Huh? Nephilim and Time, Time, and a Half a Time
Overview
Who Were the Nephilim?
Genesis 6:1–4 introduces the "sons of God," the "daughters of humans," and the Nephilim—a passage that has fueled imaginative theories about fallen angels mating with women to produce demonic-human hybrid giants. As exciting as that sounds, it isn't sound theology. A more faithful reading sees the "sons of God" as the believing line of Seth and the "daughters of humans" as descendants of Cain's unbelieving line. When the godly line intermarried with the ungodly and abandoned the worship of God, wickedness multiplied. Luther himself wrote that "the sons of God fell away from the worship of God and became entirely worldly," and the result was offspring "arrogant in sin and in wickedness."
The Nephilim, then, were "giants" not necessarily in stature but in tyranny, violence, and reputation for evil—oppressors who trampled others to satisfy their own passions. This fits the moral collapse described in Genesis 6:5–6, where every inclination of humanity's heart was "only evil continually." Even the report of "giants" in the Promised Land later in Israel's history reflects this kind of oppressive power, not necessarily towering height.
The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
Revelation 12:1–6 gives a compressed vision of redemptive history that the rest of the chapter then unpacks in greater detail. The woman crowned with twelve stars represents the whole people of God—both Old Testament Israel (the twelve tribes) and the New Testament Church (the twelve apostles). Mary models this woman, but so does the Bride of Christ, the Church. The moon under her feet shows that all creation is governed for the benefit of God's people.
The dragon waits to devour the male child—Christ—but the child is "snatched away and taken to God and to his throne." That single phrase contains the incarnation, ministry, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Psalm 2 prophesies this enthronement: the anointed Son who will rule the nations with a rod of iron, a reign now hidden but to be revealed in glory. Luke 1:31–32 confirms the child born to Mary is the one who will reign forever. The dragon could not destroy Christ—Christ prevailed.
A Time, Times, and Half a Time
Unable to defeat the child, the dragon turns his rage on the woman and "the rest of her children" Revelation 12:15–17. She is sheltered in the wilderness "for a time, and times, and half a time"—three and a half. Seven is God's number of fullness and completion (the seven days of creation); three and a half is half of seven, the devil's mockery of God's fullness. This is the period we now live in: a season when the accuser rages, knowing his time is short, and yet the Church is nourished and protected by God.
The serpent—the same deceiver from the Garden, already promised to be crushed—still slanders, tempts, and accuses day and night. Yet Revelation 12:10–11 declares that the saints conquer him "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony."
Pastoral Application
We live in the "time, times, and half a time"—a real spiritual war Ephesians 6, with an enemy who tempts us into sin and then accuses us for it. But the dragon's defeat is already secured. Christ reigns at the Father's right hand, and the Church is sustained week after week by Word and Sacrament. This is why holding fast to pure doctrine matters; the dragon especially targets "those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus." Advent is the perfect season to remember this: Christ has come, Christ is risen, Christ will come again in glory—and by his grace, we already belong to his kingdom.
