The Sons of God and the Divine Council: Michael Heiser's Deuteronomy 32 Worldview

In the pages of Scripture, there's a hidden tapestry of cosmic drama that many modern readers overlook—a supernatural worldview where divine beings, cosmic geography, and human history intertwine in a grand narrative of rebellion, judgment, and redemption. Dr. Michael S. Heiser, a renowned biblical scholar and author of The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, brought this ancient perspective to life for contemporary audiences. At the heart of Heiser's theology lies what he called the "Deuteronomy 32 worldview," a framework drawn from the Old Testament that reveals God's original design for the nations, the appointment of divine overseers, and their tragic corruption. This isn't speculative fantasy; it's a recovery of how ancient Israelites and first-century Jews understood the Bible's unseen realm. Let's explore Heiser's insights on the "Sons of God" over the 70 nations and how their rebellion reshaped the spiritual landscape.

The Divine Council: God's Heavenly Assembly

To grasp Heiser's view, we must first understand the "divine council"—a concept woven throughout the Bible but often sanitized in modern interpretations. Heiser argued that the God of Israel, Yahweh, presides over a celestial assembly of lesser divine beings, referred to as elohim (a Hebrew term for "gods" or "divine ones"). These aren't equals to Yahweh but created entities—spirit beings superior to humans yet subordinate to the Most High.

Scriptures like Psalm 82 paint a vivid picture: "God stands in the congregation of the mighty; he judges among the gods (elohim)." Here, Yahweh confronts these beings for their injustice, declaring, "I said, 'You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.'" Heiser saw this not as poetry about human judges or a reference to the Trinity (a view he critiqued as theologically inconsistent), but as a literal divine courtroom scene. The council members are "sons of God" (bene elohim), tasked with co-ruling creation under Yahweh's authority.

This council motif echoes ancient Near Eastern literature, where high gods convened assemblies of lesser deities. But Heiser emphasized that Israel's version is monotheistic at its core: Yahweh alone is uncreated and supreme. The elohim are His imagers, much like humanity is called to image God on earth (Genesis 1:26-28). They participate in divine decrees, as seen in 1 Kings 22, where Yahweh consults the council about Ahab's fate.

The Allotment of the Nations: Babel and the Sons of God

Heiser's worldview pivots on Deuteronomy 32:8-9, a passage central to understanding the "70 nations." Most English Bibles, following the Masoretic Text, read: "When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel." But Heiser, drawing on older manuscripts like the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) and Dead Sea Scrolls, championed a different reading: "according to the number of the sons of God."

Why the discrepancy? Heiser explained that the Masoretic scribes, centuries after the original composition, altered the text to avoid any hint of polytheism. Yet the earlier witnesses align with the biblical timeline. Genesis 10-11 describes the Tower of Babel, where humanity's unified rebellion against God (Genesis 11:1-9) leads to the dispersion into 70 nations (the "Table of Nations" in Genesis 10 excludes Israel, which doesn't yet exist). Deuteronomy 32:8 harks back to this event: As judgment, Yahweh disinherits the nations, allotting them to 70 "sons of God" from His divine council—one for each nation—while reserving Israel as His own portion (Deuteronomy 32:9).

This wasn't abandonment but a sovereign decree. Heiser likened it to a cosmic turf war's opening salvo: "The incident of Babel and God’s decision to disinherit the nations drew up the battle lines for a cosmic turf war for the planet." Yahweh's family plan for global Eden (Genesis 1:28) is thwarted by human sin, so He starts over with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), promising blessing to all nations through Israel. The other nations? Handed over to lesser elohim as a form of divine irony—let them serve gods of their own choosing (Deuteronomy 4:19-20; 29:25-26).

The Corruption of the Overseers: From Stewards to Rebels

Here's where the story darkens. Heiser didn't specify when or how precisely these sons of God rebelled, but Scripture and Second Temple Jewish literature (like 1 Enoch) fill in the gaps. Assigned as benevolent stewards, these divine beings twisted their authority, demanding worship and leading nations into idolatry. Deuteronomy 32:17 indicts Israel for sacrificing "to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known." Heiser connected this to the Babel allotment: The "demons" are these corrupted elohim, now masquerading as national deities (think Baal, Chemosh, or Marduk).

Psalm 82 is the indictment. Yahweh rises in the council: "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?" (v. 2). The gods have failed their duty, corrupting justice and fostering chaos. Their sentence? Demotion to mortality: "You shall die like men" (v. 7). This echoes the broader biblical theme of rebellion in the unseen realm. Heiser tied it to earlier falls: the serpent in Eden (Genesis 3), a rebellious council member, and the "sons of God" in Genesis 6:1-4, who cohabited with women to produce the Nephilim giants, further polluting humanity and prompting the Flood.

Post-Flood, these spirits persist as demons—disembodied Nephilim or fallen elohim—tormenting nations under their sway (Daniel 10's "princes" of Persia and Greece are territorial powers). Heiser's genius was linking these threads: Human sin at Babel provokes divine corruption, escalating the cosmic conflict. Yahweh's response? A reclamation campaign through Israel, culminating in Christ.

Reclamation and Hope: From Babel to the Nations' Blessing

Heiser's worldview doesn't end in despair. The corruption of the sons of God sets the stage for Yahweh's victory. Through Abraham's seed—ultimately Jesus—the disinherited nations are re-inherited. Jesus' ministry assaults enemy strongholds: His exorcisms dismantle demonic powers (Mark 3:22-27), and His sending of 70 (or 72) disciples (Luke 10:1) symbolically displaces the 70 corrupt overseers, announcing, "I saw Satan fall like lightning" (Luke 10:18).

At the cross, Jesus disarms principalities (Colossians 2:15), and at Pentecost, the Spirit reverses Babel, uniting nations in praise (Acts 2). The endgame? Revelation 20's judgment of nations and defeat of Gog and Magog (echoing Psalm 82's "judge the earth"). Believers, as co-heirs, join the renewed divine council, ruling nations under Christ (Revelation 2:26-27; 3:21). Heiser summarized: "When we inherit rule of the nations with Jesus at the end of days, we will displace the corrupted divine sons of God presently ruling the nations."

Why This Matters: Recovering the Supernatural Bible

Michael Heiser's Deuteronomy 32 worldview isn't about exotic speculation; it's about reading the Bible as its original audience did—eyes wide open to the supernatural. The Sons of God over the 70 nations remind us that idolatry isn't harmless; it's allegiance to cosmic rebels. Yet Yahweh's faithfulness triumphs: From one nation's election comes global restoration.

Critics have charged Heiser with polytheism or Gnosticism, but he firmly rooted his views in Yahweh's unchallenged sovereignty. As he wrote, "The corruption of the elohim sons of God set over the nations meant that Yahweh’s vision of a global Eden would be met with divine force... He would have to reclaim them." In a disenchanted world, Heiser invites us to see the unseen: a battlefield where grace wins.

If you've ever wondered why the Bible speaks of "gods" or territorial spirits, dive into The Unseen Realm. It might just transform how you see the stars, the nations, and the Savior who conquers them all. What cosmic drama have you uncovered in Scripture lately? Share in the comments—let's recover this ancient vision together.