2017-21: The Wackiest Story in Genesis

We’re in the middle of a study on Sunday mornings in Genesis chapters 1-11, the very first words of the Bible, and we come to a section today that I would love to skip over! You know, I’d like to say, “I don’t know. Let’s move on! Let’s talk about Noah. That’s easy stuff!” In all my years of ministry, I have never, ever taught on this section of Scripture, and so, “Why not today, right?” Admittedly, I did offer this text to Kendall last week for Graduation Sunday, but for some reason or another he said, “No,” so here we go.

It’s one of the weirdest, most bizarre, jacked-up stories in the entire Bible, and the Bible has some doozies, so that’s saying something! If you brought a friend today, or if today is your first time here as a guest, I just want to apologize on behalf of the person that brought you. Some of you are going to walk out of here in a little while giving me the stink eye, saying, “Thanks a lot, buddy! It took me nine months to get ‘em to come with me. We’ll never see them again!”

It’s one of the weirdest, bizarre, jacked-up stories in the entire Bible, and the Bible has some doozies, so that’s saying something! If you brought a friend today, or if today is your first time here as a guest, I want to apologize on behalf of the person that brought you! Some of you may walk out of here in a little while giving me the stink eye, saying, “Thanks a lot, buddy! It’s taken me nine months to get ‘em to come. We’ll never see them again!”

It’s one of the weirdest, most bizarre, jacked-up stories in the entire Bible, and the Bible has some doozies, so that’s saying something! If you brought a friend today, or if today is your first time here as a guest, I just want to apologize on behalf of the person that brought you! Some of you may walk out of here in a little while giving me the stink eye, saying, “Thanks a lot, buddy! It’s taken me nine months to get ‘em to come. We’ll never see them again!”

It’s seven verses that we just don’t talk about.

It’s seven verses that we just don’t talk about. Listen close: When we’re finished, you are going to have more questions than answers, so really, listen up! Eyes up here, class – open ears! I want to make sure that everybody hears this. I am going to tell you everything I know about this passage. If I know or think something about this passage, you are going to hear it. Everybody understand that? I want to make this crystal clear so that you know, there’s no need to stop me later and ask me a question about this, or email me later this afternoon, because you already know everything I know! Now, I’ll be glad to talk to you about anything else, but not this passage, because I’m getting ready to tell you everything that I know about it!

It’s seven verses that we just don’t talk about. Listen close: When we’re finished, you are going to have more questions than answers, so really, listen up! Eyes up here, class – open ears! I want to make sure that everybody hears this. I am going to tell you everything I know about this passage. If I know or think something about this passage, you are going to hear it. Everybody understand that? I want to make this crystal clear so that you know, there’s no need to stop me later and ask me a question about this, or email me this afternoon, because you already know everything I know! Now, I’ll be glad to talk to you about anything else, but not this passage, because I’m getting ready to tell you everything that I know about it!

Listen close: When we’re finished, you are going to have more questions than answers, so really, listen up! Eyes up here, class – put your listening ears on! I want to make sure that everybody hears this. I am going to tell you everything I know about this passage. If I know or if I just think something about this passage, you are going to hear it today. Everybody understand that? I just want to make that crystal clear so that you know, there’s no need to stop me later and ask me a question about this, or email me later in the week. Now, I’ll be glad to talk to you about anything else, but not this passage, because I’m getting ready to tell you everything that I know about it!

Google it and you’ll find out that there are thousands of years of history debating, “What in the world is this talking about?” I’m not sure that anybody is a hundred percent right. And instead of skipping it, I’m naïve enough to think that we should just dive in and confuse everybody. So again, if you’re visiting today, I am so sorry! I hope whatever church you go to next Sunday gives you some really good stuff to learn!

Google it and you’ll find out that there are thousands of years of history debating, “What in the world is this talking about?” I’m not sure that anybody has it a hundred percent right. But instead of skipping it, I’m naïve enough to think that we should just dive in and confuse everybody. So again, if you’re visiting this morning, I am so sorry! I hope whatever church you go to next Sunday gives you some really good stuff to make up for this!

Genesis chapter 6 – here’s the story:

(NIV84)1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. 5 The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”

What just happened? And if you’re new, maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “I knew this place was some weird cult. I knew I shouldn’t have come! Did you just… are we going to talk about, you know, angel fornication?” Yeah, I think we are!

