Genesis 6 - Pt 2 - Fallen Angels

Before I can really get into Genesis Chapter 6, there needs to be some back story regarding fallen angels. In my last post we concluded that the term B'nai Elohim refers to angels, and that Holy angels in heaven don't marry. Since Genesis 6 tells us that angels did marry (human women, no less!), we must give solid evidence that there are evil angels that exist.

We all know that Satan was created by God as the most beautiful angel that had ever been created, that he became enraptured of his own beauty and wanted to raise himself up higher than God. For this, he was cast out of heaven. A portion of the angels, presumably also enraptured by his beauty, or simply rebellious, were also thrown out of heaven with him.

Isaiah 14:12
"How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart,
'I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High' But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the far reaches of the pit"

Because of this he was cast from heaven:

Luke 10:18
"He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."
 
Revelation 9:1
"The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss". 

Revelation 12:3-9
"Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth..." 

"...Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him".  

Sucks to know there are powerful angels out there whose only thoughts are evil. But comforting to know there are two times as many powerful angels whose only thoughts are for our goodness.

The word "star" seems to be synonymous, or interchangeable with "angel". Today the word star is interchangeable with "famous celebrity". But waitasecond...

Genesis 6:4
"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown." 

Weird! Next up... The Nephilim! Who/What were/are they?

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.