There has been a debate about Genesis Chapter 6 in the body of Christ. Specifically with regard to the scriptures involving the sons of God and the daughter of men. Some believe the sons of God are being referred to as angels and some believe they are men. This article will examine scripture to lay a Biblical foundation for this topic. It will be based on these two Biblical principles: 1. Scripture interpreting scripture, 2. Everything reproduces after its own kind (Genesis 1:11-12).
I will also add that I did not get my theology in this article from any person, denomination, seminary, church tradition, or Apocrypha book (the book of Enoch). I received this understanding of Genesis Chapter 6 when I read the scriptures and was taught by the Holy Spirit. I will use other scripture verses to support what the Lord has shown me. I was completely unaware that there was even a debate on this issue until years after the the Lord led me to an understanding on the topic.
Since we are not using any other book than the Bible to interrupt the passages in Genesis Chapter 6, we will not be relying on any visions, dreams, or encounters that believers may have had. Apocrypha books can be argued fallible and so can a person’s supernatural experiences (as they are subjective and not accepted by all). The Bible is the foundation of truth that all doctrine should be based on.
Genesis 6
“Now it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and desirable; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose and desired. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive and remain with man forever, because he is indeed flesh [sinful, corrupt—given over to sensual appetites]; nevertheless his days shall yet be a hundred and twenty years.” There were Nephilim (men of stature, notorious men) on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they gave birth to their children. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown (great reputation, fame).” (Genesis 6:1-4 AMP)
The Bible makes an initial distinction between the ‘sons of God’ and the daughters of men. If the ‘sons of God’ were being referred to as men, why wouldn’t the Holy Spirit say, “sons of Adam or Seth?” This would have then made a distinction between the sons of Cain and the sons of Seth. However the Holy Spirit does not do this. He specifically uses the term ‘sons of God’ as if to show a distinction from the sons and daughters of men and women.
The Sons of God
There are only a few mentions of the ‘sons of God’ in the Old Testament. We must use scripture to interpret scripture and base our belief system on what the scriptures teach. If we believe the traditions of men over the scriptures then we are at risk of developing incorrect doctrine.
“Now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them.” (Job 1:6 AMP)
Some might argue that the ‘sons of God’ being referred to in the above scripture is speaking of ‘the saints’ gathering in Heaven. However this reasoning would contradict scripture since there were not any saints in Heaven (except arguably Enoch) at the time. The Bible makes it clear that all of the saints were held in a spiritual place called ‘Abraham’s bosom,’ and could not leave there until Jesus had died and went to get them in order to lead them to Heaven (Luke 16:19-31, Ephesians 4:7-9). The saints could not enter Heaven until the blood of the Lamb had been shed and Jesus rose from the dead. Therefore without question, the sons of God mentioned in Job Chapter 1 are angels.
Here is the verse in the Septuagint translation which was heavily quoted in the New Testament by Jesus and the apostles: “And it came to pass on a day, that behold, the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came with them.” (Job 1:6 Brenton LXX)
Job Chapter 38 clarifies to an even greater degree about who the sons of God are. The sons of God were referred to as angels who were with God at the foundation of the world. Obviously men were not with God when He laid the foundations of the earth because they were not created yet. That is the entire point that Almighty God was making with Job in these passages, “You were not there Job. No man was. Only the morning stars / sons of God / angels!”
Here is the verse in the Septuagint translation: “When the stars were made, all my angels praised me with a loud voice.” (Job 38:7 Brenton LXX)
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel [questioning my authority and wisdom] By words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you know and have understanding. Who determined the measurements [of the earth], if you know? Or who stretched the [measuring] line on it? On what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy?” (Job 38:1-7 AMP)
The book of Job lays a clear foundation of who the ‘sons of God’ are in the Old Testament. The term ‘sons of God’ for believers is only used in the New Testament for those who are born-again. Adam was called a son of God (Luke 3:38) because he was the first created person by God and lived in a sinless state for a time. Adam lost the right for the human race to be sons of God and that right is ‘only’ restored in Christ. Anything else is a different Gospel:
“"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13 NKVJ)
If we had to have our ‘right’ restored to be sons of God then it means that we were not ‘sons of God’ prior to Christ coming and making a way for us to become sons of God. Christ (the last Adam) restored the ‘rights’ that Adam lost after he sinned.
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26 NKVJ)
In addition, all four Biblical commentaries that I reviewed (after coming to my own conclusion) stated that the sons of God mentioned in Job were angels. Here is the Jamison Faucet Brown Commentary on Job 38:7:
“morning stars — especially beautiful. The creation morn is appropriately associated with these, it being the commencement of this world’s day. The stars are figuratively said to sing God’s praises, as in Psa 19:1; Psa 148:3. They are symbols of the angels, bearing the same relation to our earth, as angels do to us. Therefore they answer to “sons of God,” or angels, in the parallel. See on Job 25:5.”
