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I know of two conflicting views:
1) The Genesis 6 account of the Nephilim
6:1 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
Some believe that the "Sons of God" are fallen angels who cohabitated with human women to form a race of giants. Others believe that it refers to the descendants of Seth (the good blood line, as opposed to Cain, the bad blood line).
2) Jesus' answer to a question about marriage in heaven in Mark 12:
18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection[c] whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[d]? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
This passage says that in heaven there is no marriage and that we mortal humans will become like the angels. That means that the angels do not marry, either.
The first passage is considered unclear by many scholars. The second passage is very clear. I would put my money on the clear teaching, and use it to interpret the unclear. It is not likely that angels or demons can have sexual relations with human women and give birth to progeny.
Concerning views held in antiquity:
This article demonstrates that both the view that the "Sons of God" were fallen angels and the view that they were prominent, but ordinary men were held in antiquity. Though Augustine persuaded many against this view, he was not the first to argue against it.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_724.cfm
The article makes one good point: in every other instance in the Pentateuch, Moses uses the Hebrew word for angel, except once, where he uses cherubim. Considering how consistent he was with his usage, this argues against the angel view.
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In order to understand these next two Scriptures we must start by trying to determine the Biblical meaning of Sons of God. The following is a list of all references to the Sons of God in the KJV version of the Bible.
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.
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.
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.
Job_2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
Job_ Job 38:4 through 7 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
John_1:12 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:
Romans_8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Romans_8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Philippians_2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
1John_3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1John_3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Matthew_12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Mark_3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
If we take a long look at these in relationship to the others we find the following references to what characteristics are displayed by Sons of God.
The sons of God saw the daughters of men.
The sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Some sons of God were present at creation.
After the crucifixion more were added to the ranks of the sons of God.
Jesus had the power to make more sons of God.
God himself through His great love has graciously allowed us to become sons of God.
Since there were sons of God present before creation, that reference must be speaking of Spiritual beings and not the humans. Since we have determined that Sons of God is in reference to Spirit; we now must take a longer look at John 1_12. John makes specific reference to those who have accepted and believe. In other words those who are destined to go to Heaven.
Revelation 7:9 through 12 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
In Revelation 7_9 through 12 we find that Jesus is the final judge as to who will go to Heaven, and those destined to be cast out into never ending darkness.
Revelation 20:11 and 12 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Again here we see that those being judged are those who are physically dead, that rules out any physical characteristics leaving only the Spiritual. The only difference between those being judged is whether or not they are believers of Christ as their salvation and those who do not.
Since we know that the soul is a creation:
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
In all of God’s creation mankind is a peculiar creation in that God instilled in mankind the ability to transfer the breath of life into his progeny as indicated by his command to Adam and Eve;
Genesis 1:27 and 28 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
There we see that decreed all future generations would possess the breath of life; and that procreation was inherent only to His creation of fish, animals and specifically those created in His image. When God created all things including The Heavens and the Earth that was after he had created The Angels including Lucifer, and of those creations He did not give the power of procreation. Therefore; Lucifer (Satan) and the fallen angels’ were not given the power of procreation. They were a distinct creation of God in the Spiritual realm. God knowing all things would certainly know that if the Angels could procreate that it would ensure future generations of the rebellious Angels. This would be an untenable result from His standpoint. God is gracious, but it appears that his purpose in Creating mankind in His image was to give mankind the ability to choose between good and evil and unlike the Angels we can repent from our evil ways and secure an eternity in God’s presence.
I hope that these Scriptures and comments will be helpful in understanding why Spirits are unable to regenerate.
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I quote from the Summa Theologiae: Article 3. Whether the angels exercise functions of life in the bodies assumed?
"Objection 6. Further, to beget offspring is a vital act. But this has befallen the angels in their assumed bodies; for it is related: "After the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown" (Genesis 6:4). Consequently the angels exercised vital functions in their assumed bodies."
"Reply to Objection 6. As Augustine says (De Civ. Dei xv): "Many persons affirm that they have had the experience, or have heard from such as have experienced it, that the Satyrs and Fauns, whom the common folk call incubi, have often presented themselves before women, and have sought and procured intercourse with them. Hence it is folly to deny it. But God's holy angels could not fall in such fashion before the deluge. Hence by the sons of God are to be understood the sons of Seth, who were good; while by the daughters of men the Scripture designates those who sprang from the race of Cain. Nor is it to be wondered at that giants should be born of them; for they were not all giants, albeit there were many more before than after the deluge." Still if some are occasionally begotten from demons, it is not from the seed of such demons, nor from their assumed bodies, but from the seed of men taken for the purpose; as when the demon assumes first the form of a woman, and afterwards of a man; just as they take the seed of other things for other generating purposes, as Augustine says (De Trin. ii.), so that the person born is not the child of a demon, but of a man." http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1051.htm#article3
Upvote:1
Jesus gave a plain and straightforward answer that should settle this question.