What just happened? And if you’re new, maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “I knew this place was some sort of weird cult. I knew I shouldn’t have come! Did you just… are we going to talk about, you know, angel fornication?” Yeah, I think we are!

What just happened? If you’re new, maybe you’re sitting here thinking, “I knew this place was some sort of weird cult. I knew I shouldn’t have come! Did you just… are we going to talk about, you know, angel fornication?” Yeah, I think we are!

The population of the Earth started growing. Between chapter 3 and chapter 6 and all the, “This guy begat this guy, who begat this guy, who begat this guy...” I mean, if you add it up, it’s been over a thousand years. In fact, the time from Adam to the Flood covers 1600 years, which is a greater time span than the rest of the Bible is going to cover combined!

The population of the Earth started growing, and growing, and growing. Between chapter 3 and chapter 6 and all the, “This guy begat this guy, who begat this guy, who begat this guy...” I mean, if you add it up, it’s been over a thousand years. In fact, the time from Adam to the Flood covers 1600 years, which is a greater time span than the rest of the Bible covers combined!

So you’ve got 1600 years and this huge population growth when the “sons of God” saw the “daughters of men,” were attracted to them, desired them, decided to marry them, and ended up having some kind of offspring called the Nephilim that were heroes of old and men of renown… and I get to teach on it! Yeah!

o you’ve got 1600 years and a huge population growth when the “sons of God” saw the “daughters of men,” were attracted to them, desired them, decided to marry them, and ended up having some kind of offspring called the Nephilim that were heroes of old and men of renown… and I get to teach on it!

So you’ve got 1600 years and this huge population growth when the “sons of God” saw the “daughters of men,” were attracted to them, desired them, decided to marry them, and ended up having some kind of offspring called the Nephilim that were heroes of old and men of renown… and I get to teach on it! Yeah!

Well, we’re here, so I’m just going to open the can of worms. There are four theories about the first seven verses that have some sort of sense to them. I’m going to try to boil it down to what we don’t know, and what we do know, and we’ll start with what we don’t know… which is a lot!

Who are these “sons of God?” What do you mean the “sons of God” saw the “daughters of men?” Who’s he talking about? First off, they could simply be The Godly Line of Seth, or just godly men. If you were with us a couple weeks ago, I talked about how Genesis chapters 3-5 show us the line of Cain, or the kingdom of disobedience, as well as the line of Seth, or the kingdom of obedience. The line of Cain seemed to turn from God and live on their own while the godly line of Seth followed God.

So, these seven verses could simply be saying that godly people chose mates, chose marriage based purely on their lusts and desires, and then ending up walking away from God with who they married.

It could mean that. It could just mean “sons of God” - people. But, the phrase “sons of God” only appears five times in the Old Testament, twice here in verses 2 and 4, and then three times in the book of Job - , , and . Listen to the context for Job:

Well, the phrase “sons of God” only appears five times in the Old Testament, twice here in verses 2 and 4, and then three times in the book of Job - , , and . Here’s the context for Job:

(ESV)6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

(ESV)1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord...

(ESV)4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding… who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

So, three different times this term is used elsewhere in the Old Testament, and three different times it talks about angels or spiritual beings. In fact, the NIV just translates all three times as “angels” with the footnote saying, “sons of God.”

So, because the phrase is always used with angels, a second interpretation could be that these are… Angels. It could mean that angels, at one point, chose to marry the women of the Earth and have these offspring that were the heroes of old. It could mean angels.

Thirdly, it could mean the Fallen Angels. It could be talking about angels that God created, which would be all of them, not necessarily those who are walking with Him. It doesn’t have to mean they are in right standing with God, just that they are spiritual beings. So, these could be the fallen angels.

It seems that not only did man have choice, but so did the angels. Satan had a choice, to serve God or to rebel against Him. As an angel, he decided to try and overthrow God and a third of the angels went with him. There is now good versus evil with an army on both sides. These could simply be the fallen angels who decided, at one point in time, that they could have relations with humans.

Or fourthly, a lot of people believe, “No, not, this is more of a spiritual battle.” They believe that these “sons of God” are Demon Possessed Humans.

There’s your four theories, and can we just be honest? Every one of them seem to be bizarre! So I’d like to stop there and say, “I don’t know. Let’s move on.” But instead, let me confuse us even more. Let me show you two passages. You’ve probably never been taught this - I’m certain I’ve never taught on them. Turn to the very back of your Bibles. There’s a book called Revelation, which we’ll get to in the fall, and right before it is a book called Jude. It’s a tiny book. It only takes up one page in my Bible, and it’s large print!

