Ancient Astronauts, Angels or Men?

Sons of God

by Richard Suarez

 

I dedicate this book to my good friend, brother in Christ, and companion in the word of God, Truman Jones, an upright man that loves God and eschews evil.

I believe that the Lord had me write this book, specifically for him and his ministry to others.

 

Introduction

If you were to poll the American public, you might be very surprised at how many people believe there is life in outer space. There are many people that believe in "flying saucers" (UFO’s). There is also an increasing number if people who believe that these spacemen are the gods of old and of folklore, even of the Bible.

We hear speculation that would have us believe the flaming chariot that came for Elijah was one of their spaceships.

We have been told by authors of books and articles in magazines, that these are ancient astronauts from outer space - superior beings with knowledge which exceeds man’s capability to understand. They are the subject of countless science fiction stories and movies.

Have you ever asked yourself why? Why is there an unending fascination with this subject?

It appears that we have been undergoing this "hard sell" for a long time, possibly even longer than we are aware of. After all, doesn’t it sound very reminiscent of something that was told to a young couple a long time ago "and ye shall be as gods"?

Of course that couple was Adam and Eve, and even though they were not told of other gods, the lie was for the same purpose. Satan wanted to destroy their relationship with God, and to do so he had to convince them that God was not unique and, in not being unique, was someone they could not totally rely upon. We all know from reading the Bible that this ploy of Satan worked well enough to cause Adam and Eve to sin and fall spiritually.

This old liar has not changed his stripes and he hasn’t changed his deceptive practices either. He is still selling the lie that God is not unique, and not God at all, just one of a group of beings with a little more "knowledge" than we possess, and may know enough to help us solve our problems. This is the hope he is peddling. Anything to keep our hope from God.

This deception has gone so far as to infiltrate even our modern Bible-believing churches and their teachings. We are told by fellow concerned Christians to watch out for a new form of religion in the world called "New Age". This "New Age" movement is a conglomerate of many cults and religious ideas and is attracting many would-be Christians. The "New Age" movement offers a believer "intellectual" excitement and the prospect of "power". This power comes in many forms, through crystals, meditation, spirit guides, etc. Of course, we know that the power behind all occult beliefs is the power of Satan. The Bible calls this power the "deceivableness of unrighteousness", (2Th.2:10) in modern English we call it a lie against God, a boldfaced, blatant lie. Most of us wouldn’t fall for it, but have fallen for more subtle deceptions under the guise of doctrine and have opened the door to this E.T. ruse.

Our concern is not so much what the world thinks and believes but how these philosophies affect God’s people and those who are really in search of truth and God. In an attempt to expose some of these false doctrines, it is prudent to look first at one of these which has already taken a foothold (stronghold) in the church today.

Presently being taught in many Christian churches is a doctrine which states that there are other sons of God in scripture that are extraterrestrial. We will start by looking at verses in the Living Bible which best state this perspective or doctrine.

Genesis 6:1-4, "Now a population explosion took place upon the earth. It was at this time that beings from the spirit world looked upon the beautiful earth women and took any they desired to be their wives. Then Jehovah said, ‘My Spirit must not forever be disgraced in man, wholly evil as he is I will give him 120 years to mend his ways. In those days, and even afterwards, when the evil being from the spirit world were sexually involved with human women, their children became giants, of whom many legends are told."

Now I know that some of you who are reading this passage from the Living Bible for the first time are still stunned, especially if you are a reader of the King James version. This Living Bible version, as we know, is not a true translation but a "paraphrased" Bible. The authors have chosen to inject their doctrinal beliefs into it so the reader may better understand what they think the Bible says.

It is after reading this particular passage that, several years ago, I threw away all the Living Bibles I had in my home. I replaced all of them with the King James Bible and have been carrying around a King James ever since. In fact, in order to quote these verses, you have just read I had to borrow a Living Bible from a friend.

This "paraphrased" version, however, correctly states one of these "doctrines" which has been adopted into the church that is both spiritually destructive and dangerous.

These "evil beings" of the Living Bible, in the original Old Testament Chaldee and Hebrew languages, as in the King James English translations, are called the "sons of God".

It is through this false teaching of who the Sons of God are that many of the cults have established doctrines that undermine the deity of Christ. They establish a less than unique nature to the Godhead - The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, commonly referred to as the "Trinity".

