An in-depth examination of what can be inferred from the Bible regarding marriage, divorce and adultery and related subjects towards an overall goal of the Almighty that marriage should be as Heaven on Earth – the first few teachings are based on the eBook “Scriptural Definition of Marriage, Divorce and Adultery” which is presented at https://www.eti-ministries.org/men-women/scriptural-definition-of-marriage and is contained in Volume 5 of the Book Set.  These teachings lay the scriptural founda

An in-depth examination of what can be inferred from the Bible regarding marriage, divorce and adultery and related subjects towards an overall goal of the Almighty that marriage should be as Heaven on Earth – the first few teachings are based on the eBook “Scriptural Definition of Marriage, Divorce and Adultery” which is presented athttps://www.eti-ministries.org/men-women/scriptural-definition-of-marriage and is contained in Volume 5 of the Book Set.  These teachings lay the scriptural foundation for understanding why there is so much divorce and marital distress in the Body of Christ today and what is required in order to turn this around.

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Download book of draft transcripts of the Marriage Teachings Nikita link to follow

Caution – These Transcripts have NOT been Proof Read

I would like to offer a word of caution.

At this stage (April 2019) these are the raw transcripts as produced by the transcribers.  I have not proof read them so there are likely to be minor transcription errors which may in the extreme case impact the accuracy of the measure.  For that reason, as with all material on this website it is up to you to pray about anything that seems doubtful and seek Father Yah’s guidance as to the validity of what you read.

Section 3 -- The Scriptural Definition of Marriage, Divorce and Adultery

Caution re Transcripts

The transcripts are nearly complete in draft but must still be proofread.  Given that they run to over 1,100 pages it will take time for me to do this.  There may therefore be minor typographic errors and errors where the transcriber misheard what I said or did not understand it.  Regrettably I have used up all available Annual Leave producing this Book Set so it is likely to be a year or longer before I have time to proofread the entire set.  However, Father has stated to me that He has been waiting a long time (19 years) for me to make these documents available and that He would rather I publish them now in their present form than wait for a further indeterminate period for me to proofread and publish.

This set provides a comprehensive analysis of the current spiritual dispensation and also why marriage in this age is such a mess and HOW to fix it.  I therefore encourage you to read these texts allowing for the possibly of minor mis-transcription to a limited degree.

These recordings were made in 2000 at a time when I was receiving considerable revelation on diverse topics with the result that my doctrine changed substantially during and after the recording of these teachings, nevertheless the fundamental message of these teachings is sound and very important and inspired at a significant level.

Accordingly I must advise caution in reading these texts – there ARE MANY important truths but they are intermingled with significant error relating to the Name of the Almighty, the Name of Yahooshua {Jesus}, the Person of Yahooshua, the Bible and related topics that mostly do NOT impact the overall marriage teaching.

Introduction

This is the introduction to Volume 1 of the Marriage teachings in the suite of tapes entitled 'God's plan for healing marriage in the 7th millennium.' Volume 1 of the 3-volume set on marriages entitled, 'The Scriptural definition of marriage, divorce and adultery.'  It defines a 20 teaching, or 20-tape set of a comprehensive analysis of what the Scriptures have to say about the subjects relating to marriage, divorce, adultery and related topics.

In total, the suite provides a solid, robust and comprehensive Scriptural basis for understanding what the Word of God truly says about marriage, understanding how God intends marriage to be and understanding how God intended marriage to work. It provides a robust statement that God created marriage to work between any man and any woman provided they are both believers.

It provides a basis for understanding the power and the potential of marriage as God created it to be. It also provides a foundation on which the rest of these teachings is built. Volume 2 in the marriage suite is entitled, 'Towards Heaven on Earth in marriage.'It provides a whole lot of Scriptural and Spiritual principles with regards to bringing about the necessary change to experience Heaven on Earth in your marriage and to have your marriage heal no matter what the state of that marriage is.

Volume 3 in this series is entitled, 'Practical application of marriage teachings.' It talks about a variety of specific aspects required to put these teachings into practice in the lives of believers, no matter what background they or their marriage comes from.

This set of tapes, as I said, is a comprehensive Scriptural doctrinal analysis of what the Word of God really says. I need to stress that it contains a lot of information that you're going to find controversial and might challenge you. It has taken me many years to get to a place where I can come before you confidently and say this is what the Word of God says. I come to you in the capacity of an Apostle and Prophet of God, and I appeal to you to listen carefully and attentively to what is recorded on these tapes. The bulk of the message is given by the Spirit of God, recognising our humanity, our frailty, and our propensity to mess up from time to time.

They may be the I ask you to forgive me for that. But at the same time, I declare before the Throne of God right now that the bulk of what is contained in these teachings, everything that is of substance, has been subjected to the most careful and rigorous scrutiny, measurement against the word of God, debate and argument with the Spirit of God, asking for confirmation and confirmation, until I can come before you to say with confidence that these are the facts that are giving rise to the 70% odd failure rate of marriages in the Christian church today that are giving rise to fornication and adultery on a global scale of a magnitude that is beyond comprehension as one comes to grasp it and understand it.

