As mentioned in part 1 of this article series, it is the confusion that the silliness of the Nephilim misinformation causes. Part of that confusion is because of the side of the argument that says the “sons of God” are the descendants of Seth who took wives from the “daughters of men”, who were from the line of Cain.
While the Bible does not specify the bloodlines of either the “sons of God”, or the “daughters of men”, it also does not indicate that there was parody between the beliefs of Cain and Seth’s descendants either.
All the Bible says about Cain is that he brought a curse upon himself and that he will be a vagabond, and driven out of where he was. Cain’s response to that was not that of a God hater, but actually of one who feared and revered God.
In Genesis 6: 13-15, Cain is very clear about where he is with God;
13 And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15 And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
A “non-believer” would not think twice that what God has told him is going to be a punishment because they wouldn’t believe what God had told them in the first place. Not only that but Cain, at this moment, instead of defying God, goes straight to his fear that God will not protect him.
Then in verse 15, God told Cain that whoever kills him will face His wrath, then He marked Cain to make the promise clear to any would-be attacker. These details are not to be dismissed, and let’s not forget the curse King David, who is inarguably a son of God, brought on himself as well.
To further this point, and to start another, it is further emphasized the “protection” that God had on the descendants of Cain in Genesis 4:23 & 24;
23 Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me.
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
Lamech was 4 generations down from Cain and this is taking place at a time when people live for hundreds of years. Therefore the story of God is passed down from Cain to 4 generations, as is the promise that God made. Meaning that the line of Cain, and the line Seth went on to multiply with sons of God, who believed on the Lord, and also men who did not. Both lines, however, are recipients of the sin of Adam.
The next point that is going to be made comes from verse 24 in the above scripture, which is evidence of the violence that is there at this time in history. That violence, along with the lewdness found in Genesis chapter 6 verse 2 is where it all started. It is the confusion and the demise of pre-flood civilization.
Genesis 6 verse 2:
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. (Emphasis added for this article)
When researching the sides of the “sons of God” argument, many times it’s the multiplicity of wives that is thought to be the cause of God’s wrath but in Gen. 6 v2, it is hard not to see that the believers at the time were basically taking whomever they wanted. Even in modern times, whomever they want is usually not what God wanted. The “they wanted” theory is supported throughout the Bible and one example is Ezra 10 verse 2:
2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land, yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this.
“Pagan wives” means “daughters of men”, and the “we” that trespassed against their God are the “sons of God” in this particular story.
Moving to later in Genesis 6, where the Author tells us again, this time with two general reasons (moral corruption and proliferation of violence), and one entity (man) that He will destroy the earth.
Genesis 6:11-12
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
So, at the end of Genesis 4, we see that there is a bent towards violence as Lamech talks of a young man injuring him as if we didn’t see it with his ancestor Cain. Then we have the lewdness in Chapter 6 with the children of God taking wives outside of God’s boundaries, and clearly because of their physical appearance. And then in verses 11 and 12, it is all tied together with a reiteration of the corrupted human society, degenerated and debauched by its own hands, and mainly because of the failure of God’s children who were responsible for keeping with the laws of God.
This is the story of what happens in the unrepentant deviation from God’s laws, and that is what this story is all about. But violence and lust are not the roots of the demise of a civilization, they are merely the symptom. And in Part 3, we will go after the real cause of the judgment of God on civilization, then, and now.