There are two camps of hermeneutics about how to reconcile the strange verses in the beginning of Genesis 6. We would like to demonstrate that the popular one is distinctly wrong and that the less popular one often takes Bible scholars down the wrong path.

It’s easy to see why the early church was very averse to the proper interpretation. They didn’t want to scare those new to the faith off with strange discussions of evil angels coming down to earth to take wives of human women, so they came up with an alternative to the obvious interpretation to better fit their sensibilities.

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

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 6:1-2 (KJV)

The common interpretation is that the “sons of God” were the sons of Seth and that the “daughters of men” were the daughters of Cain. The phrase for “sons of God” in this verse, Bene Ha’elohim, is used many times in the Bible and always refers to divine creatures created by God. These were angels. That’s all there is to it.

For easy proof of this, we simply need to apply logic to a verse that follows.

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 6:4 (KJV)

Sons of Seth that married daughters of Cain would not be able to yield giants (or as they’re called in other translations, Nephilim). Many of the earliest translations try to distort the words to fit their hermeneutics by saying that these weren’t really giants but were just really heroic but evil men. The 1599 Geneva Bible footnote says that “giants” could be interpreted as “tyrants.” This is false.

We go into much more depth on this topic and why many of the modern Bible scholars who are properly translating these verses tend to distort the truth in a dangerous way in our video.

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Inclusiveness. Open mindedness. Tolerance. Acceptance. These are all words that have been used to describe a “modern” church philosophy that appears to be growing in strength around the country and in many other nations around the world. There’s a real problem with this that is so apparent, it’s clear the forces at work that are swaying people away from true belief cannot be from man.

This is an important aspect of today’s teaching on inclusion. We are in dangerous times. There are Christians who face martyrdom as a daily possibility, something that most of us in western society have never had to face. At home, we’re faced with a different type of challenge. The Biblical way of life that God has given to us is under attack as it has been for a long time from those who do not believe, but the latest challenge is different and more dangerous. Our faith is being spoiled from within the churches in a way that may be diminishing the true Church itself.

To many, there is no “may” about it. They see the signs and the teachings of false prophets spreading a doctrine that is far from Biblical. I am more careful than to say it with absolute certainty that the true Church is diminishing simply because it is not in our hands to know the hearts of other men and women. The news may be reporting one thing and the reality may be completely different.

All things being equal, it doesn’t matter who is right. Whether you believe the true Church is diminishing or if you think that secretly it may be growing doesn’t make a difference for our course of action. The true faith in Yeshua is definitely under attack from within a good number of churches and by recognizable church leaders, so our path is clear. We must work towards spreading the true Gospel, the rightful teachings of our Father and of our Lord and Savior.

Tolerance and the Narrow Gate

There are many who promote a doctrine that demands inclusion, tolerance, and changing the mentality of the Church. Gay marriage, abortion, religious rights of businesses, inclusion of other gods, and salvation outside of Yeshua are some of the major battlegrounds where the lines are being drawn. The mass media is feeding us a daily dose of modern sensibilities that try to convince us that the old ways of the Church are dying.

It appears to be working.

The biggest problem with this is that we are being painted as narrow-minded. The argument they make is that the letters written by men 2,000 years ago should not be applied today. The sad part is that the words written 2,000 years ago predicted that this very upheaval of faith and uprooting of the truth of this life would happen exactly as it’s happening.

There’s a difference between being hateful and narrow-minded. Yeshua did not teach us to be hateful, but He also did not teach us to sacrifice our doctrine for the sake of allowing transgressions. Yeshua taught us to love everyone else, but He did not teach us to be tolerant of false doctrine. Most importantly, He did not teach us to walk the broad way.

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV)

The true Church, the true believers in Yeshua as our Lord and Savior, must be narrow-minded without judging. It is because of the judgments of men that so many churches are faltering to these false doctrines.

Stay the Course without Judging

Let’s look at gay marriage. As we’ve discussed in the past, neither churches nor governments should allow gay marriage. Our society is trying to embrace tolerance and acceptance of equal rights and that’s to be embraced. However, those equal rights must never be contrary to the New Covenant, which is to say we must love as Jesus would have us love without sacrificing our faith for the sake of accepting sin.

Marriage was always intended to be a covenant between a man and a woman. It has turned into a contract of love and legality within the realm of rights. We are not to judge a gay couple for their actions unless we are without sin. Since nobody is without sin other than Yeshua, we cannot judge each other. However, that does not mean that we can arbitrarily dismiss the teachings of the Bible without cause. Gay marriage is against the Bible and should therefore not be made allowable.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Matthew 7:1-3 (KJV)

If a gay couple needs help, we are to help them because that is what the Bible teaches us. If a gay couple wants to eat at our restaurant, we will serve them because that is what the Bible teaches us. If a gay couple wants us to participate in their marriage, we cannot because that’s what the Bible teaches us.

We cannot judge others. We cannot betray our faith, either. There is no gray area with this and that seems to be the case with so many things happening in society today. There are obviously other examples, but this one drives the point home properly.

The True Inclusive Church

If you were reading carefully, you’ll notice two trends in this article: the word “true” was used often and there was a distinction in capitalization between Church and church. A good chunk of churches today are embracing inclusive doctrines to allow anyone who does anything to be involved. Their heart is in the right place but the methodology is both misleading and destructive to the ideas promoted by the true Word of God.