Therefore, I urge you to listen attentively to what the Spirit of God is saying through these tapes. At the same time, I must say to you, please follow the sequence of these tapes. Start at the beginning and go on to the end. Each tape builds on the foundation of the first tape, it builds on the Word of God in such a way that God-willing you'll be able at each tape the way to accept the truths that are revealed as the teachings unfold.

The teachings comprise of a suite of iterative approaches to the truths which God is revealing. I have now seen the picture in the light that it is presented in these teachings. This was before I did the teachings that unfolded at the leading of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God on a daily basis that have appeared for about 3 months. When I started these tapes and recorded the first one, I expected to record 6 tapes, but it grew to 10 tapes, 20 tapes, 43 tapes, 55 tapes and then it ended up with the supplementation of the various other tapes which make up the series at about 94-95 tapes.

Only as this came to completion this very morning of the day that I am recording this message on December 27, 2000, did I fully see how the Lord had pulled all of this together to provide a set of tapes which, with complete certainty, provide the answer to just about anything that can be wrong with just about any marriage in the Christian faith.

This set of tapes, even though it's a large number, represents God's plan for healing your marriage and making your marriage Heaven on Earth if you choose to step out in faith, listen to these tapes diligently, and systematically put into practice what is contained in them. You will get your miracle. But recognise that it has taken a long time for you to learn all this, that has brought you to a place where your marriage is not necessarily the way God intended it to be. It's going to take some time and some effort to get it to the place where God intends it to be.

With that, I pray that you will be blessed and that you will find these tapes will accomplish that which God has appointed for your life at this time. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

03_01 Foundation Concepts - the Scriptural Definition of Marriage, Divorce and Adultery

In the series of teachings,, I am going to talk at length on the subject, 'The Scriptural Definition of Marriage' or what the Scriptures really say about marriage, putting our way of divorce, adultery, and the relationships between men and women as a type of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. In this first teaching today, I am going to lay a foundation for the teachings that will follow in the days ahead. In the next teaching, I will get into specific elements of doctrine. Do you desire to see the Power of God manifest in this world? Is your desire for Godly marriages in the Body of Christ, rather than escalating marital strife to vision and putting away your divorce? Would you like to see a Church in which men are equipped and empowered to be the men God created them to be? And women are empowered and equipped to be the women God created them to be, and both are fulfilled in their respective roles.

Husband and Wife United

Would you like to see husband and wife united as Jesus and His Father are united? Would you like to see the Body of Christ united as never before? As I was completing the first draft of the book on which this teaching is based, I was given an article entitled'Wow, so that's how Jesus loves me!' which was published in the October 1990 issue of'Joy' magazine. That article states that marriage is meant by God to be a prophetic sign and wonder to the world, and confirms many of the points in this teaching regarding marriage as a type of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

It also confirms some of what is taught in this series on marriage traditions. I will read an extract from that article to lay the foundation. ‘Joy’ magazine can be contacted at joymag@iafrica.com. The article was written by John and Helen Gardner. It gives a wonderful summary of why the subject of this teaching is so important. I quote, "The Lord began speaking to us recently about marriage and giving us some understanding of why so many marriages are in a mess or out of order and even why so few Christian marriages aren’t what they could be. Daily we seem to hear of people suffering the most terrible abuse, unhappiness and fear within marriages and hear of more and more Christian marriages ending in the cataclysmic of divorce. Something that God purposed to be one of his greatest sources of joy and blessing to people, often ends up as a curse and misery. The Lord began to reveal that the reason why marriages are under such incredible attack is because of what He meant it to be."

You see, God purposed marriage to be a prophetic sign and a wonder. If the enemy so often succeeds in making it a laughing stock instead of a prophetic signpost that points the way to something much deeper. Ephesians 5:21-33 says "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church, His body of which he is the Saviour." As the Church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husband and everything. Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her to make her Holy, cleansing her by the washing of water through the words and to present her to himself as a radiant Church without stain, wrinkle or any other blemish, but Holy and blameless.

In this way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own body. He who loves his wife, loves himself. After all no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds it just as Christ does the Church, for we are members of His body. For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one space. This is a profound mystery but I am talking about Christ and the Church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself and the wife must respect her husband.

Mystery

Paul says this is a great or profound mystery he is speaking about. The only other great or profound mystery is found in 1 Timothy 3:16 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

Whenever Scriptures speak of a mystery, there is something that can only be understood in divine revelation. How much more so a great mystery. However, these mysteries are something God wants us to understand because if we don't, the enemy will run riot in that of ignorance in our lives. So, Paul is saying, "When I'm talking about marriage, I'm talking about Christ and the Church." He is saying that every time you look at a Christian marriage, you should be able to say "Aha, so that's how Jesus loves His Church and that's how we as the Church should respond to Him."

