I was doing a study about the Nephilim and their possible return during the 7 year tribulation period and a couple of questions came to mind:
1) If the Nephilim are indeed revealed during the tribulation, when would this happen and what is a possible role for them?
2) I have seen Daniel 2:43 used as a passage that “proves” the Nephilim will make a return during the tribulation. However, I only see that hint in the KJV. The NIV says “…so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united…” which could mean simply that in the last days people will not agree with one another and there will be plenty of fighting between them. What does the actual Hebrew text translate to?
Daniel 2:43 is the only place that even hints at an extra-terrestrial presence on Earth in the Last days. But even disregarding the inference and speculation that’s been offered, the hint is provocative. The KJV reads, “And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.”
The word “they” refers to the 10 toes of the statue that represents the end times version of the Roman Empire. The phrase for mingle themselves is Aramaic (as is all of Daniel from chapter 2 verse 4 through the end of chapter 7) and literally means to be mixed. The Strong’s concordance presents this “mixing” as something “they” will do, rather than it being done to them.
The Aramaic word for seed means offspring so seed of men is a way of saying mankind, and the fact that “they” are differentiated from mankind hints that “they” may not be human. Also, the mixing will not be successful, just as trying to mix iron with pottery is not successful, underscoring their difference. So it’s possible to infer from this that there could be a non-human element trying to mix itself into the general population. This gives weight to the KJV translation over others.
If that’s the case then the phrase “as it was in the days of Noah” that Jesus used in Matt. 24:37 takes on an even more literal meaning. And in those days the Nephilim were considered “mighty men, men of renown” (Gen. 6:4) so it’s likely that this would be the case in the future as well. As to when they’re revealed and what their specific role will be, we’re not told.