Jude was the son of the famed Christmas Mary and Joseph. So, that makes him the brother of James, an early leader in the church, and the half-brother of Jesus Christ Himself. Jude watch Jesus grow up, claim to be God, die, and then rise from the dead. Jude now is writing to the church, verse 3...

(NIV84)3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4 For [or because] certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

Jude writes, “Hey guys, I would like to encourage you about your salvation, but I’ve been watching the church, and there are some who have slipped in and said, “Hey, because God loves me and because I’m forgiven, I can live my life the way I want to… and so can you!” So Jude says, “Instead of encouraging you about your salvation, instead I’m going to warn you about that kind of thinking. So let me give you a couple examples that let you know, that sort of thinking is going to get you into trouble.”

Example #1 - verse 5...

(NIV84)5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

He says, “Yes, God saved His people. Yes He brought down plagues and split the Red Sea and delivered them to the Promised Land, but they decided not to follow Him anymore, so He let ‘em go. Just because you claim the name of Jesus doesn’t mean that you can live however you want!” He says, “Remember what happened to Israel - Example #1.”

Example #2 - are you ready to get bizarre? Verse 6...

(NIV84)6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

What? What angels decided not to keep their home with God? Does this apply to , or is this just about fallen angels? Let me show you why I personally think it does apply. It’s in verse 7...

Well, we’re here, so I’m just going to open the can of worms. There are four theories about the first seven verses that have some sort of sense to them. I’m going to try to boil it down to what we don’t know, and what we do know, and we’ll start with What We Don’t Know… which is a lot!

This morning I want to try to boil it down to what we don’t know, and what we do know, and we’ll start with What We Don’t Know… which is a lot! There are four theories about these first seven verses that make some sort of sense.

I mean, who are these “sons of God?” What do you mean the “sons of God” saw the “daughters of men?” Who’s he talking about?

Who are these “sons of God?” What do you mean the “sons of God” saw the “daughters of men?” Who’s he talking about? First off, they could simply be The Godly Line of Seth, or just godly men. If you were with us a couple weeks ago, I talked about how Genesis chapters 3-5 show us the line of Cain, or the kingdom of disobedience, as well as the line of Seth, or the kingdom of obedience. The line of Cain seemed to turn from God and live on their own while the godly line of Seth followed God.

(NIV84)7 In a similar way [in other words, just like those angels did], Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

First off, they could simply be The Godly Line of Seth, or just godly men. If you were with us a couple weeks ago, I talked about how Genesis chapters 3-5 show us the line of Cain, or the kingdom of disobedience, as well as the line of Seth, or the kingdom of obedience. The line of Cain seemed to turn away from God and live on their own while the godly line of Seth followed God.

So, these seven verses could simply be saying that godly people chose mates, chose marriage based purely on their lusts and desires, and then ending up walking away from God with those they married.

In the same way… these angels made a choice in the same way of Sodom and Gomorrah, with sexual immorality and perversion. There seems to be a time that the early church understood things that we don’t, or that just wasn’t passed down. Jude says, “Remember the angels that we with God but then made a choice of sexual perversion, the same way as Sodom and Gomorrah?” He says, “Don’t go there!”

So, these seven verses could simply be saying that godly people chose mates, chose marriage based purely on their lusts and desires, and then ending up walking away from God with who they married.

It could mean that. It could just mean “sons of God” - people. But, the phrase “sons of God” only appears five times in the Old Testament, twice here in verses 2 and 4, and then three times in the book of Job - , , and . Listen to the context for Job:

It could mean that. It could just mean “sons of God” - people. But, the phrase “sons of God” only appears five times in the Old Testament, in the Hebrew… twice here in verses 2 and 4, and then three times in the book of Job - , , and . Listen to the context there:

What? One more passage… skip to the left in your Bibles three books and you’ll come to 2 Peter. Peter writes to the early church and he’s trying to encourage them. “You can make a choice to live your own life, or you can a choice to live with God, and He’ll save you from this life!” Here are the examples he gives...

(NIV84)4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.

The message that the Biblical writers had for the early church was, “Guys, remember, you have a choice to make. You can follow God and do what’s right, or you can choose to follow your own desires, your own lusts, your own sinful nature, and look at the examples… it doesn’t end well!” Twice the church says, “Remember the angels. They made sexual choices and there were consequences.”