Marriage was made by God to be His sign that shows the world how much Jesus loves His Church. And how many of us can say that we've seen even a handful of marriages in our lifetimes that have been this? Marriage is where you look at the way the husband loves his wife and you can say, "Wow, that's how Jesus loves me as part of His Church." Or you look at the wife and able to say "Yes, I see now. I understand now, how I as a Christian, need to submit to Jesus and love." Because this man and this woman had painted a prophetic picture for you, you now have a greater understanding of this great mystery, that you begin to see why Satan hates marriage, and especially Christian marriages with such a passion, he will do everything within his part to pervert, make a mockery of and destroy marriages. Every time he does that, he is not just causing misery in the lives of the people concerned, he is also destroying and pulling down something that God purposed to be a prophetic signpost.

When there are problems in a marriage, you are not just dealing with difficult people, you are dealing with all the hordes of Hell trying their utmost to make a mockery of a prophetic statement that God wanted to make. Those who are in difficult marriage situations or who have areas of their marriage that are out of order, this way get to this truth. It's not just that you and your spouse cannot get along with each other, it's also because you have powerful Demonic forces working against your marriage becoming a prophetic sign and statement.

You need to start pulling down those Demonic strongholds of your relationship, not just in your spouse but strongholds in you and over your relationship that cause both of you to react and allow friction and division to rush in. Every area of marriage was purposed to be a prophetic sign. If you want to understand what idolatry does to the heart of God, then look at what sexual infidelity does to a marriage. If you want to gain a clearer understanding of what it does to God when we have other gods, or other things that elicit our love and devotion, then look at what adultery does to a marriage. It's a prophetic sign.

Lust

You will often find in a marriage the same extremes as you find in the Church. Lust in marriage is the same as spiritual lust or sensuousness in the Church. The same as just binging and going overboard on grace with no boundaries. Then, at the other end of this card, you get rigidity in marriages which is the same as legalism and the religious Spirit in the Church called hard truth with no love. You often get these two forces at work in the same marriages, just as you get them at work in the Church and they are both just as destructive.

Lust in a marriage and lust sensuousness in the Church were just as destructive as fidelity in marriage and legalism in the Church. You also find rebellion in the action against God's order and authority are a problem in both marriage and in the Church, just as you also get domination, manipulation and control, both in marriage and the Church. We have got to start working up to what marriage is meant to be.

People get married so lightly without really understanding what they are doing. Few people who go into marriage realise that they are entering into something that is meant to be a blood covenant. This is why virginity is so important. God's purpose for marriage was that on the wedding night the marriage covenant will be sealed with blood. Again, this is a prophetic picture of Jesus’ blood covenant with us. Yet how many marriages are that today.

Marriage is a Blood Covenant

God purposed marriage to be a blood covenant and it is often believed that if you have two people entering into marriage as virgins and with an understanding of the awesomeness and sacredness of what they are doing on their wedding night, then God will honour that covenant and protect that marriage supernaturally. If those getting married are not virgins, they at least need to have an understanding of this awesome covenant relationship they are entering into.

God cannot fully bless, anoint and rebuke the desirers in many marriages today, because they were never established on the foundation of covenant. People went through all the man-made rituals of the wedding ceremony but never entered into a true covenant with each other. If you look at the wedding ceremony today, much of what goes on has its roots in the occult. The article continues to outline why the statement is made, touching on references to luck, horseshoes, confetti and so forth. It then outlines some of the scriptural courses of action leading to the trifle and continues to state that after the trifle and I quote again "The young Jewish bridegroom would make the following speech as he was leaving, 'In My Father’s house are many room; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me; that you also may be where I am.'"

Does that sound familiar to you? Our Lord Jesus spoke those same words to us in John 14:2-3, from the time that the was ratified, the young woman was consecrated set-apart to her husband. That's how we as Christians should be. She had been bought at a price and her body is no longer her own. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "You are bought with a price, therefore honour God with your body." 1 Corinthians 7:23 says, "You are bought at a price, do not become slaves of men." She must spend her time preparing to live as a wife and mother. Her days are waiting for her wedding spent how to please her husband. Meanwhile the young man who returned to his father's home and the chaddar went under construction.

After the Wedding Ceremony

The room is provided with every comfort as they will retire here for a whole week following their wedding ceremony. We say the 7-day period in Genesis 29:22-28, Laban says finish this daughter's bridal week, then we will give you the younger one also in return for another 7 years' of work. And Jacob did say, you finish the week with Lee and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel, to be his wife. And read Judges 14:10 to 18:2, the young man, if asked when the day of his wedding would be, replied no man knows except my father. In Israel the father had to be satisfied that every preparation had been made by his son before he gave him permission to go and get his bride.

Jesus spake these same words of his wedding day. The groom secured two close friends to a system and secured his bride during the actual ceremony. These two are known as the friends of the bridegroom. They function as the two witnesses required for a Jewish wedding. One of them was to assist the bride and to lead her to the ceremony, while the other was stationed with the groom. He performed a special task when the couple retired into the chadar after the ceremony. The article then continues to present the ceremony in some detail and entitlements into revelation. This is Chapter 19, Verse 6 to 9. Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar, the rushing waters and like peals of thunder, shouting hallelujah, for our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory for the wedding of the land has come and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean was given her to wear. Fine linen stands for the right fact of the Saint. Then the Angel said to me, "Right, blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the land and these are the true words of God.

