The Sons of God
Pastor Leslie Chua
“When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. ”
Who are the sons of God?
Christians probably think of the term as referring to the children of God. It is not wrong. That is how the term is used in the New Testament Scripture. For example, Paul told the Galatian believers that ‘in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith’ (Galatians 3:26).
However, the term, sons of God, has a different meaning altogether in the Old Testament Scripture. It refers to divine beings, which we commonly call angels. Strictly speaking, angels are a category of divine beings whose duty is to carry God’s message to believers.
The sons of God are variously referred to as the ‘holy ones,’ ‘heavenly beings,’ and ‘gods’ in the Psalms (Psalms 89:5-7; Psalms 82:1, 6).
God told Job that the sons of God were present when He created the earth. They were rejoicing at His marvellous works of creation (Job 38:4-7).
The Sons of God in Genesis 6:1-4
The first mention of the term, the sons of God, is found in Genesis 6:1-4. This is considered one of the most bizarre and controversial passages in the Bible.
Most preachers and Bible teachers would prefer not to talk about this passage. If they had to, they would steer away from its plain meaning to avoid any controversy.
Any serious student of the Bible would tell you that the first mention of any term or topic in the Bible is important. It sets the tone of its meaning throughout the Bible.
The fact that the sons of God in the Old Testament refer to divine beings is never in doubt. However, when it comes to the Genesis 6:1-4 passage, many Bible commentators and pastors would twist its meaning to fit the contemporary mindset, which is non-supernatural.
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A plain reading of the text suggests that certain divine beings crossbred with human women, and the anomalous outcome is the Nephilim. It certainly sounds bizarre, but that is what the text says.
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They would assert that the sons of God refer to the righteous line of Seth whereas the daughters of man point to the wicked line of Cain. Such an explanation defies common sense. How could righteous men and wicked women produce gigantic offspring known as Nephilim? It is an impossibility.
A plain reading of the text suggests that certain divine beings crossbred with human women, and the anomalous outcome is the Nephilim. It certainly sounds bizarre, but that is what the text says.
It is inappropriate and unwise to interpret any biblical text to suit our preferred view. We must always allow the Scripture to inform us. To do otherwise is not only unhelpful, but it will also distort our understanding.
Scholars studying Genesis chapters 1 to 11 have to rely on extrabiblical sources to provide the historical and cultural contexts. These ancient Mesopotamian and apocryphal texts also lend credence to the view that the sons of God are divine beings.
But I shall not go there. Instead, we shall look at 2 texts in the New Testament to back up this controversial perspective. You will be surprised to discover that this bizarre account does not end with Genesis chapter 6.
2 Peter 2:4-5 (ESV) - For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly…
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Who were these angels that sinned?
These were those sons of God who took human women as their wives at that time before the global flood.
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Clearly, the reference is to Genesis 6:1-4. The context is the unfortunate incident of the flood that destroyed the whole world during Noah’s time. The apostle, Peter, mentioned that God punished these angels that sinned. He cast them into the abyss where they were chained in gloomy darkness.
Who were these angels that sinned?
These were those sons of God who took human women as their wives at that time before the global flood.
The apostle, Jude, also mentioned this incident – ‘And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day--- just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire…’ (Jude 6-7).
You observe that Jude and Peter’s descriptions are rather similar. That is because both apostles are alluding to the same passage in the apocryphal book of 1 Enoch. Though the book of 1 Enoch is non-canonical, it provides the historical context to the passage of Genesis 6:1-4.
Here, more details of the sins of these sons of God are disclosed. These angels abdicated their assigned duties and crossed the angelic-human boundary to pursue unnatural sexual desire. Well, angels lusting after women certainly qualifies as unnatural desire, just like homosexuality.
This group of fallen angels are different from the group that rebelled with Lucifer against God.
The Sons of God in Psalm 82
Psalm 82 gives us another glimpse of the sons of God. This group of angels in Psalm 82 is different from the ones in Genesis chapter 6.
Psalm 82 has created much confusion among scholars as well as ordinary Christians who do not possess a supernatural mindset. These believers butcher the plain meaning of the text with theological gymnastics to fit their non-supernatural mindset.
The psalm sheds light on the divine council. It is a heavenly council comprising high-ranking divine beings on whom God has bestowed power and authority to rule over nations. God presides over this council.
Observe the description of the members of the divine council – ‘God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment… I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you…’ (Psalm 82:1, 6).
