Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World And Why It Matters

by Michael S. Heiser

Peter and Jude say that the sons of God who committed this transgression were imprisoned under the earth—in other words, they’re doing time in hell—until the last days. They’ll be part of God’s final judgment, something the Bible calls the “Day of the Lord.” Peter and Jude’s sources are well-known to Bible scholars. One of them was a book called 1 Enoch. It was popular with Jews of Jesus’ day and with Christians in the early church, even though it wasn’t considered sacred and inspired. But Peter and Jude thought some of that content was important enough to include in the letters they wrote.

They also include an explanation for where demons come from. Demons are the departed spirits of dead Nephilim killed before and during the flood. They roam the earth harassing humans and seeking re-embodiment. In books of the Bible that follow Genesis, descendants of the Nephilim of Genesis 6:1–4 are called Anakim and Rephaim (Num. 13:32–33; Deut. 2:10–11). Some of these Rephaim show up in the underworld realm of the dead (Isa. 14:9–11) where the Serpent was cast down. New Testament writers would later call that place hell.