Who were the sons of God?

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MaryM

Well-known member
Nov 25, 2022
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#1
Reading the King James Bible, the Book of Job, I have a question.
Chapter 1 v. 6 . Who were the Sons of God and how come Satan came with them to talk to God? I thought Satan had been thrown out of heaven.
 

Bruce_Leiter

Active member
Feb 17, 2023
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#3
Reading the King James Bible, the Book of Job, I have a question.
Chapter 1 v. 6 . Who were the Sons of God and how come Satan came with them to talk to God? I thought Satan had been thrown out of heaven.
When did you think they got kicked out of heaven? Remember that after the disciples returned from their first missionary journey when they did miracles, Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall from heaven." Jesus' victory with his life, death, and resurrection tied Satan's hands further in what he could do to restrict the spread of the gospel. I think the sons of God in Job 1:6 are either angels or believers who had died and were serving God in a similar way to the angels. After all, as believers, we are all adopted sons and daughters of God, according to Paul.
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
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#4
Reading the King James Bible, the Book of Job, I have a question. Chapter 1 v. 6 . Who were the Sons of God and how come Satan came with them to talk to God? I thought Satan had been thrown out of heaven.
The book of Job does not say that Satan was allowed back into God's Heaven. Since he was cast down to the atmospheric heaven long before that, that meeting may have been somewhere between the first and third heavens. The angels came to present themselves "before the LORD" and the LORD could be present at whichever location He chose. And the "sons of God" were in fact angels, since they are direct creations of God. Satan is an angelic being, and even though He is God's and man's adversary (that is the meaning of the Hebrew ha Satan), God was going to use him against Job.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,801
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113
#5
Reading the King James Bible, the Book of Job, I have a question.
Chapter 1 v. 6 . Who were the Sons of God and how come Satan came with them to talk to God? I thought Satan had been thrown out of heaven.
angels. look for this phrase 'sons of God' in other places in the OT and the meaning is clear.

why is Satan present? he's an angel.

in fact, I'd posit that the whole meeting is for the purpose of all the angels to witness the events of the book of Job: why does God ask Satan where he has been? does God not know? of course He does!
He forces Satan to confess, 'going to and fro on the earth' - what does that imply to the angels of heaven? they are the context!
And all these angels witness what happens with Job, how Satan tests him, how Job does not curse God or lose faith, how Satan fails.

The entire narrative, all these events, are directly commenting on the confrontation of Satan and God, on Satan's fall, on the lies he tried to tempt all these other angels who are present with - on the goodness of God through His mercy towards man who has faith in Him.

Satan has to be there, because this whole book is about the accusation of Satan against God and God's righteous answer to it, in the presence of all the angels. it is a judicial setting: the court of God, where the faith of ignorant Job is entered as testimony.
Satan is the accuser, Job is the evidence, God is the defense & righteous judge, all the angels of heaven witness.
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
14,021
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#6
When did you think they got kicked out of heaven? Remember that after the disciples returned from their first missionary journey when they did miracles, Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall from heaven." Jesus' victory with his life, death, and resurrection tied Satan's hands further in what he could do to restrict the spread of the gospel. I think the sons of God in Job 1:6 are either angels or believers who had died and were serving God in a similar way to the angels. After all, as believers, we are all adopted sons and daughters of God, according to Paul.
Gods children are mankind not angels

“which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3:38‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, This day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, And he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, And his ministers a flame of fire.

But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1:5-7, 13-14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

the children are the hiers of God they are exclusively mankind it’s why Jesus the son became a man and not an angel

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,( they have already explained angels are all spiritual beings ) he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, ( he became a man because they are the children of God )that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2:14-17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

If you look early on what they were doing is what e gospel says makes us children

“And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭4:26‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:1-2, 12‬ ‭

Mankind are the offspring of God angels are his spiritual ministers made to Kim’s other to the hiers of salvstion mankind
 

DJT_47

Well-known member
Oct 20, 2022
1,041
187
63
#7
angels. look for this phrase 'sons of God' in other places in the OT and the meaning is clear.

why is Satan present? he's an angel.

in fact, I'd posit that the whole meeting is for the purpose of all the angels to witness the events of the book of Job: why does God ask Satan where he has been? does God not know? of course He does!
He forces Satan to confess, 'going to and fro on the earth' - what does that imply to the angels of heaven? they are the context!
And all these angels witness what happens with Job, how Satan tests him, how Job does not curse God or lose faith, how Satan fails.