True inclusion within the true Church is very straightforward. Follow the path that Yeshua has laid out before us. It doesn’t get more inclusive than this: He died for our sins and gave us the freedom to live as our Father has commanded without fear of messing it up through our human weaknesses. We all stumble, but stumbling will not damn us for eternity thanks to the sacrifice of our Savior as long as we walk the narrow path that He has illuminated for us.

The common idea of an inclusive church usually means pulling away from scripture to take us down the wrong path, the broad way, the wide gate. Having the word “church” after the name of a building does not make it holy nor proper in any way. In fact, this is the challenge that I mentioned before that was discussed in several books of the Bible. Matthew 7 shows the consequences.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

Inclusion within the Church means following His path without compromise. It is open to all sinners who live by the teachings of the Bible. Unfortunately, many are receiving the false teachings of men instead. Their form of inclusion is the broad way to iniquity.

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Whether for Jews, gentiles, or both, the Bible is loaded with messages intended to point to Yeshua as the Christ, our Messiah, Lord, and Savior. One of the most compelling stories that tells of a type of Christ is in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, in which Joseph is presented in a way that points to the Messiah to come to the world.

Many Bible scholars and theologians have talked about this. It’s the type of revelation that hits us hard when we connect the dots and realize the intense similarities between a man through which God saved Israel and the Christ through which the world is saved. It’s also a story that is not, in our opinion, discussed enough in churches. The significance is too important to pass over casually.

The Bible uses types throughout. Sometimes, a person can be a type that refers to someone in the past. Usually, they point to the future, giving us further affirmation of the timeless nature of the Father. Let’s look at a handful of similarities that point to Joseph as a type of Christ.

Men without Condemnation

Only Abraham is discussed more in the long book of Genesis than Joseph. Nearly everyone is presented with great faults, including Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even Noah, a just man, made a mistake after the flood that allowed Canaan to be cursed for eternity.

Joseph has arguably one fault described in the Bible. He may or may not have bragged to his brothers about his dreams in a way that was not truly humble. He told them as well as his father that they would all bow down to him someday. One can argue that he had to tell them and that he wasn’t doing so to brag but to declare a truth. Whether humbly or not, it was God’s Will for Joseph to tell of the dreams because this put it into his brothers’ hearts to betray him. Had they not, Israel would not have been able to go to Egypt and survive as a nation, at least not in the way that it happened in the Bible.

Genesis lays no condemnation on Jospeh. Yeshua is without sin, a status obviously higher than Joseph. If Joseph had no major faults and maintained faith in God throughout his story, then Yeshua magnified this to the point of righteousness. Joseph was only a man and therefore sinned, but he was without apparent flaw worth noting in the text. Yeshua was flawless.

Sent by His Father to Check on the Flock

This is a neat little note. Joseph was sent by his father to check on his brothers and the flock of sheep that they fed. Yeshua was sent by His Father to gather the brethren to tend to the flock.

While checking on the flocks, both were betrayed.

Betrayed by their Brethren

Joseph was cast into a pit while his brothers contemplated his fate. He was then taken by the Midianites and sold into slavery as his brothers watched helplessly.

Yeshua was betrayed by His people. One could take it further and point to those who knew Him as He grew up in Nazareth. They did not accept Him, even wanting to hurl Him off a cliff and few in His homeland believed that He was anything other than the carpenter’s son. Then, of course, we could look at Judas Iscariot, an original disciple who ultimately betrayed him.

With types, we can often see different degrees expressed. In Joseph’s case, he was betrayed to a life of slavery while Yeshua was betrayed to death. Joseph’s freedom was sold for 20 pieces of silver while Yeshua’s life was sold for 30 pieces of silver. Joseph saved nations. Yeshua saved the world.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of their betrayals is that both Joseph and Yeshua were falsely accused.

Two Criminals, One Saved

When Joseph was imprisoned, he came across two others who were condemned. He interpreted the dreams of the cup bearer and the baker. The cup bearer was to live while the baker was to die.

On the cross, Yeshua was there with two criminals. One mocked Him. The other worshiped Him. One would be saved. The other was condemned.

Not Recognized by the People

Joseph was 17-years-old when he was betrayed by this brothers. He was in his thirties when they would see him again and they did not immediately recognize him, even when they ate with him. They knew he was a powerful man who did wonderful works for the people, but they did not see him as their brother nor the person who would eventually save their nation. In fact, they feared him.

Yeshua was also in His thirties when He went to spread the Word of God throughout the land. He was seen by the Jews as a powerful teacher, a healer, even a prophet, but most did not see Him as the Messiah. His works were revered by most but there were those who did not recognize that these works were done through the Father. They both hated and feared Him.

Others

Bible History put together a pretty comprehensive list of similarities in the form of verses:

As a representation of the coming Messiah, Joseph acts as the right type to be able to point Jews and gentiles to the truth. Joseph had no ministry per se, but he did represent the rise, fall, and complete ascension of a man whom God used to make the tribe of Israel a nation that would rise from Egypt and take the land that was promised to their father Abraham.

This comparison allows everyone today to understand the divinity of Yeshua and the coming reign of our Lord. In the end, Joseph was accepted by his people and set the path for their lives to come. The same will be said of Yeshua in the last days.

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