If you begin to understand the enormity of what we are touching on here, you need to start looking at marriage through new eyes. Even as the first trump or shofar announced the betrothal, so the last trump and now it's the wedding. Today, when the shofar is blown in churches, we are reminded that we have the trust and there is a wedding feast to come. In solemn 45, we are brought to the Biblical portrayal of not only the wedding of the Messiah but also his Coronation. The guests are assembled, and gifts are distributed. Isaiah 61:10 to 62:05 shows the glory of the bride and groom all their wedding finery. "For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." The nations will see your righteousness and all Kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall designate. You will be a crown of splendour in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take to lighten you and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; and just as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. .

Before the wedding, the groom requires three days to prepare. We know that one day is 1000 days to the Lord, and just as with breaking out the three days of the death and resurrection of Jesus. We know that the Jewish method of measuring days is different to ours. So we are on the brink of the third millennium, the third day. The third is almost upon us. Our bridegroom has been preparing himself for three days. He is fully prepared and fully expecting longing to be with his bride. The marriage could be any day now. No one knows the exact day, except the father. The third day is upon us and the bridegroom is fully prepared, but are we?

God wants to release us out of much and into much when it comes to our understanding of marriage. He wants to pull down and smash man-made myths and perceptions of marriage. He wants us to throw out all the and bold and beautiful junk and begin to come into a biblical understanding of what marriage is all about. He wants to pull down Demonic strongholds over existing and past and future marriages, strongholds of lust and frigidity, strongholds that have been established because the enemy has done everything in his power to make a mockery of God's prophetic purposes.

Some of you are sitting in marriages for things over you. Some of you are divorced and are still bound by hurts , others are sitting on the things that keep you from being released into marriage because of fear and Demonic preparation. There are some to him God would say, I have kept you from marriage, you fought and kicked and got angry because you never got married but it's been my grace that has kept you and protected you from entering into something that would just be a pale weak, wishy-washy counterfeit what I have really purposed for you. And as those strongholds come down, you will begin to find marriages restored and unsafe, and partners coming to the Lord. Good marriage will become even better as they are elevated into the realm of becoming prophetic statements, becoming a sign and a wonder that people will look at and say, "So that's how Jesus loves His betroth." So that's how we as the Church should submit and respond to Jesus.

The article closes with the following prayer, "Father in Jesus’ name, forgive me for taking marriage so lightly. Forgive me for my perverted and wrong understandings of what marriage is meant to be. And father, as You forgive me, pray that You will deliver me from every stronghold that is over my life in the area of marriage. Strongholds that have come down through the generations as well as strongholds to become established through my own fears and sin. Lord, I ask You to give me a revelation in my heart of Your purpose, for marriage so that my marriage or future marriage would become the prophetic sign and wonder to the world that You purpose it to be. I ask You do this in the precious and powerful name of Jesus through the power of your Holy Spirit."

That is the end of the extract from the article 'Wow, so that's how Jesus loves me.' And it provides a powerful foundation for the teachings in the weeks ahead. In this series of teachings which are based on the book of the same name, 'The scriptural definition of marriage,' I will present, God-willing, a wealth of Scripture which will show you how the Body of Christ can overcome marital strife and separation, putting away, commonly referred to as divorce, and learn to live together in unity in a manner which will give power to the gospel, such as we cannot currently imagine.

In order to do this, it is necessary that we understand what scripture really says about marriage, divorce, putting away, adultery and other matters which impact this objective. This teaching seeks to present scriptural topics in the framework intended to assist you to evaluate and decide for yourself the extent to which that contained in this teaching, indeed lays the foundation for this objective. Do you desire at the time of your judgement not to find yourself to be a Pharisee and to have been opposing God? Acts 5:34-40, in the process of listening to these teachings, you will discover false teachings which are literally responsible for the eternal damnation of millions, if not billions of souls. You will have the opportunity for the Holy Spirit and not truths which are of immense importance to the end-time church and to the age which is to come.

Divorce

You will also have many opportunities to be offended, but I urge you not to stumble on the rock of offence which is Christ, for the truth , 1 Peter 2:8. In early 1995, I became greatly concerned about the high level of what is generally referred to as divorce and the Church and the Lord Jesus Christ. I was particularly troubled by the number of hurting and abandoned women and I started to seek God for another reason. Since then He has been exercising my faith and my understanding with regard to what is contained in His word on the subject of marriage and related subjects. He has also shown me that most of what we today refer to as divorce, is in fact, according to Scripture putting away separation from a spouse for unscriptural reasons. He has also shown me that the principle factor behind the high level of putting away in the Church and the world is a series of wrong beliefs which affect many areas of Church teaching.

