Angels and Demons – Part 4: Implications and Wrap Up

The spiritual realm is real. Angels and demons are real.

As the guys from “Haunted Cosmos” often say, “the world is not just stuff,” and they are absolutely right about that!

We’ve seen what the bible says about this – we’ve seen what these spiritual beings are by nature, what they aren’t, and what they do, both good and evil. We’ve seen that angels and demons are the same kind of creature (and I mean creature in the basest sense of the word – creature, i.e. created being.) We’ve seen that even Satan is subject to the will of God and that the war between good and evil is not a war of equals. The devil and his angels (demons) have lost the war and will be imprisoned for eternity in the hell that never ends. Satan is not the king of hell nor is he a king in hell, in fact, he’s not even an HOA president.

He is a defeated enemy, imprisoned, and facing the eternal punishment his crimes deserve.

So, given all of what we have seen so far, there are probably some remaining questions, at least I hope there are. Questions like:

• What about Nephilim? Anakim? Rephaim?
• What about the saying “heaven gained another angel?”
• Do angels really get their wings when a bell rings?
• What about Nephilim?
• Can believers be possessed?
• Nephilim?
• So, what about these Nephilim things?

To all of those I’d say that your theology and doctrinal beliefs should be internally consistent and should come out of the scripture (exegesis), not by reading your beliefs into scripture (eisegesis).

Every time a bell rings, do angels really get their wings?

No.

Can believers be demon possessed?

No.

Believers have the Holy Spirit living inside of them.

¹⁵“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:15–17 ESV)

And the Holy Spirit is stronger than any demon, Satan included. In order for a demon to inhabit a believer, the demon and the Holy Spirit would need to be roommates, and that’s simply not possible – the Holy Spirit would never allow that! So, the only other option is that the demon would need to overpower the Holy Spirit and kick Him out! And the bible assures that cannot happen…

¹⁴Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. ¹⁵But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” ¹⁶while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. ¹⁸And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; ²²but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. (Luke 11:14–22 ESV)

That said, it is entirely possible for demons to attack believers and tempt believers, and even for believers to succumb to the temptation and sin, sometimes egregiously, but it is not possible for demons to inhabit believers.

Does heaven really gain another angel when a person dies?

No.

²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:20–21 ESV)

⁵¹Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” ⁵⁵“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:51–55 ESV)

Humans do not become angels. Humans do not get wings. Humans are humans and when humans are glorified, humans become glorified humans, not angels. In fact, you would not want to become an angel!  And why not you ask?

¹⁴Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. ¹⁶For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. ¹⁷Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:14–18 ESV)

Because Jesus does not help angels! There is no salvation for angels because Jesus did not become an angel in His incarnation. He did not “put on the angelic nature”, he put on flesh and took on the nature of humanity (John 1:14) so he could save his people from their sins.

People who die in Christ do not become angels and people who apart from Christ become do not become demons. Humans and angels/demons are not the same kind of creature at all. Just about the only thing similar between us is that we are all creatures. Which leads into the next question.

What about Nephilim? Anakim? Rephaim?

OK. We’ve arrived. And likely some of us have been reading this series simply to get here. Books have been written on this topic, dissertations have been presented defending one position over another. I have done neither, but I do want to be consistent. So, given that, consider this answer as my $47.23 thoughts on it.

Short answer – I do not think that demons copulated with human women and created giants as offspring. A train of logic gets me there so here is that train, and it starts with a few questions…

1. Are all creatures created by God?
2. Are all creatures created to reproduce only after their own kind?
3. Are angels creatures created by God?
4. Are angels and humans the same kind?
5. Given these questions (whose answers become premises), we can ask a question that leads to a conclusion, namely here, “can angels and humans reproduce?”

Given these questions, one consistent set of answers leading to a particular belief is this would be:

1. Premise: Yes, all creatures are created by God.
2. Premise: Yes, all creatures are created to reproduce only after their own kinds.
3. Premise: Yes, angels are creatures created by God.
4. Premise: No, angels and humans are not the same kind of creature.
5. Conclusion: Therefore, no, angels and humans cannot reproduce.

This is consistent because the conclusion doesn’t contradict the premises.

Another set of answers leading to another particular belief would be:

1. Premise: Yes, all creatures are created by God.
2. Premise: No, all creatures are not created to reproduce only after their own kinds.
3. Premise: Yes, Angels are creatures created by God.
4. Premise: No, angels and humans are not the same kind of creature.
5. Conclusion: Therefore, yes, angels and humans can reproduce.

This is also consistent because the conclusion doesn’t contradict the premises.

However, just because they are both internally consistent doesn’t mean they are both correct, in fact, those two belief structures are mutually exclusive, either one is right or both are wrong, but they can’t both be right. Internal consistency doesn’t imply correctness, it simply says “this conclusion is valid given the premises.” All it proves is that they are both consistent within themselves, not that the premises are valid premises.

So then, what would an example of an internally inconsistent set of answers look like?  Glad you asked…

1. Premise: Yes, all creatures are created by God.
2. Premise: Yes, all creatures are created to reproduce only after their own kinds.
3. Premise: Yes, Angels are creatures created by God.
4. Premise: No, angels and humans are not the same kind of creature.
5. Conclusion: Therefore, yes, angels and humans can reproduce.

