Bible Study Genesis Part 63-He's No Angel

Welcome to the program Study in the Chapel.

God's Word is supreme at Chapel Ministries.

We consider it absolutely essential to a proper relationship with God.

We study it, we love it, we rely on it every minute of every day.

The following program is an edited recording of the regular Bible studies we hold, and we decided to share these with you in the hope that you too will be able to find inspiration, encouragement, and ultimately salvation through discovering Christ in Scripture.

Our intention is to travel all the way through the Bible.

It will be a challenging journey, but one that will undoubtedly bring you to a decision.

Through this study, you will be faced with either believing or rejecting what God has said to us.

It is our intention to provide you with enough knowledge to make an informed decision about God and his word.

We strongly encourage you to listen intently and diligently, because though at the moment you may not realize it, these things are truly a matter of life and death.

In fact, these are matters of eternal life and eternal death.

Never treat what God has said lightly.

There's truly nothing more important to you.

Now join us as we seek God's will through his inspired word.

But it's been so fulfilling thus far that I'm hoping that, like me, the people that join me every week on this Zoom call Bible study are looking forward to every week where we're starting to learn more and more.

And we're even in a part of the Bible that most of us have never heard much about.

And now we're getting to the point where we're seeing the details of what God is trying to do, and it's all coming together.

And I'm hoping that by now everyone is starting to see that when I first started this Bible study, get together, I said, you're going to find Christ on every single page, or Christ is on every single page of the Bible.

So far, we've been able to see him.

It's not always that easy, but just know he is there.

His story is all the way through this book, and we're learning more and more about him and about the things that God is doing to prepare us for his arrival.

Currently, we are in the book of Genesis.

We are now studying the story of Noah.

We're in the sixth chapter, but the story of Noah is going to go all the way through, about halfway to the ninth chapter.

So we're going to be here literally for the next couple of months trying to unravel this very, very important story.

Listen to me, there aren't a whole lot of stories in the Bible that span multiple chapters.

This happens to be one of them.

I've often cautioned you about deciding the importance of something based on how much material is shared in God's word.

But rest assured, these three and a half chapters are incredibly important to God.

And that is why He is taking us, He's taking His time telling us all of it.

So as I said, we are in the sixth chapter.

For the past few weeks, we've been sort of doing a 35,000 feet view of the whole thing, trying to figure out what the message is before we start breaking down the details, which is something we're not necessarily used to.

This one I think it was very important.

So we're pretty much finished with that.

Now we're ready to go into our in-depth study of each of the verses.

So as I said, we're in the sixth chapter.

Let's go ahead and read that sixth chapter again in preparation for the in-depth study, which I said, as I said, begins tonight.

Verse one of chapter six, I'm reading out of the King James.

Please, if you can, follow along in your own Bible.

It shouldn't be too different.

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 day shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Verse four.

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.

And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping things and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

These are the generations of Noah.

Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Verse 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Sounds familiar.

And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt.

That sounds familiar too.

For all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them, and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Make thee an ark of gopher wood.

Room shalt thou make in the ark and shall pitch it within and without with pitch.

And this is the fashion which thou shalt make of it.

The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above, and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof, with lower second and third stories shalt thou make it.

Verse 17.

And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life from under heaven, and everything that is in the earth shall die, and everything that is in the earth shall die, and everything in the earth shall die.

But with thee will I establish my covenant, and thou shalt come into the ark, thou and thy sons and thy wife and thy sons' wives with thee, and of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark to keep them alive with thee.

They shall be male and female, of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee to make them alive.

And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee, and it shall be for food for them, and for thee and for them.

Thus did Noah according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Now I was emphasizing the alls and the everything because there we're going to spend some time going over the details.

I'll say this a few times as we're going through this.

We're going to talk about the details when we're through, when we get all the way through midway of chapter nine, that's when we're going to talk about the details, the length of the ark, the time it was raining.

All of those things are going to come at the end.

Now, normally I wouldn't spend so much time, and it's not that we're going to spend a lot of time, but we are going to spend some time.

It's almost going to be like a special edition of this Bible study because I want to disprove the foolish notion that actually permeates the entire mindset of mankind, including many, many in the church, that this wasn't a worldwide flood, that it was only local.

