Angels and Giants?

Nephilim in Denver?
(This photo has not been altered in any way, I promise.)

Over the past decade of studying and walking in the Torah I have noticed that, in the Messianic Movement, there are a few nonessential issues that seem to distract the well intentioned. These incidental topics seem to rise above the essentials and are given more time than they require. One of these subjects is the identity of the Sons of God and the Nephilim found in Genesis 6:1-4. I have to admit, early on in my Torah journey I was enamored with this topic. I marveled at the idea of a race of giant people who were part-human and part-angelic being. Not only were these men extremely large, they were also believed to have extraordinary superhuman abilities. This took me back to childhood fantasies of the mythological characters Hercules and Perseus. The belief is that, because of the sin between these fallen angels and man, and because of the product of that sin (i.e., these enormous wicked mutant half-breeds) Adonai flooded the earth.

The belief that the Sons of God were angels is not unique to the Messianic Community and it is not a new concept. This debate has been around for a long, long time and it has been the topic of many articles, books, conferences, and websites. Because of it's popularity as a fascinating subject some Bible teachers focus their entire ministries on this and other unusual Biblical topics and conspiracy theories. It is important to note that there are many well-known and well-respected scholars who believe that the sons of God were angels. Likewise, there are many well-known and well-respected scholars who do not. The fact that not all scholars agree on this issue should give us a clue that we are not going to figure out who is right anytime soon, but that's okay. We don't have to figure it out because it is a nonessential issue; but it is also okay to have a stance on the subject. We can have varying perspectives on this topic and still fellowship with each other because it is not a reason to divide.

In October 2009 we began a three-year journey through the Torah as a community. We slowly covered the book of Genesis over a period of one year. After this slow and deliberate study I have come to the conclusion that the Sons of God were not angels but men. Once I understood the context of the passage in the chapter and how it fit into the context of the Book, it was clear to me that the Sons of God could not be angelic beings. Here's a quick overview of my new perspective:

1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.- Genesis 6:1-4, NAS

Leading up to this passage we have The Creation account in Chapters 1 and 2, The Fall of Man in Chapter 3, Cain and Abel in Chapter 4, and The Generations of Adam leading up to Noah in Chapter 5. In The Creation account Adonai made everything and it was ALL good. With The Fall, sin enters the picture and with Cain and Abel we see the result of sin, which is death. The descendants of Cain are then traced down to the 7th generation. The generations of Cain prove to be an ungodly line of men. These wicked men are contrasted against the line of Seth, who was born to Adam as a 'replacement' for the righteous son, Abel, who was killed by Cain. After the birth of Seth, the text says that "men began to call upon the name of the LORD" (Genesis 4:26, NAS). This event was a revival that kicked-off a line of godly men that lead up to Noah, who was righteous, blameless and walked with Adonai. The generations of Adam through Seth proved to be godly sons, righteous men.

I believe that the Sons of God are the descendants of the godly line of Seth and the daughters of men are the descendants of the wicked line of Cain. Back in Genesis 3:15 Adonai promises to put enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between the serpent's seed and the woman's seed. This promised seed of the woman would bruise the serpent on the head, and the serpent would bruise the promised seed on the heel. We understand that this promised seed who was to come from the woman was Yeshua. Do you think Adonai would allow His promised seed to come from the generations of wicked Cain? Of course not. This is why Seth is born to replace Abel; and when Adonai saw that the godly line of Seth was becoming tainted by the wicked descendants of Cain, He was grieved. The result of the marriages between Seth's descendants and Cain's descendants was a generation of violent people or Nephilim. We don't know for sure what Nephilim means. Some hypothesize that it is a name derived from the Hebrew word naphal which means 'to fall upon' as in an attack. Were the Nephilim giants or a race of extremely tall people? Could be. Were they superhuman-mutant half-breeds? I don't think so.

That's a quick overview of my take on the Sons of God. It's not a new perspective but it's the one that I see fits the overall context of the Scriptures. In my opinion, angels and giant superhuman-mutants are a distraction that lead well intentioned believers down the wrong path wasting their time. Besides, there are some significant problems with idea that the Sons of God are angels. Here are two:

1. Yeshua said that angels don't marry (Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25; Luke 20:34). But in Genesis 6:2 it says the Sons of God took the daughters of men to be their wives (i.e., marriage). I know, "He said 'don't' not 'can't'. These were bad angels and they didn't follow the rules!" The point is that angels do not reproduce, they are asexual beings.
2. Adonai only judged man (i.e., human beings). If the Sons of God were angels, and they were the ones who seduced the daughters of men, wouldn't they be punished too? In the garden didn't Adonai mete out justice to the serpent first for his part in the whole deal before judging Adam and Eve? Why are the angels in this passage allowed to get away without any consequences?

If you don't agree with me, before we talk about this topic, I challenge you to reread and closely study Genesis 1-7 and remember, the entire book of Genesis is tracing the line to the seed promised in Genesis 3. This is why the phrase 'these are the generations of...' is repeated over and over again throughout the book.

Remember, this is a nonessential issue so if you don't agree with me, we can still be friends ;)

Related Links:
Who Are The Sons of God?
(A post from the Front Range Messianic Community website.)



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