As we begin Chapter 6 we take a look at one of the most mysterious statements contained in the Bible. "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." (Genesis 6:1-2)
The way this passage is worded indicates that the "sons of god" are different and distinct from the "daughters of humans". But in what way? And how, as we will see before long in Genesis 6, did marriage between the two groups cause mankind to become so wicked that God brought the great flood?
We find a clue in the book of Job, a book of the Bible that is so old that many scholars believe it was composed well before Genesis. It is thought that Job may have been a contemporary of Abraham, which means he was born long before Moses who is believed to be the author of Genesis. Job 1:6 says, "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them." I have quoted from the KJV because many modern versions of the Bible render "sons of god" as "angels". Personally I feel that the term "sons of God" does represent angels. Job 1 seems to indicate that the angels must periodically present themselves to God and give an accounting of their work, for in the same passage we find the Lord asking Satan what he's been up to and Satan boldly replies that he's been "roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it". (Job 1:7b)
There is a passage in the book of Jude that may correspond to our passage in Genesis today. Jude says that a group of angels committed such a heinous crime that they have been imprisoned ever since as they await the great judgment. Jude says, "And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling---these He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day." (Jude 1:6) What is it about this passage that makes us think it may be a reference to the "sons of God" of Genesis 6? Because Jude's statement about these particular angels is found in a passage dealing with sexual immorality. The behavior of this group of angels appears to be closely linked with sexual sins.
If some of the angels of God intermarried with human women, they were violating the purpose for which they were created. The Bible tells us that the purpose of angels is to be "ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation". (Hebrews 1:14) If some of the angels mixed with human women, they were interfering with the human race. This may have been a plot of Satan to corrupt the human race so irrevocably that God would wipe them from the face of the earth. Satan hates God. Satan wants to be God. But if Satan can't have what he wants, he thinks the next best thing would be to deprive God of something He wants---and God wants man to exist. Not only does God want man to exist, but God wants to save the souls of man in spite of man's sin and rebellion. It's easy to see why Satan would attack the human race in an effort to strike a blow to God. In interfering with the human race, Satan is harming the creatures the Lord holds most dear.
Have you ever noticed that every angel mentioned in the Scriptures is referred to as a male? When angels appear to people in the Bible, they appear in the form of human males in order to interact with humans. There are no female angels in the Bible. This may be because there are no female angels at all. I know we see a lot of female angels represented in artwork, but the Bible provides no basis for believing that female angels even exist. If they are all male, and if they have actual physical bodies or can assume the form of an actual physical body, then it's not impossible to believe that some of the angels who rebelled against the Lord were able to marry and procreate with human women.
There is a problem with this theory in that the Lord Jesus said, "At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." (Matthew 22:30) Angels were never intended to marry. The angels who remained faithful to the Lord and who are in heaven serving Him do not marry. Does this mean that no angels ever married humans or does it mean that the angels in heaven (those who didn't rebel against God and violate His laws) do not marry? It's difficult to say. Bible scholars who reject the theory that the "sons of God" are angels often use this verse from Matthew to back up their opinion. We don't know whether Jesus was saying that it's impossible for any angel to marry or whether He was saying that none of the angels who remained in heaven (who did not follow Satan when he rebelled against God, for we are told in the book of Revelation that a third of the angels decided to give their allegiance to the devil) are able to marry or want to marry?
Our two verses of Genesis today provides us with a great deal of food for thought. What these verses mean has been hotly debated throughout the centuries. These verses have even been adopted by the growing fringe group known as the "ancient alien theorists" in order to back up their claim that aliens came to earth and mated with human women. The Bible simply doesn't provide us with enough details about the identity of the "sons of God" for us to come to any firm conclusion. Perhaps back in the day when books like Genesis and Job and Jude were written in the original languages, the readers understood what was meant. But in our day we struggle to understand what might have been a very simple statement when it was first written.
Join us tomorrow as we look at some alternate theories about who the "sons of God" may have been.
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