Sons of God

Popular theology advocates that the references to the "sons of God" in the Old Testament (see below) are to angels. This belief stems from a false book of the Bible called the book of Enoch (Pseudeipgrapha). It is falsely believed that this book is being referred to by Jude in Jude 1:14-15. There are no missing, hidden, secret or lost books; therefore, all these "other" books are not God's truth and, as such, are false (see "The Authorized Version"). Before we prove by scripture that angels are not sons of God, let us examine the five references in the Old Testament:

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 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. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:1-5)

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (Job 1:6)

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. (Job 2:1)

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7)

Our first clue that angels are not sons of God comes from a scripture that states that God has never referred to angels as sons: "For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him" (Hebrews 1:5-6). Second, angels are ministering spirits—servants of God—sent to minister to us, the heirs of salvation. "And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire ... But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (Hebrews 1:7, 13-14)? As spirits, celestial beings, angels are without flesh and bones: "for a spirit hath not flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). What's more, the children of God are not celestial but terrestrial, having flesh and blood: "Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:12-14). "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory" (1 Corinthians 15:39-41). Third, angels are immortal and gender neutral, and thus do not have sex nor procreate: they neither marry, nor are given in marriage. Sexual intercourse consummates a marriage (Genesis 24:67) with or without a marriage covenant (see "Christian Dating"): "for two, saith he, shall be one flesh" (1 Corinthians 6:15-17). But "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven" (Matthew 22:29-30).

Now let us deal with angels performing other human-like actions. Notice that one of the proofs Jesus uses after his resurrection to establish that he is not a spirit is to eat. "And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them" (Luke 24:41-43). We have several instances of angels not eating food in the Old Testament:

And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites ... And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. (Judges 6:11, 19-22)

And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee. And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD. And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. (Judges 13:15-21)

There is, however, an instance of angels eating food on the plains of Mamre:

And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground ... And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. (Genesis 18:1-2, 6-8)

Notice, in this instance, that the Lord is with them and as such, enables the angels to do what they cannot do on their own, to eat. Without the power of the Lord, the angels, like at other times, do not eat. This is no different than when the Lord enabled Peter to walk on water: "And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus" (Matthew 14:28-29).

Let us now tackle the question of who are the "sons of God" in Genesis 6. It is clear from the above discourse that they are human beings (mankind). If the "sons of God" were indeed angels why does God only seek to punish mankind (Genesis 6:5)? Is God now a respecter of persons? God forbid. To understand who are these mystery men we have to examine the very last verse in Genesis 4: "And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD" (Genesis 4:26). What does the phrase, "call upon the name of the LORD," mean? It is defined in Romans 10:13: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Thus, Seth and his generations were believers in God: "As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me" (Psalm 55:16). In addition, Adam was called the son of God; hence, his son Seth, as reckoned by genealogy, would also be considered a son of God. "Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, ... Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God" (Luke 3:23, 38). "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth" (Genesis 5:3). Cain, however, and his generations were cast out "from the presence of the Lord" (Genesis 4:14-16). They were unbelievers and not counted in the genealogy of Adam.

So we see a repeated phenomenon occurring in Genesis 4: one family, two branches; the branch of the "bondwoman" and the branch of the "freewoman." Cain and his generations represent the children of the bondwoman; that is, they are born after the flesh. Whereas, Seth and his generations represents the children of the freewoman; that is, born by promise. "For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise" (Galatians 4:22-23). Cain and his generations are referred to as men (unbelievers) in Genesis 6 while Seth and his generations are referred to as "sons of God" (believers): "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12). Genesis 6 is our first look at a Biblical principle that was in effect then, in effect under the law, and is still in effect in the New Covenant. Believers are commanded to not come together with nonbelievers (unbelievers) in covenant relationships (marriages, friendships, business partnerships, etc.).

When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. (Deuteronomy 7:1-4)

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

Okay, no let us turn our attention to the book of Job and the three references to the "sons of God" in chapters one, two and thirty-eight. Let us deal first with chapter thirty-eight:

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)

The question God is asking Job is, "Were you there in the beginning?" God then lists two sets of witnesses that were there in the beginning: morning stars and sons of God. Morning stars are indeed angels as can be derived from "The seven stars are the angels" (Revelation 1:20), "They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera" (Judges 5:20), and "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations" (Isaiah 14:12)! Yes, even Satan himself was once a morning star wanting to "exalt my throne above the stars of God" (Isaiah 14:13); however, Jesus said, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven" (Luke 10:18). Of course, the morning star is Jesus: "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star" (Revelation 22:16). The phrase "all the sons of God shouted for joy" is actually a reference back to Adam, Seth and his generations that indeed were there in the beginning (first 300 hundred years).

I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions ... The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. (Proverbs 8:12, 22-31)

Now, finally, let us consider the references to the "sons of God" in chapters one and two of the book of Job. Notice both verses are addressing a special day: "a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD." First off, if these were holy angels, why would they allow a fallen angel, cast out of heaven, to come in their midst? They would not. Let us examine Exodus 23 to understand what was happening on these two occasions:

Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD. (Exodus 23:14-17)

Men were commanded to appear, present themselves, before the Lord three times a year (Exodus 34:22-23; Exodus 34:24; Deuteronomy 16:16); we see this happening once in Job 1:6 and another time in Job 2:1. Often when Christians present ourselves before the Lord in a church assembly, Satan comes along to tempt us: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

Today, many people, including Christians, say that we—mankind—are all children of God. This is incorrect. "That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed" (Romans 9:8). Further, "as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God" (Romans 8:14-19).

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