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Sons of God
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There are several theories concerning the identity of the sons of God (b'nei elohim, ??? ??????, or Angel of the Lord contrasted with "daughters of men") identified in the Book of Genesis.
- When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
theory is that the sons of God are the descendants of Seth, the pure line of Adam.
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There are several theories concerning the identity of the sons of God (b'nei elohim, ??? ??????, or Angel of the Lord contrasted with "daughters of men") identified in the Book of Genesis.
- When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
Theories
Lines of Seth View
One theory is that the sons of God are the descendants of Seth, the pure line of Adam. The daughters of men are then seen as the descendants of Cain. This is the view put forth by the pseudepigraphical work: Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan.
Angel View
A second theory is that the sons of God are angels who came to earth and had children with the daughters of men.
"2 Peter 2:4 - For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment…"
"Hebrew 2:2 –For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward."
Ordinarily, in the latter two verses, the “sins” of these fallen angels could (correctly) be interpreted as their rebellion against God. However, some believe that Jude 1:6 and Genesis 6:1-1 provide evidence that their sin encompassed more:
"Jude 1:6 - And the angels which kept not their first estate [their initial created state of being], but left their own habitation [initial state of being], he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
"Genesis 6:1-10 - 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 [angels] saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose…… 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 [these men were giants, a genetic anomoly, called the Nephilim]. And God saw that the wickedness of man [Nephilim, and others] was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…………."
"And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth."
The Nephilim were a violation of the Law of Kind After Kind introduced in the Garden of Eden, which is an absolute requirement for the continued existence of genetically healthy life. God destroyed the impure, wicked generation with the Great Flood of Noah.
Also in Genesis 6:9,
"These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."
Noah was genetically untainted and God subsequently chose him to continue His creation of mankind.
In this theory it is important to note the Biblical proof that angels can appear in the form of mankind. Angels actually appear several times in the Bible visible to the human eye in recognizable form. One example can be found in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah when three men (angels) came unto Abraham to tell him of the cities’ coming destruction. Soon after, two men appeared to Lot and his family to bring them out from danger. The people of Sodom actually believed that these were real men (as evidence by their request to rape them). When Mary Magdelene and Simon Peter visit the empty ttomb (John 20:12). Daniel also “beheld a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.” (Daniel 10:5) The words "clothed, loins, body, face, eyes, arms" and "feet" bring to mind a human figure.
The view of "sons of God" being angels is also the basis for much of the Book of Enoch.
Etymology-based
A third theory revolves around the fact that "elohim" literally means "powers" and is, at times, used in the Bible to refer to powerful human rulers. In the Hebrew "Elohim" is God's name but it is a plural word. (The -im suffix denotes plural, though apologists such as Chuck Missler would regard this as an allusion to the Trinity.)
Gods and Cities
A fourth theory relates the "sons of God" to the 70 sons of El and Athirat in the Canaanite tradition of Ugarit, from whose marriage with a race of titanesses (the daughters of man), the 70 nations of the earth were born. Each city or people thus had its own divinity, with whom they had a special covenant (i.e. Ba'al Be'rith = Lord of the Covenant). This marriage of the divinity with the city would seem to have Biblical parallels too with the stories of the link between Melkart and Tyre; Yahweh and Jerusalem; Chemosh and Moab; Tanit and Baal Hammon with Carthage, and may have been celebrated annually after the new year with a hieros gamos or sacred marriage, in which a Qadeshtu (Holy One) took the role of the God's consort, representing the city.
Wives for All Men
One belief is that God provided wives to all men (as he created Eve for Adam), or at the very least appointed one woman to one man. Man, impatient for his wife, pursued other mens daughters instead and/or chose multiple wives instead of one. It is believed that the "sons of God" are not Angels due to the punishment of man for this iniquity (), as well as many biblical references to humans as children of GOD (: "...my sons...").
As they Relate to the Nephilim
Also, the "sons of God" are not believed to be the same as the nephilim due to , which is perceived to state: 'there were giants walking the earth while the "sons of God" came in to the daughters of men...'
Immediacy and the Followers of Satan
Finally, is considered to be unrelated, as no direction is given to the Angels descent. This scripture is perceived (in this belief) to merely touch on the Angels who followed Satan. Also, the verse gives no time frame for the Angels to pursue women. It does not say they abandoned their home to live in frivolity on earth. Instead it is believed to state they abandoned their positions and (seemingly) were immediately punished.
See also
External links
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