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” (Matthew 22:29–30, KJV 1900)
The correct way to interpret the Bible is to let the Bible interpret itself. This verse is plain and straightforward and says that there is no marriage in heaven among the angels. This rules out the possibilities of having intercourse or children as according to the Bible and God's laws, having a sexual relationship outside marriage is sin. Thus the angels of heaven do not marry or have children.
As Lucifer and the fallen angels are angels by nature, they also should follow the same rule - they do not marry nor can have children.
As for the "Sons of God" of Genesis 6, the explanation is simple:
“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 1900)
“Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:6–7, KJV 1900)
We have 2 instances:
Comparing these 2 instances it is very simple to understand that everyone directly created by God is called "Son / Daughter of God".
Now, when Adam rebelled against God, the Bible gives a beautiful view as to what happened to man.
At Creation:
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...” (Genesis 1:26, KJV 1900)
Man was made in the image of God after the likeness of God. In other words, the nature of man was in one accord with God's nature, in the likeness of God's holy nature. Man was made perfect and holy without sin or carnal nature.
After sin:
“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Romans 8:7, KJV 1900)
After sin the nature of man became fallen.
Now when Adam had children:
“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:” (Genesis 5:3, KJV 1900)
Adam's son was in Adam's likeness and image. In other words, carnal Adam begat a carnal Seth. It follows that Cain and Abel were also of a similar nature as Adam did not have any children before sin.
But God promised Adam that Adam would be able to hate (enmity against the serpent) the carnal nature which would mean that man would have God's nature as carnal nature has enmity against God (Rom 8:7 above).
“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.” (Genesis 3:15, KJV 1900)
So rebirth or born again experience was promised Adam. And those who are born again are called "Sons of 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: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12–13, KJV 1900)
So, when the carnal man was born of God (born again experience - See John 3:3-5 for more details), he is called "Son of God".
In contrast those who are not born again are called "children of men - daughters of man".
Now if you read the 6th chapter of Genesis, it becomes clear. The children of God, those who were of the line of Seth who had been taught to revere and love God, having had the rebirth experience, saw that the daughters of men (i.e. daughters of people who reveled in carnal nature - a great example would be the line of Cain) were beautiful and married them.
Why were the progeny different than the others? Why were the Nephilim different? It was because of genetic recombination. For several generations the line of Seth had remained faithful and thus separate from Cain's descendants. But at length, because of the physical beauty, they started intermarrying. Due to the gap of several generations (remember the people before flood lived nearly 1000 years, so its possible to see 7 to 8 generation descendants) and multiple recombination cycles that happen during reproduction, the genetic make up of these two lines would have been distinctly different (isolated population).
This is similar to Darwin's observation in the Galapagos where the same species "finches" had widely differing attributes due to genetic recombination and isolation. When such isolated population are mated, the offspring can have surprisingly differing attributes. They might have greater vigor, more variation and unpredictable changes due to varying alleles that come together.
This is why they were stronger - simply due to several generations of isolation followed by mating. This would be the natural result. They were called by a distinct name because they would have been of a different nature. Father was Godly while mother was worldly. The children would have been neither fully worldly nor fully Godly. They would have been the first "Laodecians" - Lukewarm people.
tldr:
Edit 1: Were the children of Seth Godly? There is no direct text that says all the children of Seth were Godly. But there are multiple references with which any honest reader could conclude that the children of Seth were mostly Godly.
Gen 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.
Gen 5:22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:28,29 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Of the 10 generations from Adam to Noah, we find record of Enos calling on the name of the Lord, Enoch walking with God, Lamech naming his son after the name of the Lord and Noah finding grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Thus many of the line of Seth were Godly
Reading a little bit more about genetic isolation and how it affects the body (phenotype) can be greatly helpful in understanding Genesis 6. A great start would be here: Darwin's Finches
Upvote:2
In Christian dogma, can Satan and the fallen angels (his demons) get married and have progeny?
According to Catholic theology: no.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says the following about angels, both good and evil angels,in a general manner:
The Angels
The existence of angels - a truth of faith
328 The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.
Who are they?
