ANGELS AND
THE DIVINE COUNCIL
PART 3
GENESIS CHAPTER
6
This section of scripture is the most neglected and the
most controversial, when actually discussed, part of the Bible. Very few Christians want to believe the
literal information it appears to deliver.
The modern, civilized, conservatively educated mindset just cannot
accept or acknowledge the concept of heavenly beings mating with human
women. Greek and Roman (and others) stories
of ‘gods, ‘goddesses’, titans, and part-beast/part-human chimeras are
considered myths and the products of highly creative imaginations.
Genesis 6:1-5 NET When
humankind began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born
to them, (2) the sons of God saw that the daughters of
humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they
chose. (3) So the LORD said, "My spirit will not
remain in humankind indefinitely, since they are mortal. They will remain for
120 more years." (4) The Nephilim were on the earth in those days
(and also after this) when the sons of God were having sexual relations with
the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the
mighty heroes of old, the famous men.
(5) But the LORD saw that the
wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination of the
thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time.
The Sethite View: What has come to be called the Sethite
view became the majority view of this passage somewhere around 400 AD. It was designed and developed to extract the
supernatural aspect out of this passage.
The supernatural view only requires that readers accept that heavenly
supernatural entities exist and can physically interact with humans.
This view essentially states that the linage of Seth were
godly men and the women of Cain’s linage were ungodly. Marriage between these two linages was
forbidden but the godly men of Seth married the ungodly women of Cain. This erased this separation of the two groups
producing much evil which incurred the wrath of God and resulted in a
devastating flood.
Problems with the
Sethite View
1.
The proof
that the men of Seth worshipped God (only) comes from Genesis 4:26. This verse never states or implies that only
Sethite men worshipped the Lord. This
idea only comes from the commentator’s imagination.
And a son was also born to
Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people began to worship the LORD. (Genesis 4:26 NET)
2.
How is it that giants are the result of human to
human procreation?
3.
The scripture never refers to the women as
daughters of Cain, but the daughters of humankind or men.
4.
Are the Sethite men the “sons of God”? Other scripture references to “sons of God”
would be difficult or unbiblical to consider them as human men.
5.
Why would any human to human marriage be
prohibited? There were no marriage laws
given until Moses.
6.
If the Sethite males were godly, why did they
not survive the flood? When the Lord saw
”that the wickedness of humankind had become great”, it must have included the
Sethites because they were not on the Ark.
If Noah and his sons were Sethites, then only 4 people of Seth were
godly.
Sethite Issues in
the New Testament
Other issues with the Sethite view surface in the New
Testament. Peter specifically states
that God punished the “angels when they sinned” but spared Noah and seven other
individuals.
For if God did not spare the
angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in
utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment, and if he did not spare the
ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven
others, when God brought a flood on an ungodly world, (2 Peter 2:4-5 NET)
Jude does not mention the Flood but is describing the
identical episode due to listing the identical punishment of the angels as
Peter. He also mentions the sexual
immorality of Sodom and Gomorrah as does Peter.
You also know that the angels
who did not keep within their proper domain but abandoned their own place of
residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the
judgment of the great Day. So also Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring
towns, since they indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire in
a way similar to these angels, are now displayed as an example by suffering the
punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:6-7
NET)
What sin is Peter and Jude referring to? There is only one possibility: Heavenly divine beings adopting planet Earth
as their permanent home and taking human women as wives. Notice the wording of scripture states they “took
wives” as anyone else would take a wife.
There is no indication of force or violence.
Jude comments the angels “kept not their first estate,
but left their own habitation”. They
were not forbidden to enter the dimension of earth, perhaps with permission,
but were not permitted to live and interact as an earth dweller. However, these
divine beings decided to be earth dwellers, take a human wife, and procreate
offspring.
Many non-canonical books describe the Genesis 6 events in
great detail such as the Book of Jubilees
and 1 Enoch. The book of 1 Enoch adds a significant amount
of additional information such as the names of various divine beings who “left
their own (heavenly) habitation”. Enoch
writes that Mt. Hermon is the place where the divine beings transferred from
the heavenly realm to the earthly dimension.
The divine beings, called Watchers by Enoch, were imprisoned by God
prior to the Flood of Noah. It is
possible the different DNA of the “Watchers” produced the increased height and
size of the half-divine offspring. Some
writers and commentators have suggested the “Watchers” were experimenting with
DNA transfers and not actually mating with human women. There are many questions and very few
answers. It would probably be best not
to rely on the book of Enoch for actual information. However, given the development of the Sethite
theory during the 300’s may give insight as to the reason the book was rejected
as canonical.
1st Enoch 6: 1. And it came to pass when the children of men had
multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely
daughters. 2. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after
them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the
children of men and beget us children.' 3. And Semjâzâ, who was their leader,
said unto them: 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone
shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' 4. And they all answered him and
said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations
not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' 5. Then sware they all together
and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. 6. And they were in all
two hundred; who descended ⌈in the days⌉ of Jared
on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they
had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.
The watchers or divine beings were punished by God. 1st Enoch, chapters 9-11, state
the watchers were punished during the time of Noah, prior to the Flood. Peter verifies this by writing that God “threw
them into hell” where they are chained in total darkness.
