The Shinar Directive – Part 4
Mystery Religions and the Nephilim
by Michael K. Lake, Th.D.
What started false religions? In the beginning, everyone knew Noah and believed in the One True God. The Scriptures call Babylon the mother of all false religions, because under Nimrod the original false religious system was successfully implemented. We learn from the Church fathers that the root of this madness started with the sons of Ham.
Fallen angels taught men the use of magical incantations that would force demons to obey man. After the flood Ham the son of Noah unhappily discovered this and taught it to his sons. This became ingrained into the Egyptians, Persians, and Babylonians. Ham died shortly after the fall of the Tower of Babel. Nimrod, called Ninus by the Greeks, was handed this knowledge and by it caused men to go away from the worship of God and go into diverse and erratic superstitions and they began to be governed by the signs in the stars and motions of the planets. (Recognitions of Clement 4.26–29)
Nimrod turned the government into a tyranny and set up twelve idols of wood named after the twelve months of the year, each representing a sign of the Zodiac. He commanded everyone to worship each idol in its proper month. (Jasher 9:8–10; Ancient Post-Flood History—Ken Johnson, ThD)[i]
All Pagan Roads Lead to Babylon
As stated in the previous entry, Noah and his family were selected by God to be saved from the Flood on the ark because they remained genetically pure (or still fully human). Unfortunately, the purity did not extend to all of their minds as well. Resting within the safety of the ark lay the seeds of the arcane knowledge given by the Watchers of Genesis 6. Ham became a sleeper agent of darkness, if you will, infected with the forbidden knowledge that resulted in the severe judgment of God upon humanity. Within the mind and heart of Ham were the foundational concepts upon which Babylon and Egypt were built (and upon which the kingdom of the Antichrist is being built today).
We find in Genesis 9:20–23 that the seeds of the Watchers already began to sprout within the heart of Ham.
And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. (Genesis 9:20–23)
There is much speculation as to the actual sin of Ham contained in these verses. Was this sin the great dishonor and disrespect that Ham had shown to Noah? Alternatively, was it possible that he had sexually violated Noah in some way? Over the centuries, Christian theologians and rabbinical scholars have debated these issues. The New American Commentary dives into the subject and provides a sensible conclusion:
What was Ham’s sin? Why did Noah invoke curses against Canaan instead of the culprit, Ham ([Genesis 9]:25)? The meaning of the phrase “saw his father’s nakedness” has been variously interpreted. Both Jewish and Christian interpretation speculated that Ham’s deed was a sexual offense since the same language is found in the Pentateuch describing sexual transgressions. Further support was garnered from v. 25, which refers to what Ham “had done to him.” Many suppose that the original story contained the sordid details but that they were excised for reasons of propriety when later placed in the Torah. Castration was thought to have been the crime by some Jewish and Christian interpreters, and others argued for a homosexual act. Jewish midrash explained that physical abuse by Ham answered why the curse was directed against Canaan; this act prevented Noah from having a fourth son, and thus Canaan as Ham’s fourth son should suffer (Gen. Rab. 36.7). This may have been fueled by the absence of any notice that additional children were born to Noah, since all the other patriarchs are said to have had “other sons and daughters” (5:3–32; 11:10–25). This lack of reference to other children, however, may be due to the author’s desire to parallel the Sethite and Shemite lines, which both end with three sons (5:32; 11:26).
Concerning a homosexual desire or act, there is no indication that a sexual indiscretion occurred when Ham viewed his father or that Ham desired his father in an illicit way. Levitical language for the homosexual act is “to lie with a male,” which we do not find here. “Saw”…is the common term for observing and does not convey necessarily the idea of sexual lust; the term can be used in this way (cf. 6:2; 34:2), but such meaning must be derived from the context and not the term by itself. On the contrary, the expressions “to see…nakedness” (Lev 20:17) and “to uncover…nakedness” are used of heterosexual actions, not homosexual encounters. The expression in our passage is not a figurative statement since the two sons actually cover up the exposed nakedness of their father, who was in a drunken stupor in the tent. This is reinforced by the description “their faces were turned.” If in fact some lecherous deed occurred inside the tent, it is inexplicable why the covering of their father is in juxtaposition to Ham’s act. On other occasions Genesis is straightforward in its description of sexual misconduct (e.g., 19:5, 30–35; 34:2). There is no reason to assume that homosexuality or, for that matter, heterosexual misconduct would be described euphemistically by the author.
