Demonic religion according to the Bible

 Dake sees two religions before the Flood—true worship (Abel, Enoch, Noah) and a false, man‑made system that began with Cain. By the time of Noah, Dake teaches that the dominant religion of the world had become demonically inspired, while a godly remnant still worshiped the LORD.

How Dake gets there (with the passages he ties together):

• The “way of Cain” as the first false religion: Cain offered worship on his own terms without blood, which Dake treats as the prototype of all apostate, works‑based religion (Genesis 4:3–7; Hebrews 11:4; 1 John 3:12; Jude 11).
• Public worship among the godly line: “Then began men to call on the name of the LORD” marks organized, open worship among Seth’s descendants, though Dake says this line later largely apostatized (Genesis 4:26; 5:6–32).
• Angelic intrusion and societal corruption: Dake takes the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:1–4 as fallen angels who cohabited with women, producing giants and spreading moral and spiritual corruption. He links this to 2 Peter 2:4–5 and Jude 6–7 as evidence of pre‑Flood demonic activity influencing religion and culture.
• Demon/idol worship as the character of false religion: Consistent with his broader notes, Dake equates idolatry with worship of demons (1 Corinthians 10:20; Deuteronomy 32:17) and applies this principle to the antediluvian world; he also points to the violence, occultism, and sexual immorality implied by Genesis 6:5, 11–12 and the degeneracy in Cain’s line (e.g., Lamech’s polygamy and boast of murder in Genesis 4:19, 23–24) as fruit of demonized religion.
• A preserved remnant: In contrast, Enoch “walked with God” (Genesis 5:22–24) and Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” whom God preserved (Genesis 6:8–9; 2 Peter 2:5).

A Dake‑distinctive note: In his theology, demons are not fallen angels but disembodied spirits of a pre‑Adamite race; fallen angels and demons both operate to corrupt humanity. So in Dake’s framework, the antediluvian religion of the masses was indeed demonic in origin and influence, even though a faithful remnant remained.

In addition:

 Below you’ll find the KJV text (public domain) for key antediluvian passages, followed by concise, faithful summaries of Dake’s annotations and his parallel systematic points from God’s Plan for Man. 

Genesis 4:3–7 (Cain and Abel)

• KJV (excerpt): “Cain brought of the fruit of the ground… Abel… of the firstlings of his flock… the LORD had respect unto Abel… but unto Cain… not.”
• Dake (annotation summary): Cain inaugurates the first false religion—approach to God on human terms without blood. Abel represents revealed worship by substitutionary blood. Jude 11; Heb 11:4; 1 Jn 3:12 show the “way of Cain” as the prototype of apostasy.
• God’s Plan for Man (systematic summary): In the Dispensation of Conscience, God required blood atonement; works‑religion is unacceptable. Early worship polarized into revealed (Abel/enoch/noah) vs. self‑made (Cain).

Genesis 4:19, 23–24 (Lamech)

• KJV (excerpt): “Lamech took unto him two wives… I have slain a man to my wounding…”
• Dake: Notes polygamy and blood‑revenge as milestones of moral decay in Cain’s line—symptoms of a culture departing from God.
• GPFM: Social breakdown (sexual disorder, violence) is the fruit of apostate religion.

Genesis 4:26 (Public worship)

• KJV (excerpt): “Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.”
• Dake: Marks organized, open worship among Seth’s line; yet this line later largely apostatized before the Flood.
• GPFM: God preserves a worshiping remnant; outward religion without obedience soon degrades.

Genesis 5:21–24 (Enoch)

• KJV (excerpt): “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”
• Dake: Enoch as a model of pre‑Flood holiness and prophetic witness amid rising corruption.
• GPFM: Illustrates that genuine faith and separation were possible; God preserves a testimony even in widespread apostasy.

Genesis 6:1–4 (Sons of God; giants)

• KJV (excerpt): “The sons of God came in unto the daughters of men… there were giants in the earth…”
• Dake: Interprets “sons of God” as fallen angels who cohabited with women, producing giants and spreading demonized culture. Cross‑references 2 Pet 2:4–5; Jude 6–7 to show angelic sin linked to the Flood era.
• GPFM: Distinguishes fallen angels (incorporeal but capable of materialization) from demons (disembodied spirits of a pre‑Adamite race). Both classes operate to corrupt humanity; the Genesis 6 episode accelerates civilization‑wide apostasy.

Genesis 6:5 (Total moral collapse)

• KJV (excerpt): “Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
• Dake: Sees universal inward corruption—mind, imagination, and culture suffused with wickedness (including occultism and violence).
• GPFM: False worship is demon‑energized; when truth is rejected, societies become “only evil” at the level of imagination and intent.

Genesis 6:11–12 (Violence; corruption)

• KJV (excerpt): “The earth also was corrupt… and the earth was filled with violence.”
• Dake: “Corrupt” = ruined, perverted; “violence” = hallmark of demonized civilization. Idolatry and occult practices go hand‑in‑hand with bloodshed.
• GPFM: Idolatry equals demon worship (cf. Deut 32:17; 1 Cor 10:20); once enthroned, it deforms law, marriage, and justice.