I first had the occasion to study this as a result of what I was told to me by as aunt and uncle who are Jehovah Witnesses. I was a brand new "baby" Christian, and in a feeble attempt to try to witness Jesus Christ to them in just a few seconds by quoting three scriptures. They had reduced Jesus Christ to no more than just another "angel", of which there were many. Having done so they strolled out the door in that calm smug way as one who had has just vanquished a feeble enemy. Needless to say, I was shattered, angry, and shaken by this. In my righteous indignation and holding on to the yet unbroken fragments of my new-found faith I started this study. That was over twelve years ago and since then I have seen this teaching surface in many different forms and from many different groups. I believe it hurts the most when I hear it come from fellow Christians that believe it to be Biblical truth.

The following study is what I have found to be the truth according to God’s word. It should be sufficient for anyone who is still looking for truth to assist them in successfully casting down these false teachings wherever they appear.

 

CHAPTER ONE

Sons of God: Angels or E.T.?

Is there a possibility that these Sons of God are the ancient astronauts of legend and lore? Beings that came from far uncharted galaxies? Arriving in their spaceships to find a race of inferior beings called humans. To some they are benefactors and to others tyrants and exploiters?

This scenario is beyond belief. We know that according to scripture all of creation was created by God through Jesus the Christ-the Word. There is nothing that exists that God’s Word did not create. We know that of all creation only man was created in God’s image and likeness. Adam was created a male man and Eve, a female man. All other humans are born not created. Also, that man alone possessed the power to procreate other humans. The words "after his kind" appear 17 times in reference to reproduction in Genesis. This reproductive law cannot be broken you cannot cross a dog with a cat or a horse with a cow. An animal can only produce "after his kind".

There are no Biblical references to beings that exist outside of God’s creation and influence. Since the only way to entertain any belief of extraterrestrial beings outside of God’s creation is by pure speculation we must eliminate it as a logical possibility, especially when it pertains to their interacting or influencing mankind. The Bible says that all things pertaining to"life and Godliness" are already written down for us in the Bible.(2Pet.1:3)

There has been a growing movement to sell us on idea that extraterrestials exist. This belief is a dangerous enemy to God’s Word. It is no coincidence that as of yet there has been no real proof offered publicly of their existence, just hearsay and unsubstanciated eye witness reports.

If we are to use God’s word to test truth it leaves us with the only possibility that these sons of God must be a part of God’s creation and biblically explainable.

Could these sons of God be angelic beings created by God and if so are all angels sons of God as some teachings would have us believe?

In this matter the Jehovah Witnesses are not alone. This doctrine exists in many Christian denominations also. We are told in their teachings that not only are all angels sons of God, but in some teachings we are told that all "created" beings are sons of God with no exceptions. Of course, they conveniently leave out the animals but include all angels and humans and if there is life on other planets that is "intelligent", they include them too.

Before we go too much further, let us establish what a son of God is and the sense of "sonship" of the scriptures.

The word "son" used in scriptures where it talks about the sons of God is the word "ben" #1121 (in the Strongs) and comes from the word "benah" #1129(st.) which means to build, begin to build, builder, obtain children, make repair, set(up). The word son (ben #1121) means a son (as builder of the family name), literally and figuratively relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, came up in, child, daughter, of first, first born, son, or young.

None of these definitions of son as used in the Old Testament seem applicable to angels unless in the figurative sense we consider angels God-like. But scripture says that only man was created God-like.

Genesis 1:27, "So God created man his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

Sonship is a relationship of a like being, the first and also the successors of a lineage or builder of a family or the one a family lineage is built on. Also, the word son in the New Testament #5206 and #5207 (in the Strongs) implies this kinship, son, child either natural or adopted.

If God already had "kinship" or "sonship" in angels He would not have had to create man. Also if man had not been the only like being God had to fellowship with; why would He have had to sacrifice his own son to restore man to the position he had been created for?

Another point that would lead us to disqualify angels as the sons of God of scripture is that; why would these "evil beings from the spirit world" as they are called or "fallen angels" be called "sons of God" when it is clear that they would and should have been addressed as sons of Satan, devils, demons, sons of Hell or some other term that is used for angels who are not followers of God. Surely God’s holy angels would not be the perpetrators of such evil deeds as we are urged to believe took place. Especially since sonship if it had been possessed by angels could have only meant a follower or builder of Gods family. Such an act would have definitely disqualified these fallen angels from any Godly kinship.