We are one body in Christ. As a starting point consider the 2 Corinthians 11:2 states, "I am jealous for you, with a Godly jealousy. For I betrothed you to one husband, but I might present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." Who is the ‘you’ referred to here? Surely it is all those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord. Romans 12:4-5 states, "For as we have many members in one body, but all members do have not the same function. So, we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

Marriage is a type of our relationship with Jesus. Consider also Ephesians 5:25-33 as read earlier, in particular verse 33, "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church." As we saw in the extract from 'Wow, that's how Jesus loves me'these verses together clearly establish a very close and intimate relationship between marriage, between men and women, and the marriage between Jesus Christ and His Church. Surely while his bride is so with putting away divorce and we do not even know how to live together in harmony as man and wife, we can never approach being a bride without spot or wrinkle or any such thing Holy and without blemish.

When the world sees true Christian unity, they will believe that the Father sent Jesus. John 17:20-22 states, "I do not pray for these alone but also for those who will believe in me through their word that they all maybe one as You Father are in me and I knew that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that You sent me. And the glory which You gave me I have given them that they may be one just as we are one." Does this not clearly state that the world will believe that Jesus Christ was sent by God, the Father, when we all are one? Does this not indicate that unity in the Church is a prerequisite to preaching the Gospel with view of power and effect?

Forbidding Marriage

We are warned of doctrines of Demons forbidding to marry. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 further states, "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of Demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry." Given that there appeared to be reasonable grant to belief that we are indeed in the latter times, and that also ask ourselves what the relevance is of doctrines of Demons forbidding to marry and whether it has any relevance to the level of putting away divorce in the Church. I have no doubt that it does, and in these teachings,  we will present Scriptures and support of this argument. These conclusions are presented only after many hours of prayer and Holy Spirit guided research and much persecution and personal loss, which have brought me to a point of sincere and utter conviction for what is presented in the teachings that follow.  It’s an accurate reflection of the Word and will of God on this matter and is based on our understanding today.

Preparing for Judgement

I fully appreciate that most listeners will find this teaching extremely challenging and many may well be offended and rejected. For this reason, I will endeavour to make maximum use of Scripture and minimum use of my own interpretation. We must each prepare to be judged. Each of us will be judged according to the revelation knowledge of the Word of God that was available to us and what we did with it. James 3:1 states,"Not many of you should become teachers, knowing that we shall receive restricted judgement." Accordingly, I urge you not to discard what is written here but to carefully take note and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Why should you consider this interpretation? You may ask why you should listen to these teachings and why you should analyse the interpretation presented herein. If this interpretation is correct, then those who were teaching in other doctrine are causing many to sin and many others to be turned away from Jesus Christ. If this is so, then surely they can expect to find much blood on their hands when they stand before the judgement seat of Christ.

Romans 14:10 states that why do you judge your brother ,or why do you show content for your brother for we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. It's my earnest desire not to find myself in such position and I am certain that most listeners will have the same desire.

Keeping His Commandments

Many believers are currently taken prisoner by the enemy. The book, 'The Final Quest'by Rick Joyner, which reports a series of visions in which the author was taken up into the Heaven, clearly shows that many in the body of Christ are currently the prisoners of the enemy. This is graphically confirmed in a further vision reported by Joyner in his sequel, 'The call.' If we love God, we will keep His Commandments. 1 John 2: 1-5 states, "My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin and if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the whole world."

Now by this we know that we know Him. If we keep His Commandments, he who says I know Him and does not keep His Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him, and by this we know that we are in Him. 1 John 5:3 states, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments. And His Commandments are not burdensome." Can there be any doubt that if we love God, we will seek to keep His Commandments and that if we do not keep His Commandments, we are not in Him.

God is uncompromisingly righteous and we may not add to or take anything away from them. Deuteronomy 4:2 states, "You shall not add to the Word which I command you, nor take anything from it, that you may keep the Commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." Deuteronomy 4:7-8 states, "For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgements as are all in this law which I set before you this day." Surely if God's statutes and judgements are righteous we would not want to add to or take away from them, surely he knows far better than we do how things were created to be.

The Holy Spirit is a Teacher

If you truly agree with this, I urge you to listen on, no matter how difficult you may find some of the sections that follow. The Holy Spirit is the teacher. Consider also 2 Peter 1:20-21 "Knowing this first that no property of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy never came by the will of man but Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." Clearly no Scripture is open to private interpretation by men no matter how many men may agree. It is only the interpretation of Scripture which is God's interpretation which carries any weight. Furthermore, in Matthew 23:8-13 Jesus himself states, "But you do not be called 'Rabbi' for one is your teacher, the Christ and your all brethren. Do not call anyone on Earth your father, for one is your Father, He who is in Heaven and do not be called teachers for one is your teacher, the Christ that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant and whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself, will be exalted but word to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men for then you go in yourselves nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." It is quite clear that no man on Earth is to be given a title which suggests that he is a teacher. The teacher is the Spirit of truth.

1 John 14:15-17 Jesus states, "If you love Me, keep My Commandments and I will pray to the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever."The Spirit of truth in the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. Verse 25-26, "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you, but the help of the Holy Spirit and the Father will send him in My name he will teach you all things that bring to our remembrance, all things that I said to you." Jesus refers here to the Spirit of truth and also to the Holy Spirit as being a helper whom He will send to those who love him and states that this helper will teach you all things.