The entire narrative, all these events, are directly commenting on the confrontation of Satan and God, on Satan's fall, on the lies he tried to tempt all these other angels who are present with - on the goodness of God through His mercy towards man who has faith in Him.

Satan has to be there, because this whole book is about the accusation of Satan against God and God's righteous answer to it, in the presence of all the angels. it is a judicial setting: the court of God, where the faith of ignorant Job is entered as testimony.
Satan is the accuser, Job is the evidence, God is the defense & righteous judge, all the angels of heaven witness.
To your response wherein you answered the question regarding who the sons of God are, namely "angels". That answer would be hard to reconcile with the below scripture.

John 1:12

12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
17,111
3,687
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#9
To your response wherein you answered the question regarding who the sons of God are, namely "angels". That answer would be hard to reconcile with the below scripture.

John 1:12

12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Sons of God in scripture are all beings God created that were sinless at their creation. All the angels are sons of God. Adam was a son of God. Jesus was the only begotten Son of God (body was created, not Jesus). After the fall, man is born into sin and the only way man can be a son of God is through the new birth by receiving Jesus, the verse you posted. We must be born again as a new creature...a son of God.
 
Jun 20, 2022
6,460
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#11
Psalms 82:

6 I said, "You are angelic creatures, and all of you are Sons of the Most High."

7 nevertheless, like men you shall die


a man is already going to die like a man!

Verse 7 specifically tells us that these, as Verse 6 claims: "You are angelic creatures, and all of you are Sons of the Most High." You Will DIE like MEN!!
 

Omegatime

Well-known member
Apr 29, 2023
1,150
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Pennsylvania
#12
Psalms 82:

6 I said, "You are angelic creatures, and all of you are Sons of the Most High."

7 nevertheless, like men you shall die


a man is already going to die like a man!

Verse 7 specifically tells us that these, as Verse 6 claims: "You are angelic creatures, and all of you are Sons of the Most High." You Will DIE like MEN!!
Angels dying lke men I undertood are those who came to earth and took on flesh as a curse. Satan appears to have special permission for a time
 
Jun 20, 2022
6,460
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#13
Angels dying lke men I undertood are those who came to earth and took on flesh as a curse. Satan appears to have special permission for a time
Yes, if you research the Word Watchers in Hebrew and Greek, you will discover it's used for Fallen Angels in Genesis, Jeremiah, and Daniel uses a term to separate good from bad by using holy Watchers.

but Apostle John also wrote of them in Revelation and called them
Grigori

New World Encyclopedia

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org › entry › Grig...

The Grigori (from Greek egrḗgoroi, "The Watchers") are a group of fallen angels


Here's Daniels addition from Chapter 4:
In the vision of my mind in bed,
I looked and saw a holy Watcher coming down from heaven.

This sentence is decreed by the Watchers;
This verdict is commanded by the Holy Ones
So that all creatures may know
That the Most High is sovereign over the realm of man,
And He gives it to whom He wishes
And He may set over it even the lowest of men.’

The holy Watcher whom the king saw descend from heaven and say,
Hew down the tree and destroy it,
But leave the stump with its roots in the ground.
In fetters of iron and bronze
In the grass of the field,
Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
And share the lot of the beasts of the field
Until seven seasons pass over him—
 

SimpleMan

New member
Jun 7, 2023
12
6
3
#14
Sons of God in scripture are all beings God created that were sinless at their creation. All the angels are sons of God. Adam was a son of God. Jesus was the only begotten Son of God (body was created, not Jesus). After the fall, man is born into sin and the only way man can be a son of God is through the new birth by receiving Jesus, the verse you posted. We must be born again as a new creature...a son of God.
And Israel as a nation is referred to as a son of God... in Exodus 4:2 and Hosea 11:1

I think at time we can get really wrapped up in some of these minutia of terms from a legalistic point of view. Let us all agree that first, this is solely determined by God and He defines who He calls his sons and daughters. That alone should invoke in us some humility on this point. Still this is an interesting question and one we should consider as to whether we can discern the Lord purpose in stating this.

