What is the Antediluvian period?

The term antediluvian means pre-flood. From the creation of the universe in Genesis 1 up to Genesis 6 was the existence before the flood of Noah. I want to concentrate in particular on  some the activity in the sixth chapter of Genesis.

In Genesis 6:1-4 we read, Now it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves all of whom they chose. And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not always strive with man forever for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”[1] There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children  to them, those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

There are two views regarding who the sons of God are. The first view is that they are angels and second view is that they are the sons of Adam and Eve’s third son Seth (Genesis 4:25).

Notice when the text says the sons of God took wives for themselves all of whom they chose, and immediately afterward God says, “My Spirit will not always strive with man forever for he is indeed flesh. It seems odd that God would become upset with the sons of God if they are human men (i.e. sons of Seth), and they desired to marry the daughters of men. Men and women were put on this earth to marry and procreate. For this reason, the writer does not believe that the sons of God are the descendants of Seth or any other mere mortals.

The view that the sons of God are wicked angels that cohabited with women and produced offspring is one of the accepted interpretations of this text. This is the interpretation the writer leans to. The phrase sons of 

God also appears in the book of Job 1:6 and Job 2:1. In these two texts sons of God refers to angels and not men. The argument against this view comes from Matthew 22:30 where Jesus has to rebuke the Sadducees for their lack of understanding of marriage in the eternal state. Jesus said regarding men, “for in the resurrection they (men and women) neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of God in heaven (italics mine).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Jesus is letting his audience know that heavenly angels do not procreate.[2] The amount of angels that were created by God is fixed. So as a result of this reality, there are many that do not believe the sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6 are angels. This is a plausible view in my opinion.

Another view why some believe the sons of God in Genesis 6 are angels is because many believe that the angels indwelt men and produce giants; perhaps some type of hybrid offspring. This conclusion is a misreading of the text. Notice Genesis 6 vs. 4 says there were giants (Hebrew Nephilim; meaning to fall or fallen ones) already. So the union between the sons of God and daughters of men did not necessarily produce the nephilim. It says their union produced men of old, men of renown (vs 4).

Two texts II Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 makes reference to angels who did not keep their first estate or proper domain or dwelling are consigned to hell; Greek word Tartarus which the Hebrew writers borrowed to describe the lowest hell. Many scholars believe these are the angels who sinned and had intercourse with the daughters of men in Genesis 6 producing an evil offspring. This act along with the wickedness of men in the antediluvian race precipitated the judgment of the earth producing the worldwide flood.

Concluding, no one knows for absolutely sure who the sons of God are. Once again I Iean toward them being fallen angels for the reason I mentioned above while others believe they are the sons of Seth because there are those that believe his line were godly (Genesis 5:6-32).

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[1] The one hundred twenty years is believed to be the time from God’s pronouncement of His declaring that He will not always strive with man until the flood. Other believe that man’s life span would be reduced to 120 years of life. Man still lives beyond 120 years after the flood; e.g. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel). Life spans drastically declinded thereafter.

[2] Heavenly angels do not commit sin but the sons of God in Genesis 6 (if they are angels) were evil and left their natural abode as Jude 6 and II Peter 2:4 declare to have inordinate relations with human women and produce wicked offspring.