Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming:
It stirreth up the Rephaim for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth;
It hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. (Isa. 14:9)
There were giants in the earth in those days. The same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
These were the heroes of legend; kings and warriors called Rephaim, whose deeds inspired worship long after they passed from the earth, a false, demonic religion that corrupted God's chosen people even before they entered the Promised Land.
What's more, the prophets of Israel foretell a day when these mighty men return from Sheol to fight alongside the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon.
In this groundbreaking book, husband and wife authors Derek P. Gilbert and Sharon K. Gilbert show how the giants of old shaped the worldview and religion of the Hebrews—and the terrifying role they'll play in the end times.
Veneration reveals:
• The importance of ancestor worship among the Canaanites
• Concealed references to the Rephaim throughout the Bible
• Why God forbade necromancy and consulting mediums
• How veneration of the dead brought disaster on the Israelites
• Pagan gods of the underworld and the realms of the dead
• Hidden prophecies of the destruction of the Rephaim and the Watchers
• The dark purpose of royal gardens in the ancient world
• Why God stopped the building of the Tower of Babel
• The demonic origins of the heroes of Greek mythology
• Parallels between ancient cults of the dead and the modern UFO phenomenon
• The return of the Nephilim at Armageddon
Drawing on Mesopotamian texts, peer-reviewed academic research, and, most of all, the Holy Bible, the Gilberts explode the long-held belief that the Nephilim were simply a Hebrew myth. Veneration shows that the prophets, apostles, and early church clearly understood the profound historical, theological, and prophetic impact of the mighty men who were of old.