Clearly, we are not to rely on men to interpret Scripture. They may share with us with what they believe God has shown them, but we are each accountable for determining whether that interpretation is of God or not. Remember the Mosaic covenant, the old covenant provided for Priests, Levites, and judges to interpret the law,  they were anointed with the Spirit of God. This is demonstrated in Number 11:24 and 25, "So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord and he gathered the seventy men of the elders with the people and faced them around the tabernacle. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him and took some of the Spirit that was upon him and placed the same upon the seventy elders and it happened when the Spirit rested on them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again."

Verse 29, "And Moses said to him that was Joshua, are you jealous for my sake? I owe that all the Lord's people were prophets and the Lord will put his Spirit upon them." With the coming of the new covenant which was to be taken to the Gentiles it would no longer be practical to retain the temple service and the Priest. Accordingly, God unfolded the next step of this plan of redemption and gave his Holy Spirit to dwell in every born-again believer in order to teach them. Since we have been privileged to receive greater and more previous gifts, under the old covenant, we must be that much more diligent to ensure that we rely on the Holy Spirit to interpret the Word of God for us.

The fate of false witnesses and lies, Proverbs 30:5-6 states, "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words lest He rebukes you and you be found a liar." Proverbs 21:28 in the New International Version states, "A false witness will perish and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever."Revelation 21:8 states, "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

There are various other scriptures which indicate that the preaching or teaching of false doctrine or liars will lead to a harsh judgment against those who utter such teachings, as well as those who accept such teachings. Accordingly they would seem to be good grounds to test all teachings carefully before we accept them. Adultery sends people to hell. Consider also Proverbs 7:27 referring to adultery states "Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death." Surely if adultery can send a person to hell, we should be careful what this scriptural definition of adultery actually is. We should also be diligent not to define something as adultery ,when it is not, or to define something as not being adultery, when it is.

As you listen to the teachings that follow, you will find a number of instances where current Church doctrine is doing both of these things. I urge all listeners to take careful account to what is taught here in the light of these Scriptures. The shame of the Church and empty thrones prepare you for judgment.

The Final Quest

In the book, 'The Final Quest,' Joyner reports a number of incidents during his experience in the judgement Hall of Heaven, which have profoundly influenced the thinking of every Christian who reads that book. The three passages that follow seem to be of cardinal importance. The Church is without judges and therefore covered with shame. In pages 128 to 129, the Lord Jesus is reported as saying, "There is a freedom that comes when you perceive truth. But whoever I set as free indeed, the freedom of My presence is greater than main truth. You have experienced liberation in My presence, but there is yet much more for you to understand about My judgements. When I judge, I am not seeking to condemn or to justify but to bring forth righteousness. Righteousness is only found in union with Me. That is the righteous judgement bringing men into unity with Me. My Church is now closed with shame because you do not have judges. He does not have judges because he does not know Me as the judge. I will now raise up judges for My people who know My judgement. I will not just decide between people or issues, but to make things right which is to bring them into agreement with Me. When I appeared to Joshua, the captain of the host, I declared that I was for neither him, nor his enemies. I never come to take sides and is to take over, not to take sides. I appeared as the captain of the host before Israel could enter his promised land. The church is now about to enter her promised land and I am again about to appear as the captain of the host. When I do, I will remove all who have been forcing my people to take sides against their brothers.

My justice does not take sides in human conflicts, even those who are my own people. What I was doing through Israel I was doing for the enemies too, not against them. It is only because you see from the earthly temporal perspective that you do not see My justice. You may see My justice to walk in My authority because righteousness and justice are the foundation of My Throne. I have imputed righteousness to the people I have chosen, but like Israel in the wilderness even the greatest saints of the Church age have only aligned themselves with My ways a small part of the time or with a small part of their minds and hearts. I am not for them or against the enemies, but I am coming to use My people to save the enemies. I love all men and desire for all to be saved.

I could not help thinking of the great battle that we had fought on the mountain. We did win many of our own brethren as we fought against the evil controlling them. There was still many of them in the camp of the enemy, either being used by him or kept as his prisoners. I started to wonder that the next battle would be against our own brothers again. But Lord was watching me ponder all of this and he continued, "Until the last battle is over, they will always be some of our brothers who are being used by the enemy, but that is not why I am telling you this now. I am telling you this to help you see how the enemy gets into your own heart and mind and how he uses you even now you still do not see everything the way that I do. This is common with My people. At this time, even My greatest leaders are seldom in harmony with Me. Many are doing good works but very few are doing what I have called them to do. This is the result of divisions among you. I am not coming to take sides with any one group, but I am calling for those who have come over to My side."

