Source: Michael S. Heiser, Reversing Hermon: Enoch, The Watchers & The Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017), 163–180.
This podcast argues that New Testament writers, particularly in the book of Revelation, incorporated concepts from the Enochian tradition about the Watchers, fallen angels who corrupted humanity. The author suggests that Jesus' mission was understood as reversing the Watchers' impact, and apocalyptic events, like the release of imprisoned forces in Revelation 9, can be interpreted as a release of the Watchers. Additionally, the text proposes that the 144,000 in Revelation serve as a counterpoint to the Watchers' transgression, and figures like Gog and the Antichrist are linked to supernatural evil associated with regions like Bashan and mythic figures like Typhon, signifying a final cosmic battle against these rebellious forces culminating in their judgment in the lake of fire, a concept also found in Enochian writings regarding the Watchers.
The profound theological impact of the Watchers' transgression: The sources emphasize that the sin of the sons of God, identified as the Watchers from the Enochian tradition, as described in Genesis 6:1-4, was a critically important theological consideration for New Testament writers. It was understood not merely as an isolated event but as a significant contributing factor to human corruption. Consequently, the mission and message of Jesus Christ, including the atonement achieved through the cross, were viewed not only as resolving the estrangement between humanity and God resulting from the events in Eden but also as actively reversing the damaging effects of this supernatural rebellion by the Watchers. The sources note that even the description of apocalyptic events, particularly those concerning the return of Jesus, was framed partly by the necessity to ultimately overturn the impact of this specific transgression from Genesis 6:1-4.
The imprisonment and eschatological release of the Watchers in Revelation 9: The sources identify Revelation chapter 9 as a passage that directly relates to the Watchers. Drawing on information from 1 Enoch, it is noted that the fate of the fallen Watchers was to be imprisoned in the Abyss, a confinement scheduled to last for a significant period, described as "seventy generations," or "until the day of their judgment... until the eternal judgment is consummated." This imprisonment aligns with accounts concerning the Mesopotamian apkallu and is also reflected in New Testament texts such as 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, which mention angels who sinned being held in chains of gloomy darkness in Tartarus. Many scholars interpret the event in Revelation 9, where a "star" is given the key to the Abyss and opens it, leading to the release of imprisoned demonic forces, as the predicted eschatological release of these Watchers. The text notes that the description of the released beings as locusts with strange, hybridized features (like horses with human faces, women's hair, and lions' teeth) is consistent with how demonic spirits were often depicted in ancient Jewish and classical literature, supporting their identification as the fallen Watchers who are released before their final destruction with Satan.
The 144,000 as a symbolic contrast to the fallen Watchers: The sources discuss the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7 and 14, presenting them as a deliberate counterpoint or "anti-image" to the transgression of the Watchers. While their connection might not be immediately obvious, Revelation 14:1-5 provides crucial details. This passage describes the 144,000 standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion, sealed with the names of the Lamb and the Father, singing a unique song that only they could learn. A key detail highlighted is their description as male virgins who "have not defiled themselves with women." This specific characteristic is interpreted in scholarly study as a negative, reverse analogy to the sexual defilement of the Watchers who abandoned their divine calling and took human wives, thereby defiling themselves and abandoning God's established order. Drawing on Enochian commentary, the sources explain that angels should not have taken wives because they are immortal and do not need to perpetuate the species, unlike humans, and doing so defiled them and resulted in the begetting of "strange children" (the giants). By portraying the 144,000 as undefiled virgins, Revelation creates a stark contrast with the erring angels mentioned in Enochian texts, emphasizing their ritual purity. This group of holy ones is portrayed as fighting against the Beast (Antichrist), serving as counterpoints to the holy ones (Watchers) who rebelled and defiled themselves, and are seen as helping their earthly counterparts defeat the Beast and rectify the impurity the Watchers brought to the earth.