329 St. Augustine says: "'Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel': from what they are, 'spirit', from what they do, 'angel.'"188 With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they "always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the "mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word".189
330 **As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.**190
Only God can create life! God created them as angels before their fall. As spiritual beings they can not marry or have progeny either amongst themselves or with man. Only God created the angels in a state of angelic goodness. Just because some fell due to their angelic sin does not change anything
According to Catholic theology, the Devil and all the other evil demons are pure Spirits and as such can not alter their spiritual substance in order to become a physical or corporal being.
First of all, let us see how the Church defines a few terms.
Originally a spirit between the gods and men. In the New Testament a demon is the same as an evil spirit, which may be translated as "devil." It consequently means a malevolent, invisible being, which the pre-Christian word "demon" did not imply.
A fallen angel or evil spirit, especially the chief of the rebellious angels, Lucifer or Satan (Matthew 25). Adorned at his creation with sanctifying grace, he sinned by pride and along with many other angelic beings was denied the beatific vision. His abode is hell and he does not enjoy the benefits of Christ's redemption. Yet the devil remains a rational spirit, confirmed in evil, who is allowed by God to exercise some influence on living and inanimate creatures.
Latin h*m*, a human being, as distinct from vir, a male person. The term h*m* has no perfect English equivalent, but it is part of the Church's official vocabulary and occurs in every major document of the Catholic Church. A living substance, composed of a material body that dies and a spiritual soul that is immortal. Creature made by God to his image and likeness, to praise, reverence, and serve him in this life and thereby attain the eternal possession of God in the life to come. In philosophical terms, "man" is a rational animal, and collectively is the human species or the human race.
Now Satan and all the other devils or demons are spiritual being composed of spiritual matter. They are pure spirit! Man is composed of a body and an immortal souls. Thus man in the fullest sense is both physical and spiritual in his essence; the demons are not!
According to the Church the evil spirits can not change their substance. They are spiritual beings and spiritual beings they shall remain.
Here is how St. Thomas Aquinas explains it:
Some assert that the angels are composed of matter and form; which opinion Avicebron endeavored to establish in his book of the Fount of Life. For he supposes that whatever things are distinguished by the intellect are really distinct. Now as regards incorporeal substance, the intellect apprehends that which distinguishes it from corporeal substance, and that which it has in common with it. Hence he concludes that what distinguishes incorporeal from corporeal substance is a kind of form to it, and whatever is subject to this distinguishing form, as it were something common, is its matter. Therefore, he asserts the universal matter of spiritual and corporeal things is the same; so that it must be understood that the form of incorporeal substance is impressed in the matter of spiritual things, in the same way as the form of quantity is impressed in the matter of corporeal things.
But one glance is enough to show that there cannot be one matter of spiritual and of corporeal things. For it is not possible that a spiritual and a corporeal form should be received into the same part of matter, otherwise one and the same thing would be corporeal and spiritual. Hence it would follow that one part of matter receives the corporeal form, and another receives the spiritual form. Matter, however, is not divisible into parts except as regarded under quantity; and without quantity substance is indivisible, as Aristotle says (Phys. i, text 15). Therefore it would follow that the matter of spiritual things is subject to quantity; which cannot be. Therefore it is impossible that corporeal and spiritual things should have the same matter.
It is, further, impossible for an intellectual substance to have any kind of matter. For the operation belonging to anything is according to the mode of its substance. Now to understand is an altogether immaterial operation, as appears from its object, whence any act receives its species and nature. For a thing is understood according to its degree of immateriality; because forms that exist in matter are individual forms which the intellect cannot apprehend as such. Hence it must be that every intellectual substance is altogether immaterial.
But things distinguished by the intellect are not necessarily distinguished in reality; because the intellect does not apprehend things according to their mode, but according to its own mode. Hence material things which are below our intellect exist in our intellect in a simpler mode than they exist in themselves. Angelic substances, on the other hand, are above our intellect; and hence our intellect cannot attain to apprehend them, as they are in themselves, but by its own mode, according as it apprehends composite things; and in this way also it apprehends God (Article 3).
Let us also look into who the Nephilim of the Scripture may truly be:
The Nephilim (Hebrew: נְפִילִים) were the offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" before the Deluge, according to Genesis 6:1-4.
A similar or identical biblical Hebrew term, read as "Nephilim" by some scholars, or as the word "fallen" by others, appears in Ezekiel 32:27.1
When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose. Then the Lord said, "My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown. — Genesis 6:1–4, New Revised Standard Version
The word is loosely translated as giants in some Bibles and left untranslated in others. The "sons of God" have been interpreted as fallen angels in some traditional Jewish explanations.
