8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
It is Paul who tells Timothy to “Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV-ish). This is one of the big things that disciples do.
Moreover—Study is not reading. And casual study is not close and careful reading while studying. It is important to read scripture closely and carefully and not casually or sloppily. Why? Because scripture is actually not simple. It's complicated, no matter what your Sunday school teacher or bible study leader told you. Note that Jesus trained his disciples for more than three years so that they would be properly prepared to understand His work on the Cross and the gift of the Spirit in them as it applied to all of history from Adam to Jesus!
Add to the above what we modern people are missing: An in-depth understanding of the worldviews of ancient near eastern and first century Jews. This allows us to study scripture in its own contemporary context and not a modern worldview or anyone else's worldview over the last 1,900 years. Like I wrote above—this thing is not simple
Looking at scripture again, comparing ...
Let's begin our close and careful read of Colossians 2:8 by seeing it in different translations:
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Let's walk this carefully and read very closely. Paul tells his audience that they are vulnerable to empty philosophies, which are based on human tradition, which is based on elemental spiritual forces of this world—and there (gods and demons) is the source of both the danger—and—the alternative: Jesus Christ. The ancient fallen divine sons of God (Genesis 6; 10; 11) and their dead Nephilim giant demons are behind the thinking, reasoning, and logic of humanity. Only Christ offers salvation and life, while the world offers judgment and death.
The world is based on the gods
Even in our modern world, with all of its math, science, logic, rationalism, and humanism—there are but two sources: God and the gods. The staunch atheist will tell you that God is one of the gods and both are myths. Yet, the atheist errs horribly to think that his thinking is magically divorced from the gods simply because he wills it so.
The impact of the gods on the atheist is inescapable. He has no original foundational philosophy that is not from the gods. Furthermore, the western atheist doesn't realize how he has philosophies and traditions of men stemming from God shaping his thinking. Again—an inescapable box he cannot get out of by claiming original thought.
The warning is now to Christians as well. The gods and demons of first century are alive and well today. At the time of the first century, those gods and demons had already amassed 3,000 years of practice at creating antichrist human traditions and philosophies. Today—they have 5,000 years of total experience and 2,000 years of practice at deceiving people today—Christians and non-Christians alike. Think about that!
While the Cross and church of Christ took the gods and demons by utter surprise—suffering more than three hundred years of losses as conversions from paganism to Christ—they quicky regrouped and realized ways that they could create false antichrists (doctrines of devils) and then build new human traditions and philosophies of equally deadliness in sin and judgment.
Therefore—as Paul writes to the Colossian disciples, he is careful in his words to note that Christ alone is the source of both redemption and life. Thus, even false antichrists and the hastily built demonic-inspired traditions and philosophies are a judgment and death trap. In the 2,000 years since Paul and the church at Collosse, fallen gods and demons have honed their antichrist craft.
Looking behind the English ...
Each of the translations shown above have English variants in how they are translated. Here is an isolation of the translations to English:
- according to the elemental spirits of the world
- from the spiritual powers of this world
- after the rudiments of the world
The terms "elemental spirits", "spiritual powers", and "rudiments" are translated from the Greek word στοιχεῖα or stoicheia. In the Strong's dictionary, this is definition #4747 or stoixeíon, which is given several treatments:
4747 stoixeíon– properly, fundamentals, like with the basic components of a philosophy, structure, etc.; (figuratively) "first principles," like the basic fundamentals of Christianity.
[ 4747 (stoixeíon) refers to "the rudiments with which mankind . . . were indoctrinated (before the time of Christ), i.e. the elements of religious training or the ceremonial precepts common alike to the worship of Jews and of Gentiles" (J. Thayer).
The RSV however renders stoixeia as "elemental spirits," i.e. spiritual powers or "cosmic spirits" (DNTT, 2, 828). This views 4747 /stoixeíon ("elements") as ancient astral beings associated with the very beginning (make-up) of the earth.]
DNTT, 2, 828 is a citation that refers to a specific page in a specific volume of a specific book. The book is called The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, or DNTT for short. It is a four-volume reference work that provides articles on various topics related to New Testament theology, such as words, concepts, themes, and background information. The second volume covers topics from G to Pre. The page 828 is part of an article on the Greek word stoicheion, which means element, principle, or power. The article discusses the different meanings and uses of this word in the New Testament and in other ancient sources, such as Jewish, pagan, and Gnostic writings. It also explores the possible theological implications of this word for understanding the relationship between Christ and the cosmos.
