and the end of this age, all we have to do is read what it was like in Noah’s time, before the Great Flood. And the description of this is given in just three chapters of the Bible – in Genesis 4, 5, and 6.

Last Sunday night I showed you that the time of the patriarchs in Genesis, chapter 5, was a time of growing apostasy, not a time of great faith at all! The patriarchs in that chapter were not spiritual leaders. All it says is that they lived, begat sons and daughters, and then died. That’s all! Halfway through this list of patriarchs there was one man who finally did something. His name was Enoch. He preached against the growing apostasy of this period, saying that the Lord was coming “To execute judgment upon all” (Jude 15). He preached on the coming judgment of the Great Flood. And the Bible says, “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:22). It doesn’t say that of any other patriarch until Noah, “and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). All of the patriarchs of this period were left out of the men of faith listed in Hebrews 11 except those two men – Enoch and Noah. Thus we see that the period of Genesis 5 was a time of growing apostasy.

Commentators have spoken of the “godly line of Seth” and the “ungodly line of Cain.” But there is not a word – not one word – in the Bible teaching that! Yes, there were two races, the race that came from Cain, and the race that came from Seth. But both groups were ungodly! Both groups perished in the Flood! The ancient Jewish rabbis spoke of the time of the patriarchs as a time of growing apostasy. Which brings us to the climax of sin and apostasy in our text. Look at it again, in Genesis 6:1-2.

I. First, it was a time of great demonic activity.

“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 bare 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” (Genesis 6:1-5).

The Scofield note says that this was “the marriage of Cainites with Sethites.” But that note is wrong. “The sons of God” were fallen angels that had sexual relations with “the daughters of men.” Dr. Ryrie said, “The phrase ‘sons of God’ is used in the Old Testament [O.T.] almost exclusively of angels...On this unique occasion [they did] cohabit with human women to produce human offspring” (Ryrie Study Bible, note on Genesis 6:2). Quoting Jude 6 and 7 as the source, Dr. M. R. DeHaan said, “These angels which fell from their first estate were once holy angels. Their sin was the same as that of Sodom – going after strange flesh, fornication, engaging in unnatural relationship – bringing on the judgment of God” (M. R. DeHaan, M.D., The Days of Noah, Zondervan Publishing House, 1963, p. 144).

This was also the view of the ancient Jewish rabbis, and I am convinced that it is basically correct. However, scholars have wondered how fallen angels (now known as demons) could have had sexual relations with the women of Noah’s time.

My long-time pastor at the Chinese Baptist church was Dr. Timothy Lin. He was an Old Testament scholar who was one of the translators of the New American Standard Version (NASV), and also taught in several conservative seminaries. Dr. Lin suggested the answer to how angelic beings could have taken human women as their wives. He said that the fallen angels possessed men, and these demon-possessed men then had carnal relations with women. He said, “These wicked fallen angels could thereby have produced demon-influenced children [who were] terribly corrupt in morals” (Timothy Lin, Ph.D., Genesis: A Biblical Theology, Biblical Studies Ministries International, 2002, pp. 96-97). Dr. Lin also said,

      As Satan became more open in his interference in the affairs of man, he added the appeal of sexual lust to further corrupt man whom he had perverted earlier. The intermarriage in this period not only corrupted the holy institution of marriage into a means of gratifying selfish and lustful desires but did something much more serious than commonly thought. It brought about the cohabitation of the sons of God with the daughters of man, in order that the human race might be degraded to a subhuman level. Had it been successful, man might no longer have been the seed of man but the seed of Satan, thereby denying the promised Redeemer a way to become a man.
      Satan’s scheme corrupted the overall population of the earth. The people concentrated on “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark” (Matt. 24:38). Also, “The earth was filled with violence,” (Gen. 6:11, 13). Satan’s main instrument to cause the wickedness, evil, corruption, and violence in this period was the invasion and disturbance by “the sons of God,” who...corrupted the people at that time (ibid.).