In this passage, I could go either way. While yes Satan has lost his place in Heaven at this point, he is clearly described as having access before God (in submission still to God) along with the sons of God but he is there as an "accuser of the brethren." We see a similar appearance described in Zech 3 where Satan is permitted to come before the court to accuse God's people, both those dead and in the Job's case, those alive. So we do seem to have this pattern in scripture of this presentation of the people of God before the throne whether in person or in absentia. This always seems to occur for the point of God's glory.
All that said, I tend to think the answer to the question of whether this particular reference is in reference to angels or godly men the answer could very well be yes.
Just as we see in Revelation, all of heaven gets involved when court is in session. =)

So in Job, I believe this could be referencing the angels as well as those people alive and those who die trusting in God but in Genesis 6, the context changes and I think its in reference to just those alive, specifically the line of Seth who were just contrasted with the line of Cain in the immediate preceding passage.
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
17,111
3,687
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#15
And Israel as a nation is referred to as a son of God... in Exodus 4:2 and Hosea 11:1

I think at time we can get really wrapped up in some of these minutia of terms from a legalistic point of view. Let us all agree that first, this is solely determined by God and He defines who He calls his sons and daughters. That alone should invoke in us some humility on this point. Still this is an interesting question and one we should consider as to whether we can discern the Lord purpose in stating this.

In this passage, I could go either way. While yes Satan has lost his place in Heaven at this point, he is clearly described as having access before God (in submission still to God) along with the sons of God but he is there as an "accuser of the brethren." We see a similar appearance described in Zech 3 where Satan is permitted to come before the court to accuse God's people, both those dead and in the Job's case, those alive. So we do seem to have this pattern in scripture of this presentation of the people of God before the throne whether in person or in absentia. This always seems to occur for the point of God's glory.
All that said, I tend to think the answer to the question of whether this particular reference is in reference to angels or godly men the answer could very well be yes.
Just as we see in Revelation, all of heaven gets involved when court is in session. =)

So in Job, I believe this could be referencing the angels as well as those people alive and those who die trusting in God but in Genesis 6, the context changes and I think its in reference to just those alive, specifically the line of Seth who were just contrasted with the line of Cain in the immediate preceding passage.
Exodus 4:2?

Hosea is future prophecy...

The only way man can be a son of God is through the new birth.
 

selahsays

Well-known member
May 31, 2023
2,796
1,484
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#16
Reading the King James Bible, the Book of Job, I have a question.
Chapter 1 v. 6 . Who were the Sons of God and how come Satan came with them to talk to God? I thought Satan had been thrown out of heaven.
Job 1:6 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them."

The "angels" are "the sons of God" in this context, and Satan (also an angel) is right there with them in heaven, too. Like you, @MaryM, I’m confused about Satan being in heaven.

Except for the way it is used in Job, this “sons of God” phrase refers to those who follow after God and keep His Word.
 

GRACE_ambassador

Well-known member
Feb 22, 2021
3,210
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Midwest
#17
we do seem to have this pattern in scripture of this presentation of the people of God before the throne whether in person or in absentia. This always seems to occur for the point of God's glory.
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SimpleMan

New member
Jun 7, 2023
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#18
Exodus 4:2?

Hosea is future prophecy...

The only way man can be a son of God is through the new birth.
I beg your pardon...typo
Ex 4:22
Hos. 11:1 does what many passages of prophecy do which is move on two levels - a relevant portion for the generation hearing it and forward focused aspect.
In the context of our conversation I am focused on the former and its pointing back to Ex 4:22 as Israel corporately is referred to as son of God.