Satan and his angels fell before Adam and Eve were created. In Genesis we see him as a fallen enemy of God sneaking around and plotting his revenge and no where do we see more angels of heaven fall again. (Isa. 14:12 and Rev. 12:7-10)

As we will see later on in this study, Gods view of his children, sons and daughters has not really changed much throughout the Bible.

Before we look at the Old Testament scriptures that appear to be stumbling blocks for some people in their understanding of who the sons of God are. Let us look at what the New Testament says angels are not. In the first chapter of Hebrews we have Jesus being described and the writer here uses the same words that we saw in the Genesis 1:27 verse about the creation of man (Adam).

Hebrews 1:3, "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person," this being the "image of God" of Genesis 1:27 we see that Jesus "the Son of God" and Adam "the son of God" in Luke 3:38 had the same "nature". This nature we find in scripture is a much higher form of nature than the angels. Hebrews 1:4, "Being made so much better than angels," again the difference in nature between sons of God and angels are seen in Hebrews 2:16, "For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham" and Hebrews 2:17, "Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren".

Both Adam and Jesus were "sons of God", but God never has called an angel a son because they were not created as the same type of being man was.

Hebrews 1:5, "For unto which of the angels said he (God) at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee?"

Hebrews 1:7, "And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits?"

Hebrews 1:14, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"

Galatians 4:8, "Howbeit, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods."

This is the nature of angels, that they are spirits, that they are not born and not Godlike as man is. They are, on the other hand, eternal and cannot suffer death and even though they are described as "warring" or fighters, there are no accounts of them dying. There are no accounts of them reigning over man nor shall they rule in the Kingdom of God.

Hebrews 2:5, "For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak."

Another aspect of the difference of kinship or the relationship that God has with angels is that at the judgment in the end time God says we who are the sons of God shall judge the angels.

I Corinthians, "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?"

Again I ask, would God have one set of sons judge another set of sons? It would not be fair or reasonable, much less scriptural.

CHAPTER TWO

Angels of God or Demons from Hell?

Before we go too far from the topic of angels, we need a better understanding of this word. The word "angel" in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word "malak" #4397 (in Strongs conc.). The Strongs definition of this word is: "from an unused root meaning to dispatch, as a deputy; a messenger; specifically of God i.e. an angel (also prophet, priest, or teacher): ambassador, angel, king, messenger. In the New Testament the Greek work, "angelos" meaning: (to bring tidings) messenger especially an "angel" by implication a pastor: angel, messenger.

This word "angel" in both the Old and New Testament is not an exclusive word that denotes only the spiritual beings known to us as angels. But, it can be used interchangeably for humans also. In many cases, angels (spiritual beings) are also referred to as men. Therefore we must take a considerable amount of caution when we read a scripture to make sure whether these are angelic beings, prophets, messengers, teachers or priests.

Here are some examples of the various uses of this word #4397 in the Old Testament: As a messenger or one sent, from a private person, Job 1:14, or of a King Isaiah 16:19, 19:11, 14 & 20; I Kings 19:2, etc.

Used as a messenger of God or angel, Ex. 23:20, 33:2; 2 Sam. 24:16; Job 33:23; Zec. 1:9, 2:2,7, 4:1; Gen. 16:7, 21:17,22:11, 15; Num. 22:22; Judg. 6:11.

As used as a prophet of God, Hag. 1:13; Mal. 3:1.

As used as a priest of God , Ecc. 5:5, Mal. 2:7.

And even used as a nation (Israel), as being the messenger of God and the teacher of the Gentiles, Isa. 42:19 [Gesenius’ - Hebrew Hebrew Lexicon].

In the New Testament the word #32, angel is used as an envoy or messenger, someone who is set in: Matt. 11:10; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52; Mark 1:2; James 2:25.

This word "angels" is also used of the apostles - His messengers when Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection. And of course it is used many times as God’s or Jesus’ messengers.

Unfortunately many Bible commentators do not want to acknowledge that many of the scriptures they quote regarding angels are referring to human messengers and not beings from heaven. They insist on imposing supernatural spiritual beings into scriptures that do not apply to them at all. All this to try to support "doctrine" and religious beliefs that have been accepted for a long time by some denominations.