This extract clearly indicates that there are currently few, or any Christians who are really in the Will of God. It also clearly indicates that the Church is not walking in justice and integrity until we become acutely aware of the coming judgement and measure ourselves, against what the Word of God tells us, and awaits us on the Day of Judgement. Few will be concerned about the possibility that their doctrine is false. As you listen to these teachings, I urge you to become judgement-minded. It is likely that you will find much in these teachings to offend you. However, I truly believe that most of what is presented herein is an accurate reflection of the Word of God and the Will of God. Accordingly, I urge you to examine yourself closely in the mirror of the Word any time you are offended by what is contained in these teachings.

The ministry and the message of the modern Church is hardly recognised by the early apostles. On the pages 135 to 136 of the 'Final Quest,' Joyner reports in an interview with the apostle Paul, then he continued, "There are two more things that we attain in our time that will be lost very quickly by the Church and they have not yet been recovered. You must recover them." "What are they?" I inquired, feeling that what he was about to say was more than just an addendum to what he had already said. "You must recover the ministry and the message," he said emphatically. I looked at the Lord, and He nodded His affirmation, adding, "It is right that Paul should say this to you. Until this time he has been the most faithful with both of these." "Please explain," I implored Paul. "All right," he replied. "Except for a few small places in the world where there are great persecutions or difficulties now, we can hardly recognise either the ministry or the message that is being preached today. Therefore, the church is now but a phantom of what it was even in our time, and we were far from all we were called to be. When we served, being in ministry was the greatest sacrifice that one could make, and this reflected the message of the greatest sacrifice that was made—the cross.

The Cross

The cross is the power of God, and it is the centre of all we are called to live by. You have so little power to transform the minds and hearts of the disciples now because you do not live, and do not preach, the cross. Therefore, we have difficulty seeing much difference between the disciples and the heathen. That is not the Gospel or the salvation with which we were entrusted. You must return to the cross." With those words, he squeezed my shoulders like a father, and then returned to his seat. I felt like I had received both an incredible blessing and a profound rebuke.

In this extract we clearly see that the ministry and the message of the Church have far moved from those of the early Church. While I do not mean to suggest that the message of this teaching is central to bringing the Church back to where she belongs, I believe that it is a critical component of what must be addressed before the Church can serve God as He has called them to serve. From personal experience I must also warn you that spreading the truth contained in this book are likely to bring intense persecution. In the light of the above passage I would encourage you to recognise that the very occurrence of persecution, with regards to these truths, serves to indicate how important they are and therefore how much energy Satan has expended and continues to expend to prevent publication and teaching of these truths.

Many Thrones in Heaven are currently empty. They could have been filled by any generation having progressed through the judgement experience, and yet many people whom He had understood to be prominent men of God, yet who are in the lowest rank in Heaven. Joyner finds himself standing before the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord then looked at the galleries and said, "Those empty seats could have been filled in any generation. I gave the invitation to sit here to anyone who has called upon My name. They are still available. Now the last battle has come. Many who are last, shall be first. These seats will be filled before the battle is over. Those who will sit here will be known by two things. They will wear the mantle of humility and they will have My likeness. You now have the mantle if you can keep that and do not lose that in the battle. When you return you will also have My likeness, then you will be worthy to sit with these because I would have made you worthy. All authority and power have been given to Me and I alone can wield it. You will prevail, and you will be trusted with My authority only when you have come to fully abide in Me. Now, turn and look at my household."

I turned and looked back in the direction I had come from. From before His throne I could see the entire room. The spectacle was beyond any comparison in its glory. Millions fill the ranks. Each individual in the lowest rank was more awesome than an army and had more power. It was far beyond my capacity to absorb such a panorama of glory. Even so, I could see that only a very small portion of the great room was occupied. I looked back at the Lord and was astonished to see tears in His eyes. He had wiped the tears away from every eye here, except His own. Then a tear ran down His cheek. He caught it in His hand and then He offered to me. "This is My cup. Will you drink it with Me?" There was no way that I could refuse Him. As the Lord continued to look at me I began to feel His great love. Even as foul as I was He still loved me. As undeserving as I was, He wanted me to be close to Him.

Then He said: "I love all of these with the love that you cannot now understand. I also love all who are supposed to be here but did not come. I have left the ninety nine to go after the one who was lost. My shepherds would not leave the one to go after the ninety nine who are still lost. I came to save the lost. Will you share My heart to go to save the lost? Will you help to fill this room? Will you help to fill these Thrones, and every other seat in this hall? Will you take up this quest to bring joy to Heaven, to Me and to My Father? This judgment is for My own household, and My own house is not full. The last battle will not be over until My house is full. Only then will it be time for us to redeem the earth and remove the evil from My creation. If you drink My cup you will love the lost the way that I loved them."

From this passage, it is clear that the Thrones in Heaven are largely unoccupied and even the Throne room in Heaven is largely empty. In other words, billions of souls who might have spent Eternity in Heaven with Christ, are burning in hell for Eternity. I truly believe that the heresies and false teachings exposed in these teachings account for a large percentage of the souls who are not in Heaven today. Accordingly, I urge you, if you desire to have a Lord's heart for the lost, earnestly examine what is taught here and challenge yourself to take the truth and broadcast it to the world. I have no doubt that God requires this of everyone who hears this teaching.

