Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

The Bible reveals Satan was originally created a holy angel of the class of cherubim; however, because of pride (Ezek 28:11-18), he rebelled against God (Isa 14:12-14), and convinced many angels to follow him (Rev 12:4, 7). The name Satan is derived from the Hebrew שָׂטָן Satan which means “adversary, opponent…accuser, opposing party…[or] the one who hinders a purpose” The Greek Σατανᾶς Satanas carries the same meaning and is used “in a very special sense of the enemy of God and all of those who belong to God.” Other names for Satan include the shining one, or Lucifer (Isa 14:12), the evil one (1 John 5:19), the tempter (1 Thess 3:5), the devil (Matt 4:1), the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4), the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10), the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2), the serpent (Rev 12:9), and the great red dragon (Rev 12:3). Further, Satan is a murderer and liar (John 8:44), is compared to a lion that prowls about, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8), and one who disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).

Genesis 6:1-4 records an event that has puzzled scholars for millennia. Scholarly views vary concerning the meaning of the phrase “sons of God” in verses 2 and 4. There are three major views concerning this passage. In the first view, the “sons of God” are understood to refer to the godly line of Seth which intermarried with the ungodly line of Cain. Warren Wiersbe states, “What was Satan’s plan for defeating God’s people in Noah’s day? To entice the godly line of Seth (“the sons of God”) to mix with the ungodly line of Cain (“the daughters of men”) and thus abandon their devotion to the Lord.” Thomas Constable agrees with Wiersbe. A second view is that demon possessed men married women. Concerning this view, Allen P. Ross states, “They [the sons of God] were probably powerful rulers who were controlled (indwelt) by fallen angels. It may be that fallen angels left their habitation and inhabited bodies of human despots and warriors, the mighty ones of the earth.” Henry Morris agrees, saying, “these fallen angelic ‘sons of God’ accomplished their purposes by something equivalent to demon possession, indwelling the bodies of human men, and then also taking (or “possessing”) the bodies of the women as well.” A third view is that the “sons of God” refers to fallen angels who took human form and cohabited with women to produce a genetically mixed race of beings. This view finds linguistic support, for the Hebrew phrase, בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים bene ha-Elohim is used only a few times in Scripture, and in each occurrence, it clearly refers to angels (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). The argument for why these fallen angels would do this was to prevent God from fulfilling His word to Eve, that a “seed” would come from her body that would crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15).

According to Scripture, demons are classified as either free or in prison. In his first letter, Peter mentions fallen angels who are “now in prison” (1 Pet 3:19). In his second letter he wrote, “God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into Tartarus and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment” (2 Pet 2:4). And Jude wrote about fallen angels that God has kept in “bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6). It appears many of these fallen angels that are currently incarcerated will be released at a future time (Rev 9:1-11), four of which are exceptionally bad (Rev 9:13-15). Apparently, demons have some freedom and are permitted to defy God, albeit in a limited way. Clearly Satan operates by the boundaries God establishes (Job 1:6-21).

All angels, whether good or bad, are organized for service and effectiveness. Michael is called an archangel (Jude 1:9), a chief prince (Dan 10:13), and is assigned the task of guarding Israel (Dan 12:1). Gabriel is a messenger angel who was sent to deliver important messages to God’s people (Dan 8:16; 9:21-22; Luke 1:19; 26-38). Both Michael and Gabriel are recorded in Scripture as battling fallen angels who appear as commanders of regions of the world (Dan 10:12-13, 21). One fallen angel is called “the prince of Persia” and the other “the prince of Greece” (Dan 10:20). These no doubt function as Satan’s emissaries to promote his purposes, and are part of a larger group that Paul called the forces of darkness (Eph 6:12).

The main idea of this pericope is that Israel faced a real danger in the prosperity that lay ahead of them. The acquisition and accumulation of wealth might lead to pride in which God’s people think they don’t need the Lord, forget to obey and praise Him, and turn to idolatry and bring about their own ruin.

The central idea of this text is that God’s people were to obey His commands that they might receive His blessings, which come after they learn humility and to trust and bless Him for His goodness.