This set is inconsistent with itself because the conclusion that angels and humans can still reproduce is not allowed given the stated premises. One (or more) of premises 1-4 don’t allow the conclusion presented – if premises 1-4 are true, then the stated conclusion cannot also be true.

All this to say that if you believe that Genesis 6 says that humans and angels can reproduce and create offspring, namely Nephilim (or Anakim or Rephaim), then you must affirm one or more of the following:

1. There are creatures are not created by God and are not subject to the rules
2. There is only one creature in all of creation that is created by God but is not restricted to reproducing after their own kind (angels)
3. Angels are not created by God
4. Angels and humans are the same kind of creature

1, 3, and 4 are false on their faces so no Christian can accept any of those postulates.

2 is the only acceptable one of all of those.

So, in order for me to say that the Nephilim are the giant offspring of demons and human females, I must believe that, for some reason, demons were given the ability to reproduce with creatures that are not of their kind. Beyond that, I must believe that demons have sperm that can fertilize human eggs, or that they can somehow produce life apart from the normal biological process that God decreed. That is a bridge I’m not ready to cross, however, it is a bridge that good and godly people have crossed, even good and godly people I respect and recommend.

If you are a person who believes that Nephilim are the giant offspring of demons and human women, my only “ask” of you is that you think through these questions and answer them. Know what you believe but also know why you believe it! And protip, that doesn’t only apply to this topic. We should all be doing that with everything we believe.

Now after all of that, I’ll ask a couple of hard questions of my own position.

1. Jeff, do you believe that the Nephilim were actual giants?
2. Jeff, do you believe that something demonic was going on in Genesis 6?

My current belief is, “Yes, I believe that something demonic was going on in Genesis 6, but no, I do not believe that the Nephilim were actual giants.”  How in the world did I arrive at that conclusion?

First, I believe that demons and humans cannot create offspring together, so whatever the Nephilim were, they were not some demon/human hybrid with hybrid DNA. They are called “men” in Genesis 6 and I believe they were men. Second, I believe that the flood was sent to punish sin and wipe the slate clean so to speak. I do not believe that these Nephilim survived the flood because if I did, I’d have to believe that it failed to fulfill its intended purpose. So, what about the Nephilim showing up again after the flood? I believe that they got there the same way the “original” Nephilim got there.

“So Jeff, what about the demonic activity? You said you believe that, so how do you believe that?”

Good question. The more I think about this and attempt to answer my own questions, the more I am driven to the possibility that this involved demonic possession – demons possessing human males and copulating with human females. I used to believe that Genesis 6 was using “sons of God” to mean the line of Seth and there was nothing supernatural going on there at all. Honestly, when pressed, since I have more questions about the “fallen angel” interpretation than the “Sethite” interpretation, I still fall on this side of the beam when pushed. However, I am more and more seeing the appeal and consistency of the “demonic possession” side, especially given passages that are likely related like Jude 1:1-6. This is not a cleanly buttoned up package, many approaches have both difficulties and strengths, but some questions are easier for me to answer than others.

Wrap up

I guess the point in all of this is that whatever you believe about angels, demons, or really anything else, wrestle with it. Figure out not only what you believe but why you believe it. Try to come up with questions that people would have about, or challenges they would raise against your position and attempt to answer them. Don’t be content to merely believe something because you don’t want to put the work in that answering hard questions requires, rather, ask the hard questions and then attempt to find answers. You may even find that seeking answers leads to more questions! And that’s a good thing. Some things are hard to understand, so don’t get wrapped around the axel of needing a bullet-proof answer – there are bullet-proof answers to some questions – “Is Jesus God?” is one of them – there is no doubt, scripture screams this as an emphatic “YES!” But topics like the one we’ve been exploring in the past few posts, this “angels and demons” one, leave breadcrumbs and alternate routes, like being asked “are you trying to get to Cedar Rapids, Iowa or Cedar Rapids, Nebraska?” when all someone told you was “Cedar Rapids.” You may have an idea of where to go given the context, but you need to investigate those breadcrumbs and contexts to make sure you get to the right place.

One example of this kind of thing in my own belief system is around eschatology (belief about the end times.) I hold to an amillennial position of the end times. I hold it, not because I believe it is bullet-proof, but because I believe it is the best position given the biblical witness. However, answering the question “what does it mean that Satan is bound” in the context of amillennialism is a bit of a pickle for me. I know how I answer that question, and I think it’s a good answer, but it’s not as clean as I’d like it to be.

Logic paths and questions like we worked through above are helpful, and I know where I am likely to land, but I also know that it’s a belief I hold in tension and other good and godly people would disagree with me, sometimes vehemently and that’s OK for something like this.

But it is absolutely not OK for something like the deity of Christ.

Can you deny that Jesus is God and still be a Christian?

No.

Can you believe that demons copulated with human women resulting in offspring called Nephilim and still be a Christian?

Yes.

Doctrine is important for sure and should be discussed and taught and wrestled with. If your doctrine is consistent with scripture, praise God! If it is not, it’s not scripture that is wrong – change your doctrine to match scripture, then praise God that he showed you your error.

Doctrine is important, but right doctrine doesn’t save you.

Jesus does.

Despite our best doctrine, Jesus saves!