You may know there is debate about the identity of “the sons of God” in this passage. Are they the righteous line that was listed in Gen. 5, descendents of Seth who began to marry women from the line of Cain? Or were they angelic beings, who are called “sons of God” in Job 1:6? I have leaned towards the latter view but am less dogmatic and less agreeable with that view. I am trying to convince you of one or the other but want to bring to your attention some pertinent passages.
Not long ago my wife and I attended a conference where the main speaker dealt with this subject. He did a good job, seeking to stay true to the Word of God. His conclusion was that the event before the flood was one of the times in the Bible where Satan sought to derail the plan of salvation. He did it by sending his army of demons to mate with human women, the result being extremely immoral “giants” and “men of renown,” as the passage speaks about. These demons then were chained in darkness (2 Pt. 2:4) in the “abyss” (Lk. 8:31) or “Tartarus” (translated ‘hell’ in 2 Pt. 2:4) awaiting a definite time when they will be judged (Mt. 8:29).
I hope this is a fair description of the view that the “sons of God” were demons. As I said, I have favored this view and all these things can make sense with the “whole counsel of God.” But now allow me to speak to what I see as the primary passages in the Bible that can be related to this question.
· 2 Pet. 2:4: We will start with this because we have already mentioned it. Another “sensible” interpretation is that this is talking about angels who sinned before creation or at the time that Satan came to the Garden of Eden and wreaked havoc on the earth. The “fall of Lucifer” describes this event (Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:12-18; Lk. 10:18). Scripture seems to describe the realm of Satan and his angels as being in the second heaven (the third being where God dwells, the first being the location of the birds) where Satan rules as the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2) and the “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4). Rev. 12:9 describes a time future when Satan and his minions will be cast to the earth. Meanwhile, Jesus, after His death and resurrection, is given authority (Mt. 28:18) over all “principality, power, might and dominion” (Eph. 1:21), these “rulers of the darkness of this age” (Eph. 6:12).
o Our point here is both to say that there is another understanding that fits the Biblical narrative, and to briefly describe that narrative. One response to this is that it seems that there are “some” of the fallen angels that are bound in the abyss/Tartarus while others roam the earth in support of Satan. That “abyss” presumably is opened in Rev. 9:1-12 (“bottomless pit” is the Greek word translated “abyss” in Lk. 8:31).
More to come in the next post.
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