Now, I this is the only thing I'm going to fight against.

There are lots of people that argue against a lot of things that come out of this story as myth and made up and even borrowed from things like the Gilgamesh epic.

The only thing I'm really going to concentrate on is the idea that this was not a worldwide flood.

It was a worldwide flood because it had the purpose to be a worldwide flood.

And the Bible makes it clear that the entire surface of the earth, every civic single living creature, died.

And that's what God wanted.

And that's what we're going to talk about.

So let me ask you, those that are gathered here, as well as you on our YouTube channel and our blog website, wait until we can get through that part before you start asking me questions about this or that, the giants and all those things.

Let's wait until we get all the way through because it all has to be tied together.

There are lots of rumors about what's going on in these three chapters.

There's a lot of things that people are saying are happening that are not.

But please let's wait until we get all the way through the end.

Listen to what we're going to teach.

And then if you have questions, we can address them at that time.

Believe me, I am not an expert, but I have spent a lot of time on this section.

I'm going to continue to spend time on this section to try to learn as much as I can.

And if I can answer your questions, if you still have questions after we're finished, if I can answer them, I will gladly do so.

But I've told you before, there are some things we just don't know.

Okay, so now we can get moving.

As I mentioned before, and I mentioned at the beginning of this program that what we just read is really the beginning of what I've called a three-chapter thrill ride, and one that has direct relevance to us today.

And I suggest that we pay as close attention as we can.

God has something to say.

Verse one again, and it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, just as God said they would.

He starts off this section of Scripture by reminding us that things are still going to plan, despite what the rest of the chapter may be inferring.

God is about to tell a harrowing story, but he's not going to let you forget that he is still in charge.

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.

Now we immediately have a controversy on our hands.

Listen, it's never been a secret, and I've not said this to you that the Bible doesn't present us things that our minds are going to find difficult to work out.

It certainly does.

These things are difficult for us to figure out.

God's interested in sharing these things with us, but because we are limited in our abilities due to this banishment from His presence, it takes a little work for us to comprehend.

He knows that, so he's given us his Holy Spirit to help us.

Let's first deal with a relatively minor point in this passage.

And it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them.

This inference is not that it's only here at this point that men began to multiply and have daughters.

This is several centuries after the garden, after God said, Be fruitful and multiply.

Men and women have been doing that since that time.

The narrative is structured to give us the impression that this multiplying isn't just a recent phenomenon, though the way the English is laid out may lead us to such a conclusion.

Instead, the original infers an ongoing process, and the statement is here just to set us up, get us prepared for what will follow.

We are to get the idea that there has been progress.

There has been growth.

But the progress, the growth is not without its problems.

Now, all of that seems obvious, but we always have to be prepared for those who are going to be nitpicky with God's word.

Let's make sure we have an answer for the critics.

Knowing where the enemy is going to attack reduces their effectiveness.

So that's the minor point from this passage.

Now for a not so minor point.

In these couple of verses, we appear to have two sets.

I guess we can call them two types, two categories of living beings mentioned.

There are men to which the daughters belong.

That's obvious.

No need for me to explain that to you.

And then there are sons of God to whom took themselves these daughters of men.

Now let's look a little closer at this latter category.

Now, in my youth, I don't remember being taught from verse one and verse two of chapter six.

Of course, everyone has learned something from this chapter.

I mean, this is Noah.

This story, as we've repeatedly said, is a very famous one.

But at least in my youth, I don't remember a discussion from Genesis 6 about the therein mentioned sons of God.

Now, remember, I drew I grew up Catholic, and there's very often a certain specific set of things Catholics are taught.

Now, this I don't think is one of them, at least not to my knowledge, and I'm pretty sure I would have remembered this sort of thing.

And I'm only bringing this up to present a contrast.

Now, it is my understanding that Genesis 6, 2, and specifically the mention of the sons of God, is something that is discussed in Bible-based Protestant churches.

I haven't spent much time in those churches.

I've spent some time, but not much.

So I'm going to have to say, defer to those that grew up in such an environment.

It is, I am told, a familiar topic that is taught at every level.