One of these religious beliefs that I mentioned earlier is that of the Jehovah Witnesses. I would like to take a look at two of the key scriptures they use to prove that Jesus is not God and part of the Trinity, but just another angel, another one of these sons of gods, a created being. Surprisingly, the interpretation they have of these two sets of scripture are identical to what many Christian churches teach and both passages refer to the "sons of God".

We will begin with the Genesis passage that we have already seen in the "Living Bible" version. But instead of using this paraphrased non-translation text, let us use the King James or Authorized version; The King James being a word for "word", English for Hebrew translation.

The key verse is in Genesis chapter six verse 2 "That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose."

To begin with, we have been told by some that this reference to the sons of God is talking about "fallen angels". Even in some other Bible translations through the use of footnotes and margin notes, they don’t want to leave anything to chance so they translate "sons of God" into "angels". The problem we have is that the original scrolls say "Ben-Ha-Elohim" which literally means "sons of God". Nowhere does the word "Malak", the word for "angel", appear in this chapter and actually doesn’t appear in the book of Genesis until chapter 16.

These passages in the sixth chapter of Genesis are a culmination of God’s explanation of why He destroyed the earth by the flood, and are very relevant to our understanding of God and His relationship with man. God’s plan was to build His family. After the "fall" of Adam and Eve in the Garden, God had instituted a sacrifice for Adam to observe for atonement of sins in order for Adam and his family to continue having a personal relationship with Him. It was on such a day of sacrifice that Abel had brought his sacrificial lamb, "firstling of his flock and of the fat thereof" (Gen. 4:4) as a sacrifice of atonement.

This had been the form of sacrifice for approximately six thousand years that we know of. Well before Moses received the law, God’s people were performing this sacrifice. We will see this again when we get to the Book of Job.

In Genesis chapter four, verse five we see that Cain, in disobedience to God’s mandate, had brought a sacrifice that was unacceptable to God. "But unto Cain and to his offering he had no respect."

Cain had gone into sin (disobedience) and had separated himself from God’s protection by murdering his brother. In verse sixteen, chapter four we have this final parting; "And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord." Neither did he nor any of his descendants return to follow God; exiled, "from my face" (verse 14). Verse 17 through 23 gives the lineage of Cain.

In verse twenty-five, chapter four God acknowledges Seth as Abel’s replacement to continue His family line; "And Adam knew his wife again; and she bore a son, and called his name Seth. For God said she hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew." Here God says His seed is now going to be through Seth. We know that the Apostle Paul said that when God used the word "seed" to Abraham he was referring to Jesus. ("Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." Galatians 3:16)

This verse in Genesis (4:25) is a direct reference to that lineage that would eventually produce Messiah. In the New Testament this lineage is traced all the way through Jesus confirming this.

It was through Seth that the believers of God continued and were known as the Lord’s people; "then began men to call upon the name of the Lord." (Genesis 4:26).

Starting with the next verse this lineage of God’s people is given all the way to Noah, stopping briefly to highlight the lives of some of his closest followers such as Enoch and Noah. All of them lived long lives, one as many as 969 years. In all, about two thousand years are represented as having passed from Adam to the flood.

During this period of time both lineage’s grew very large, but spiritually there is a distinction between the two.

We know it is written that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". Nevertheless God provided a way for those that were to follow him to live under his protection. This way was the sacrifice of atonement or sin offering. Through the observance of this day of sacrifice, God’s people continued to live under his blessings.

Cain and his decedents, however, did not have the benefit of this protection. Cain was separated from this covenant because of his own rebellion, and he became a child of Satan, looking to his new god, Satan, for rewards: I John 3:12, "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one," Jude 11..."for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward."

This clearly establishes two separate lineage’s by which god they are serving, God or Satan. God not only shows us through His word that there are two separate lineage’s of man in the earth at this time, but also that they are being fruitful and multiplying.

I would like to interject a hypothetical example so that we may better understand the nature of what size population could possibly have existed at the time of the flood. If the average man lived 667 years (longest 969, Methuselah; shortest 365, Enoch) and they were capable of bearing children only half of their lives and then had one child every two years, which I think we could say is conservative not knowing how many wives they had. There are at least ten generations represented in Seth’s lineage and eight of those of Cain. Each one having as many as 167 children, multiplied by a factor of 18. And, let us say, only one sixth of them were alive at the time of the flood. That would give us approximately seven million three hundred thousand inhabitants in that corner of the world. If this number sounds staggering, realize that this same amount of time, 2000 years, has not yet passed since Jesus was crucified and our life span is but a fraction of pre-flood man’s life span. Nevertheless, there are almost three hundred million people in just the United States and 4.5 billion worldwide. In Jesus’ day this continent was practically uninhabited, as was most of the world.

