Is the war in Israel simply political—or is it something far more ancient? Author and researcher Derek Gilbert says the modern conflict is tied to a battle that began in the days of Joshua and the Nephilim.
Speaking with Alan DiDio on Encounter Today, Gilbert explained, “It is our contention—this was the belief by the way of the Jews of Jesus’ day and the early church—that demons were the spirits of those giants, the Nephilim, destroyed in the flood of Noah and that their cult was centered in ancient Bashan.”
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That cult center, according to Gilbert, lies in the northern region of modern-day Israel, around Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights—known in antiquity as Bashan, the territory of King Og, the last of the Rephaim. “That area had been what was known not just to the Jews, but to the neighboring Canaanites as a place dedicated to the gods of the earth,” Gilbert said.
He pointed out the staggering number of megalithic structures in that region, saying, “There are a number of other locations—at least 12 other locations like Gilgal Rephaim. Similar giant rings of stone around a central core.” These sites, Gilbert believes, mark ancient strongholds of demonic influence.
Gilbert believes Jesus Himself deliberately confronted these dark powers. “Jesus basically declared war on these demonic spirits,” he said. “He walks his guys there 30 miles from his base of operations in Capernaum. That’s like a 14-hour hike in sandals across rough terrain. So you got to want to go there to make a specific point.”
From Jesus’ transfiguration on Mount Hermon to His declaration at Caesarea Philippi that “the gates of hell shall not prevail,” Gilbert says there’s a spiritual geography to Christ’s mission. “Where Jesus did what He did is just as important as what He did when He was there.”
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As tensions escalate in Israel today, Gilbert asks listeners to consider the unseen war that may be raging alongside the one we see in headlines.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
