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ast so today take a moment even if it s a busy moment even if it s a weary moment and give thanks thank him for his presence thank him for his faithfulness thank him for his patience with you thank him for the breath in your lungs and the hope in your future thanksgiving doesn t deny reality it reframes it it reminds your soul that god is still god and you are still his and that is always enough share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin share on tumblr opens in new window tumblr share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest email a link to a friend opens in new window email like loading posted in christian living tagged christian devotional encouragement giving thanks inspiration jesus life thanks leave a comment i am making everything new posted on august 7 2026 by don merritt then i saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and i heard a loud voice from the throne saying look god s dwelling place is now among the people and he will dwell with them he will wipe every tear from their eyes there will be no more death he who was seated on the throne said i am making everything new revelation 21 1 5 there is a joy that doesn t just rise it soars it lifts the heart beyond the present moment beyond the limits of this world beyond everything we can see or touch or measure it is the joy of hope the joy of knowing where the story is going the joy of knowing who holds the future the joy of knowing that god himself has promised i am making everything new this is exuberant praise this is celebration this is joy that cannot be contained revelation 21 is not quiet it is not subtle it is not whispered it is a loud voice from the throne announcing the future with the authority of heaven god is not suggesting something he is declaring it he is proclaiming it he is announcing the greatest renewal the universe will ever see and when you hear that voice when you let those words settle into your soul praise erupts because this is the hope that carries every believer this is the promise that steadies every heart this is the future that brightens every dark valley this is the joy that lifts every weary spirit god will dwell with his people god will wipe every tear god will end death forever god will banish sorrow god will silence pain god will make everything new everything praise becomes celebration not of what we see now but of what god has promised not of what is temporary but of what is eternal not of what is fragile but of what is unbreakable think of a field of roses in full bloom bright vibrant overflowing with color you can t look at it without feeling lifted you can t stand among them without feeling surrounded by beauty their joy is not quiet it is abundant it is exuberant it is a celebration of life bursting forth your hope in christ is like that your praise in this moment is like that your joy in god s promise is like that this world is not the end of the story your struggles are not the end of the story your pain is not the end of the story your tears are not the end of the story the end of the story is new creation the end of the story is god with us the end of the story is joy that never fades the end of the story is everything made new and when you praise god with that hope in your heart your joy rises to its highest point it becomes exuberant full overflowing unstoppable it becomes the kind of praise that lifts others strengthens others inspires others and reminds them that god s promises are sure so today celebrate lift your voice lift your heart lift your hope praise the god who is making all things new praise the savior who has secured your future praise the lord who will dwell with you forever praise the one who will wipe every tear praise the king who will finish what he began let your joy soar let your praise overflow let your hope shine like the dawn he is making everything new and that is worth celebrating with all your heart share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin share on tumblr opens in new window tumblr share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest email a link to a friend opens in new window email like loading posted in christian living tagged christian devotional encouragement hope jesus joy life praise 2 comments the nephilim an investigation and analysis part 4 posted on august 6 2026 by don merritt the new testament case file opens i sat back in my chair and stared at the stack of notes we ve gathered so far three rebellions giant clans ancient interpretations watchers nephilim rephaim anakim the whole tangled mess of it spread out before me like a crime board in an old detective movie threads running from genesis to jubilees from enoch to qumran from the flood to the fringes of israel s memory we ve followed the clues as far as the second temple writers could take us they gave us context background and a worldview thick with supernatural tension but now we ve reached the moment every investigator knows is coming the moment when the witnesses we ve interviewed so far can t take us any further it s time to bring in the key witnesses not the scribes not the sectarians not the apocalyptic dreamers no now we turn to jesus and the apostles if the second temple worldview was the air everyone breathed in the first century then jesus walked right into that atmosphere the question is what did he do with it did he ignore it correct it reject it or did he treat it as the operating framework for his own teaching about the unseen realm this is where the investigation gets serious because if jesus and the apostles speak and act as though rebellious angels imprisoned spirits demonic forces and cosmic powers are real then the second temple interpretation isn t just background noise it becomes part of the interpretive world of the new testament itself so i pulled the next file from the stack the one labeled nt evidence and opened it like a detective cracking open a long sealed case inside were the familiar passages the ones we ve all read a hundred times but now they glowed with new significance jesus confronting demons jesus speaking of the ruler of this world jesus describing eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels jesus acknowledging the abyss jesus watching satan fall like lightning the apostles too had left their fingerprints all over this file peter jude paul john each of them speaking into a world where the watchers the nephilim and the rebellious powers were not myths but part of the spiritual landscape the question before us now is simple what did jesus and the apostles actually say and how does it fit into the story we ve been uncovering i leaned forward pen in hand this is the moment every investigator lives for the moment when the case turns when the scattered clues begin to align when the truth starts to take shape let s open the file let s follow the evidence let s see where jesus himself leads us the investigation continues here is the data compiled by topic 1 jesus on rebellious angels matthew 25 41 the devil and his angels jesus explicitly speaks of angels who belong to satan not to god depart from me you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels matthew 25 41 this is the clearest statement from jesus that some angels rebelled they now belong to satan and they will face judgment this is not the old testament category of