The “sons of God” are spirit beings. Job 1:6, “…the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.” 

The angels of Genesis 6:1 were disobedient and chose to materialize as humans in order to enjoy the pleasures of living as human beings. They mated with human women and produced the illegitimate, unauthorized offspring called Nephilim (Genesis 6:4). 

These sons of God were dabbling in the lives of mankind of their own accord and following their own desires as Satan did, and were not acting as messengers of 
God. These spiritual sons of God were acting with their own free will. Everything in the heavenly realm is under God’s guidance. When a being decides to deviate from God’s direction and instead goes out on their own, there is disloyalty. This is where things fall apart.

Jude 6 says, “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”

We see that God allowed sin not only to enter the world through the actions of Satan, but to be a loyalty test for spirit beings as well. The angels became exposed to this peculiar temptation in connection with fallen mankind. We believe Satan was involved in this experience.

Some of the angelic host gave in to this temptation, and some remained loyal to God. It appears that the spirit beings in heaven were subjected to a great test of their obedience to their Creator. All those angels who are in harmony with God, according to the Bible, have stood their test. They proved themselves faithful and obedient and demonstrated their loyalty to God. Those who fell were bound in “chains of darkness” until the Day of Judgment. 

Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1305: “How Do Satanic Demons Influence Our World?”
Establishing the origin, power and methods of dark spiritual beings
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes

For children, parents and Bible class teachers?
Animated video: Who is Satan?
Animated video: What does the Bible say about Satan?