Twice the church says, “Remember the angels. They made sexual choices and there were consequences.” Peter says, “

So now I go all the way back to . When it comes to the Bible and areas that we really don’t know, I’m never going to draw a line and say, “You’ve got to believe in this camp!” There are already enough areas when it comes to Jesus where we draw that line.

(ESV)6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

(ESV)1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord...

(ESV)4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding… who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

(ESV)4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?… who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

So, three different times this term is used elsewhere in the Old Testament, and three different times it talks about angels or spiritual beings. In fact, the NIV just translates all three times as “angels” with the footnote saying, “sons of God.”

So, three different times this term is used elsewhere in the Old Testament, and three different times it seems to talk about angels or spiritual beings. In fact, the NIV just goes ahead and translates all three times as “angels” with the footnote saying, “sons of God.”

So, because the phrase is always used with angels, a second interpretation could be that these are… Angels. It could mean that angels, at one point, chose to marry the women of the Earth and have these offspring that were the heroes of old. Now, some of you might be thinking, “Yeah, but did Jesus say somewhere that angels can’t marry. Yes He did – . But, did Jesus say that was a rule because of what happened in , or has it always been that way? That’s debatable.

So, because the phrase in the Old Testament is always used with angels, a second interpretation could be that these are… Angels. It could mean that angels, at one point, chose to marry the women of the Earth and have these offspring that were the heroes of old. Now, some of you might be thinking, “Yeah, but didn’t Jesus say somewhere that angels can’t marry. Yes He did – . But, did Jesus say that was a rule because of what happened in , or has it always been that way? You see, that’s debatable.

Thirdly, it could mean the Fallen Angels. It could be talking about angels that God created, which would be all of them, not necessarily those who are walking with Him. It doesn’t have to mean they are in right standing with God, just that they are spiritual beings. So, these could be the fallen angels.

Thirdly, it could mean Fallen Angels, because from the Bible, it seems like not only did man have choice, but so did the angels. Satan had a choice, to serve God or to rebel against Him. As an angel, he decided to try and overthrow God and a third of the angels went with him. Now there’s good versus evil with an army on both sides. These could simply be the fallen angels who decided, at one point in time, that they would have relations with humans.

From the Bible, it seems like not only did man have choice, but so did the angels. Satan had a choice, to serve God or to rebel against Him. As an angel, he decided to try and overthrow God and a third of the angels went with him. Now there’s good versus evil with an army on both sides. These could simply be the fallen angels who decided, at one point in time, that they would have relations with humans.

It seems that not only did man have choice, but so did the angels. Satan had a choice, to serve God or to rebel against Him. As an angel, he decided to try and overthrow God and a third of the angels went with him. There is now good versus evil with an army on both sides. These could simply be the fallen angels who decided, at one point in time, that they could have relations with humans.

Or fourthly, a lot of people believe, “No, not, this is more of a spiritual battle.” They believe that these “sons of God” are Demon Possessed Humans.

There’s your four theories, and can we just be honest? Every one of them seem to be bizarre! So I’d like to stop there and say, “I don’t know. Let’s move on.” But instead, let me confuse us even more. Let me show you two passages. You’ve probably never been taught this - I’m certain I’ve never taught on them. Turn to the very back of your Bibles. There’s a book called Revelation, which we’ll get to in the fall, and right before it is a book called Jude. It’s a tiny book. It only takes up one page in my Bible, and it’s large print!

So, there are your four theories, and can we just be honest? Every one of them seems a little bit bizarre! I’d love to stop here and say, “I don’t know. Let’s move on.” But instead, let me confuse us even more. Let me show you one passage in the New Testament and refer to another. You’ve maybe never been taught this - I’m not sure I’ve ever taught on it either. Turn to the very back of your Bibles. There’s a book called Revelation, which we’ll get to in the fall, and right before it is a book called Jude. It’s a tiny book. It only takes up two pages in my Bible, and it’s large print! It’s only one chapter.

Jude was the son of the famed Christmas Mary and Joseph. So, that makes him the brother of James, an early leader in the church, and the half-brother of Jesus Christ Himself. Jude watch Jesus grow up, claim to be God, die, and then rise from the dead. Jude now is writing to the church, verse 3...

Jude was the son of the famed Christmas Mary and Joseph, which makes him the brother of James, who was a leader in the early church, and the half-brother of Jesus Christ Himself. Jude watched Jesus grow up, claim to be God, die, and then rise from the dead., which probably had some kind of impact on him! Jude now is writing to the church, verse 3...