Applying ANE, DCW, and the Enochian backstory
The ANE (ancient near eastern world view), DCW (divine council worldview or Deuteronomy 32 worldview), and the stories of the sons of God at Mount Hermon, the fallen sons of God assigned to each nation in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10), and the division of humanity among them at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11)—all of this—tells us that it is the introduction of fallen gods, goddesses, and demons in the unseen realms that have shaped the traditions of men up until Paul and the time of the early church (and beyond).
Therefore, it is the sin of the Watchers and their demon kids coupled with spiritually blind humans that has set up the traditions and resulting philosophies of men from them. In this way, the philosophies and traditions of men are ultimately being directed by the lies of fallen divine beings and their demon hybrid bastard children. This is what Paul is communicating.
Juxtaposing Christ
The final part of the verse tells us that all of this is in opposition to Christ. Jesus stands as the One True God of Heaven upon whom you can build without error. He is the foundation and not human traditions. Immediately after verse 8 we will learn how we need only Christ, to be filled with the Spirit, and have scripture as our basis for the Spirit of Christ in us to lead and guide us into what is righteous and good in His eyes.
9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Verses 9 to 14 describe Jesus, who He is, what He did, and how we benefited from being in him and with him, literally at the Cross (Romans 6). In other words—Christ alone is now our philosophy and tradition! He is the only philosophy and tradition leading to redemption and life! The philosophies and traditions of the world come from ancient fallen gods and demon spirits who are leading people into their sin (of the Watchers) resulting in their judgment of God and the judgment of those who follow them!
Moreover—it is the understanding of both the sins of the Watchers and the sins of their now dead Nephilim giant demon children that informs us about the basis of human traditions and philosophies derived from them. This is why second temple era Jews and first to third century Jews and Christians leaned so heavily on materials like 1 Enoch. These materials coupled with scripture informed them greatly from the Spirit of God in them to discern the cancers in their thinking.
Verse 15 points directly at Ephesians 4:8, Psalm 68:18, Daniel 7:13-14 and 2 Peter 3, where the ascended Lord Jesus Christ has taken the captured sons of God from Tartarus in chains and presented them to the Father as the victor of the war between heaven and fallen heavenly hosts! God has won. The remaining question is: Will you follow them and their philosophies and traditions straight into the Lake of Fire—or—will you trade loyalties and ask God to place you in Christ, circumcising your heart from your flesh by the work of the Spirit, and then be bound together with the Spirit of Christ in a new union (marriage) to God?
Daniel 7:13-14 is a passage that describes a vision of the prophet Daniel, in which he saw one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven and receiving an everlasting kingdom from the Ancient of Days. This passage is widely regarded as a messianic prophecy, pointing to the future glory and authority of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man and Son of God. There are several OT and NT scriptures that reference or use this passage, either directly or indirectly. Here are some examples:
- In Psalm 110:1-2, David writes, "The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, 'Rule in the midst of your enemies.'" This psalm is quoted or alluded to several times in the NT as a proof of Christ's exaltation and lordship (Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13; 10:12-13). It also echoes the imagery of Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man is presented before the Ancient of Days and given dominion and glory.
- In Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah prophesies, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." This prophecy is applied to Christ in the NT as a testimony of his divine nature and eternal reign (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:32-33; John 1:14; Hebrews 1:8). It also parallels the language of Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man is given an everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed.
- In Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27, Jesus predicts his second coming in glory and power. He says, "At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." These words are clearly based on Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man is seen coming with the clouds of heaven. Jesus identifies himself as the fulfillment of Daniel's vision and claims to be the one who will receive universal worship and sovereignty at his return.
- In Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69, Jesus affirms his messianic identity before the Jewish high priest and council. He says, "You have said it yourself. But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." These words are a combination of Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13-14, showing that Jesus is both Lord and Christ, both Son of God and Son of Man. He declares that he will be vindicated by God and come to judge his enemies.
- In Revelation 1:7; 14:14; 19:11-16, John describes his apocalyptic visions of Christ's majesty and victory. He writes, "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him--even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen." And "I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand." And "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." These passages are heavily influenced by Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man is seen coming with the clouds of heaven and receiving an everlasting kingdom. John portrays Christ as the fulfillment of Daniel's vision and the one who will execute God's judgment and establish his reign over all creation.