Transcript
So today for our time of, we're going to, I think we're going to have fun. 4s
We're going to start in Genesis, but then we're going to end in Revelation. 11s
We're going back to Revelation. 15s
This is going to be good. 18s
Okay. 19s
So let's first begin in prayer. 20s
Lord we thank you so much. 24s
We thank you for this new season of Advent. 26s
We thank you so much that in the time that we await your second coming, we know that the 29s
victory is already secured for us. 34s
Lord we ask that in this time of waiting that you would continue to nourish us, sustain 38s
us by your word and sacrament, and help us to share your love, your mercy and your truth 44s
with all those around us that so many can hear the good news of salvation through you 50s
and come to know you and believe in you that they would be eternally in your kingdom 57s
with all the saints. 62s
Lord we lift this up to you trusting in your holy name and giving you all thanks and 64s
praise in the name of Jesus Christ. 69s
Amen. 71s
Okay. 72s
So we're going to begin in Genesis. 73s
I have been asked on more than one occasion about the Nephilim. 75s
The Nephilim. 82s
Does that sound familiar? 82s
Sometimes it's translated the giant. 85s
It's in Genesis. 88s
So we're going to just go straight to Genesis chapter 6. 89s
Genesis chapter 6. 96s
So let's go ahead and start reading it and then we'll come back to explaining it a 101s
little bit. 106s
So Genesis is the very first book in the Bible. 106s
We're starting in chapter 6 with verse 1 where it says when people began to multiply on 110s
the face of the ground and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that they 116s
were fair and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose. 121s
Then the Lord said, My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever for they are flesh. 125s
Their days shall be 120 years. 131s
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward when the sons of God went 134s
into the daughters of human, humans who bore children to them. 139s
These were the heroes that were old of old warriors of renown. 143s
Okay. 149s
So the popular or a popular idea about the Nephilim is that they are these beings that 150s
have been created after fallen angels who are the sons of God impregnate certain beautiful 160s
women that are the daughters of men. 168s
And then these Nephilim are born and they're these sort of like demons spawn human hybrid 171s
creatures that are ginormous. 177s
Now that makes for possibly an exciting movie. 180s
It is interesting but no. 185s
We're just going to say no. 193s
It grabs attention but but grabbing attention is not always necessary. 195s
A more realistic thought or more realistic understanding of these are that the sons of 200s
Adam and Eve through Seth, those are the dominant line of believers. 208s
Right? 214s
Because they start with Cain and Abel. 215s
We know that Cain kills Abel. 217s
So the the the sons of men or the daughters of men would be those that are coming out of 219s
Cain's line that are that is the line predominantly of the unbeliever. 227s
Right? 233s
And then you have Seth who the line of Seth, the descendants of him are going to be considered 234s
the dominant line of believers. 241s
So these ones who are still in that line of the believers, they see some of these cutepies 245s
over here that are in the line of the unbelievers and they get together and then they have more wickedness. 253s
They have more wickedness. 260s
So so there's further deterioration of religious principle. 263s
There are these these children they're becoming strong in their activity. 268s
They're becoming strong in their reputation. 274s
So they are are giant in reputation of their wickedness. 277s
Luther he wrote in his in in a study on Genesis, he said the sons of God fell away from the worship of God 283s
of God and became entirely worldly. 292s
The wickedness increased to such an extent that there were giants on the earth. 296s
The sons of God who had fallen away entered into relations with the sinful and the result were the giants, 302s
the arrogant in sin and in wickedness. 308s
The giants that then are referred to by the Israelite Party remember the scouts that went to to see the promised land 313s
and they came back and they said, oh my goodness, they're giants. 322s
They're like we're like grasshoppers to them. 324s
It's not because they were giants in dachar. 328s
They didn't have to be giants in stature but but we hear about when people are oppressive 332s
in their rule and reign they they they trample on someone right. 338s
It doesn't mean that if if if there's someone that is all powerful 344s
God is all powerful. 352s
If there is a human that is all powerfully wicked and and comes in and tramples me down 354s
they're not literally going to be stepping on me right. 361s
But they can oppress with their use of power and rule. 365s
They were raging violently for their own service for gaining for themselves their own desires 372s
their own passions and and we read in Genesis verses 5 and 6. 381s
So we hear about these Nephilim that and we know that that it's just getting worse and worse and worse 388s