(NIV84)3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4 For [or because] certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

Jude writes, “Hey guys, I would love to encourage you about your salvation, but I’ve been watching the church, and there are some people who have sort of slipped in and said, “Hey, because God loves me and because I’m forgiven, I can live my life the way I want to… and so can you!” Jude says, “Instead of encouraging you about your salvation, I’m going to warn you about that kind of thinking. Let me give you a couple examples that let you know, that sort of thinking is going to get you into trouble.”

Jude writes, “Hey guys, I would like to encourage you about your salvation, but I’ve been watching the church, and there are some who have slipped in and said, “Hey, because God loves me and because I’m forgiven, I can live my life the way I want to… and so can you!” So Jude says, “Instead of encouraging you about your salvation, instead I’m going to warn you about that kind of thinking. So let me give you a couple examples that let you know, that sort of thinking is going to get you into trouble.”

Example #1 - verse 5...

(NIV84)5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

He says, “Yes, God saved His people. Yes He brought down plagues and split the Red Sea and delivered them to the Promised Land, but they decided not to follow Him anymore, so He let ‘em go. Just because you claim the name of Jesus doesn’t mean that you can live however you want!” He says, “Remember what happened to Israel - Example #1.”

He says, “Yes, God saved His people. Yes, He brought down plagues and split the Red Sea and delivered them to the Promised Land, but some still decided not to follow Him, to believe in Him, so He let ‘em go. Just because you claim the name of Jesus doesn’t mean that you can live however you want!” He says, “Remember what happened to Israel - Example #1.”

Example #2 - are you ready to get bizarre? Verse 6...

(NIV84)6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

What? What angels decided not to keep their home with God? Does this apply to , or is this just about fallen angels? Let me show you why I personally think it does apply. It’s in verse 7...

What? What angels decided not to keep their home with God? Does this apply to , or is this just talking about fallen angels? Let me show you why I personally think it does apply to Genesis. Verse 7 says...

(NIV84)7 In a similar way [in other words, just like those angels did], Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

In the same way… these angels made a choice in the same way of Sodom and Gomorrah, with sexual immorality and perversion. There seems to be a time that the early church understood things that we don’t, or that just wasn’t passed down. Jude says, “Remember the angels that were with God but then made a choice of sexual perversion, the same way as Sodom and Gomorrah?” He says, “Don’t go there!”

In the same way… these angels made a choice in the same way of Sodom and Gomorrah, with sexual immorality and perversion. There seems to be a time that the early church understood things that we don’t, or that just wasn’t passed down. Jude says, “Remember the angels that we with God but then made a choice of sexual perversion, the same way as Sodom and Gomorrah?” He says, “Don’t go there!”

There’s a similar passage in if you want to read that on your own, but the message for the early church was, “Guys, you have a choice to make. You can follow God and do what’s right, or you can choose to follow your own desires, your own lusts, your own sinful nature… but look at the examples. It does not end well! Remember the angels!”

What? One more passage… skip to the left in your Bibles three books and you’ll come to 2 Peter. Peter writes to the early church and he’s trying to encourage them. “You can make a choice to live your own life, or you can a choice to live with God, and He’ll save you from this life!” Here are the examples he gives...

So now I go all the way back to . You know, when it comes to the Bible and the areas that we really don’t know, I’m never going to draw a line and say, “You’ve got to believe like me!” There’s room for us to disagree.

(NIV84)4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.

The message that the Biblical writers had for the early church was, “Guys, remember, you have a choice to make. You can follow God and do what’s right, or you can choose to follow your own desires, your own lusts, your own sinful nature, and look at the examples… it doesn’t end well!” Twice the church says, “Remember the angels. They made sexual choices and there were consequences.”

The message that the Biblical writers had for the early church was, “Guys, remember, you have a choice to make. You can follow God and do what’s right, or you can choose to follow your own desires, your own lusts, your own sinful nature… and look at the examples. It does not end well!” Twice the church says, “Remember the angels. They made sexual choices and there were consequences.”

So now I go all the way back to . When it comes to the Bible and the areas that we really don’t know, I’m never going to draw a line and say, “You’ve got to believe like me and be in this camp!” There are already enough areas when it comes to Jesus – Who He is, how He died for our sins and how we get salvation – those are line-drawing topics, but everything else? There’s room for us to disagree.