Even though our hypothetical example produced over seven million living inhabitants at the time of the great flood of Noah, it is still just a guess with a sizable margin for error. Nonetheless, it does effectively dispel the idea that the number of people who were killed in the flood was merely a few thousand, which is what most of us assume to have been the case.

Returning to Genesis, now in the sixth chapter, we are told about this greatly increased population on earth, and seeing they were limited in travel most of them were concentrated in this general area. Also, in verse one we are told that to the group of men being addressed "daughters were born unto them". A note of importance, when the lineage of Seth was given (chapter five) the scriptures say of everyone mentioned that they bore daughters. In contrast, when the lineage of Cain was given (chapter 4:17-23) there was not a mentioning of them having daughters after every man’s name. It seems deliberate that in one lineage daughters are mentioned, and in the other they are not because he was going to talk about these daughters of Cain’s decedents in chapter six, collectively.

In verse two of chapter six, the scripture appears to make a distinction between these two groups represented by calling them "sons of God" and "daughters of men" and not sons and daughters of God or sons and daughters of men. Since the two preceding chapters have already furnished us with two separate lineage’s, one being Seth’s, men that "call upon the name of the Lord" and the generations of Cain, who "went out from the presence of the Lord".

There is no logical reason for us to look for or assume that there is yet a third group being mentioned here, much less to imply that this group is a group of "evil beings from the spirit world".

Seeing that there are those who have continued to teach that these are fallen angels who are called the sons of God in this verse, let me add that if in fact, they were demons I doubt seriously that God would call them "sons". Secondly, verse two says that these sons of God "took wives of all which they chose". This is actual literal marriage (Matt. 24:38, "marrying and giving in marriage"; Luke 17:27, "married wives")

An interesting fact about marriage is that this custom of the man asking for the woman to marry him has been in existence from the time before the flood until now. In early Biblical times it was the man who chose his wife, not the other way around. According to the customs of the early Jewish people the future wife usually did not have any say as whether or not she was to be wed. That decision was left up to her father and her future husband, and if they could strike a mutually acceptable arrangement, the couple would marry. Understanding this, it would have appeared very odd for any scenario in scripture that portrayed the daughters of God to have chosen and married the attractive sons of men. There is nothing odd or sinister then to the way it appears in scripture

Marriage is an exclusive relationship between human males and females. We know that angels do not marry because Jesus said so in Matt.22:3 and in Luke 20:25, speaking of those who are resurrected that "they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven". But that only refers to the angels of heaven; how about the ones who have left their "first estate"? They are not the angels of God and they are on earth not in heaven and are not bound by such ordinances as celibacy, are they? I have heard these questions and others like them, as I have pointed out such scriptures as those in Matt. and Luke. To them I say again, if these angels are fallen and have left their "first estate" (Jude 6), does it seem logical that after defying God they would be given more authority than they had before and still be called "sons of God" even though they are no longer followers of God but of Satan? Besides, these angels who have, "kept not their first estate",..."he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day"’ it is obvious that they are not better off in a fallen state then they were as angels of God.

Again, remember, we see no evidence that fallen angels, demons or spirits of any kind are involved in these passages of scripture.

We have heard it taught that God’s angels are all male because they have been referred to in the masculine gender throughout scripture. Still, we cannot assume that because of this, angels are sexual beings. If God did not ordain sex outside of marriage and since angels do not marry, there is no reason for God to have created them with sexual organs. Also, there is no evidence that God did. The only time that angels are referred to in a sexual way is when the two angels were sent to warn Lot that Sodom and Gomorrah were to be destroyed and that Lot should take his family and leave. In these verses in Genesis 19:4-12, the men of Sodom came to Lot’s house looking for the two men (angels) that were staying with him. The word had spread that there were two new men in town that they hadn’t "known" yet. Their intention was to rape these two visitors, thinking that they were men. The only information this scripture gives is that the men of Sodom were perverts, but speaks nothing of the sexuality of angels. The men of Sodom were homosexuals, "going after strange flesh". (Jude 7) The literal translation for "strange flesh" is "hetero carnal" or "counter to nature".