and as the wickedness grows and the arrogance within the wickedness grows we read in verse 5. 395s
The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth and that every 404s
inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually and the Lord was 411s
sorry that he had made humankind on the earth and it grieved him to his heart. 418s
So the the Nephilim are not giants because of stature they're giants because of their tyranny 426s
and their oppression. So if any of you writes a movie about these hybrid creatures 434s
I may see it but I will also afterwards come and say that is not good theology. 447s
My kids oh I see Aslan smirking back there. 457s
Anytime we watch anything that touches on a theological notion I go this is just this just bad 460s
theology and and she started stopping me as we're watching something she just says mom I know I know 468s
it's I'm not turning to this for theology I'm turning it to it for fun but anyway so so there you go 474s
the Nephilim the great mystery not as exciting as we think or as as sometimes it's portrayed but 481s
but it makes more sense it's more realistic and so there we go all right so we started in Genesis 492s
now we're going to jump all the way to revelation there is um revelation is I mean we could 499s
I know we talked about this last year we could spend just years in revelation and still um be 507s
fascinated and find more uh we're gonna go to revelation 12 revelation 12 so we started in Genesis 515s
the very first book of the Bible and we're going all the way to the end to revelation the very last 523s
book in the Bible so we're making it very easy to find today um we don't even have to open to 529s
the middle and then flip we just know you either go to the front of the back so we're in the back 535s
of the Bible revelation verse 12 um so have you ever been reading in Daniel it also has this where 539s
where you read and it talks about a time times in half a time and we kind of read past that and go 548s
yep okay sounds good what is time times and half a time so that is what we're going to be looking 555s
at today so we're going to start with verses uh one through six because this is very interesting 563s
remember how we talked last year about how revelation goes in these cycles right it's cyclical writing 570s
and so here we're going to find in these first six verses of chapter 12 we find that um that it's 576s
it's a quick version of then what is laid out in the rest of 12 so let's go ahead and read 584s
verses one through six where John is seeing the vision and he says a great portant appeared in heaven 593s
a woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of 12 stars 601s
she was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs in the agony of giving birth then another 608s
portant appeared in heaven a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven diadams on 614s
his heads his tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth 622s
then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child so that he might devour 628s
her child as soon as it was born and she gave birth to a son a male child who is to rule all the 634s
nations with a rod of iron but her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne 641s
and the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God so that there she can 648s
be nourished for 1,260 days okay so a great sign it begins by saying a great sign a great 654s
sign is it's pointing to something of importance remember how we hear that there will be signs and 668s
wonders that Jesus did many signs and wonders he is it that is always pointing to something of 676s
divine importance that's happening a visual representation of something divine right we know that 683s
when Jesus performs miracles something divine is happening right there we know that anytime there's 692s
a sign given there's something divine that's happening that's going on so so this woman is 700s
wearing a crown of 12 stars on her head now a crown was given in reward for a contest it was it was 708s
it showed a victory and this crown of of 12 stars it represents 12 of the 24 elders that were 717s
around the throne of God so in the throne room we read about the 12 elders that are praising and 727s
worshipping the Lord and we knew when we talked about this last year we talked about how 12 those 736s
12 of those 24 represented or were the 12 tribes of Israel and the other 12 were the 12 apostles so 742s
you have the Old Testament and the New Testament coming together and you have the 24 represented so 752s
you have you have this woman who is wearing the crown of 12 stars on her head and prior to the child's 759s
birth the 12 stars are representing the 12 tribes of Israel it's those those 12 tribes so it's 768s
really that old testament people that are being represented here it's it's all the people of God 776s
in the Old Testament that are represented then after the child is born the 12 stars are representing 784s
the other 12 elders that are that are the 12 apostles which represents the New Testament Church 791s
which represents the people of God both both of the Old and the New it's it's the complete people 800s
of God the stars are signifying that the woman represents the entire people of God 809s