So now I go all the way back to . When it comes to the Bible and the areas that we really don’t know, I’m never going to draw a line and say, “You’ve got to believe like me!” There are already enough areas when it comes to Jesus – Who He is, how He died for our sins and how we get salvation – those are line-drawing areas, but everything else? There’s room for us to disagree.

So, if you want to say, “I think it’s godly men who chose to marry ungodly women and in that they lost right-living families” – great. “I think it was guys led by evil spirits” - great. “I think it was real angels who had a choice at the time” - great. “I think it’s talking about fallen angels, and this is what they did” - great. We just don’t know.

If you want to say, “I think it’s godly men who chose to marry ungodly women and in that they lost right-living families” – Great. “I think it was guys led by evil spirits.” Great. “I think it was real angels who had a choice at the time.” Great. “I think it’s talking about fallen angels, and this is what they did.” Great. We just don’t know.

“Shannon, what do you think?” I know that nobody’s asking that, but I’m going to tell you anyway. Go ahead and pens down. Never take notes on what Shannon thinks. When I tell you what God’s Word says, scribble all you want. What Shannon thinks? “I ain’t even touching that!”

“Well, Shannon, what do you think?” I don’t really think anybody’s asking that, but I’m going to tell you anyway, so go ahead and put your pens down. Never take notes on what Shannon thinks. When I tell you what God’s Word says, scribble all you want. What Shannon thinks? “I ain’t even touching that!”

Because “sons of God” always refers to angels and because the offspring definitely seems to be different than humans – the Nephilim? The King James Version translates that word as giants… I do believe these are fallen angels, and I think it goes all the way back to Chapter 3 – the Fall.

Because “sons of God” in the Old Testament always refers to angels and because the offspring definitely seems to be different than humans – the Nephilim? The King James Version translates that word as giants… I do believe these are fallen angels, and I think it goes all the way back to Chapter 3 – the Fall.

When Adam and Eve rebel, God comes and says, “Adam, you blew it. From now on you’re going to struggle and toil in your work; there’s going to be hardship and stress.” “Eve, you blew it. From now on you’re going to have pain in childbirth. From now on, there are going to be consequences.” “Satan, you started this, and so one day, the seed of the woman is going to crush your head! He’s going to destroy you.”

Remember when Adam and Eve rebelled? God came and said, “Adam, you blew it. From now on you’re going to struggle and toil in your work; there’s going to be hardship and stress.” “Eve, you blew it. From now on you’re going to have pain in childbirth. There are going to be certain consequences you’re going to have to deal with.” “Satan, you started this whole thing, and so one day, the seed of the woman is going to crush your head! He’s going to destroy you.”

Again, it’s just a personal opinion, but I think what’s happened by the time we get to Chapter 6 is that Satan and the fallen angels, the fallen “sons of God” have come up with a plan. “If our destroyer comes from the line of the woman, then let’s just destroy the line of the woman. Let’s pollute the genetic pool so badly that even God can’t bring any sort of savior out of it.”

Again, it’s just a personal opinion, but I think what’s happened by the time we get to Chapter 6 is that Satan and the fallen angels, the fallen “sons of God” have come up with a plan. “If our destroyer comes from the line of the woman, then let’s just destroy the line of the woman. Let’s pollute the genetic pool so badly that even God can’t bring any kind of savior out of it.”

Ultimately, I think that’s why God brings the flood. I mean, God’s brought judgment on individuals and multiple nations before, but the entire world in one failed swoop? I mean, that seems extreme, unless humanity had gotten so polluted that God said, “I’m going to save a handful of mankind to accomplish My plan before the entire human race is gone.”

Ultimately, I think that’s why God brings the flood. I mean, God’s brought judgment on individuals and multiple nations before, but the entire world in one failed swoop? That seems extreme, unless humanity had gotten so messed up that God said, “I’m going to save a handful of mankind to accomplish My plan before the entire human race is gone.”

Some people say, “Oh, these Nephilim, that’s like where Goliath came from, right?” No. May I remind you, we’re about to see a flood, and nowhere in the text does it say, “These Nephilim were heroes of old, men of renown, and incredible swimmers! These guys could tread water for hundreds of days!” No. Whatever happened here, God is about to destroy.

Whatever happened here, God is about to destroy.

That’s just my thoughts. Now, will I argue that with anybody? No.