It should also be noted that the "righteous" bloodline of men that came from Noah was referred to as the "sons of Adam" and not the "sons of God."
"And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of Adam had built." (Genesis 11:5 LITV)
The clear foundation and revealing of the ‘sons of God’ as angels must be applied for our understanding of the passages in Genesis Chapter 6. We must use scripture verses that have a ‘clear revealing’ to interrupt any verses in which the understanding is in question or veiled. This is the concept of ‘clear scripture’ interpreting ‘veiled scripture’. If we try and use ‘veiled scripture’ to support our viewpoint or theology then we run the risk of entering into false doctrine. If we use ‘veiled scripture’ as our foundation when trying to formulate doctrine, we oftentimes miss the mark.
Nephilim
The Hebrew word for Nephilim also mean giants (bully or a tyrant). The word ‘Nephil’ comes from the root word ‘Naphal’ which means: “to fall, lie, fail, to cast down.” The fallen angels “fell” and were “cast down” from Heaven. This Hebrew word used contains valuable meaning and gives us greater insight regarding the passages.
Giants are not mentioned until the sons of God marry the daughters of men. This cannot be a coincidence. If we are adhering to the Biblical concept of ‘reproducing after one’s own kind’, then it would be impossible for men and women to create giants or Nephilim. They could only create other men and women like them (just as it is today). If giants could be created by men and woman in that time period, then it would be happening today also. But it’s not happening today because we can only reproduce after our own kind. The Bible never states that God created men as giants but only that they were in the earth in the time period when the ‘sons of God’ married the daughters of men. The Septuagint translation brings more clearly:
Now the giants were upon the earth in those days; and after that when the sons of God were wont to go in to the daughters of men, they bore children to them, those were the giants of old, the men of renown. (Genesis 6:5 Brenton LXX)
Today science has proved that DNA can be manipulated and changed thus altering reproductive properties. When this corruption takes place, hybrids are birthed. We even see this in the manipulation of food (GMOs). God’s original design is being altered by man and it is bringing forth ‘a different kind’ because of the alteration. So isn’t it possible that fallen angels could alter the DNA of man and produce giants or a ‘different kind’? Men could only become giants by some type of genetic altering.
Some would argue that angels cannot have sexual relations or reproduce. Where does it state this in scripture? We cannot use extra-Biblical prophetic encounters or Apocrypha books to establish doctrine. The scriptures do not state that angels cannot reproduce if they mated with humans. That might be a theory or theology of believers but the scriptures do not state this. Here is what the scriptures do state:
“Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.” (Matthew 22:29-30 NKJV)
Jesus only makes the point that angels who are in Heaven were not appointed to marry. Jesus doesn’t say that it is impossible for angels to marry, just that they are not to be ‘given in marriage’. The fallen angels, however, are not in Heaven. We must be careful ‘how we hear’. Angels were also not created to rebel against God, yet some did. Angels were not created to take wives for themselves because they were to be eternal in Heaven, but that doesn’t mean that some didn’t take wives. For example, men were created to fulfill God’s purpose but men can choose their own will and completely disregard God’s will. Obviously angels can rebel also.
A portion of the angels rebelled against God and were cast out of Heaven. So do we really think that fallen angels cared whether or not they were permitted to have wives? These fallen angels were already full of sin and rebellion so they probably didn’t care about God’s spiritual laws stating that they could not have wives or sexual relations with women. Some of these angels continued to sin and did whatever they wanted to.
Some might argue that an angel couldn’t manifest as a man and have relations with a woman. Where does it teach they cannot do this in scripture? We cannot use speculations or ex-biblical accounts to form doctrine. If scripture doesn’t discount something then how can we rule it out as a possibility simply because we don’t understand? There are a lot of supernatural things of God that the human mind cannot understand.
The scriptures do however indicate that angels can appear as men (Hebrews 13:2). If angels of God can appear as men then so can Satan’s angels. All angels were created by God and therefore function in the same capacity. Here is an additional verse proving that angels can appear as men:
“Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”” (Genesis 19:1, 4-5 NKJV)
Note: There is one additional passage that mentions Nephilim (Number 13:33). The passage states that the spies saw giants (descendants of Anak) and that these were descendants of the giants (or Nephilim) in Genesis 6 (which is the only other mention of Nephilim). The verse does not say that the giants were descendants of Noah. The Bible does not say Noah’s family was giants. I do not fully understand this passage because all of the Nephilim were killed in the flood and only Noah’s small family survived. How could there be any descendants of the Nephilim if all died? We are not given enough information here so there will be different speculations regarding this passage. This verse to not profitable for formulating doctrine due to the lack of information.