Israel and the New Israel the Old Israel and the New Israel Mary is is the model of the woman or 821s
for the woman she's also the model for and represents the church so here we have this woman and 831s
and and she is I mean we know that Mary did give birth to Christ but we also know that the church 839s
is referred to as a bride remember in the Old Testament how consistently the prophets write and 847s
and God writes through through them talking about the the unfaithful bride that is the church and then 855s
afterwards we hear in the New Testament about the church that is adorned as the bride for Christ 864s
right the bride of the lamb so the church is adorned with the sun and crown of stars God loves 871s
and honors his people God loves his people his people of all his people of now and his people to 877s
come God loves all of his church the moon that is under the woman's feet that shows that she's 888s
the dominant earth entity in his creation so everything everything in creation is governed for the 897s
benefit of the church the church is to increase to be cared for the church is protected by God 907s
the dragon then is sitting here it's just incredible imagery this dragon that is just waiting for 917s
this child to be born to debour him so so we see that the dragon at the start isn't again or isn't 926s
after the woman the dragon wants to destroy the child the dragon wants has a focus 937s
against the child that's where the warfare is all centered but the child escapes the dragon 950s
and that's when the dragon turns his rage toward the woman so if you keep your hand in revelation 957s
and if you go to Psalm 2 now we're going to open to the middle of our Bibles into Psalm 2 please 969s
it's just incredible when you get into you know I like the the Lutheran 985s
the Lutheran way of understanding that scripture interpret scripture because it helps to clarify it 992s
helps a lot to make sense of what doesn't seem to make sense and we see that that God has it 1000s
he has what he wants us to know in his word so so it's just kind of cool that's a total aside 1008s
but it's just it's just really cool to see how God gives us always through his word understanding so 1014s
so in in Psalm 2 we read we read about the prophecy of this so reading in Psalm 2 it says why do the 1023s
nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers 1035s
take counsel together against the Lord and his anointed saying let us burst their bonds a 1041s
sundering cast their cords from us he who sits in the heavens laugh the Lord has them in 1048s
derision then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them within his fury saying I have 1054s
set my king on Zion my holy hill I will tell of the decree of the Lord he said to me you are my son 1061s
today I have begotten you ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the 1069s
earth your possession you shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a 1076s
potter's vessel now therefore oh kings be wise be warned oh rulers of the earth serve the Lord 1081s
with fear with trembling kiss his feet or he will be angry and you will perish in the way for his 1089s
wrath is quickly kindled happy are all who take refuge in him so we see that in Psalm 2 God is 1097s
telling us that he will anoint his king he will install his king who is the anointed one and in 1107s
Psalm 2 verse 9 when it talks about the iron rod it's looking past the present age where gods or 1117s
Christ rain is hidden right it's looking past that into the future rain when Christ's rain will 1128s
be revealed in power and with glory and so it's light in light of the future rain the the future 1136s
rain of Christ the kings kings are told fear worship and serve the Lord in that knowing that this 1147s
rain indeed is coming and so this is what is the kings and those of us on earth are invited to 1158s
to fear and worship so that that the escape of the wrath of God can happen remember happier all 1168s
who take refuge in him we know that the rain the eternal forever rain is the Lord's and so when 1175s
he comes again in all power and glory and and his kingdom is no longer hidden from the world we 1187s
know as believers we do not need to tremble because our time now is is revering the Lord our king 1196s
and and we know his kingdom is to come so that is that is an invitation and a warning right that 1207s
that those who who revel in the worldly rain and the reign of the dragon gods wrath indeed will come 1214s
upon them the dragon the dragon though can only look toward or look forward to his complete termination 1227s
his a complete termination of his of his rule and so he's furious with this child he's furious with 1240s
this child and that's where he wants to to snatch the child in Luke chapter one verses 31 and 32 1252s
we find out that the male child that is to be born to marry is to rule on the throne forever we know 1262s
that his his rule and reign will be forever it is eternal and Jesus declares in his ministry over 1272s
and over again that he is the shepherd he is the one who has come to call and gather the sheep just 1283s
as God had promised so so in verse five going back to Revelation in verse five we read she gave birth 1292s
