Dropping back to the enigmatic Genesis chapter 6, we find a strange passage of scripture that leaves us with several questions.
Genesis 6:4
There were giants in the Earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men, which were of old, men of renown.
Were the sons of God mentioned in this passage of scripture angels, or were they humans? Many theologians of relatively recent times have had great difficulty in accepting the possibility that an angel can mate with a human being, and bear offspring. But difficult questions come to bear, no matter how one views this passage. Consider the following:
If the sons of God were humans, (descendants from the godly line of Seth, hence the term "Sons of God") then …
- Why were their children giants? This isn't just a one time fluke mutation. It occurred consistently, and produced an entire race of giant humans, which indicates differentiation in species, not race.
- Why did Goliath have 6 fingers on each hand, and 6 toes on each foot? Is this not another indication of genetic mutation anomalies produced from different species interbreeding?
- Why doesn't scripture indicate any sanction prohibiting the Sethites (Sons of God) from intermarrying with the Cainites (daughters of men)? Other sanctions were well documented in scripture, such as the forbidding of Israelites from intermarrying with Gentiles.
- Why were these giants called "Nephilim," a term which is derived from the primitive root word "Naphal" {naw-fal'}, which has such meanings as fall down, cast down, and fall away?8, 9 As for the other term referring to giants, "Rapha" {raw-faw'}, or "Raphah" {raw-faw'}, it is the exact same word used for ghosts of the dead, shades, and spirits, namely demons. Even the meanings of the words used to describe the offspring between the Sons of God and the daughters of men indicate that they were descendents of fallen angels, and thus were satanic entities by nature.
Most people classify angels as purely spiritual beings, but scripture describes them as capable of performing many acts requiring a physical nature. For an example, consider the angels that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:1-3.
Genesis 19:1-3
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
In order to talk with Lot like a normal person, eat food, and grab and pull Lot's arm on two occasions, (later in the same chapter), they had to be physical entities.
But where does one draw the line concerning an angel's physical nature? Can angels have sex?!? To say "No" seems to contradict Genesis 6. To say "Yes" seems to contradict Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:34-46 (Angels don't marry, nor are given in marriage).
If the Sons of God were Sethites, would it resolve this contradiction? No, instead, it raises more problems than it attempts to resolve.
I've also discovered that it's basically impossible for the Sethite theory to be true, because of a logical error. In the flood of Noah, all the Cainites were killed. This can be assumed for two reasons. First of all, God blessed Noah and his children in Genesis 9:1.
Genesis 9:1
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth.
If Noah, Shem, Ham, or Japeth, had any wife descending from the line of Cain, holding to the Sethite theory, they would've been cursed by God, not blessed! The Nephilim hybrid species in Genesis 6 were so wicked God destroyed the entire world because of them! (Also, note that the Sons of God that sinned were cast down into hell and are waiting for judgment (Jude 1:1-6, 2 Peter 2:4-6)).
Secondly, from the direct descendents of Noah's three sons, no Nephilim (giants) are ever mentioned in his lineage until after many generations. God had no intention of continuing the existence of evil giants in the Earth. He wanted the Earth to begin with a blessing, refreshed, pure, and holy. Where were these giants coming from, if not entirely from Noah's family?
If God purified the Earth, and all the descendents from the line of Cain were destroyed in the flood of Noah, then how did the Nephilim get back into the Earth after the flood? Genesis 6:4 clearly states that the Sons of God continued mating with the daughters of men, and bearing offspring that were giants, even after the flood. It should therefore become apparent that the Sethite theory is impossible, because Sethites couldn't have been mating with Cainites, if there were no Cainites.
With all these strikes against the Sethite theory, I find the explanation of the Sons of God being angels to be much more plausible than their being glorified descendents from the line of Seth.
But if the Sons of God were angels, the question still remains: How could it be, that angels can have sex?!? It should be noted that while Jesus states in Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:34-36, that we will be like the angels, which neither marry, nor are given in marriage, He never said that it's impossible for angels to have sex.
We know from scripture that sex outside the confines of marriage is defined as sinful in scripture in MANY places: (Acts 15:20, 15:29, 21:25; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 6:13, 6:18; Galatians 5:18; and Ephesians 5:3, just to mention a few). But who said these angels were holding to the will of God? Actually, Genesis 6 describes their actions as an abomination, so there is no contradiction in scripture whatsoever.
Now after reading all this, and seeing that scripture gives strong indications about fallen angels having the ability to actually mate with human beings, allow me to pose my own question. Exactly what modern term would one use to describe a highly intelligent, physical entity from another world, or dimension that would be capable of reproducing with human beings?