And part of that teaching, listen to me, is that the phrase, the sons of God, is a reference to none other than angels.

Perhaps that's what you've been taught, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair, and they took them wives of all which they chose.

The prevailing opinion, even among some well-respected evangelical preachers, teachers, and ministers, is that these sons of God are referencing, are referring to angels.

Now, this actually comes up again a little later when the King James version of Genesis mentions that there were giants in the land.

Same assumption.

Now we'll deal with the giants and on another day.

So we're just dealing with the sons of God at this point.

Anyways, these giants, we are told, or they are told, and Protestants are told, they also must have been angels.

The standard opinion, the accepted, the widely accepted interpretation is both the sons of God and these giants that are mentioned later are angels.

And it gets even a little more bizarre, at least bizarre in my opinion.

We'll get to that in a second.

Now let's take this a little at a time.

First, if you have not picked up on it yet, let me start by saying that I do not believe that these sons of God are angels.

And I'm actually critical of that opinion.

I know that I'm just a nobody, but this is how I see this.

It is my belief that this assumption, this assumption that the sons of God are actually angels, greatly and unnecessarily complicates this passage.

And it's, well, frankly, in my opinion, not well thought out.

And I'm actually surprised by it.

Again, I'm not an expert, but the evidentiary basis for this angel's business seems extremely thin.

So why do you think that, John?

Well, to begin with, we must realize that the tenor of verse two is one of immorality and perverseness.

The sons of God taking wives of all they choose is not how God would have anyone behave.

Angels are beings who by and large do as God expects them to do.

Ah, yes, someone may say that's why these should be considered the fallen angels, the ones thrown out of heaven with their leader Lucifer.

Well, I guess that would account for the poor behavior.

But would we really expect Moses, the author of the book of Genesis, the guy that wrote this, would we really expect Moses to refer to fallen angels as sons of God?

Nowhere else, first of all, in the Bible are they so designated, nor should they be.

Fallen angels are rebellious, probably from before we even got here.

Fallen angels are rebellious enemies of God, not sons of God.

They are enemies of God.

And even if they started out being called that, though we have no proof of that, there is not much likelihood that they continued with that title after their expulsion from heaven.

And though we don't get a whole lot of information regarding what type of creatures angels actually are, we do kind of get a glimpse of certain behaviors that relate directly to this discussion.

Let's jump quickly over to the gospels for a moment.

Our Lord, in answer to a smart Alex, nonsensical question, states this about post-second coming humanity.

Matthew 22, 30.

This is our Lord speaking.

For in the resurrection, they neither, he's referring to human beings after the resurrection, after all of us have been raised, when the new times, the new heaven and the new earth have arrived.

For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

One day we will be like the angels in at least one very specific way, which is this is the way angels are.

This is, I'm trying to get around to talking about the sons of God business.

This is the way the angels are, according to our Lord.

They neither marry nor are given in marriage.

Therefore, angels would not be interested in taking wives at all.

Why not, you may ask?

Well, simple.

They are neither tasked nor equipped to be fruitful and multiply as we are.

Spiritual beings, angels are spiritual beings.

They're not physical beings.

They're spiritual beings.

Spiritual beings do not have the same drives as we do, and therefore would not see the daughters of men in the same way that physical beings would, fair or not.

Spiritual beings, angels, don't take wives of any species.

And that's why we, you know, as a side, that's why we too won't marry or be given in marriage after our resurrection.

Despite the fact that we will continue to be physical beings, we will need to no longer populate the earth.

We took wives, we created families in the beginning, and we are doing so now so that we can populate the earth and spread God's image throughout and glorify him therein.

Well, one of these days that's not going to be necessary.

In that day, there will be no institution of marriage.

Now, that makes some people sad because for many of us, myself included, marriage is a true blessing.

Well, God didn't say we won't be able to love those we loved in this life, quite the opposite.

It's just that there won't be a need to form physical families anymore.

Now, I don't want to say anything else because we're starting to get outside the scriptural record.

Let's get back to our discussion.

So the sons of God referenced in Genesis 6, 2, in my opinion, and it's an opinion that you can see is based on scripture, the sons of God could not be angels.

Okay, then who is Moses referring to in Genesis 6, verse 2?

