The Nephilim: Human, or Supernatural?

Were Nephilim - the "sons of God" - really the result of angels interbreeding with the human race, as seems to be a popular teaching; or has the following passage simply been misinterpreted? Let's check it out:

Genesis 6: 1 In time, when men began to multiply on earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were attractive; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 ADONAI said, "My Spirit will not live in human beings forever, for they too are flesh; therefore their life span is to be 120 years." 4 The N'filim were on the earth in those days, and also afterwards, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; these were the ancient heroes, men of renown.

5 ADONAI saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only. 6 ADONAI regretted that he had made humankind on the earth; it grieved his heart. 7 ADONAI said, "I will wipe out humankind, whom I have created, from the whole earth; and not only human beings but animals, creeping things and birds in the air; for I regret that I ever made them." 8 But Noach found grace in the sight of ADONAI.

The late Zola Levitt offered the following explanation about "the sons of God":

Who are "the sons of God" in Genesis 6:2? Are they demons or humans?

There are indeed two interpretations for "the sons of God" in Genesis 6:2. One school of interpretation says they are fallen angels who had sexual relations with women and produced an offspring of giants. "Sons of God" does refer to angels in some other places in the Bible. Job (1:6; 2:1) is an example of this.

The second school of interpretation says that it can't be angels since angels are unable to marry (Matthew 22:30), and thus angels are not able to procreate. So this interpretation says that the "sons of God" are the godly line of Seth that mixed with the ungodly line of Cain. The consequence was a loss of spiritual sensitivity and responsiveness. This led to the universal corruption of society and necessitated the flood to morally cleanse the earth.

Both views have their strong and weak points, but I believe the latter view.

And so do we, here, at The Refiner's Fire, because the second train of thought simply makes more sense.

The teaching that the Nephilim were fallen angels comes predominately from the extra-biblical book of Enoch. However, the Torah seems to suggest that the righteous line of Adam's son Seth had begun to mix with the unrighteous line of his other son, Cain - and the fruit of this "mixing of seed" was the Nephilim. Although the King James version translates this word as "giants" it may also be understood to be "tyrants", which means that the outcome of this "mixing of the seed" was not a superior race of famous giants, but a world filled with "bad" ungodly people.

This is why YHWH declared: Genesis 6: 3 My Spirit will not live in human beings forever, for they too are flesh; therefore their life span is to be 120 years." YHWH decreed that in 120 years he would stop contending with man and bring destruction upon the earth. Yet, because there was ONE righteous person left (Gen. 6: "8 But Noach found grace in the sight of ADONAI") He spared us complete annihilation.

During this 120 year period, Noah prepared the ark and preached righteousness. Through Noah's line of Seth, the earth was ultimately repopulated and YHWH eventually brought forth the "seed of the woman" via Yeshua in Israel, who would crush the head of the serpent and liberate us from our fallen condition.