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. Genesis 6:4
It is understood that the last of the Old Testament books to be written were those composed by Ezra and Malachi during the 5th century BC. It is also acknowledged that between that time and the birth of Jesus, the books of the Apocrypha were written in Greek. Among other things, some apocryphal books contain historical accounts that offer context for that period of Jewish history. Outside of what is accepted as the Apocrypha, other works such as ‘The Book of Enoch’ were written by Jewish authors in the same time period. By the first century AD, these purported revelations of the Jews had become so prevalent that the Apostle Paul warned Titus not to give any heed to ‘Jewish fables’. To Paul, reading fantastical tales such as ‘The Book of Enoch’ was worse than a waste of time; it was soul-destroying. Paul had observed that these bewitching fables only served to ‘turn from the truth’ (Titus 1:14).
The Book of Enoch is probably best known for its imaginative take on the events recorded in Genesis 6, the chapter of the Bible that details the chain of events leading up to the deluge. As the chapter reveals, the degeneracy of this period rapidly increased after one particular act of apostasy mentioned in the opening verses:
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. Genesis 6:1-2
But what exactly did this departure from heaven’s order entail? The writers of the book of Enoch have used this passage to construct a narrative regarding angels marrying and reproducing with human women. However, the Biblical text neither supplies nor implies this information. While this fanciful account may have been popular among the Jews, it is easily demonstrated to be at variance with Scripture. Unlike the human family, the angels are not a race descended from a common ancestor. Since they were not created to reproduce, ascribing to them the ability to do so with mankind is highly speculative to say the least. Moreover, Jesus’ words refute this sensational idea when He declares that the angels in heaven, along with the redeemed, ‘neither marry, nor are given in marriage’ (Matthew 22:30).
The term ‘sons of God’ is not exclusive to men, angels, or the inhabitants of other worlds, as the phrase is used for all three in separate instances of Scripture. The term simply denotes those who serve God rather than Satan. In the words of Paul, those who are ‘blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke’ (Philippians 2:15). Whenever the term is used, the context reveals who is being indicated, whether that be men (as in 1 John 3:2), or heavenly beings (as in Job 38:7). Seeing that inserting angels into the account of Genesis 6 results in major contradictions, it is clear that the sons of God in this passage are the descendants of Seth, that godly family which called ‘upon the name of the Lord’ (Genesis 4:26). For many generations the descendants of Seth had lived righteously, separating themselves from the wicked children of Cain. That the Sethites marrying the Cainites was the cause for the moral degeneracy and subsequent destruction is paralleled by the history of Ancient Israel. In Deuteronomy 7:3-4, Moses warns the Hebrews against marrying heathen wives, as such would turn away their sons from following Jehovah, resulting in their destruction:
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 7:3-4
The account of Genesis 6 goes on to say that giants roamed the earth in the days leading up to the flood:
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. Genesis 6:4
It is argued that these giants were the result of the illicit unions between angels and women. Yet the verse states that there were already giants in the earth before these illicit unions took place. The verse continues by stating, ‘and also after that…the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men’. The resulting children were ‘mighty men which were of old, men of renown’. As the offspring of a long line of godly men, the children of these unions would have retained much of the physical, mental, and practical advantages that the generations of the godly held over the generations of the wicked. And thus we are told that among these children were men of giant stature, proverbial for their strength. These apostate ‘men of renown’ ruled over the long-degraded generations of Cain, abusing their skill and knowledge of heavenly truth to work abominations that provoked the Lord to anger.
Such was the course of the Jews after their apostasy. Being blessed of God above all nations, the beauty, strength, and skill of the Jews was without parallel. While their continued apostasy finally resulted in their abandonment as the chosen people of God, the Jews retained much of their thrift and skill. But the sad history of the Jewish people from the destruction of Jerusalem until this day demonstrates that these former blessings have become a curse, as was prophesied by Moses (Deuteronomy 28:58-68). Likewise, the pilgrim fathers which settled in the North American colonies obtained blessings from God for their obedience to the truth. Subsequently, America became the most prosperous and wealthy nation in modern times. But after the apostasy of the collective West, much of the industry and skill passed down to later generations has been employed in mass-producing weapons of war and Hollywood movies. As it was in antediluvian times, the most renowned men of today are the most wicked.
Yet as ‘Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD’, and was delivered from destruction, so we may be spared from the destruction determined upon our generation (Genesis 6:8). As did Noah, we must ‘come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you’. When we do this, the Lord promises us, ‘[I] will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty’. Indeed, we shall be called ‘the sons of God’ (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).
Christopher Sparks