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Clearly, the members of the divine council are the sons of God.
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Clearly, the members of the divine council are the sons of God. They are the sons of the Most High. Fascinatingly, God called them gods. In Hebrew, it is the word, elohim. It is a generic term for gods in the plural. So, it can mean God, who is trinitarian – God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - or it can also mean gods, which refers to the sons of God.
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These sons of God have been given authority to rule over nations and peoples.
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In Psalm 82, God accused some members of the divine council of ruling and judging unjustly - “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?” (Psalm 82:2).
These sons of God have been given authority to rule over nations and peoples. But they have done a terrible job. They were unrighteous. They were unjust and they showed partiality.
God is displeased, and He pronounces judgement over them - “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince” (Psalm 82:6-7).
An example of these sons of God ruling over nations can be found in the book of Daniel. An angel told Daniel that he was withstood by the prince of Persia for twenty-one days until the archangel, Michael, came to help him (Daniel 10:12-13). Later, he mentioned the kings of Persia, the prince of Greece, and Michael who is the prince of Israel (Daniel 10:13, 20-21).
These entities are not human kings and princes. Instead, they are the principalities, rulers, and authorities over nations and regions. The apostle, Paul, also talked about these fallen angelic hierarchies in his letter to the Ephesian church (Ephesians 6:12).
God Assigns the Sons of God to Rule Over Nations
When were these sons of God given the authority to rule over the nations? Does the Scripture say anything concerning this matter at all?
The answer is yes. It is found in an obscure verse in Deuteronomy that has also divided the scholars – ‘When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God’ (Deuteronomy 32:8 - ESV).
Instead of ‘sons of God,’ most Bible versions translate it as ‘sons of Israel.’ The recently discovered Dead Sea Scrolls confirm the right translation is ‘sons of God.’
The idea behind Deuteronomy 32:8 is when God assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race, He established the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the sons of God.
Pertinent to our discussion here is God assigned the sons of God to rule over the nations and peoples.
When did this take place?
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When mankind rejected God, God also rejected mankind. He confused their language, broke them up into nations, and dispersed them. Most Christians are aware of this fact, but they are unaware that God also gave them up to the gods. This was when these sons of God began to rule over the nations.
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It happened in the aftermath of the Tower of Babel incident when Nimrod led humanity in a rebellion against God. The rebellion is essentially humanity’s rejection of God’s rule.
When mankind rejected God, God also rejected mankind. He confused their language, broke them up into nations, and dispersed them. Most Christians are aware of this fact, but they are unaware that God also gave them up to the gods. This was when these sons of God began to rule over the nations.
As for God, He would begin afresh with a new group of people. Immediately after Deuteronomy 32:8, we read – ‘But the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage’ (Deuteronomy 32:9).
That is the sequence of events in the book of Genesis. After the Tower of Babel incident and the dispersion of the peoples into nations in chapter 11, chapter 12 begins with God calling Abraham.
Through Abraham, God raised a new nation to be His own. Israel is God’s chosen nation from which Christ Jesus would come.
Since then, the nations have been under the rule and authority of the sons of God except for Israel.
Most likely, these are the gods whom Nimrod and the people were reaching out to through the Tower of Babel. In other words, these are the fallen angels. But we cannot be certain.
Jesus Will Rule Over All the Nations In the Future
Someday in the future, God will reclaim all the nations through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The last verse of Psalm 82 proclaims prophetically – ‘Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!’ (Psalm 82:8).
This will take place when Jesus returns to claim His inheritance of the nations. He will defeat Satan and the fallen angels as well as the Antichrist and the kings of the earth. After that, He will rule over the nations for one thousand years (Psalm 2:7-9; Revelation 19:11-20:3).
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This topic of the wicked sons of God might seem like a fringe topic, but it is not. It is an important subject, which is critical to our understanding of strategic-level spiritual warfare and eschatology.
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The sons of God in today’s reflection are wicked. But, of course, not all of them are wicked. Most of them are loyal to God.
This topic of the wicked sons of God might seem like a fringe topic, but it is not. It is an important subject, which is critical to our understanding of strategic-level spiritual warfare and eschatology.
Ignorance of this truth would distort our understanding of the spiritual realities and blinds us to the wicked schemes of Satan. Worst, our understanding of the Word would be seriously impaired, which will make us vulnerable to deception.