The Sons of God and The Daughters of Men
In the sixth chapter of the book of Genesis do we read about the sons of God marrying the daughters of men, and how giants were birthed as a result of these mixed martial unions (Genesis 6:1-4). Now because the Bible says that the males who married the daughters of men were the sons of God, this has led many to conclude that these particular men weren’t human men at all, but were in fact fallen angels. However, scripture informs us that angels are not made of flesh, but instead God has made His angels spirits (Hebrews 1:7). If fallen angels did indeed have sexual intercourse with human women then these evil spirits would have needed physical bodies in order to do so, primarily male bodies at that. But if God clothed fallen angels with the flesh of men, then would that also mean that God clothed other angels with the flesh of women? But if God only imparted male bodies for the fallen angels to incarnate into, then they would of had no other choice but to lust after human women because there were no female angels for them to marry. However, in the Holy Gospel do we see Christ clearly explaining how angels don’t marry. For concerning the physical properties of the humans who will be redeemed in the world to come, Christ said of them that, “…in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). Now since Jesus said that angels don’t marry then how could the sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6, who are recorded as getting married, truly be fallen angels and not human men? Let us continue to breakdown this Biblical controversy and hopefully the mystery will be unveiled.
Now if the sons of God in Genesis 6 were really fallen angels with male genitalia, then why did they go through the process and procedure of a formal wedding ceremony, when these lawless demon men could have just raped the human women without any need for a lawful marriage service? Additionally, if fallen angels took on flesh at one point in time then they would have needed God to give them bodies. But what would be God’s reason for giving rebellious spirits a body of flesh, especially since there are no Biblical verses which supports the belief that God created female angels for the male angels to marry? But as we have already discovered angels don’t marry, so this provides an even stronger argument to refute the theory which teaches that angels once slept with human women. Plus, since God created the angels as spirits then there must be a fixed amount of these immaterial beings who have existed from the beginning of creation. This means that God doesn’t continue to create angels, so there is no need for angels (fallen or beneficent) to procreate in order for more angels to be birthed. For angels did not come into this world through physical procreation, but by the divine power and the creative will of God.
Additionally, in this fallen world in which we live in, it is understood that all flesh whether it be human, animal, fish, or fowl, all of us who live will eventually die. However, if the fallen angels were granted fleshly bodies beginning from the time before the Flood, then does this mean that these fleshly angels died physically at some point in time, or have they been alive for millennia? Now scripture informs us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). It is also written that the sting of death is sin (1 Corinthians 15:56). So if the angels who sinned put on human flesh, then wouldn’t their physical bodies have eventually grown old and died one day, just as the bodies of humans and all other fleshly beings are subject to decay and death? Also, if the fallen angels did indeed die physically, then will they also be brought out of their tombs at the Resurrection of the Dead, along with every human being who has ever lived? This cannot be the case, for in the New Testament it is written that God has reserved everlasting chains and darkness towards the angels who fell from grace (Jude 1:6). We also know from the very words of Christ Himself, that hell has been prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). So it is evident that there is no resurrection for the fallen angels because they are spirits who have no fleshly body. But as we shall see, the fallen angels can enter living fleshly bodies in the supernatural occurrence known as demonic possession.
Now in the 5th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Mark, do we read how Christ encountered a man possessed with an unclean spirit. Jesus goes on to have a short dialog with the devil living inside the man, where the demon reveals that his name is, “Legion: for we are many” (Mark 5:9). Since the unclean spirit here calls himself “Legion” this has led many scholars to suppose that there were many demons in possession of the man and not just one. In fact during the time of Christ, when Judea was occupied by the Roman Empire, a legion was referred to as a military rank nominally composed of 6,000 soldiers. So if the demons living inside the man were called Legion, then this poor soul may have been possessed by 6,000 evil spirits! This demonstrates how more than one fallen angel can live inside a fleshly body, whereas the theory of the fallen angels of Genesis 6 seems to express that only one evil spirit can be in possession of one fleshly body. Now during this dialog between Christ and the demons, these unclean spirits beg the Lord not to send them out of the country, but into a great herd of swine that were feeding nearby. Jesus gave them permission, “…and the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea (Mark 5:13). Now according to the Law of Moses pigs are unclean animals and were forbidden to be eaten of by the children of Israel. The Bible also describes the “Legion” in Mark 5 as an unclean spirit. So the fact that an unclean spirit desired to possess the flesh of an unclean animal, keenly demonstrates the carnal depravity of the fallen angels. It also shows that the fallen angels are powerless to procreate and in turn roam the air in the search for a house of flesh to enter (Matthew 12:43-45).
Concerning the unclean spirits, there is a theory which teaches that the unclean spirits are not fallen angels at all, but are rather the souls of the giants who were begotten from the fallen angels. This theory goes on to state that when the giants were destroyed by the waters of the Flood, their spirits lived on within this earthly realm and became what we know as demons. Thus making the firm distinction that fallen angels are not synonymous with unclean spirits. However, as we have already pointed out angels (whether good or bad) are by nature spiritual entities and cannot procreate. Yet some schools of thought are very adamant in their stance that fallen angels did in indeed sleep with human women, even when scripture is provided which debunks their theory. On the other hand, they also use scripture to support their claims. For example, to back up the doctrine of the sons of God in Genesis 6 as being angels, a quote from the 38th chapter of Job is referenced which reads that at the beginning of creation “all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Though it is true that angels have been referred to in the Bible as the sons of God, this distinction can also be associated with men who obey God’s will. For as the Gospel of John reveals, “…as many as received Him [Jesus], to them gave He power to become the sons of God…” (John 1:12). Also in Genesis chapter 4 the men stemming from the righteous lineage of Seth are recorded as calling upon the name of the LORD (Genesis 4:26). So here we see that both angels and men who serve the Lord faithfully are considered sons of God, but not those who disobey the Lord such as the fallen angels who, by their wickedness, have relinquished their designation as servants and sons of God.
When it comes to the days after the Flood, do we see giants popping up again. For even Genesis 6 says that there were giants after the Flood. Some people will use this verse to support their theory that angels have the power to fall from grace and acquire a human male body. But if we examine the results of unlawful sexual activity among human men and human women, can we better discern where the giants truly came from. For according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, when Noah and his family were on the Ark all the couples were forbidden to engage in marital relations. However, Ham broke this law and in turn fathered Canaan while aboard the Ark. It is interesting to note that after the Flood we see Noah cursing Canaan, the son of Ham, for Noah cursed Canaan after his father Ham uncovered Noah’s nakedness. Later we see that one of Ham’s descendants fathered Nimrod, who the Septuagint calls a giant. Further on in the Biblical narrative do we see that when the children of Israel went to inherit the promised land called Canaan (the same name as the Canaan whom Noah cursed), the people living there were a race of giants (Numbers 13:32-33). Since the descendants of Seth intermarried with the daughters of Cain a mutation occurred, and since Ham broke a law of chastity a curse was produced. So the practice of elicit and unlawful human sexual activity, is the only plausible conclusion to come to as to how the giants (the mighty men of renown) were birthed.
References:
Brenton. The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English. (London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., 1851).
Brown, R.K. The Book of Enoch. (Nashville, Tennessee: James C. Winston Publishing Company, Inc., 1997).
Rose, Fr. Seraphim. Genesis, Creation, and Early Man. (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alska Brotherhood, 2011).
Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).