Genesis 6 - Pt 1 - The B'nai Elohim

I wanted to begin a series exploring Genesis 6, where we first see mention of the term "Nephilim". I feel it is really important to share information about this, as it is relevant to the "end days" which are closer and closer at hand. The best place to begin any study of Genesis 6 would be to read Genesis 6, then I want to begin to break down the different terms used in a (hopefully) easy to understand way. Thank you for reading this, and I hope you will follow along all the way through the series of posts. Let us begin!

¹ "When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, ² the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.^"

Continuing on... "⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown".

⁵ "The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. ⁶ The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.  ⁷ So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD".

In verse 2, why are the "sons of God" differentiated from the "daughters of men"? Shouldn't it be the sons and daughters of men? Or if "sons of God" meant human men, shouldn't the daughters also be called "daughters of God?" 

In the Hebrew text, the word for "sons of God" is B'nai Elohim. This term refers to direct creations of God. Angels are a direct creation of God. Human daughters were not, as they were naturally descended of man. None of us are "direct" creations of God until we are born again:

John 1:12-13
 ¹² "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God".  

2 Corinthians 5:17
 ^{17 "}Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new".

 The term B'nai Elohim is only ever used in the Bible to refer to angels or heavenly beings:

Job 1:6
"One day the angels (B'nai Elohim) came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them".

Job 38:7
 "while the morning stars sang together
   and all the angels (B'nai Elohim) shouted for joy? 

Psalm 29:1
"Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings (without the definite article, B'nai Elim),
   ascribe to the LORD glory and strength".

Other scriptures where the term is found are Psalm 104:4, Hebrews 1:13-14, and Daniel 3: 25. 

The term B'nai Elohim refers to heavenly beings, including fallen angels who were created directly by God before they turned away and fell from heaven.  We can know that the "sons of God" referenced in Genesis 6 are fallen angels, because we know that angels who still dwell in heaven do not marry:

Matthew 22:30
"At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven".

Mark 12:25
"When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven".

Just because angels don't marry or have sex in heaven, doesn't mean they aren't able to. That's just not how things roll in heaven. But if they rebel and get kicked out of heaven, does that mean anything goes?

Next I am going to look closer at fallen angels, giving scriptural references, just so there is no question that the B'nai Elohim referred to in Genesis 6 are not Holy angels, but fallen ones.