There we saw the Nephilim [or giants], the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:33 AMPC)
Fallen Angels
The original sin of Fallen Angels was rebellion against God. They were cast out of Heaven but still resided in Heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). These fallen angels were not imprisoned in Hell for rebelling against God as Ephesians makes clear. They are princes that have principalities in heavenly places over the earth. These angels will not be confined to the earth until Revelation Chapter 12 takes place which is in the future (3 1/2 years from the end of the age or Christ’s return):
“And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9 NKJV)
This above scripture makes it clear that most fallen angels are not bound in Hell. However, some angels are bound in Hell for committing an additional sin (other than the initial rebellion against God). What was that sin?
“And angels who did not keep their own designated place of power, but abandoned their proper dwelling place, [these] He has kept in eternal chains under [the thick gloom of utter] darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the adjacent cities, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in gross immoral freedom and unnatural vice and sensual perversity. They are exhibited [in plain sight] as an example in undergoing the punishment of everlasting fire.” (Jude 1:6-7 AMP)
Jude reveals that (some) angels abandoned their principality, estate, rule, or magistracy (as the Greek word translates). Because they abandoned their heavenly sphere of rule, the Lord has put them in eternal chains until the day of judgement. Meaning, these specific fallen angels will not even be released onto the earth when the bottomless pit is opened at the sounding of the fifth trumpet (Revelation 9:1-3).
Jude compares these fallen angels to the people in Sodom and Gomorrah who engaged in perverted sexual sin. The word ‘angels’ that is in bold in the above scripture was added by the Amplified Translation but it accurately conveys the comparison that Jude is inspired by the Holy Spirit to make. The only reason Jude would make this comparison is if the fallen angels had engaged in a perverted sexual relationship with the daughters of men. This is also the only other Biblical explanation for certain angels to be judged and placed in Hell well ahead of the final judgment. The sons of God were the angels that sinned with the daughters of men which Jude and Peter are referring to:
“For if God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but threw them into hell and sent them to pits of gloom to be kept [there] for judgment;” (2 Peter 2:4 AMP)
Righteous Bloodline
I have also heard the argument that Adam had a righteous bloodline and Cain’s was evil. The argument states that the sons of Adam were the ‘sons of God’ and the sons of Cain were a sinful bloodline. But this reasoning does not add up. After the initial sin by Adam, sin entered into all and all were corrupted by it. There was not a pure or clean bloodline. This theology contradicts a lot of scriptures in the New Testament. Christ is the only way of being righteous. Noah’s bloodline was full of sin as well for we all came from Noah! Right after Noah and his family were off the ark, sin sprouted up from his family:
“And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.” (Genesis 9:20-22 NKJV)
It is clear that all had sin working in them and had fallen short of the glory of God. Through one man, Adam, sin entered all. Noah got drunk and Noah’s son dishonored his father by humiliating him and got cursed. So the scriptures show that there was not any righteous bloodline called the ‘sons of God.’ There were only ‘sinners of God’. Only individuals who chose to walk with God found favor and grace with Him.
Sin immediately abounded after the flood and men built the tower of Babel in rebellion and defiance to God. Why didn’t God destroy mankind in a different way then? Man was certainly not any less evil or sinful. It’s because mankind wasn’t corrupted by the fallen angels anymore. Noah wasn’t chosen because he was sinless. He was chosen because he was uncorrupted by angelic manipulation. This pollution of mankind was probably a scheme of Satan to completely destroy the human race before redemption could occur. The Lord had to take drastic measures and flood the earth in order to keep pure the only eight people on the earth that had not been corrupted. The Father could bring forth His Son from sinful man, but not man who was genitically mutated by fallen angels.
Conclusion
After examining scripture I do not see any other conclusion for Genesis Chapter 6 than the one described in this article. The sons of God (angels), left their proper domain in heavenly places and took daughters of men because they lusted after ‘strange flesh’. Nephilim or giants were created by the mutation because the species were mixed and men/women could no longer produce after their own kind, but produced a different kind. This company of fallen angels broke one of God’s spiritual laws for angels that stated they were not allowed to marry. God judged them and bound them in the deepest part of Hell until judgment day. This put the fear of God in the rest of the fallen angels so that they did not sin and take daughters of men for their wives. They did not want to be imprisoned in Hell before their appointed time of judgment.
There is one final point I will make. The Bible never states that evil spirits and fallen angels are the same thing. I was never taught that they are different but as I read the scriptures I was shown by the Holy Spirit that they are different. Fallen angels are the ‘princes’ that have principalities in heavenly places. There are clearly not confined to the earth yet but will be when the events of Revelation Chapter 12 occur. We are told by Jesus to cast out demons, not fallen angels. Demons are unclean disembodied spirits that house themselves in people’s bodies. Demons are currently on the earth in people. Fallen angels have much greater power and authority than demons. This last point may not be able to be Biblically proven, but neither can the belief that demons are fallen angels (because the scriptures do not state this).
-Ty Unruh (May 2023)