Ham’s reproach was not in seeing his father unclothed, though this was a shameful thing (cp. Hab 2:15), but in his outspoken delight at his father’s disgraceful condition. The penalty against Ham’s son may be thought too severe for mere sibling gossip, but this is because we fail to understand the gravity of Ham’s offense. We have commented elsewhere (see 2:25; 3:7) that nakedness was shameful in Hebrew culture. In later Israel specific prohibitions guarded against the public exposure of the genitals and buttocks (e.g., Exod 20:26; 28:42), and nakedness was commonly associated with public misconduct (e.g., Exod 32:25). It is not surprising then that the euphemism “nakedness” was used for the shameful travesty of incest. Ham ridiculed the “old man’s” downfall. In the ancient world insulting one’s parents was a serious matter that warranted the extreme penalty of death. Mosaic legislation reflected this sentiment. This patriarchal incident illustrated the abrogation of the Fifth Commandment, “Honor your father and mother.” To do so means divine retaliation, for the crime is not against parent alone but is viewed as contempt for God’s hierarchical order in creation. Shem and Japheth, unlike Ham, treated Noah with proper respect. They refused to take advantage of him despite his vulnerable condition.[ii]
The book of James warns us about wisdom that does not come from God. This dark wisdom produces specific effects within the souls of men.
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. (James 3:15–16)
I believe that the dark wisdom of the Watchers was brewing within the mind of Ham. The result was that he became arrogant, boastful, and disrespectful (just to name a few). Instead of showing honor to his father and covering his nakedness, he mocked his father and made sure this disgrace was brought to everyone’s attention. Once Noah realized what had happened, he uttered a curse that flowed through Ham to his son Canaan. The rabbis of old have debated why this curse was directed upon Canaan and not Cush. Some have concluded that he was an active participant in the disgrace and held the tent open for all to see. This, of course, would be mere speculation as the Scriptures are silent regarding it.
And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. (Genesis 9:25)
In the sad history of slavery in Great Britain and the United States, there were individuals who justified its practice by quoting Genesis 9:25. However, this misinterpretation does not bode well in the light of historical facts. Finis Dake provides us with a quick summary of the descendants of Ham and where they settled:
The Sons of Ham
- Cush (Gen. 10:6–12; 1 Chr. 1:8–10; Isa. 11:11), progenitor of various Ethiopian tribes that settled south of Egypt and also overran Arabia, Babylonia, and India.
- Mizraim (Gen. 10:6, 13–14; 1 Chr. 1:8–11), progenitor of various Egyptian tribes. Mizraim means “double.” Tribes of the double Egypt (upper and lower Egypt), called the land of Ham, came from him (Ps. 78:51; 105:23–27; 106:22). The Philistines also came from Mizraim (Gen. 10:14).
- Phut (Gen. 10:6; Ezek. 27:10), progenitor of the Libyans and other tribes in northern Africa (Ezek. 27:10; 30:5; 38:5; Jer. 46:9; Nah. 3:9).
- Canaan (Gen. 10:6,15–19; 9:18–27; 1 Chr. 1:8–13), progenitor of peoples that settled mainly in Palestine, Arabia, Tyre, Sidon, and other parts of the land promised to Abraham. These nations are often mentioned in connection with Israel (Gen. 10:15–19; 15:18–21; Dt. 7:1–3; Josh. 12).[iii]
Since Canaan’s descendants stayed primarily in the Middle East, there was no validity to their claim that this referred to the Africans sold into slavery. What we do find is that Ham’s children became major problems for God’s people throughout history, both in ancient times and today.
