Under consideration is John McArthur’s sermons on Genesis 6:1-4 which is titled, Demonic Invasion (my full review of which you can find here). I would say that his overall sermon, as in application of the text, is good and useful however, he jumps to various conclusions due to presuppositions and so ends up asserting various points.
SONS OF GODS’ MARRIAGES
John MacArthur asks and answers a key question, “How can an immaterial spiritual being, a fallen angel, a demon marry a woman?…Only one way, folks. They have to take the body of a man…we know that angels do this. Satan took the form of a serpent in the Garden….chapter 18 of Genesis and chapter 19 you will find that angels appear to Abraham…As men….Jacob…is wrestling with an angel and you can’t wrestle with a spirit, he’s wrestling with an angel in a physical form…they always, always appear in a male form…holy angels occasionally appeared in human form.”
He also adds that in “Hebrews chapter 13 we are reminded that some have entertained angels without knowing it…entertained angels unaware. You didn’t even know that an angel was ministering through someone.” Yet, it is not that we “didn’t even know that an angel was ministering through someone” as it was not a “someone” but was an angel since “some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
He also stated, “Though angels are spirits and in heaven, they don’t marry or are given in marriage, according to Matthew 22:30, when they appear on earth they always take a human body.” Just to clarify, the text states that it is the angels in heaven that do not marry and this says nothing about what the fallen angels did.
On the point that they “take a human body” he also states, “we also know from the Bible that demons can enter human bodies.” This last point is actually key, as MacArthur will not argue that physical angels married women but that spirit/fallen angel/demons possessed human males who are the sons of God in Genesis 6.
I would say that there is not one single biblical texts which states or hints at that angels are spirits that take on human bodies, morph into human form, appear to be human even though they are not, shapeshift, etc. As per the Bible as a whole angels, in their very nature and essence, look like human males (have no wings nor halos) and are as physical as was Jesus post-resurrection in His glorified body: physical enough to be touched, to eat, etc. and yet, able to walk through a closed door, to appear and disappear, etc. We may say something to the like of: able to access, utilize or traverse more dimensions that we humans can.
Related to the issue of taking a human body are the statements that Satan “showed up in the Garden as an evil wicked serpent…Satan took the form of a serpent.” Yet, it appears that Satan is being referred to as a serpent and not that he shapeshifted or possessed a reptile which MacArthur implies in stating, “Satan has already entered the realm of animals and showed up indwelling a snake in the Garden.” Revelation chaps 12 and 20 identify him as such and also as a “dragon.” For insight into this issue, insight into the word translated “serpent” see On satan, divination and metal.
DOIN’ HARD TIME—OR NOT?
John MacArthur rightly notes that God incarcerated the fallen angels “in prison for what they did in Genesis 6, described there, put them in prisons, in a prison for bound demons” and I certainly part ways regarding the last comment—but my elucidation as to why will have to wait for my book which covers this in great detail.
Now, having say that, he then states, “Now then you have demons that are loose, right? They’re loose in the world. But you also have demons that are bound. And the bound demons have been bound ever since, ever since this time period.” So you see another problem caused by mixing and matching terms” now, the fallen angels/demons were bound in prison but some are not, or escaped or what have you. He is forced to make this generic claim due to his presupposition but it clearly does not work.
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