When Christians read about idols and giants in the Bible, they may dismiss these accounts as myths or see idols as merely man-made. However, I believe there is a deeper truth: behind every idol, there is a demon.
Revelation 12:9 defines Satan as being “the great dragon, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the world.”
Then we get a clear picture of the action in Revelation 12:7-9: “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”
These verses describe a heavenly battle where Michael and his angels defeat the dragon and his angels, casting them down to earth. The timing of this event is unclear but predates Christ's birth, as seen in Satan's presence in the Garden of Eden and other instances of satanic activity in the Old Testament.
Then we move to Genesis 6:1-2, which reads: “When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.” The “sons of God” are believed to be fallen angels, taking human wives, leading to a hybrid offspring.
How do we know that “sons of God” refers to fallen angels? Well, look at the next verse: “Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” This distinction between humans, who are mortal, and the "sons of God" suggests that the latter are immortal beings.
The following verse is also very curious: “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.”
Nephilim is translated as “giants” from Hebrew to English. When Moses sent spies to scope out the land of Canaan, they came back with the report that there were giants there that made them look like grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33). In Greek and Roman mythology, Giants roamed the Earth and fought with the Olympian gods. Jainism also records that there were giants on the Earth. The first Tirthankara of Jainism is recorded as being a giant. This widespread cultural presence of giant beings lends weight to the idea that the Nephilim in the Bible were indeed of extraordinary size and stature.
Genesis 6:1-4 is telling us several things:
Fallen angels were active on Earth.
The offspring of fallen angels and humans were giants.
Human mythology, including Hinduism, captures these events.
Hinduism, which is the only surviving pagan religion, has many striking parallels with Greek, Roman, and Norse mythologies.
For instance, while modern Hinduism revolves around a trinity of gods (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva), the oldest Hindu text, the Rigveda, emphasizes Indra as the most praised deity. Indra, the god of thunder and king of gods, shares similarities with Zeus in Greek Mythology and Jupiter in Roman. Like Indra, Zeus has numerous affairs. Zeus’s preferred weapon is thunderbolt. Indra hurls thunderbolts whenever angered. In addition, while Zeus stays at Mount Olympus, Indra stays at Mount Meru.
Other parallels include Agni, the god of fire (similar to Prometheus), and Vayu, the god of the winds, (comparable to Aeolus in Greek mythology) Below is a nifty chart that shows some very similar parallels between these cultures:
Hindu | Description | Greek | Roman | Norse | Egyptian | Canaanite |
Indra | thunder, kind of gods | Zeus | Jupiter | Thor | Amun | Ba‘al |
Agni | god of fire | Prometheus | Vulcan | Loki | Ra | Ishat |
Vayu | god of the winds | Aeolus | Aeolus | Kari | Shu | Hadad |
Varuna | god of the waters | Poseidon | Neptune | Njord | Tefnut | Yam |
Mitra | god of treaties | Apollon-Mithras | Mithras | Sól | Horus | Śamšu |
Ushas | goddess of the Dawn | Eos | Aurora | Dellingr | Tefnut | Shahar |
The final column in the chart lists similar Canaanite dieties, many of which are also mentioned in the Bible. Archaeological discoveries of temples and shrines dedicated to these deities corroborate biblical accounts.
In addition to temples, archaeologists have unearthed evidence of a major sin recorded in the Bible for which the Canaanites were judged: child sacrifice. In 1921, French archaeologists excavating ancient Carthage uncovered what appeared to be a large graveyard. They found hundreds of grave markers, each with clay urns containing the cremated remains of infants and animals, sometimes stacked up to seven urns under one marker. The soil, rich with olive wood charcoal, indicated long periods of burning fires.
The inscriptions on the urns are revealing. Some indicate that vows to Tanit and Baal Hammon were fulfilled (Tanit is known as Ashtoreth in the Bible – 1 Kings 11:23). Many others are dedications from parents to these gods, ending with "heard my voice and blessed me."
While much focus is placed on finding archaeological evidence of past events, it is often overlooked that such practices still occur in parts of the world where these gods are still worshipped. For example, in India, there are instances of human sacrifice as part of rituals. The Odka people historically worshipped paddy seeds with human blood for a better harvest, sacrificing one person annually. Dark magic and tantra, sometimes culminating in human sacrifice, are still practiced in India. There have also been cases of child sacrifices to the goddess Kali. These practices are examples of continued satanic activity.
The Bible illustrates that Satan and his angels are behind such demonic occurrences. Psalms 106 outlines the sins of the Israelites, punished by God. Starting from verse 35: “but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.” This goes beyond a simple "don’t make XYZ habit your idol" message; it reveals a deeper, more sinister reality still present on Earth.
Satan can mimic signs and wonders, but only to a limited extent.
This idolatry also led to other sins: “They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.” These passages highlight that God's holiest standards—sexual purity and family—are under attack. This perspective helps us understand that Satan continues his deceptive tactics today. Today, there is a push to normalize behaviors like homosexuality and promiscuity, even within churches claiming themselves to be LGBTQ friendly. Additionally, abortion is often venerated, though it is likened to another form of child sacrifice. 1 Timothy 4 warns that in the last days, people will turn from true faith to follow teachings inspired by demons.
The Bible draws a clear connection between idols and demons. Deuteronomy 32:17 reads “They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals That your fathers did not fear.” These gods are not only demons but also new gods that continue to be replaced with new names, though they are ultimately the same demons. Other passages also link idols to demons, warning against participating in sacrifices to them, such as 1 Corinthians 10:20 which states, “No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.”
Satan seeks to corrupt everything good that God has created, including the family. He distorts views so that what is evil in God's eyes is seen as good in society. Satan appears as an angel of light, deceiving with false appearances of godliness (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). He can raise up false teachers who perform signs and wonders, even deceiving believers (Matthew 24:24). However, these signs and wonders serve lies, not truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).
Satan can mimic signs and wonders, but only to a limited extent. Read Exodus 7:10-12: "So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs."
Similarly, Acts 8:9-11 recounts Simon the sorcerer's attempt to mimic divine power in Samaria, but he was later shown to lack the true power of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible's warnings against idolatry are serious and should not be taken lightly. For those from backgrounds like Jainism or Hinduism, the demonic power behind idols is particularly evident. It can be challenging to explain this to loved ones, but by knowing the Bible and understanding the importance of adhering to God's Word, we can pray for wisdom in dealing with their idolatry.
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