For if God did not spare the
angels who sinned, but threw them into hell (Tartarus) and locked them up in
chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment, (2 Peter 2:4 NET)
The word “hell” is not the expected Hades, abyss, or
bottomless pit but Tartarus. Here is an excerpt
from the Word Study Dictionary of Hebrew
and Greek:
Tartaróo; contracted tartaro, fut. Tartaro, from Tártaros (n.f.), the
subterranean abyss of Greek mythology where demigods were punished. It is
mentioned in the pseudepigraphal book of Enoch as the place where fallen angels
are confined. It is found only in its verbal form in 2Pe_2:4 meaning to cast
into or consign to Tartarus.
Jude also verifies the punishment of the watchers but
doesn’t use the word Tartarus.
You also know that the angels
who did not keep within their proper domain but abandoned their own place of
residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the
judgment of the great Day. (Jude 1:6
NET)
A quote from
Michael Heiser: This Greek word is
the precise term used in classical Greek myths about the ancient giants. The
Cyclops and the Titans were imprisoned in Tartarus, the lowest part of the
underworld, by Uranos, Kronos and Zeus. It is not coincidental that in the Old
Testament the spirits of the dead nephilim and other giant clans like the Rephaim
are referred to as “demons” and inhabit the same place. Both the Watchers and
the demonic spirits of their offspring belong to the same place. The connection
is unmistakable.
Mythology
Most of Europe, Asia, Middle East, and Northern Africa
have varying degrees of Mythological stories involving “gods”, “goddesses”,
titans (giants), and chimeras (part-animal / part-man. The majority of modern educated people,
particularly in the USA and Europe consider this mythology to be just that –
myth. Some scholars and historicists
have noted a linkage in the myths – that is, they are related or the same but
with different names.
Dr. Heiser considers a possible parallel between the
pre-flood events concerning the watchers and their offspring and the myths of
the various nations. It that is true,
consider the pre-flood stories would be
remembered and passed down by the eight people of the ark to their children and
their generations. The tower of Babel
language change and subsequent dispersion of the Babel population would carry
those stories through most of the world.
Versions and variations would be applied over time, but many of the
basic facts and concepts would remain relevant throughout the different migrating
groups. It has always been my opinion
that mythology from several parts of the European continent could be so similar
and yet a fantasy of native imagination.
Neither Genesis 6 or 1st Enoch ever mention a
female divine being (watcher), or female offspring. To my knowledge, there are no female angels
or divine beings. Eve was created as
Adam’s helpmate and wife. Note the words
“wife” and “family” in Genesis 2:24. It
may be that God intended for Adam and Eve to procreate when they were
created. It is doubtful the “fall”
initiated breeding abilities.
That is why a man leaves his
father and mother and unites with his wife,
and they become a new family. (Genesis 2:24 NET)
It is never my intention to invent doctrine but it could
be possible that divine beings can take the form of a woman. It is also possible some of the watcher/human
children could have been female, although it is never mentioned in
non-canonical writings.
Can Angels Have
Sexual Relations?
Those opposed to the procreation between divine beings
and human women often cite the scriptural comment found in Matthew 22:20 that
says resurrected individuals do not marry because they are “life angels in
heaven”. Yes, heavenly beings, both
angels and the resurrected, have no need for sex, food, water, or suntan
lotion. It is problematic they would
even have the organs and orifices necessary for such activities.
However, we can read about the divine beings (maybe it
was even God the Son) visited Abraham and ate food with him. A divine being wrestled with Jacob and
injured his foot proving the being was not an apparition. Two divine beings pulled Lot inside his
doorway demonstrating they could physically react. It could be possible the divine beings can do
whatever they need or desire to do.
There is no absolute proof scripture.
For in the resurrection they
neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (Matthew
22:30 NET)
Conclusion
Heiser Quote: The statement
of Genesis 6:5 should not be viewed as some sort of capricious action on the
part of a tyrannical God. Rather, God allowed humanity to exercise its freedom
for centuries—after the knowledge of Yahweh had been made known (Gen 4:26).
This was all an act of grace. God waited, but the situation finally demanded action.
The time eventually came when God’s prophecy to Eve of a human redeemer who
would undo Eden’s tragedy outweighed the lives of the humans who had willingly
cooperated with the transgression of heaven and earth. Unless the slate was
wiped clean, the necessary human seed would be lost and prophecy would fail.
GOD AND THE
DIVINE COUNCIL
Does God trust the members of the Divine Council? Thus far we have looked at the garden of Eden
temptation and the “sons of God” mating with human women. The council members and the angels were
created with a free will, apparently without regard to a higher power which
would be the Lord God. There are some
statements in the book of Job that will hopefully clarify the question.
Behold, he put no trust in his
servants; and his angels he charged with folly: How much less in them that
dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed
before the moth? (Job 4:18-19 KJV)
Behold, he putteth no trust in
his saints (holy ones); yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. How much
more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? (Job 15:15-16 KJV)
It appears to be certain that God knows that created
entities have free will that can be exercised beyond His will and that it has
occurred.
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