From a mystery religion[iv] point of view, we can examine how the Watchers’ seeds of defiance spread like wildfire through Ham’s children.
1. Cush
Cush is named in the Bible as the father of Nimrod. Ancient history tells us quite a bit more about this barely footnoted individual within the Word of God. Cush was a leading influence in both the formation of Babylon and in the construction of the Tower of Babel. As we begin to investigate Cush historically, it is obvious that the seeds of the Watchers had taken root and begun to spring forth. Alexander Hislop, in his classic work The Two Babylons, sheds light on both the activities of Cush and the various names he bore within ancient history:
Now, assuming that Ninus is Nimrod, the way in which that assumption explains what is otherwise inexplicable in the statements of ancient history greatly confirms the truth of that assumption itself. Ninus is said to have been the son of Belus or Bel, and Bel is said to have been the founder of Babylon. If Ninus was in reality the first king of Babylon, how could Belus or Bel, his father, be said to be the founder of it? Both might very well be, as will appear if we consider who was Bel, and what we can trace of his doings. If Ninus was Nimrod, who was the historical Bel? He must have been Cush; for “Cush begat Nimrod” (Gen[esis] 10:8); and Cush is generally represented as having been a ringleader in the great apostacy. But again, Cush, as the son of Ham, was Her-mes or Mercury; for Hermes is just an Egyptian synonym for the “son of Ham.”
Gregory attributes to Cush what was said more generally to have befallen his son; but his statement shows the belief in his day, which is amply confirmed from other sources, that Cush had a preeminent share in leading mankind away from the true worship of God. The composition of Her-mes is, first, from “Her,” which, in Chaldee, is synonymous with Ham, or Khem, “the burnt one.” As “her” also, like Ham, signified “The hot or burning one,” this name formed a foundation for covertly identifying Ham with the “Sun,” and so deifying the great patriarch, after whose name the land of Egypt was called, in connection with the sun. Khem, or Ham, in his own name was openly worshipped in later ages in the land of Ham; but this would have been too daring at first. By means of “Her,” the synonym, however, the way was paved for this. “Her” is the name of Horus, who is identified with the sun, which shows the real etymology of the name to be from the verb to which I have traced it. Then, secondly, “Mes,” is from Mesheh (or, without the last radical, which is omissible), Mesh, “to draw forth.” In Egyptian, we have Ms in the sense of “to bring forth”, which is evidently a different form of the same word. In the passive sense, also, we find Ms used. The radical meaning of Mesheh inStockii Lexicon, is given in Latin “Extraxit,” and our English word “extraction,” as applied to birth or descent, shows a connection between the generic meaning of this word and birth. This derivation will be found to explain the meaning of the names of the Egyptian kings, Ramesses and Thothmes, the former evidently being “the son of Ra,” or the sun; the latter in like manner, being “the son of Thoth.” For the very same reason Her-mes is the “Son of Her, or Ham,” the burnt one—that is, Cush.
Now, Hermes was the great original prophet of idolatry; for he was recognised by the pagans as the author of their religious rites, and the interpreter of the gods. The distinguished Gesenius identifies him with the Babylonian Nebo, as the prophetic god; and a statement of Hyginus shows that he was known as the grand agent in that movement which produced the division of tongues. His words are these: “For many ages men lived under the government of Jove [evidently not the Roman Jupiter, but the Jehovah of the Hebrews], without cities and without laws, and all speaking one language. But after that Mercury interpreted the speeches of men (whence an interpreter is called Hermeneutes), the same individual distributed the nations. Then discord began.”[v] (Emphasis added)
So Cush was known by many names throughout history and pagan mythology: Cush, Bel, Hermes, Mercury, and Nebo. Later on in The Two Babylons, Hislop links Cush to both Janus and to the releasing of chaos at the Tower of Babel as “Confounder.”