to a son a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron but her child was snatched 1303s
away and taken to God and to his throne a lot happens in that phrase in this phrase we have the 1311s
incarnation we have the ministry of Jesus we have the passion the death the resurrection and the 1324s
ascension in just a little phrase so so so we have the sum of our whole everything that we know about 1331s
Christ all in those few words that the child was born and snatched up to God Jesus the child 1344s
he is exalted and enthroned it is not the dragon it is not the dragon who prevailed it is 1356s
Christ it is the child born who prevailed praise the Lord the dragon couldn't destroy the child at 1363s
his birth so now now we're going to jump down so so those verses one through six that an overall 1372s
explanation of what's happening here then then John in his writing with the prophecy he comes 1383s
back then beginning in verse seven and goes back over it and explains what happens and tells of it 1392s
in more detail so in that we hear beginning in verse seven war broke out in heaven Michael and his 1400s
angels fought against the dragon the dragon and his angels fought back but they were defeated and 1408s
there was no longer any place for them in heaven the great dragon was thrown down that ancient 1415s
ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan and deceiver of the whole world he was thrown 1421s
down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him then I heard a loud voice in heaven 1428s
proclaiming now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority 1433s
of his Messiah for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down who accuses them day and night 1440s
before our God but they have conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their 1447s
testimony for they did not cling to life even in the face of death rejoice then you heavens and 1453s
those who dwell in them but woe to the earth and to the sea for the devil has come down to you 1460s
with great wrath because he knows that his time is short okay a couple of things here why I keep 1466s
highlighting that that this you know the first six verses give a shortened version and then we come 1474s
back to get more details because when when one reads revelation in a linear fashion then we see 1482s
that there are that that they're they're really then are two dragons how does this work and you see 1492s
this timeline getting really muddled and very confused so when we understand that we're coming back 1498s
to to the deeper explanation or more details it makes it clearer does that make sense 1506s
yes oh good I'm so glad I also I also want to highlight I just find it so amazing these incredible 1515s
descriptions of the serpent of the devil given where where it is it is in verse um verse 10 and into 1529s
11 it talks about um the accuser the accuser who accuses that day and night before our God and 1537s
isn't that exactly what the devil does but stand there first saying you know come on it's okay 1546s
you know tempting us warring us into sin we sin and then he says can you believe what you just did 1554s
you should be ashamed you are unworthy you are un-savable right isn't that what the great accuser 1562s
does I love those verses just it's just anyway so um so the dragon can't destroy child that has 1573s
then the woman this this first Mary is now the church it's both the old and the new 1584s
Israel um and and we read about that where where Paul in Romans writes about there's no longer 1589s
Jew in Greek but but we're one in Ephesians chapter two we we read all about um the unity of who we 1595s
are in Christ right that we are no longer separated but we are one we read in the New Testament 1603s
in Paul where he talks about um you know we're all one in the Lord one Lord one spirit one baptism 1609s
for the forgiveness of sin and so we have this unity and um let's go ahead and go back to 1616s
Revelation verse 13 so when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth he pursued the 1623s
woman who had given birth to the male child so he's pursuing after this woman he can't he cannot 1630s
defeat the child and so he goes after the woman he goes after the church but the woman was given 1638s
the two wings of the great eagle so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness to her 1648s
place where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time see time and times and 1655s
half a time okay we're gonna math that's okay this is this is simple math okay 1668s
yes so we have we have time that's one we have times so that's two so we have that and then we have 1680s
half so that is time times and half a time one plus two is three plus half is three and a half 1694s
simple math now I'm gonna explain what this even means so so um three three and a half is half of 1706s
number seven right so the number seven is very key here okay so when we read um we read 1720s
earlier in Revelation we read about um about a 1,260 days uh that the witnesses of God are on 1732s
the earth right and we read about um 1,260 days where where the city is trampled right and and so 1741s