According to Numbers 13:33, they later inhabited Canaan at the time of the Israelite conquest of Canaan.
The Lord said to Moses, "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites" ... So they went up and spied out the land ... And they told him: "... Yet the people who live in the land are strong, and the towns are fortified and very large; and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there." ... So they brought to the Israelites an unfavorable report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land that we have gone through as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are of great size. There we saw the Nephilim (the Anakites come from the Nephilim); and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them." — Numbers 13:1–2; 21; 27–28; 32–33. New Revised Standard Version.
And now let us look at what the Sons of God may mean:
Sons of the God (Hebrew: בני האלהים) literally: "sons of the Gods") is a phrase used in the Hebrew Bible and apocrypha. The phrase is also used in Kabbalah where bene elohim are part of different Jewish angelic hierarchies.
Hebrew Bible
Genesis 6
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 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. — Genesis 6:1–4, KJV
The first mention of "sons of God" in the Hebrew Bible occurs at Genesis 6:1–4. In terms of literary-historical origin, this phrase is typically associated with the Jahwist tradition.4
This passage has had two interpretations in Judaism:
Offspring of Seth: The first references to the offspring of Seth rebelling from God and mingling with the daughters of Cain are found in Christian and rabbinic literature from the second century CE onwards e.g. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Augustine of Hippo, Julius Africanus, and the Letters attributed to St. Clement. It is also the view expressed in the modern canonical Amharic Ethiopian Orthodox Bible. In Judaism "Sons of God" usually refers to the righteous, i.e. the children of Seth.
Angels: All of the earliest sources interpret the "sons of God" as angels. From the third century BCE onwards, references are found in the Enochic literature, the Dead Sea Scrolls the (Genesis Apocryphon, the Damascus Document, 4Q180), Jubilees, the Testament of Reuben, 2 Baruch, Josephus, and the book of Jude (compare with 2 Peter 2). This is also the meaning of the only two identical occurrences of bene ha elohim in the Hebrew Bible (Job 1:6 and 2:1), and of the most closely related expressions (refer to the list above). In the Septuagint, the interpretive reading "angels" is found in Codex Alexandrinus, one of four main witnesses to the Greek text.
Rabbinic Judaism traditionally adheres to the first interpretation, with some exceptions, and modern Jewish translations may translate bnei elohim as "sons of rulers" rather than "sons of God". Regardless, the second interpretation (sons of angels or other divine beings) is nonexistent in modern Judaism. This is reflected by the rejection of Enoch and other Apocrypha supporting the second interpretation from the Hebrew Bible Canon.
Using Scripture to interpret Scripture is a very common practice in our day and as such the New Testament in the person of St. Luke shows us that the Sons of God were the descendants of Adam.
According to Scripture “sons of God” means “persons who are begotten independently of any creature’s decision”. All angels can appropriately be called “sons of God”, but not all characters called “sons of God” in the Bible can appropriately be considered angels. The “sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4 are undoubtedly human, and it is fitting to consider that they were created directly by God through transformation of human-like animals into persons.
Who was the son of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God. - Luke 3:38
Upvote:2
Angels never have, nor ever will, biologically procreate. God made angels to be His: messengers + warriors + protectors to and for humans. They can manifest in human form to suit God's purposes. But God never gives them reproductive organs on any occasion. When God tells Eve, in Genesis 3:15 "I will cause hostility between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring" NLT, he is not saying that Satan will produce devilish, biological children, but that he will make for himself spiritually wicked followers among Adam's descendants. In John 8:44 Jesus is telling some Hebrews "you are the children of your father the devil". He uses 'father' in the spiritual sense, that these particular persons are willfully misunderstanding the Holy scriptures, just like Satan, to mislead humans, and lead them away from God. The Bible is rich in metaphor and simile and idioms. The (Authorised) King James Bible, (A)KJV uses the word 'seed' in Genesis 3:15 because it was published in 1611 and King James and his scholars intentionally used 1500's language to give that Bible a timeless quality, befitting the eternal God's Word, but the meaning, again, is spiritual, not biological. Billy Graham researched every single mention of angels in the whole Bible and his book is most informative. When Satan rebelled and 'fell' from God's grace, one third of God's angels fell with him, so 2/3 of His angels remained obedient to God; and they will not, at any future time rebel. They remain faithful to God, ad infinitum.