Now look at Genesis 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” (Genesis 6:4).

The KJV calls the children of these demon possessed men “giants.”* That is an unfortunate translation which comes from a mistranslation of the Hebrew word “nephilim” by the old rabbis. They translated the Hebrew into Greek in the Septuagint as “gigantes” (giants). But the Hebrew word “nephilim” doesn’t mean “giants.” Instead, it means “fallen ones.” Dr. Henry M. Morris said that the “natural and probable meaning is ‘those who have fallen,’ probably a reference to...the fallen angels...The children of the unions of the demonically controlled men and women of this period are the ones said to have become [nephilim or ‘fallen ones’]” (Henry M. Morris, Ph.D., The Genesis Record, Baker Book House, 1986 edition, p. 172; note on Genesis 6:4). So we could translate Genesis 6:4 as, “There were fallen ones in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God [demonized men] came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children unto them...” At the end of the period before the Great Flood, the whole human race was composed of demon-possessed and demon-influenced people. Satan’s plan nearly worked. He nearly destroyed the human race, and nearly stopped the coming of Christ. These demonized people are described in Genesis 6:5. What stopped Satan’s plan? Look at Genesis 6:8,

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8).

Noah and his family were saved from demon-possession by the grace of God. He preserved them when He sent the Flood to destroy “the fallen ones.” If you are one of the elect, chosen by God, you need not fear, for the grace of God is stronger than Satan and his demons. Luther said, “And though this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.” But if you are not saved, you should be terrified! And that brings us to point two.

II. Second, we live in a time of great demonic activity today.

This takes us back to the prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ, who said,

“As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37).

Dr. M. R. DeHaan said,

Can we see in the conditions of today any resemblance to the days of Noah...? Surely one must be spiritually blind, and totally ignorant of the Word of God, to fail to recognize in all this the repeating of the days of Noah... (M. R. DeHaan, The Days of Noah, Zondervan Publishing House, 1971 edition, page 149).

Demonic forces took over the world in the days of Noah – and nearly destroyed the entire human race.

In my lifetime I have seen the power of Satan increase throughout the world. In the 1960s it felt at times that the world was teetering toward the edge of destruction. Many young people opened themselves to demon possession by taking drugs like LSD. They use drugs today that make LSD seem almost as harmless as candy. I was preaching among the Hippies in the San Francisco area in the early 70s. I can tell you from personal experience that most of these kids were under heavy demonic influence, and I saw a number of them that were fully demon possessed. In 1973 the Supreme Court of the United States made abortion on demand legal throughout America. Since then 55 million babies have been exterminated by demon possessed abortion “doctors.” We have also discovered, ministering to young people in the inner cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles, that nearly every woman who has had an abortion “on demand” became demonized, and many became thoroughly demon possessed. Today these women, and drug using men, formed a huge block of voters who put Barack Obama into office twice. Mr. Obama has many ideas that are clearly demonic. I personally believe that he became demonized while attending (for 21 years) a church pastored by Dr. Jeremiah Wright, the man who screamed on television, “God damn America! God damn America! God damn America!” I don’t see how anyone could attend his church nearly every Sunday for 21 years without becoming demonized! It should not surprise us that the President seems more at ease with militant Muslims than with Christians. They seem to be drawn together by the same evil spirits!

Do I need to mention the rise of militant homosexuality and “gay” marriage? Do I need to mention pornography – now viewed by more than 95% of teenage boys? Do I need to mention the kind of music heard at raves and rock concerts, where the entire crowd becomes hypnotized by the beat and melts into a throbbing mass of human flesh? Do I need to mention the unspeakable filth and ghastly killings seen in nearly all Hollywood movies today? Dr. J. Vernon McGee said,

Many people are demon-possessed today...We are seeing more and more manifestations of that which is demonic. There are many evidences of it all about us (J. Vernon McGee, Th.D., Thru the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, volume IV, 1983, p. 51; comment on Matthew 8:32).