It must have been in the sense of Bel the “Confounder.” And to this meaning of the name of the Babylonian Bel, there is a very distinct allusion in Jeremiah 1:2, where it is said “Bel is confounded,” that is, “The Confounder is brought to confusion.” That Cush was known to Pagan antiquity under the very character of Bel, “The Confounder,” a statement of Ovid very clearly proves. The statement to which I refer is that in which Janus “the god of gods,” from whom all the other gods had their origin, is made to say of himself: “The ancients…called me Chaos.”
Janus was so called in the most ancient hymns of the Salii. Now, first this decisively shows that Chaos was known not merely as a state of confusion, but as the “god of Confusion.” But, secondly, who that is at all acquainted with the laws of Chaldaic pronunciation, does not know that Chaos is just one of the established forms of the name of Chus or Cush? Then, look at the symbol of Janus, whom “the ancients called Chaos,” and it will be seen how exactly it tallies with the doings of Cush, when he is identified with Bel, “The Confounder.” That symbol is a club; and the name of “a club” in Chaldee comes from the very word which signifies “to break in pieces, or scatter abroad.”[vi] (Emphasis added)
It would seem that Cush claimed the prophetic ability to channel the instructions and will of the now-banished Watchers to humanity (this will be important later on in our study of the Illuminati). His dark prophetic wisdom was the catalyst for both the establishment of Babylon and the building of the Tower of Babel.
I believe it is also interesting to note that Cush was called “the god of Confusion.” This may give further insight into Paul’s statement: “For God is not the author of confusion”[vii] (1 Corinthians 14:33). Remember, both epistles to the Corinthians were written to a highly paganized population, in which a portion of the Gentiles had recently found Messiah. With all of the problems that Paul had to contend with, it seemed many of their members had one foot in biblical Christianity and the other foot solidly planted in the paganism of their fathers. In their pagan training, many times the influence of their gods produced chaos, as it did within the mythology of Janus—the god of gods. This would explain why Paul labored so hard in both of his epistles to separate, within their thinking, the concepts of the God of Abraham with the pantheon of pagan deities they were accustomed to.
God foretells His eventual judgment on the sons of Cush:
You too, Ethiopians, will be put to death by my sword. (Zephaniah 2:12, CJB [Complete Jewish Bible][viii])
The Hebrew word here for “Ethiopians” is Kuwshiy (koo-shee’), which means “one of the descendants of Cush.”[ix] In fact, the Anderson-Forbes Phrase Marker Analysis of the Hebrew Bible[x] translates this as “Kushites” instead of “Ethiopians.”
A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments shares insights into this prophetic word against the sons of Cush.
Whatever the reason for choosing Cush and whatever the process by which the oracle achieved this position in the book, Zephaniah made a strong statement about the day of the Lord as he used the oracle. The day of the Lord has a “three-fold ‘no-escape’: no escape for any people, no escape from the wages of sin, no escape from divine confrontation.”[xi]
I believe this signifies that when Jesus returns as Messiah ben David (the Conquering King), all of the esoteric knowledge that the Watchers provided this bloodline will not save them from God’s judgment. No promise of godhood, immortality, or transcendence, whether offered by the Luciferian Elite or the evangelists of transhumanism, will save them. The “threefold” judgment of the trice Holy God will be poured upon their heads until they are no more.
Finally, we have an idea now of where Nimrod obtained the knowledge he used to enslave men, to cofound Babylon, to become its first worldwide king, and to develop a religious system designed to draw men away from the One True God. His father was a prophet of darkness and an interpreter for the old gods. Nimrod was raised to be an elitist—one illuminated with the forbidden knowledge that was promised by Lucifer in the garden and taught to mankind by fallen angels in Genesis 6. This proverbial apple did not fall far from the family tree. In fact, what he did eclipsed all of their occult endeavors.
An Examination of the Original (and Returning) Nimrod
Before I dive into what I have discovered about Nimrod, I want to share some of the basic information regarding the first king of Babylon that you will find in most Bible commentaries. For this task, I will refer toThe Pentateuch by James E. Smith.