sons of god this is jesus affirming the existence of rebellious angels 2 jesus on their imprisonment jesus does not give a long teaching on angelic imprisonment but he does refer to the same place of confinement that second temple judaism associated with the imprisoned watchers luke 8 31 the abyss when jesus confronts the legion of demons and they begged jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the abyss luke 8 31 key point the abyss is not an old testament concept it is the second temple term for the prison of rebellious angels 1 enoch 10 21 jesus does not correct them he treats their fear of imprisonment as legitimate this is the closest we get to jesus directly acknowledging angelic imprisonment 3 jesus on their activity in the world jesus repeatedly describes the world as under hostile spiritual influence john 12 31 the ruler of this world now is the time for judgment on this world now the ruler of this world will be driven out john 14 30 he has no hold over me the ruler of this world is coming he has no claim on me john 16 11 the ruler of this world stands condemned the prince of this world now stands condemned jesus assumes a hostile spiritual ruler active in the world influencing humanity opposing god s purposes this is the same worldview second temple judaism derived from genesis 6 babel and the watcher tradition 4 jesus on their connection to demons jesus speaks more about demons than any other figure in scripture he treats them as personal malevolent disembodied seeking embodiment subject to judgment matthew 12 43 45 demons wander arid places when an impure spirit comes out of a person it goes through arid places seeking rest matthew 12 43 this matches the second temple view that demons are disembodied spirits of the dead nephilim condemned to wander mark 1 34 jesus silences demons he drove out many demons but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was mark 5 1 13 legion this entire encounter assumes demons are real numerous fear judgment fear the abyss recognize jesus authority jesus treats demons as a category distinct from angels yet still part of the rebellious spiritual realm 5 jesus on their future judgment jesus speaks repeatedly of the final judgment of rebellious spiritual beings matthew 25 41 eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels already cited above but here it is again because it is the clearest the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels luke 10 18 satan s downfall i saw satan fall like lightning from heaven this is not a metaphor jesus is describing the judgment and defeat of the rebellious spiritual powers john 16 11 the ruler of this world is judged the prince of this world now stands condemned summary jesus teaching on the rebellious spiritual realm category jesus teaching key verses rebellious angels exist the devil and his angels matthew 25 41 they face imprisonment demons fear being sent to the abyss luke 8 31 they are active in the world the ruler of this world john 12 31 14 30 16 11 they are connected to demons demons wander speak fear judgment matthew 12 43 45 mark 1 34 mark 5 1 13 they will be judged eternal fire prepared for them matthew 25 41 luke 10 18 some examples from other new testament authors a jude 6 the angels who did not keep their proper domain jude is quoting the enochic interpretation of genesis 6 jesus own brother uses this worldview b 1 peter 3 19 20 the spirits in prison peter explicitly links these imprisoned spirits to the days of noah early church fathers on genesis 6 and the nephilim 1 the dominant early view angelic sons of god from the 2nd through much of the 3rd century the standard christian reading was that the sons of god were angels who sinned by taking human women and that their offspring were giant violent nephilim justin martyr athenagoras irenaeus tertullian clement of alexandria lactantius all affirm the angelic interpretation in continuity with jewish apocalyptic tradition a brief history of interpretations early church 2nd 3rd c angelic view dominates augustine 5th c rejects angelic view sethite view becomes standard medieval era sethite view dominates reformation reformers reaffirm augustine modern scholarship returns to the angelic interpretation as the most textually grounded a fuller summary will appear in a bonus post where the investigation stands we now have far more data than when we began jesus teaching does not explicitly endorse any particular interpretation of the nephilim question but it does show that the second temple supernatural worldview was the assumed framework of his day he did not contradict it he did not correct it he simply taught within it and that brings us to the next phase of our quest in the next section we will shift our focus again this time toward the new testament s broader revelation of the spiritual realm as we continue our investigation be prepared to see truly amazing things i ll be looking for you as we press on share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin share on tumblr opens in new window tumblr share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest email a link to a friend opens in new window email like loading posted in biblical studies tagged bible history bible interpretation bible study christian jesus life nephilim 2 comments he put a new song in my mouth posted on august 5 2026 by don merritt i waited patiently for the lord he turned to me and heard my cry he lifted me out of the slimy pit out of the mud and mire he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand he put a new song in my mouth a hymn of praise to our god many will see and fear the lord and put their trust in him psalm 40 1 3 there is a joy that doesn t stay quiet it doesn t stay hidden it doesn t stay inside it rises it shines it spills over david says god has put a new song in his mouth not just in his heart not just in his memory but in his mouth something meant to be heard something meant to be shared something meant to bless others praise becomes witness it s not about performing it s not about impressing it s not about drawing attention to ourselves it s simply the natural overflow of a heart that has been lifted steadied and renewed by god david remembers where he was the pit the mud the mire he remembers how god turned toward him heard him lifted him set him on solid ground and that memory becomes music that rescue becomes a song that mercy becomes testimony joy becomes radiant people notice radiant joy they notice when someone has been lifted they notice when someone carries hope they notice when someone s praise isn t forced or formal but real born from experience shaped by grace strengthened by god s faithfulness david says many will see and put their trust in him not because david preached a sermon not because he argued a point or because he tried to convince anyone but because his praise was visible his joy was evident his song was unmistakably god given praise becomes a light others can walk toward think of a rose in full bloom bright bold impossible to ignore it doesn t try to get attention it simply reveals what god has done in it its color its fragrance its beauty all testify to the life within it and people notice they stop they admire they smile the rose becomes a witness without saying a word your praise works the same way when you speak of god s goodness o...
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