Les Feldick identifies the 'sons of God' in Genesis 6 as the godly line of Seth, not angels.
According to Les's teaching, God gave Seth to Adam and Eve as a replacement for the murdered Abel, establishing a godly line through whom the promised 'seed of the woman' would come. These godly Sethite descendants were the 'sons of God' who chose wives from the 'daughters of men' in the generations before the flood.
Genesis 6:2 — This verse directly poses the question by saying 'the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.'
Genesis 4:26 — It establishes the godly line of Seth as those who 'began to call upon the name of the LORD,' connecting to Les's Sethite interpretation.
In Genesis 6:1-4, the Bible records that when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, the sons of God saw the daughters of men and took them as wives. The passage also mentions the giants in the earth in those days and says the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men and bore children. The text does not explicitly define who the 'sons of God' were; it only presents them as a distinct group from the 'daughters of men.' Earlier in Genesis, after Cain killed Abel, Adam knew his wife again and she bore Seth, saying God had appointed her 'another seed instead of Abel.' In Seth's line, 'men began to call upon the name of the LORD' (Genesis 4:25-26).
Les teaches that the 'sons of God' in Genesis 6 are the godly line of Seth. He emphasizes that Abel was the spiritual seed until he was murdered, and God sovereignly gave Seth to Adam and Eve as his replacement. This Sethite line was the spiritual line through whom the 'seed of the woman' of Genesis 3:15 would ultimately come, leading to Noah, Shem, Abraham, and the Messiah. As the generations before the flood multiplied, these godly Sethites saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and chose wives from among them. Les presents this as the 'consensus view'—that the sons of God were simply Seth's godly descendants intermarrying with those outside that godly line—rather than the angelic interpretation.
God replaced Abel with Seth, and Seth becomes the ancestor of Noah (Clip 2). Les calls Seth's descendants 'the godly line' that takes Abel's place (Clip 4). In that godly line, 'men began to call upon the name of the LORD' (Genesis 4:26; Clip 1). When Genesis 6 says the 'sons of God' took wives from the 'daughters of men,' Les sees these sons of God as the godly Sethite descendants.
The Sethite view identifies the sons of God as the godly descendants of Seth. The angelic view holds that the sons of God were angelic beings who assumed sexuality and cohabited with human women, with their offspring becoming the giants mentioned in Genesis 6:4. Les acknowledges this is controversial, but his preferred understanding is the Sethite view.
The Sethite line protects the continuity of the promised 'seed of the woman' from Genesis 3:15. Through Seth came Noah, then Shem, and from Shem came Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the nation of Israel, ultimately leading to the birth of the Messiah (Clips 2, 5). If the sons of God were angels, the human lineage of the Messiah would be disrupted; Les's teaching keeps the line intact.
The World Before the Flood
Les sets the stage for Genesis 6 by noting the human race degenerated and its population and technology exploded by the time of the flood.
Seth Replaces Abel
God gave Seth as another seed in place of Abel, and in Seth's line men began to call upon the name of the Lord.
The Spiritual Line Preserved
God sovereignly raised up Seth to replace the murdered spiritual man Abel, and this line leads to Noah.
What's the Difference Between Believing God and Believing in God?
In other words, this is absolute truth when God speaks it. This wasn't just a quirk of a genealogical family tree. This was God speaking. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers, your forefathers, dwelled on the other side of the river, instead of flood.
The Godly Line of Seth
Les distinguishes the godly line of Seth from the ungodly line of Cain, preparing the way for the flood account and the question of the sons of God.
From Seth to the Messiah
Les traces the godly line from Seth through Noah, Shem, and Abraham to the Messiah, showing why the Sethite line is essential to the 'seed of the woman.'
Genealogy of the Spiritual Man
Les follows the genealogy of the spiritual man Seth and highlights Enoch, who walked with God, showing godliness continued in this line.
The Curse of Canaan & Origin of Races: Genesis 9 Bible Study
And then verse 27, And God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. Now, I've always been real careful that we do not imply that through these three sons of Noah, and because of the curse placed on the son of Ham, that God has given an inferior race, or that He has made others superior.
Genesis 4:25: And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
This verse shows God providing Seth as a replacement seed after Abel's murder, foundational to the Sethite line.
Genesis 4:26: 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.
This verse identifies the godly character of Seth's descendants, which Les links to the 'sons of God.'
Genesis 5:3: And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
This verse begins the genealogy of Seth's line, the line Les sees as the godly seed.
Genesis 6:2: That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
This is the verse that names the 'sons of God' taking wives from the 'daughters of men.'
Genesis 6:4: There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
This verse describes the offspring of the union between the 'sons of God' and 'daughters of men,' sometimes used for the angelic view.
Genesis 3:15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This promise of the woman's seed is the thread Les follows through Seth's lineage to the Messiah.
Les Feldick acknowledges the angel view is one interpretation, but he teaches the 'sons of God' were the godly line of Seth. The angel view holds that angels produced giants, but Les's preferred consensus view is that these were Seth's godly descendants intermarrying with the ungodly line.
The sons of God—the godly line of Seth—saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and took wives from among them. This intermarriage between the godly and ungodly lines, in Les's teaching, reflects the moral breakdown of the world before the flood.
Les traces the promised 'seed of the woman' from Genesis 3:15 through Seth, then Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and King David, all the way to the birth of the Messiah. Seth's godly line preserves this promised lineage.
Watch the Teaching: The Days of Noah: Understanding the "Sons of God" & Coming Judgment