The reason God gives for the flood is that these two lineage’s of mankind over a two thousand year period had produced vast numbers of peoples and that their intermarriage was threatening all the bloodlines of the followers of God and also their faith. Noah and his immediate family being the only ones left unaffected. Gen. 6:9, "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."

God’s plan from the beginning was that through a lineage He would bring about the Messiah; out of the "root of Jessie", a "son of David", "Abraham’s seed", Jesus would come. This lineage from Adam to Jesus (called the second Adam); from the son of God to Son of God, had to be protected at all costs, even to the destruction of millions of people lost in sin in the great flood. Was it worth it for millions to have tasted of the first death, that of the body, so that all of mankind could have the opportunity to be delivered from the second death, that lake of fire and the eternal punishment? Absolutely! We also know that these who had sinned before the flood were evangelized by Jesus personally, after his crucifixion and before He returned to realm of the living. (1 Peter 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 1 Peter 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.) Those who believed had no fear of the second death; neither do we who believe. Thank God for the blood of Jesus, the payment for all sin to those who believe.

There is still a point in this sixth chapter with a reference to "giants" that I will cover in a later chapter completely, but for now let us continue with the other scriptures that refer to the "sons of God".

 

CHAPTER THREE

The Sons of God of the Old Testament

The next stepping stone of this doctrine which was given me by the Jehovah Witnesses that day, was a passage out of the Book of Job chapter one, verse six, and I quote from the King James: "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them." Again I was told by them, "See the sons of God are in heaven reporting to God, therefore they have to be angels. Jesus is a son of God, therefore, Jesus is an angel, a created being of which there are many. A god, little "g", not God."

I was taken from one verse of Genesis to one verse in Job and, in just a few seconds, Jesus was dethroned. It is sad, but many Christians have received this doctrine unaware and still believe it. How do I know this? I have heard it myself countless times from the pulpit, in Sunday School and from laymen all over the country, and it is usually found in many books of commentary. Worst of all, it is in almost every Bible containing footnotes or a concordance. The New International Version Bible, along with the Living Bible, have omitted the words "sons of God" in these Job passages we are going to look at and have replaced them with the word "angel". Taking the liberty to do their own adjusting of God’s word to support their doctrine. It must be too inconvenient to have to explain all these references to the "sons of God" so they eliminate the words and "poof!" no more problems.

Who are the "sons of God" in these verses? They are the same followers of God of the Genesis scripture, men following the ordinances of God and observing the sacrifice of atonement. Chapter one, verse five shows us this sacrifice or "burnt offering" and it goes on to tell us that this was an offering for sin and Job presided over this in the role of the priest. We know also that Job was the priest of more people than just his family. We see this in chapter four, verse three: "Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands." Also, later in the book it shows Job performed the sacrifice for his friends also, under God’s instructions as the priest.

Job 42:8, Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you."

Job’s role as priest is well-established throughout scripture. These "days" are also well-established throughout scripture as times of observance; special holy days and days of worship. It is not so odd, then, for them to be mentioned in the way they are in this book. In verse six of the first chapter of Job, we have special attention drawn to a particular day of worship where the "sons of God" had gathered to worship together to present themselves before God, as was their custom. Job 1:5 sent for them to sanctify them through this early morning sacrifice whereby Job "offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all": This was the sin offering.

On this particular day though, Satan came also among them and in verse seven God asks Satan what he is doing there: "Where comest thou?"

Now the teaching that these "sons" are actually "angels", would like us to believe that this scene takes place in heaven because they, "the angels" are in God’s presence checking in. Also that Satan was required to "check in" periodically to God. This cannot be true if we are also to believe that Satan is in a fallen state. Satan and his angels had already been thrown out of heaven, "cast out into the earth", and his angels were cast out with him. (Rev. 12:9) "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground", (Isa. 14:12) If Satan is a fallen angel he has already been bound to earth (chained), restricted to his own dark world of evil. Jude 6 "he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" He can not travel back and forth to God’s holy heaven where sin is not allowed to enter. But we do know that the sons of God, believers in God when they pray, when they praise God in any form of worship, are in God’s presence. Psalms 95:2 "Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving" Daniel 9:20 "And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God." I Chron.16:29 "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Psalm 100:2 "Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing."