The significance of the omission of the tribe of Dan and its connection to the Antichrist tradition: Revelation 7 lists the tribes of Israel from which the 144,000 are sealed, but it conspicuously omits the tribe of Dan (and Ephraim is also not listed, though Joseph and Manasseh are). This omission has attracted significant attention due to Dan's problematic history within Israel. The sources detail Dan's checkered past, including forsaking its southern inheritance, migrating north, appropriating religious artifacts including household gods and an idol, and establishing a cult center for Baal worship in the city they renamed Dan, located at the foot of Mount Hermon. Furthermore, Jacob's dying prophecy describes Dan as a "serpent in the way," and Moses' blessing mentions Dan as a "lion's cub that leaps from Bashan." These associations with rebellion, the region of Bashan (whose name can relate to "serpent"), and Baal worship led some early church writers, notably Irenaeus and Hippolytus, to speculate that the reason for Dan's omission from the list of the sealed was that the Antichrist, the primary eschatological enemy, would originate from this tribe. This belief linked the Antichrist to a tribe associated with spiritual apostasy and a geographic region (the north, Bashan, Mount Hermon) steeped in negative theological associations, including the descent of the Watchers.
The interpretation of Gog of Magog as linked to the supernatural north and cosmic evil: The sources address the figure of Gog from Ezekiel 38–39, noting the difficulty in finding a secure historical identification for him. Attempts to link Gog to historical figures like Gagi or Gyges are discussed and found problematic based on textual and historical evidence. Similarly, the identification of "Ros" with Russia, based on a misunderstanding of the Hebrew term, is deemed exegetically indefensible due to grammatical errors. Instead, the sources argue that Gog should be understood within the context of the physical and theological significance of the "north." The northern region, including Bashan and Mount Hermon, was not only a source of invading tyrants for Israel but also held profound supernatural significance. The Hebrew word for "north," tsaphon, also referred to the divine mountain of Baal (Jebel al-Aqra'), who was known as the "lord of Zaphon" and "prince, lord of the underworld." This association with Baal, the lord of the underworld and a figure later linked to Satan (Beelzebul), suggests that the "uttermost parts of the north" from which Gog comes represents a realm of dark supernatural powers. Therefore, the failure to find a historical referent and the strong connection to the mythic, supernatural north lead many scholars to view Gog not just as a human tyrant but as a figure of supernatural terror, possibly a personification or agent of evil forces coming from the seat of Baal's authority, the underworld realm located in the heights of the north.
The Antichrist, Gog, and Typhon as manifestations of supernatural evil: The sources establish conceptual links between Gog, the Antichrist figure seen in apocalyptic texts like Daniel 7-12 and Revelation, and the mythological Greek figure Typhon. Typhon, described as a giant son of Tartaros and Gaia who attacks the gods (particularly Zeus) and the heavens, shares characteristics and narrative patterns with the Antichrist prototype, especially as depicted in Daniel. Scholarly studies highlight striking similarities, such as insolent words against God/Zeus, warring against God's holy ones/Zeus's entourage, contempt for laws, and having both human and animal features. Typhon is also associated with Bashan/Mount Kasios (the mountain of Baal-Zaphon) and is identified with the Egyptian god Seth, a figure who also opposes the divine order. While Typhon is not explicitly named in Daniel or Revelation, the sources argue that the "typhonic type" from Greek and Egyptian mythology likely influenced the portrayal of foreign rulers as tyrannical eschatological adversaries in these apocalyptic writings. The battle against heaven and the stars in Daniel and Revelation corresponds to Typhon's actions. This connection reinforces the idea that for Second Temple Jews, the ultimate end-times enemy—whether identified with Gog, the Antichrist figure, or incorporating aspects of Typhon—would be understood as either a personification or a powerful manifestation of supernatural evil, intimately linked to the themes of rebellion by divine beings (like the Watchers), the region of Bashan/Hermon associated with giants and the underworld, and the forces opposing God. The final defeat of the Antichrist is thus presented as the ultimate victory over the Watchers and their offspring.