ONE OF THE difficulties in understanding the spirit realm is that New Testament authors, especially Paul, used the same Greek terms for both earthly and heavenly beings.

So, how do we understand terms like thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities, principalities, and powers? To borrow another phrase from Paul, as though we’re looking into a mirror in a darkened room.

Joining us for our monthly Iron and Myth series are Brian Godawa, award-winning screenwriter and best-selling author; Pastor Doug Van Dorn, author of Giants: Sons of the Gods and The Angel of the LORD; and Director of the Institute of Biblical Anthropology Dr. Judd Burton, author of Interview With the Giant: Ethnohistorical Notes on the Nephilim.

We grapple with the terms used for denizens of the unseen realm, including the term rendered “saints” in English (and why it doesn’t always mean humans), and the mysterious Glorious Ones that, according to Peter and Jude, were blasphemed by rebellious persons within the first-century church.