Side note: Some people say, “Oh, these Nephilim, that’s like where Goliath came from, right?” No. May I remind you, we’re about to see a flood, and nowhere in the text does it say, “These Nephilim were heroes of old, men of renown, and incredible swimmers! These guys could tread water for hundreds of days!” No. Whatever happened here, God is about to destroy it.

The beautiful women who are the “daughter of men” – beautiful women. Does it necessarily mean that they are fallen women? No, but it could. I don’t know.

The beautiful women who are the “daughter of men?” Beautiful women. Does it necessarily mean that they are fallen women? No, it could, but it doesn’t have to. I don’t know.

So, that’s what we don’t know. How about What We Do Know? Maybe you’re thinking, “Not too much!” Let me give you some things that we do know. Number one, whatever or whoever they were, The Issue Was Choosing the Ungodly over the Godly. Whether it was angels, fallen angels, demon-possessed men, or just human beings who chose their mates based on their own lusts and desires instead of godliness, I don’t know and I’m not going to argue it. The point is very clear here: There was a point in time where an entire civilization was known because of their acts of choosing the ungodly over the godly.

Those are just my thoughts. Will I argue them with anybody? No.

The beautiful women who are the “daughter of men?” Beautiful women. Does it necessarily mean that they are fallen women? No, it could, but it doesn’t have to. I don’t know.

If that’s the issue, now this has complete application to us. I mean, how many times have we had a choice in life to choose what was right, or to choose our own desires? How many times have I gotten to a place in life where I have enough sense and Spirit in me to know what God wants me to do, but boy, this is what Shannon wants to do. How many times in relationships have we given up on what God has called us to be in order to be what we want to be? I may have never preached on it before, but this is who we are! Once again, just like in the garden, choices were made… and are still being made. We either choose to obey God, or we don’t. Oh, we’re living !

That’s what we don’t know. How about What We Do Know? Maybe you’re thinking, “Uh, not too much!” Let me give you some things that we do know.

Number one, whatever or whoever they were, The Issue was Choosing the Ungodly over the Godly. Whether it was angels, fallen angels, demon-possessed men, or just human beings who chose their mates based on their own lusts and desires instead of godliness, I don’t know. I don’t have to know! The point is very clear here: There was a time when an entire civilization was known because of their acts of choosing the ungodly over the godly.

If that’s the issue, we’re in now! I mean, how many times have we had a choice in life to choose what was right, or to choose our own desires? How many times have I gotten to a place in my own life where I have enough sense and enough Spirit inside me to know what God wants me to do, but boy, this is what Shannon wants to do? I may have never taught on it before, but this is who we are! Just like in the garden, choices were made… and are still being made today. We either choose to obey God, or we don’t. In that way, we are living !

I don’t who they were, but I know this: They were picking mates, picking spouses, based on beauty… based purely on the external. They set aside what God wanted for what they wanted.

Is it any different today? We live in a culture that says, “Find somebody who excites you. Find somebody who you are attracted to. Find somebody who’s great looking with a pulse. That’s who you want to marry!”No wonder we live in a day and age where after weeks and months of being with somebody, we realize, “Oh, the surface may be pretty, but man, we can’t live together.”

And yet the Bible’s been screaming at us the whole time: “Don’t get into a relationship unless you have the same core values.” The Bible screams out, “If your goal is to be a Christ-ian, one who follows Jesus, why are you joining with someone who that’s not their goal?” It’s like going hiking with two compasses, one pointing one direction and one pointing the other. It’s going to be a miserable hike.

Regardless of the specifics, we know they were choosing the ungodly over the godly. What else do we know? I’ve already said it a couple times, but I’ll say it again: We Are Living In .

Jesus told His disciples that He was going to leave this Earth, and then He was going to return, but when that was going to happen, nobody knew.

(NIV84)36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

I don’t know who did what during this time, but I do know that Jesus said, “When I come back, that’s what the culture’s going to look like.” So real quickly, let me give you four things from and you tell me whether or not we’re living in it.

Number one, Fallen Heroes. These Nephilim - there’s a debate even about that word. It either means something that is larger or something that is fallen. It’s ambiguous, and yet I think that both apply. They were fallen, “heroes of old,” and let me point out, the Bible is not saying that’s a good thing. In fact, I think these people heroically led the absolute wrong direction, otherwise God would have applauded it.

We live in a day of the Nephilim. We live in a day where our culture gives “standing o’s” to fallen people. Search yourself for trendsetters, icons, pop-culture heroes and you’ll come up with names we all know: Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Madonna, the Beatles, Oprah, Sean Combs, Rihanna, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong… on and on. I’m not saying these people are demonic or fallen angels. I’m just saying it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize that our heroes, the trendsetters of our culture are incredibly gifted people, but they don’t necessarily have anything to do with godliness.

