This post based on a question about angels called into the TCT Network program, Ask The Pastor. People frequently ask the interpretation of Genesis 6:4. I thought I'd tackle it in short.
The Antediluvian Age
Antediluvian is a word that describes the period before the flood chronicled in Genesis 6-9. This is also the age of man before law. This is alluded to in Romans 2:14:For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:Because man lived without laws, they lived however they chose. And evil seeming more pleasurable than good, man's wickedness increased without restraint.
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5
Sons and Daughters of the Earth
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. Genesis 6:1-2Note here that not all men were evil. Some remembered the lessons learned in the Garden. Adam taught his children about God and the knowledge was passed down for generations. Some, like the sons of Seth, continued to acknowledge God, while most, like the sons of Cain, walked in the own way. Nevertheless, there was little restraint practiced by any. The sons of God even took wives of as many women as they desired. Now, while this may have kept in practice the commandment to be fruitful and multiply, this was not God's intent. God is a God of order. Man, in this case, went wild and followed their flesh rather than their intelligence.
So Who Were These Sons of God?
In case it was missed earlier, these are the sons of Seth. There are different thoughts on this taken from the following verse…There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:4The word ‘giants' causes a gross misinterpretation. It is believed that these men were literal giants, born from a union of women and angels. Well. there is at least one verse that refutes this thought. First of all, Genesis 6:2 says the sons of God ‘took wives'. Now read this…
For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. Matthew 22:30Angels do not marry! Not enough? What about this one?
Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Hebrews 2:7Angels are not organic or natural beings. They cannot procreate! If they could, don't you think God would have allowed them to reproduce with each other instead of creating untold numbers of them?
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Revelation 5:11 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Psalms 68:17Can you imagine if Satan could procreate? You think there are evil people in the world now! The movies like Rosemary's Baby and Damien would more reality than fiction! No my dear brothers and sisters. The sons of God were godly men who married the daughters of wicked men. This gave rise to men who became great (giants) and well known (men of renown) Giants is also misinterpreted. Giants in Genesis 6:4 means tyrant or bully. Think about this. We hear of tyrants in countries and bullies in schools today. Imagine the same in a world where evil reigns without restraint. Yes, men with big time chips on their shoulders! These men became ruthless rulers and oppressive lords over people, not 9 feet, 9 inch tall men like Goliath!
Angels Producing Giants?
If you've read this far, you know I already covered this in the preceding topic. Just to reiterate, angels are not like humans. They cannot procreate. They cannot mate with humans. So giants did not exist because of unions between women and angels. Just think. If that is the case, tall men like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7 feet, 2 inches) and Shaquille O'Neal (7 feet, 1 inch) or taller, Robert Pershing Wadlow (8 feet , 11.1 inches) or Sultan Kösen (8 feet, 2.8 inches) would be considered demi-gods!Fantasy and Tradition vs Truth
While there were and are giants in our world, they are not the norm. Stories of great men born of natural/supernatural unions are the stuff of movies and mythology. They make for great entertainment, but not biblical truth. Yet many will fight to hold on to such error, even in the face of evidence to the contrary. Why? Man, by nature, desires to be more, to be greater. We are also vain in that we will fight to promulgate error because we, along with countless others, want to believe them. In this case, truth is not what matters. What we choose to believe is true does matter! History as well as scripture teaches us the following: Being a follower of the masses will cost you more than walking side by side with the few.Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14
Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? Galatians 4:16
Thanks for this post I was trying to explain this topic to my sister who believes Angels had children with human. I tried to explain that Angels do not procreate. I’m going to forward this post to her. Thanks once again. LE
Thanks for visiting and commenting Lurrie! I’m thankful this post was helpful to you.
I agree and do not believe angels had blood and it takes blood for the adamic race to continue. I am questioning where do the Repheim and the Anakin come in. It does seem they were giants.
Thanks for commenting, Debbie! Yes, they were giants. Many stood at least nine feet tall! Now, when you look at men today who stand seven plus feet, that’s very tall, but not like we would imagine Cyclops! And these men were not children or sons of God. They were of the wicked Gentiles nations. and note the Genesis verse again… “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. ” See the phrase, “and also afterward”? Nothing here says these giants had anything to do with the sons of God. I hope this helps a bit! God bless!
The anakim, post-flood giants in numbers, are described as descendants of the nephilim, the offspring of the sons of God. This passage makes it hard to believe the sons of god were the descendants of Seth. Why then were the descendants large in size as stated in Numbers? Could it be angels can reproduce but are not allowed to in heaven, so fallen angels did as they pleased.
Joel, thank you for your comment. What makes it hard to believe Seth was the progenitor of the sons of God? It is from the line of Seth we have Enoch and Noah, godly men. While Genesis 6:4 does mention giants being in the land, it does not say specifically that the sons of God were giants; “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” The phrase “and also after that” creates a separation or new statement. The giants were as corrupt, if not more so because of their size, than normal men. So they could not be sons of God. As far as the angels are concerned, no angel, fallen or otherwise, can reproduce. They are spirits, not human. God only gave humanity the ability to reproduce. We still have some giants today! Maybe not as tall as the sons of Anak, but still taller that the average human.
Hi – Thank you for this article and thread. I’m so relieved that people can discuss and ask questions and even disagree without melting down into chaos 🙂
Not to nitpick, but your statement “And it’s because we are finite that He did so, so our species could continue.” made me think of the Garden. Didn’t Creator tell Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply before the fall when they still had access to the tree of life? So doesn’t make sense to me that procreation was originally intended to keep the species going if He meant for us to take from the tree of life and live forever.
LF, Thank you. I appreciate the nitpicking. I am still learning as well. And because I’m human, I do not always express myself as accurately as I desire. To that end, I understand what you’re saying. It was God’s plan from the beginning for us to procreate. Even before the fall. For this reason, I modified my comment to Joel to be more in line with my point.