- https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/daniel-7-13.html
- https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/daniel-7-14.html
- https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/daniel/7.html
(1) Daniel 7:13 Cross References: I saw in the night visions, and, behold .... https://biblehub.com/crossref/daniel/7-13.htm.
(2) Daniel 7:13-14 NASB1995 - The Son of Man Presented - “I kept - Bible .... https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%207%3A13-14&version=NASB1995.
(3) Daniel 7:13-14 - BibleGateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=daniel%207:13-14&version=NKJV.
(4) Daniel 7:13-14 - BibleGateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%207:13-14&version=NIV.
Digging down into the meat ...
Now that our careful read of this scripture has yielded the juxtaposing of the gods Vs Jesus Christ, we can now get to the meat of the matter. Let's do another careful and close read. The English is enough and we can start in verse 16:
16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Again—Paul mentions that elemental spirits are the issue, especially as they are coupled to the fallen nature of human flesh with lusts and passions. He points to the critical fact that with Christ they had died to the elemental spirits of the world. This implies that they were freed from following after any tradition or philosophy of worldly men. With this in mind, we can look back one verse to verse 19 and see some familiar language that will help us seal the deal on the influence of unclean spirits over us and how we fight them.
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Notice that in Colossians, Paul speaks in terms of "joints and ligaments", where there is nourishment and knitting together of believing disciples of Christ (the head of the body). Paul is describing the good and uninterrupted flow of Christ to the body, which builds up and brings life. In Hebrews 4, Paul is addressing the opposite—how the members of the body are attacked and the cure that God has provided by both the Word of God and the Spirit of God in each member.
In both Colossians 2 and Hebrews 4, Paul uses the word joints. Quite simply, a joint is where members are joined together—that is—"knitted" with ligaments (bindings). This binding is the Spirit of God in each believing disciple. So, we understand from these what the joints and ligaments are, but what about the marrow? If joints are good, what is marrow and how is it bad such that the Word of God wants us to discern it and separate it? The clue is in soul and spirit.
Each couplet is a good and bad. Soul is good. Spirit is bad. Joint is good. Marrow is bad. Remember the context from above: elemental spirits (gods and demons). The notion of spirit in Hebrews 4:12 is the same as the elemental spirits who were given rule over human nations in Genesis 11 (Psalms 82, Deuteronomy 32, et al). If we can accept this, then we now need to explain what marrow is and what the bad associated thing is that God performs surgery to remove—like a cancer from His body (you and I).
What marrow points at ...
History tells us of an ancient writer by the name of Lucian. He wrote a tome called Philopseudes (The Lover of Lies) and it is where we find a satirical work that mocks the credulity of people who believe in supernatural stories and phenomena. It tells a story about a man (Eukrates) who claims to have seen μυελῶν (see marrow) coming out of a skull in a tomb.
According to the story, a man named Eukrates claims that he once visited the tomb of a famous Pythagorean philosopher named Cleomedes, who had died many years ago. He says that he saw a skull lying on the ground, which he picked up and examined. To his surprise, he saw μυελῶν oozing out of the skull, as if it were still alive. He also heard a voice coming from the skull, saying: "Eukrates, put me down and go away; you are hurting me; for I am Cleomedes the Pythagorean, and this is my soul that you see.”
Eukrates says that he was so terrified that he dropped the skull and ran away. He also says that he later learned that Cleomedes had practiced a special kind of philosophy that allowed him to preserve his soul in his marrow after death. He says that this is why Pythagoreans abstained from eating beans, because beans contain marrow and they do not want to eat souls.
This notion of bone marrow being a place where souls and spirits reside in the human body is not unique to the Greeks, Lucian, or Eukrates. It extends to the Jews as well. While not common among ancient near eastern peoples, it wasn’t uncommon either. It is possible that some people believed that unclean spirits could inhabit bone marrow, as it was considered a vital substance that produced blood and nourished the bones.
In ancient Christianity, there was a similar concept of unclean spirits or demons (pneuma akatharton or daimonion) that could possess people and cause various afflictions. These spirits were often identified with the fallen angels who rebelled against God, or with the pagan gods of the nations.