this is a very figurative language um three and a half years equals 1,260 days so we we're coming 1752s
to look at this figuratively um and not linear so it's not that there will be two prophets 1771s
proclaiming for three and a half years exactly and then there will be burning in the city for three 1779s
and a half years exactly and then but it's it's figurative so the two the the prophets the witnesses 1785s
of God were in that time period okay so um but we're talking about times time time 1792s
times and and half a time um so so three and a half is half of seven seven is God's number 1801s
seven is God's number remember he created in seven days and created in six rested on the seventh 1811s
but but it's the seven days of creation um so so we have this this fullness in the number seven the 1819s
fullness of of God well three and a half is half that is the devil's mockery of God three and a half 1830s
is the devil's mockery of God and until the completion of God's time we are in a period of the devil's 1841s
mockery we're in a period of the devil the accuser wreaking havoc and accusing doing all he can to 1852s
torment the the church so he chased after the woman the woman went into the wilderness and she was 1864s
in verse 14 it says that she is nourished for a time and times and half a time so we are currently 1877s
in the time and times and half a time but the woman remember at this point is the church she is the 1888s
church let's go back to Revelation to read in verse 15 then from his mouth the serpent poured water 1898s
like a river after the woman to sweep her away with the flood but the earth came to the help of the 1906s
woman it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth then the 1912s
dragon was angry with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her children those who 1919s
keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus so remember the dragon now is being 1925s
referred to as the serpent where do we first see the serpent genocents in the Garden of Eden who 1937s
deceive, eve and Adam right and is also told by God that he will be crushed that he will be crushed 1947s
by Eve's offspring so now the dragon the serpent has been trying to devour this child can't 1962s
cannot destroy the child he chases after the woman chases after the church continues to hound 1973s
after the woman but the woman is cared for she is nourished she is nourished by creation she is 1983s
provided for and we know that as the church we are under complete and the church being you know 1994s
believers we are always under fire by the the serpent by the devil the dragon but we are nourished 2002s
week after week with word and sacrament we are nourished day after day with word right and so we're 2010s
always nourished and kept in in God's reign and rule by his mercy and by his grace so um 2022s
yeah so God cares for the woman in the wilderness the serpent still causes a lot of pain a lot of 2039s
anxiety and we see that he turns to then torment the rest of her seed. 2046s
He's going after the rest of her seed, which is, you, right? 2052s
And he says it says that especially those who keep the commandments of God and hold the 2060s
testimony of Jesus. 2067s
This is why it is so important for us and I know that it is absolutely key and foundational 2070s
to living word Lutheran Church that we hold fast to the pure doctrine, the pure word of 2080s
truth that we are given by God because we know that the devil is attacking. 2089s
We know that we are in a warfare. 2097s
We're told in Ephesians that we're always in a war and it's not a matter of flesh and 2099s
bone, but it is a spiritual warfare that we face on a daily basis. 2105s
And that is why it is so important to be absolutely queued in on what God's word says 2112s
and to hold fast in the sermon today Pastor Eibel talks about a reed swaying as the 2120s
wind blows and we are called to not be those reeds, right? 2128s
But we're also promised that God will sustain us and will nourish us. 2135s
And we see that in our own lives every time we gather, together, every time we share 2140s
the communion today we'll have a baptism every time we see a baptism, a new brother or 2150s
sister that is is called into the kingdom. 2156s
We are refreshed in the promise that God made for us in our baptisms. 2159s
And so I really like studying this time, times and half a time in the season of Advent 2165s
because we know that we're in this time, times and half a time, this time where the devil 2173s
will do his best to come after us. 2180s
But we also know in this time of Advent that Christ was born, that Christ died, was risen 2184s
and sits at the right hand of the Father even today and that his kingdom will come again 2193s
in glory and in power and that we are all already a part of his kingdom by his grace and 2201s
his mercy. 2210s
Nephilim, time, times and half a time can be kind of fantastical, exciting. 2214s
We can let our imaginations go crazy with those, but when we take it into account with 2225s
God's word, we see that it is all centered back in God, that he ruled, he reigns, he is 2234s
good, he is merciful. 2244s
And I thank the Lord that we are all already called into his kingdom. 2246s
Amen? 2252s