Our culture does not applaud character, perseverance, purity, truth, honesty, integrity. Our culture applauds what people do, not who people are. It’s okay to like what they do, but you better know who they are!

The second thing the culture was defined by was Sexual Perversion. Them not doing things God’s way but doing things their way led to some pretty messed up families and generations. Perversion is simply taking something that is right and twisting it to do it differently, and we definitely live in a culture that glamorizes that!

Thirdly, the culture was defined by Widespread Corruption. Listen to rest of these verses, beginning with verse 11...

(NIV84)11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

Widespread corruption. Back in verse 5 it says...

(NIV84)5 The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

There was constant evil on the hearts and minds of the people.

And then finally, the culture was defined by Violent Headlines. According to the latest U.S. crime statistics for 2015, in America alone there were...

1,197,704 violent crimes reported

15,696 murders

90,185 rapes

Anywhere between 1 out of 4 and 1 out of 6 women will be a victim of domestic violence

7 children or teens are murdered every single day

Jesus said, “I’m not going to tell you when, but I’ll tell you what it will be like. I’m going to come back in a day when the culture looks like the days of Noah, which was known for its fallen heroes, its sexual perversion, its widespread corruption, and its violent headlines.

I’m not one of those guys saying, “Mark your calendar! December 22...” I’m just one of those guys saying, “We are living in . We live in the days of Noah.” And the thing that ought to wake us up is that in , God’s grace had a deadline. He didn’t put up with it forever.

(NIV84)3 … “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

Some people think that God was giving an age limit for mankind. I think this is probably how long it was going to be until the flood. God continues to give us a choice, to choose to obey Him or to not. How much longer He’ll give us that choice, I don’t know, but the good news is for now, we have the choice.

God continues to give us a choice, to choose to obey Him or to not. How much longer He’ll give us that choice, I don’t know, but for now, we have the choice.

So, aren’t you glad you came today? I mean, this is some real uplifting stuff! And yet, in the midst of , just like in the midst of 2017, there’s hope. You want to get right with God? God’s Favor is [Still] Found by Obedience and Walking with Him.

I know it’s the last blank, but don’t put it away yet. Listen to verse 9...

(NIV84)9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and [circle, underline, highlight, smiley face!… and] he walked with God.

He didn’t just set himself apart from culture. He wasn’t just different on the outside. He wasn’t just a man or woman who said, “I’m not going to be stained by what the culture has applauded.” And… he walked with God!

I love that they’re both here! Why do we walk with people? There are two reasons why we walk with people. Now, I know some of you - “We walk for exercise!” We’re not talking about that! That’s not really why you walk with people.

We walk with people for two reasons. Number one, obvious, because we love them - Intimacy. We walk with people because we enjoy being with them. We like spending time with them. We enjoy the intimacy.

Do you know why else we walk with people? We walk with people To Get Things Straightened Out. I remember the times when my dad would come home from work, we’d eat dinner, and then he’d say, “Let’s go take a walk.” I already knew the walk was coming. It was his way of removing me from the rest of the family and addressing something I had said or something I’d done, or not done.

Oh, I still need walks. We still need walks. There are times when we need to practice the presence of God and walk with Him to be reminded that we are His son, we are His daughter, we are His child.

But, there are also times when I need to, much like David in , walk with God and just ask Him to search me and to try me, to reveal what’s going on in my life. “Did you really say that?” “Yeah.” “Is that the way My boy should act?” “Probably not.” “Probably?” “Definitely not.” “Do you want to get that fixed?” “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

Noah set himself apart from culture and he walked with God. God said, “Right there is where I’ll start.” Guess what? It’s the same place He still starts today.

2017-21: The Wackiest Story in Genesis

Introduction and Review

What We Don’t Know

Who are the “Sons of God?”

The Godly Line of Seth

Angels

Fallen Angels

Demon Possessed Humans

New Testament Examples

Personal Opinion

What We Do Know

The Issue was Choosing the Ungodly over the Godly

We Are Living in Genesis 6

Fallen Heroes

Sexual Perversion

Widespread Corruption

Violent Headlines

God’s Favor is Found by Obedience and Walking with Him

We Walk for Intimacy

We Walk to Get Things Straightened Out