Genesis 6:2

Well, of course, we don't know for sure because we aren't told.

But I think the best guess would probably be those who had, well, at least up to that point, stood by God and his ways in this world that was increasingly moving away from him.

They associated themselves with God's standard to the point that they became identified with him, became identified as belonging to him in a loyal and intimate way, just like sons and daughters are with their fathers.

I think Jay Vernon McGee nails it on this point.

He says that since the book of Genesis is in essence a book of genealogies, then we ought to be looking for our solution to this conundrum with that in mind.

He says, and I agree, that the sons of God, listen to this, the sons of God are of the line from Adam to Seth.

Human beings, Adam through Seth, the family through, from Adam through Seth, the members of that family tree have carried themselves thus far in a godly way.

And Scripture tells us that.

Now I'm a little less convinced about that last one, but I'll stick with it for now.

I think it's still the best explanation.

Anyhow, this verse is not super duper supernatural.

This verse is very practical.

It's likely the record of those two lines, Adam to Seth and the wicked line of Cain, coming together in a way that goes against God's wishes.

Regardless of which families are involved, God is not happy about this particular intermingling.

This is intermarriage, and God views that with contempt.

Now, before you get your hackles up, let me remind you to put your modern sensibilities away.

You may not like the fact that God at various times prohibits the union of two different people types, but he doesn't really care what your opinion is.

He's not looking for your approval.

However, I would suggest to you that you get in the habit of viewing things from his perspective and not your own, from God's perspective and not societal's perspective.

Let's think of God alone in the Bible and not in the media.

This is something that's important.

When we do that, when we think of these things as God sees them, it clears up many a moment that will make us uncomfortable with God's word.

Now, don't forget, this is important that you know this.

God here is in and still is, and was back then and still is, in the midst of an important plan implementation.

And he will not allow that plan to be thwarted.

That's really the entire reason the flood is here.

It is getting in the way of God's plans.

This book, the book that we're reading on, the Bible, is the record of how God is reconciling a people to himself.

And the vital component of that whole thing is the Messiah.

Now, I'm not going to give you any details here because the details will all come out as we make our way through the Bible.

But the arrival of the Messiah, listen to me, must happen at a specific time, in a specific place, and in a specific way.

Let me tell you something.

It happened precisely when it was supposed to happen in a way it was supposed to happen.

It really is, one of these days we'll talk more about it.

One of the reasons why I get a little bent out of shape around Christmas time because we've completely changed the entire story to make it fit our own desires.

Nonetheless, the birth of Jesus is a miracle in so many ways.

Any deviation in any of these particulars invalidates the entire plan.

And one of the most critical elements is the family into which our Lord will be born.

And therefore, God is intimately involved in keeping the line through which the Savior will be born pure.

Maybe a better way to put that would be that God must keep the family into which the Messiah is to be born genetically and genealogically, exactly as he had intended.

And that means some must be kept out and others must be brought in.

When the sons of God, the line through Seth, began to take wives from the family of Cain, it was causing a great deal of tension on God's plans for our Lord's genetics.

He did not like that they had strayed in this way.

They may have been the sons of God, but they were still human and they were still prone to wandering from God's directives.

So let's read these first few verses again, now that we've done a little clarification.

Again, there's nothing supernatural going on here necessarily.

This isn't some spooky story.

This is practical genealogy that God is dealing with.

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.

This is not how God wanted things to go down.

So how does he react?

And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man.

This is a very chilling statement.

God is saying, and we had all better be paying attention, God is saying there is a line that we can cross.

There is a limit to God's patience.

God will not always strive with man.

Even those who should have known better, the sons of God, even those who were closely associated with him, have let him down.

Again, that sounds frighteningly familiar.

And because of that, he's saying he must act.

His plan is in jeopardy, so we has to step in in an extraordinary way.

There's so much more we need to talk about here in the early going of Genesis 6.

So next time we'll pick it up right there.

See you then.

We hope this study has blessed you.

God's word is a great treasure, and it's our belief that a thorough, purposeful study of it will bring all of God's children to an understanding of his eternal plan of redemption.

It is our prayer that this will be so for all of our listeners.

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