JUDE 6: THE DEGENERACY IN NOAH'S GENERATION

Verse 6: And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day

In this verse Jude continues his demonstration of God’s action against the evil of degeneracy, ensuring the inevitability of God’s judgment upon the certain persons of verse 4 who practice the same.

The Degeneracy in Noah’s Generation—Genesis 6:1-13

The Greek construction of the word angels refers to the quality of these angels. They are part of the order of “all things” created by God, specifically, that which is invisible (Colossians 1:16). Scriptures teach that angels are “a class of created beings above man”1 (cf. Hebrews 2:7). Their own domain refers to their original sphere of influence as messengers of God, “ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). Dr. C.I. Scofield maintains that “this ministry has reference largely to the physical safety and well-being of believers” [his emphasis],2 (cf. Psalm 91:11; Daniel 6:22)—from which the concept of guardian angels has been derived.

Understanding the true identity of these particular angels is important for comprehending this passage. They are part of the group known as “fallen angels” that followed Satan in rebellion against God. However, they do not comprise the entirety of all fallen angels. The remaining fallen angels are under the command of Satan and are still active and interfering in the lives of mankind. Paul instructs us that our spiritual “struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). And Peter warns us:

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

These specific angels that Jude mentions, not only failed to keep their own domain but they abandoned their proper abode. In other words, they deserted their “glorious habitation”3 around the throne of the God of the universe (Revelation 5:11; 7:11). Dr. Ryrie explains precisely who they are and what they did:

These are the fallen angels who sinned grievously by cohabiting with women, as described in Gen. 6:1–4 and who were confined immediately because of the gross nature of that sin.4

This is a strongly contested verse among many Bible scholars involving two theological views. First, some scholars hold to the view as Ryrie that certain fallen angels—sons of God (Genesis 6:2 & 4)—took wives of mortal women and produced the “mighty men” of Genesis 6:4. The second view holds that Jude is referring to the initial fall of Satan and the angels who rebelled along with him. However, this second view has a flaw: if the angels that Jude mentions are presently kept in eternal bonds and Peter says they have been cast "into hell and committed to pits of darkness" (2 Peter 2:4), then there would be no need of Paul’s warning of the evil forces of darkness today; nor of Peter’s warning of Satan prowling about seeking to devour—for all fallen angels and Satan would now be in confinement until the day of judgment.

The first view hinges on the use of the phrase sons of God in Genesis 6:2 & 4. Ryrie rightly maintains that this phrase “is used in the Old Testament almost exclusively of angels (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7).”5 But this presents two problems to be considered: First, how can angels acquire the physical functionality to propagate offspring with the “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:2)? If this were possible (and there is no way of knowing this for certain), then it would easily explain this passage of Jude and the parallel passage of 2 Peter. If this were accomplished by supernatural means, Jude, Peter and Moses (the author of the Genesis 6) fail to provide the specific evidence.

Secondly, Jude and Peter both insinuate, without any details, that these fallen angels did something that caused them to be judged and incarcerated. Did they withhold the specifics of this infraction because their readers already had knowledge of what these angels did? By considering Jude 5 and 7, we see that Jude provided two examples of Divine discipline that were well known to his readers. It follows that they had knowledge of this specific instance when certain fallen angels, apart from the rest of the fallen angels, had committed a transgression that necessitated God to take immediate action and to confine them until the judgment of the great day.

Notice that the parallel passage in 2 Peter 2:4 is a prelude to Noah and the flood which God brought “upon the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5). The Genesis 6 account insinuates that the ungodly were the Nephilim, the offspring of the demonic angels.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)

Merrill Unger’s comment on the Nephilim is most instructive. He notes that the origin of the Hebrew word comes from the word “to fall” concluding:

That the connotation is “the fallen ones,” clearly meaning the unnatural offspring that were on the earth in the years before the Flood, “and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them” (Genesis 6:4)...They were exceedingly wicked and violent so that “every intent” of the thoughts of men’s hearts “was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5)6

These “mighty men” were half man and half angelic beings. Many scholars believe these individuals form the basis for the Greek and Roman mythological gods. Francis Schaeffer makes an interesting observation:

More and more we are finding that mythology in general, though greatly contorted, very often has some historic base. And the interesting thing is that one myth that one finds over and over again in many parts of the world is that somewhere a long time ago supernatural beings had sexual intercourse with natural women and produced a special breed of people.7

Therefore, what Jude wants to emphasize is that God does punish degeneracy and these angels are presently incarcerated in darkness and their final judgment will be dispensed decisively when Satan is cast into Hell (Revelation 20:10) “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

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[1] Gaebelein, A.C. (1975). What the Bible Says About Angels, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, p.14.

[2] Scofield, C. I. (1945). The Scofield Study Bible, New York: Oxford University Press, p. 1292, note.

[3] Lenski, R.C.H. (2001). Commentary on the New Testament, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 11.618.

[4] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update. Chicago: Moody Press, p. 1986, note.

[5] Ryrie, p. 13 note.

[6] Unger, Merrill F. (1988). The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., Eds.), Chicago,IL: Moody Press, p. 471.

[7] Schaeffer, Francis A. (1985). The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2.89.

  

© 2023 David M. Rossi