Genesis 6:8–9 (Noah’s righteousness)

• KJV (excerpt): “But Noah found grace… Noah was a just man… and Noah walked with God.”
• Dake: A preserved remnant remains; Noah preaches righteousness while building the ark (cf. 2 Pet 2:5).
• GPFM: God judges a demon‑saturated world yet saves the faithful; grace provides both warning and way of escape.

How Dake ties the threads together (big‑picture synthesis)

• Two concurrent religions before the Flood:
  • True worship (Abel, Enoch, Noah): revealed, blood‑based approach to God; separation from corruption; prophetic witness.
  • False worship (from Cain onward): human invention, works‑based, idolatrous, and increasingly demon‑influenced.
• Angelic/demonic role:
  • “Sons of God” in Genesis 6 are fallen angels whose intrusion multiplies corruption.
  • Demons (in Dake’s system) are not fallen angels but disembodied spirits from a pre‑Adamite judgment; both classes foment idolatry, immorality, and violence.
• Why Dake calls it “demonic”:
• Scripture equates sacrifices to idols with sacrifices to demons (Deut 32:17; 1 Cor 10:20).
• The pre‑Flood world displays the classic fruits of demonized religion: occultism, sexual disorder, and bloodshed, climaxing in global judgment.

Finally:

In Dake’s framework, the Nephilim/giants are the flagship product of the demonic corruption of pre‑Flood religion. They arise from fallen angels cohabiting with women, become tyrannical culture‑makers (“men of renown”), spread violence and idol‑worship, and are a prime reason God judged the world with the Flood. After the Flood, a second outbreak produced giant clans in Canaan that Israel later faced.

How they fit, step by step (from Dake’s notes on Genesis 4–6 and his God’s Plan for Man):

• Their origin
  • “Sons of God” in Genesis 6:1–4 are fallen angels who took wives of human women. The offspring are “Nephilim” (giants) and “mighty men… men of renown.” Dake links this to 2 Peter 2:4–5 and Jude 6–7 to argue that certain angels sinned sexually in Noah’s era and are now bound.
• Their role in false religion
  • These hybrids accelerate apostasy: they dominate society, inspire hero‑cult and idolatry, and help normalize occultism, sexual disorder, and bloodshed (Genesis 6:5, 11–12). Dake ties idol worship to demons (Deuteronomy 32:17; 1 Corinthians 10:20), so the culture around the giants is, in essence, demon worship.
  • Dake often says pagan “gods” and hero myths preserve a corrupted memory of these pre‑Flood “men of renown.”
• Why this matters theologically
  • Strategy: Satan uses the angelic intrusion to corrupt humanity and attempt to frustrate the promised “seed” of Genesis 3:15. Giants are both the evidence and the engine of that plan.
  • Judgment: The pervasiveness of this corruption (not just outward violence but imagination and intent) explains the universality of Flood judgment while God preserves a righteous remnant in Noah (Genesis 6:8–9; 2 Peter 2:5).
• “Also after that” (post‑Flood giants)
  • Dake reads Genesis 6:4’s phrase “and also after that” to mean the angelic cohabitation recurred after the Flood, producing new giant lines in the land of Canaan. Key passages he correlates:
    • Numbers 13:33 (Nephilim/“giants”; sons of Anak), Deuteronomy 1:28; 2:10–12, 20–21 (Emim, Zamzummim/Zuzim, Rephaim), Deuteronomy 3:11 (Og of Bashan’s iron bed at 9 cubits by 4 cubits ≈ about 13.5 ft by 6 ft if using an 18‑inch cubit), Joshua 11:21–22; 1 Samuel 17 (Goliath), 2 Samuel 21:16–22; 1 Chronicles 20:4–8.
  • For Dake, Israel’s conquest includes the divine mandate to purge these giant/demon‑saturated cultures that perpetuated the same antediluvian pattern of idolatry and violence.
• Distinction in Dake’s demonology
  • Fallen angels vs. demons: In Dake’s system, fallen angels fathered the giants; demons are disembodied spirits of a pre‑Adamite race and are distinct from fallen angels. Both classes, however, work to corrupt worship and society. Giants are not themselves demons, but they are emblematic of demonic religion’s fruit.

Where the key terms land in the text (as Dake explains them)

• “Nephilim” (Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33): literally “fallen ones,” rendered “giants.” Dake takes this as a literal, physically gigantic hybrid race.
• “Mighty men… men of renown” (Genesis 6:4): the celebrated heroes/tyrants whose fame fed idolatry and a cult of power.
• “Giants after the Flood”: Anakim, Rephaim, Emim, Zamzummim/Zuzim, and individuals like Og and Goliath—real, extraordinary stature, not mere metaphor.