The text furnishes scant information concerning Nimrod. He was a descendant of Cush, a Hamite. The Biblical record thus agrees with data from the ancient history of Mesopotamia which furnish evidence that the region was first ruled by a non-Shemitic people. Nimrod began to be (i.e., set out to be) a mighty one (gibbor) in the land (10:8). The term tyrant captures the intention of the original. Nimrod’s very name is an encapsulation of his lifestyle. His name means, “Let us revolt.” He must have been a ruthless ruler who was opposed to all existing order.
Nimrod was especially noted as “a mighty hunter before Yahweh” (10:9). One of the royal responsibilities of kings in ancient times was to keep the wild animal population thinned out so that citizens would not be threatened. The text may refer to this function. The documents, however, also speak of ancient kings hunting the men of a city, capturing them, and carrying them off into slavery. Perhaps Nimrod hunted men. He did this “before (liphne) Yahweh,” i.e., in opposition to Yahweh. The Septuagint rendered, “a mighty hunter against the Lord.”
Nimrod was an empire builder. He started his rise to power in Shinar, in the lower Mesopotamian river valley. He gradually extended his influence over (or possibly built) Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh. Nimrod eventually expanded his influence into Assyria where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth, Calah and the great city of Resen (10:10–12).[i]
To this basic understanding we can now add the perspective I have already shared regarding the knowledge of the Watchers that was embedded into Ham’s family line. With this information, you can now have a better understanding of the family tree from which Nimrod sprang. He was not a strange spiritual anomaly within his family. He was the personification of all their hopes and dreams.
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. (Genesis 10:8–9)
These two little lines of text within Holy Writ reveal a conspiracy that would change the world for the worse. The knowledge of the Watchers found its zenith in Nimrod. What he did and who he became would change the course of history and turn the hearts of men away from God. So powerful was its influence that it will continue through the currents of time until it abruptly halts at the return of the Lord Jesus.
What was the change that occurred in Nimrod that all of the occult Elite are working behind the scenes and using the resources of every advanced nation to rediscover? I have already hinted at it, but Dr. Tom Horn provides the answer with great clarity in his research.
Nimrod, the original character who later was mythologized as the god Apollo prophesied by the apostle Paul in the New Testament (and by the occult elite on the Great Seal of the United States) as the ancient spirit that will return to earth to rule the novus ordo seclorum.
The story of Nimrod in the book of Genesis may illustrate how this could happen through genetic engineering or a retrovirus of demonic design that integrates with a host’s genome and rewrites the living specimen’s DNA, thus making it a “fit extension” or host for infection by the entity. Note what Genesis 10:8 says about Nimrod:
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
Three sections in this unprecedented verse indicate something very peculiar happened to Nimrod. First, note where the text says, “he began to be.” In Hebrew, this is chalal, which means “to become profaned, defiled, polluted, or desecrated ritually, sexually or genetically.” Second, this verse tells us exactly what Nimrod began to be as he changed genetically—“a mighty one” (gibbowr, gibborim), one of the offspring of Nephilim. As Annette Yoshiko Reed says in the Cambridge University book, Fallen Angels and the History of Judaism and Christianity, “The Nephilim of Genesis 6:4 are always…grouped together with the gibborim as the progeny of the Watchers and human women.” And the third part of this text says the change to Nimrod started while he was on “earth.” Therefore, in modern language, this text could accurately be translated to say: “And Nimrod began to change genetically, becoming a gibborim, the offspring of watchers on earth.”[ii]
Bible commentator Adam Clarke seems to agree with Dr. Horn’s conclusions by quoting the Syraic Targum regarding Nimrod: “The Syriac calls him a warlike giant.”[iii]
Then Clarke continues to share about Nimrod and the building of the Tower of Babel and its connection to giants:
On this point Bochart observes that these things are taken from the Chaldeans, who preserve many remains of ancient facts; and though they often add circumstances, yet they are, in general, in some sort dependent on the text. 1. They say Babel was built by the giants, because Nimrod, one of the builders, is called in the Hebrew text גבור gibbor, a mighty man; or, as the Septuagint, γιγας, a giant. 2. These giants, they say, sprang from the earth, because, in Genesis 10:11, it is said, He went, מן הארץ ההוא min haarets hahiv, out of that earth; but this is rather spoken of Asshur, who was another of the Babel builders. 3. These giants are said to have waged war with the gods, because it is said of Nimrod, Genesis 10:9, He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; or, as others have rendered it, a warrior and a rebel against the Lord. See Jarchi in loco. 4. These giants are said to have raised a tower up to heaven, as if they had intended to have ascended thither.[iv]
Thus Nimrod had achieved something that only the Watchers of old had done before, yet he took it to a whole new level. In fact, his cutting-edge breakthrough has sat at the center of all secret societies, alchemists, wizards, sorcerers, warlocks, and Illuminati elite throughout the millennia. Nimrod somehow took the arcane knowledge of his family line and pushed it beyond what others could do. Something he willfully did worked a dark miracle—and he became a gibborim (another type of Nephilim). This transmogrification must have thrilled the kingdom of darkness, and evidently will again, as prophecy saysthis dark esoteric power will be reproduced once more in history resulting in the transmogrification of a man that allows Lucifer himself to co-inhabit an enhanced man-god.
But, how many realize (as we will see in the next entry) there are fearfully powerful men now dedicated to this near-horizon reincarnation of Nimrod—whom the Bible calls Antichrist.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Endnotes:
[i] Ken Johnson, “Ancient Post-Flood History,” 2012-06-12 (Biblefacts.org, Kindle Edition) Kindle location 1114–1126.
[ii] Mathews, “Genesis 1–11:26,” New American Commentary, 418–420.
[iii] Dake, Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, WORDsearch CROSS e-book, “Chapter 10.”
[iv] Mystery religion: Refers to the many initiatic pagan religions and secret societies that sprang forth from ancient Babylon. These religious systems have many occult symbols and teachings that have levels of interpretation in which only those that are considered to be “adepts” are privy to. Until you reach the highest levels within their systems, the meanings of their symbols and teachings are either lied about or obscured. In the Bible, it is referred to as “Mystery Babylon.”
[v] Hislop, The Two Babylons, 18.
[vi] Ibid., 19.
[vii] In the KJV, “the author” is in italics. This means the phrase did not occur in the original Greek, but was added for clarity by the translators. It could have read, “For God is not of confusion,” which would have completely separated the God of Abraham from Cush or Janus “the god of gods” in Babylon within the minds of his readers.
[viii] Complete Jewish Bible (Clarksville, MA: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1998).
[ix] Strong’s, “# H03569.”
[x] Francis I. Andersen and A. Dean Forbes, The Hebrew Bible: Andersen-Forbes Phrase Marker Analysis (V 0.90, Aug 09) (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009).
[xi] Kenneth L. Baker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 464.
[i] James E. Smith, The Pentateuch, 2nd ed., Old Testament Survey Series (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1993) Genesis 10:8–12.
[ii] Thomas Horn, “Forbidden Gates,” Part 19, http://www.newswithviews.com/Horn/thomas155.htm.
[iii] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary, (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1826) WORDsearchCROSS e-book, “Genesis.”
[iv] Ibid.
According to the biblically endorsed book of Jasher, Noah had with him the lambskin apron that God had made for Adam. Ham had stolen the apron (and more than likely handed it off to Canaan). Nimrod wore the apron when hunting, which made him a mighty hunter. This is also the origins of the aprons worn by freemasons. The original has probably been handed down through the succession of high priests of the mystery religions; the pontifex maximus.
This is one of the concepts that I looked at when developing the Shinar Directive, and I am very familiar with the story. However, unlike Genesis 6 and the Book of Enoch connection, there is no biblical text to valid the story regarding the apron.