Jesus and the disciples performed many exorcisms of these spirits, using His authority and power as the Son of God. Some early Christian writers also adopted the idea that these spirits could inhabit bone marrow, as they interpreted some biblical passages in this way. For example, Origen (c. 184 – c. 253) wrote: "For as marrow is hidden within the bones, so also are wicked spirits concealed in the bodies of those who are possessed by them."
The telegraphed message of Paul in Hebrews 4:12 ought to be very clear by this point. These ancient people had very special thoughts with regard to bone marrow. We can now draw a link between a newly converted-to-Christ Gentile Greek audience and this notion of unclean spirits hooking into marrow and causing both physical and spiritual disease, which fights against the natural nourishing (Colossians 2:19) coming from the marrow (where the Spirit of God is in them).
One might even suppose that these early Christians thought of marrow as representing where the Spirit of God took up residence. This would telegraph the commandments of Exodus where God tells them to not have the gods of other nations on His ground—now, the marrow of the inward parts of each believing disciple!
The communication is clear—adopting the philosophies and traditions of the world is to invite the gods and their demons onto the ground that belongs to God—us, the believers and disciples dedicated and loyal to Christ! Adopting their philosophies would be tantamount to a disloyalty to Christ! Moreover—acting out in accordance with these demon philosophies, logic, thinking, and so on would make the believing disciple as unclean and in danger of judgment as the demons themselves!
Therefore—in one Colossians 2:19, we have Paul pointing at the Body of Christ being nourished and knitted in the life that flows from the Spirit of God. This same worldview and understanding is applied in the opposite case of Hebrews 4:12, where the marrow has unclean spirits (gods, idols, demons) attached or hooked in which is disruptive of the flow of life from the Spirit of God. Tainted marrow would lead to sin and sin to death as a result of rejection and judgment—just like that of the gods and demons of Enochian fame!
NOTE: This then forms the basis and logic for Paul's stance on removing from himself sexual temptation and remaining unmarried. He saw the judgment of the Watchers and demons and decided to stay as far away from it all as possible. He didn't want to even remotely dance on the line and find himself rejected, even knowing what he knew. All of this is a powerful basis for understanding both Paul's teaching and how he conducted his own life before the Lord.
Paul's solution to this problem in Hebrews 4:12 is scripture empowered by the Spirit of Christ within the believer. Moreover, it is the joint (or joining) of believers together that is allowing the flow of supernatural life from the Head (Christ) by the Spirit. It is the living scripture that will surgically reveal and remove the contagion philosophies, traditions, and unclean spirits (think exorcism).
Remember—these first century people have a worldview that is totally supernatural. We ought to now clearly see that our modern philosophies and rationalistic traditions are highly suspect of being rooted in elemental spirits (gods and demons). We ought also see that these 5,000 year old gods and demons are well practiced at this art of deception.
If such matters are not clear, then perhaps I have done a poor job of communicating. Nevertheless, the follow-on question is: Are these people Paul is writing to fools and we the smart ones? Honestly—I think they are the smart ones and we the fools as we cling to our enlightenment, humanism, and rationalism. We are the ones who are blindly swallowing paganism and the philosophies of gods and demons as we claim and cling to rationalism and even atheism. Just who are the "bitter clingers" here?
The sum of it all
The Spirit of God is wanting us to understand not only our need for the Cross, but how the enemy (ancient gods and demons) work. To get this, we need to reach all the way back to the start of the history of our enemy—gods and demons—and learn that history and its impact on humanity. We need to see how they work and what they do. Simplistic understandings are not good enough.
The bible is complex. Being a disciple and disciplined learner and follower of Christ is not easy. It requires labor, work, attention, focus, and commitment. Remember—the forgotten and misunderstood mission of Jesus is the reversing of not only Genesis 3, but of Genesis 6 and 11 as well, which must happen in order to build a new Eden, Heaven, and Earth.
In the end—Paul had an understanding and a worldview that is not well understood in our modern time. From knowing his worldview, we can learn that his worldview was one of supernatural beings fighting in the minds and hearts of men by unseen means using thoughts, imaginations, philosophies, and human traditions. We also learn that these are built from the wickedness of gods and demons. Only from Christ flows redemption and life. The gods and demons give only judgment and death. Understand your enemy. Know him. From that see that the word of God and the Spirit of God in you and others offers the only solution in Christ.