Then we must conclude that worshipers of God can be and are in God’s presence and that this whole scene takes place right here on earth, and not in heaven. Satan, as the accuser of the brethren, can only accuse the brethren before God in their presence when they present themselves before God. We see almost the same thing happen to Joshua in Zechariah three, verses one and two; "And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan,"

In this case, Zechariah has an opportunity to see both sides of what is happening. He sees both Joshua the high priest in the physical realm and Satan, to whom God is speaking, in the spirit realm simultaneously. Job, on the other hand, has not the benefit of being able to see or hear God and Satan in their conversation, but we do. God reveals to Zechariah what is happening through a vision and he reveals to us what is happening through his word.

I have heard it said that Satan’s angels spend more time in church accusing the brethren then the brethren spend outside the building they worship in accusing the demons of what they have done.

In the Old Testament there are many references to God’s people calling them the children of God. In Hosea 1:10 speaking of the children of Israel..."Ye are the sons of the living God." Deuteronomy 14:1 "Ye are the children of the Lord you God." Many times we see God call his followers "my people" and "my children".

If the sons of God are men and not angels, and the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then the New Testament should show them to be men also.

 

CHAPTER FOUR

The Sons of God

of the New Testament

Who are the sons of God of the New Testament? The answer to this question is simple, and I have found no disagreement in all of Christendom. They are those who believe on God through his Son Jesus the Christ and who are led by the Spirit of God.

Galatians 4:7 "Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

Galatians 4:5 "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

Romans 8:16 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."

John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God."

Matthew 5:45 "That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven."

1John 3:1 "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be

called the sons of God."

1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God."

Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

The New Testament tells us that both Jews and Christians, those of the old covenant and those of the new covenant are sons of God, children of God.

It is by faith that we become the sons and daughters of God.

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith,"

Galatians 3:8 "That God would justify the heathen through faith,"

Romans 1:17 "The just shall live by faith."

The Old Testament believers were also sons of God by faith,

Romans 3:30 "Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith."

Romans 4:3 "Abraham believes God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

Hebrews 11:4 "By faith able offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice that Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous."

Hebrews 11:5 "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death."

Isaiah 45:25 "In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified."

Isaiah 53: "By his knowledge shall my righteous justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities." (Jesus in prophesy)

The Bible speaks of these Old Testament men of God as "sons of God". First, Adam, then Able, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Daniel, Job, and so on. A long chain of sons and believers that would produce a "seed", Jesus the Messiah. Who would produce children as the stars of the sky and the sands of the sea. All sons, all priests, all kings of the kingdom of God, all equal with him in this inheritance of eternity with God the richness and fullness of God’s world.

The men of the Old Testament could only save themselves by their faith but this "Man" of the New Covenant can save the world if only they would believe on Him, Jesus, even on his name.

As I promised earlier, we will look into a subject which always seems to arise when the sons of God of Genesis chapter six scripture are mentioned. This is the topic of "giants".

The word that appears here in Genesis translated into "giant" is the Hebrew word "nephil" (number 5303 in the Strongs). It appears only in two scriptures in the entire Bible. Thousands of years separate these two appearances of this word in scripture. The definition of the word nephil in Genesis 6:4 in the Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament is "excellent, noble and skillful" and states that any attempt to connect this word with great or large in body is incorrect.

In this Genesis six portrayal of pre-flood man there is no indication that the monstrous offspring of demons we have heard about ever existed. The Genesis 6:4 scripture, however, does say that the union between the sons of God and the daughters of men produced many craftsmen, leaders, and noblemen. The literal translation of the "mighty men" in verse four is the word "heroes" and that is in harmony with the portrayal of these men as leaders and strongmen, as the rest of the verse eludes they are. The leaders of that time would have been skilled fighters, but we have no mention of wars or combat taking place before the flood; so it would be only speculation of the later use of this word "nephil" in the Book of Numbers chapter thirteen, verse thirty three. In that account Moses had sent out twelve men to spy out the "land of promise", when they returned, ten of them gave an "evil report", a lie, in which they said that the inhabitants of the land were all "nephil". A nation full of the sons of Anak, already known for their tallness (rapha). The evil report was not that there were some of them present. The evil report was that they were all skilled warriors (nephil) and that if the Jews invaded they would surely lose the battle that ensued. We know that this report was a lie because Joshua and Caleb in chapter fourteen verses six through nine tore their robes and pleaded with the people to believe them and not the ten who were lying. That the land was beautiful, not desolate and harsh, as they had been told (verse 8), and that the inhabitants were not as they had been portrayed, verse 9 "neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us;" and defenseless, not skilled warriors.