Dr. McGee was a highly respected and widely known Bible teacher. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has been called one of the greatest preachers of the twentieth century. He pastored Westminster Chapel in the heart of London, England for more than twenty-five years. Dr. Lloyd-Jones said,

Demonic activity is on the rise due to the lowered spirituality, and godlessness of the whole country (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Healing and the Scriptures, Oliver-Belson Books, 1988, p. 159).

The Bible predicts a whole list of demon activities in the last days. The Apostle Paul said,

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (II Timothy 3:1-5).

“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (II Timothy 3:13).

The Apostle Paul indicated that this demonic activity will even invade conservative churches in the last days,

“And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (II Timothy 4:4).

“As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37).

We live in a time of swirling Satanic activity. Only Jesus can save us!

In the demonic times in which we live today, everyone should pay careful attention to the warning given to us by the Apostle Peter,

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8).

Did you ever wonder why some of you find it so difficult to trust Jesus and be saved? Did you ever think that it is probably a demonic attack on your mind – Satan’s last ditch effort to keep you as his slave? The Bible speaks of those who are in bondage (or slavery) to the Devil “all their lifetime” (Hebrews 2:14, 15).

That is why Jesus came – to free you from the Devil’s bondage, to set you free from being a slave to Satan! Jesus died on the Cross to pay the penalty for your sin. Jesus rose from the dead to free you from slavery to the Devil! Come and plead with Jesus to set you free from Satan! Come and plead with Jesus to pardon your sin and give you a new life! Jesus said that God sent Him “to preach deliverance to the captives, and...to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18). Oh, come, come, come – to Jesus! “None but Jesus, none but Jesus, can do helpless sinners good!”

Don’t think any more about Satan! Think only about Jesus! Throw yourself upon Jesus and He will set you free from sin and death! Jesus will save you! “Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him now. He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now”! Oh, turn from sin and trust the Saviour now!

Come and speak with us about Jesus saving you. Leave your seat and walk to the back of the auditorium now. Dr. Cagan will take you to another room where we can talk. Dr. Chan, please pray for someone to trust Jesus now. Amen.


*The ancient rabbis translated the Hebrew word “nephilim” into “gigantes” in the Septuagint. Thus, they introduced the false idea that nephilim are giants. The word “nephilim” appears also in Numbers 13:33 where it mistranslated as “giants” in the KJV. In both places this unfortunate translation comes from the mistranslation in the Septuagint (gigantes). The way we know they were big men in Numbers 13:33 is that they made the Hebrews feel small. But it only means that they were big, husky men, not that they were giants. The word “nephilim” refers to the fact that they were demonized, as were most of the people who lived in the land of Canaan before the Hebrews came. The Hebrews were constantly harassed by these demonized people because they did not drive them all out of the land as God commanded them to do. There’s not a “giant” in any of these passages, even though some commentaries, and even Strong, are confused by the mistranslation of the ancient rabbis.

(END OF SERMON)
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Scripture Read Before the Sermon by Mr. Abel Prudhomme: Genesis 6:1-8.
Solo Sung Before the Sermon by Mr. Benjamin Kincaid Griffith:
“Then Jesus Came” (by Dr. Oswald J. Smith, 1889-1986).


THE OUTLINE OF

DEMONS IN THE WORLD TODAY

(SERMON #79 ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS)

by Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr.

“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” (Genesis 6:1-2).

(Matthew 24:3, 37; Jude 15; Genesis 5:22; 6:9)

I.   First, it was a time of great demonic activity, Genesis 6:1-5;
Matthew 24:38; Genesis 6:11, 13, 4, 8.

II.  Second, we live in a time of great demonic activity today,
Matthew 24:37; II Timothy 3:1-5, 13; 4:4; I Peter 5:8;
Hebrews 2:14, 15; Luke 4:18.