Joshua and Caleb told the truth, and, because the people believed the lie, none of them ever crossed over into this land of promise. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who were allowed to live long enough to cross over and possess the land with a whole new generation of Israel.

This portrayal of a great warrior tribe of very tall men, all skilled fighters was to say at the least, an exaggeration. Nevertheless, the word "nephil" used here, is in addition to the fact that the sons of Anak were very large. They were definitely not a race of demon-bred monsters, but one of many tribes of Rephaim.

We do have what we know as "giants" spoken about in scripture, however, outside of the many tribes of very tall men, commonly referred to as raphaim, because of their size. The word "raphah" is translated "giants" in the King James Bible. Everywhere in scripture where we see the word "giant" appear referring to these men of great stature, it is translated from the word "raphah", the sons of Anak are included. Some of the other tribes were Emims and Zamzummims (or Zuzims). It appears that the number of these "Raphah" were extensive and we don’t know if they were as large as Goliath and his brothers, and Og a king that Joshua defeated, but, they were all "Raphaim" according to the Bible. They were in no way related to the Nephil of Genesis chapter six, and the word "Nephil" is not related to a name of a person or a people, it is an adjective, not a pronoun.

Here are some definitions of rapha from the Strongs Concordance:

07498 Rapha' {raw-faw'} or Raphah {raw-faw'} probably the same as 07497

Rapha = "tall"

1) son of Binea and a descendant of Saul

2) son of Benjamin

07497 rapha' {raw-faw'} or raphah {raw-faw'}

from 07495 in the sense of invigorating; TWOT -

1) giants, Rephaim

07495 rapha' {raw-faw'} or raphah {raw-faw'}

a primitive root

AV - heal 57, physician 5, cure 1, repaired 1, misc 3; 67

1) to heal, make healthful

1a) (Qal) to heal

1a1) of God

1a2) healer, physician (of men)

1c) (Piel) to heal

All in all when the word "nephil" was translated "giant" in the two Old Testament verses, it was a poor choice of words. It was also very convenient for those who desired to make much more out of the Genesis chapter six scriptures.

In conclusion, we have hit some of the main points of the topics of who the "sons of God" are in scripture and who or what angels are. Keep this in mind as you study or restudy the Bible.

When we read in Hebrews 13:1-2 "Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." We know now that these are men and women who God has sent to minister to us or for us to minister to, for they are called brothers. In the third verse again, as fellow believers, "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."

Also when Paul speaks of himself in Galatians 4:14, "but received me as an angel of God," that Paul is indicating he was received as the messenger from God that he was.

Knowing that the word "angel" doesn’t always mean one of God’s heavenly beings should give us a clearer understanding of what God wants to convey to us. It should also, as all truth does, set us free from the deception of those who would try to use the letter, not the spirit of the word, to bring us into bondage to a false perspective of God’s word. Likewise, in regard to the true meaning of all scripture, as we continue to search for and find truth, it allows us to cast down these imaginations (II Cor. 10:5) and every high thing or false teaching and doctrine. Especially in these last times when many people are being deceived by false teachings of every manner and form. People that know God, and people that are still searching , are being misled by things that "sound good" but they are not of God but of His enemy, our enemy, the devil.

Any teaching or doctrine that brings Jesus down off the throne and makes him less than God, or removes the unique nature of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and man created in God’s image as a unique being, we must cast down and reject. For every born-again believer is a "son of God", being adopted into the Kingdom of God through the blood of Christ and joint heir to all of creation. This has always been God’s plan and will not be changed. Statements that I have heard from Bible teachers, such as, "If angels could not have sex with human women, then the Holy Spirit could not have conceived Jesus in Mary and the virgin birth would not have been possible." are nothing short of blasphemy.

To continue to believe that the "sons of God" of scripture are angels, fallen or otherwise, is in total opposition to the spirit of God’s word and falls into the same category as the pilots of flying saucers, as a fairy tale, coming from the head fairy himself, the "father of all lies", Satan.