At the same time, many are heaping up wrath for themselves in the Day of Judgement by teaching these heresies, despite having more access to the written Word of God than any generation that has ever lived. I implore you, as you listen further consider well what is taught in this series, and prayerfully consider what you should do before you respond to whatever offence Satan may bring your way.

There are many more women in higher office in Heaven than men. In the last paragraph on page 117 of 'The Final Quest' referring to the High Thrones in Heaven, Joyner states, "However, it seemed that faithful, praying women and mothers occupied more thrones than any other single group." In the first paragraph on page 23 referring to those in the forefront of the battle against the enemy, Joyner states "To my further surprise, the great majority of these soldiers were women and children." This confirms the point that has developed in the subsequent teaching regarding Isaiah 4:1 "There are many more women than men in the Body of Christ today, and this is God's intention. It is time that the Church comes to understand how this impacts apparent imbalance is to be accommodated in marriage in a manner that is in accordance with the Word of God and the Will of God." This book seeks to develop the understanding of what this entails.

A word of clarification: Nothing in this teaching is intended to understate the deliverance purchased for mankind through Jesus sacrifice at Calvary. Sadly, the knowledge of the Word of God in the modern Church, as we have seen in the extracts from 'The Final Quest' is not nearly what it should be. Accordingly, my experience is seeking to share the truths in this teaching with other believers.  When you think that in some way this teaching is seeking to dilute what Jesus did at Calvary, I would like to make it quite clear that this is not the case. The knowledge of the Church is diverged so far from the truth of Scripture that are paradigm results in things which are entirely scriptural and things which are entirely unscriptural being regarded as scriptural. As you listen to this teaching, you will find numerous instances of this phenomenon. As you encounter such instances, I urge you not to be offended, but rather to examine your personal knowledge and experience when closely examined in the light of what is written here in fact, corroborate what is written, and likewise the extent to which you have over the years compromised your understanding in deference to the doctrines of men whom you thought were more knowledgeable than you.

Let me sum up. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, incarnate through the Virgin Mary. He was crucified at Calvary. He died and was buried. On the third day He rose again and sits on the right hand of the Father in Heaven. He appeared physically to his disciples, repeatedly over a period of 40 days after His resurrection. He will judge the living and the dead. He will return together as Church to Him and to rule the world. Through His sacrifice on the cross, He purchased for us salvation and eternal life for those who believe in their hearts and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, healing for our bodies, deliverance from the works of Satan and his Demons on Earth. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the Word of God. There is no other name given by which men can be saved.

Jesus Christ made a great and terrible sacrifice on the cross for our redemption. He went to the cross not to purchase licentiousness and laxity but to purchase the spiritual wherewithal for us to become Priests to God and to serve Him faithfully and to become sons and servants of God. He expects us to lay down our lives and take up the cross and follow him daily. This teaching is about some of the requirements for doing this in order to prepare His Church for His return. If you love Him and reverently fear Him, you will not turn to the left or the right from discerning the truths contained in this teaching and you will put them into practice in your life and preach them from the mountaintops.

The word of encouragement for those who may be convicted of sin by the teachings that follow: There are many teachings that follow that will convict many listeners of sin in their lives. If you are convicted of sin, remember above all things, 1 John 1:7-10, "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But if we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." Above all things as you become aware of your sin, give no heed to any lies that Satan may tell you. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look forward in His wonderful face, confess your sins, repent of your sins, ask for and receive His forgiveness purchased for you at Calvary and receive your deliverance.

If you do not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ or are not born-again, please contact me or your nearest Church for assistance. If you are uncertain how to receive salvation, to reconnect your life to the Lord, to receive forgiveness for your sins, to receive deliverance from certain consequences of sexual sin, please contact me on telephone, South Africa, 0027117912327 or 0027832516644, or email me on James@EndTimeIssueMinistries.org.za. Above all, do not let the knowledge of any sin, no matter how desperate the revelation which may follow from listening to these teachings get you down. The more sin you repent of in this life, the more pleasing your life will be to your precious Saviour and His Father and the less judgement you will face in the life to come.

See all revelation of sin in your life as a wonderful opportunity to please Him. After all, He died on the cross to take your sins. Do not slight Him by refusing to give it to Him. He is waiting with open arms to receive your burdens. Right now, His word to you is in Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

Remember also that Jesus said in John 10:10 "The thief does not come, except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and they have it more abundantly." Above all things, the message in this series is about abundant living for those who have been oppressed by heretical doctrines and deliverance from bondage to the sin resulting from these heresies. I encourage you to listen expectantly and see what the Lord will do.

In summary, some of the key points in this teaching: The Church has lost all recognition of the importance of virginity. Deuteronomy 22:20-21 states "But if the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel to play the harlot in her father’s house. So you shall put away the evil from among you." This passage of Scripture clearly identifies that a woman must be a virgin when she gets married. If she is not, she is a harlot. The Church incorrectly defines adultery and causes millions to fall. 1 Corinthians 6:9 states "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites." An adulterer is anyone who has had sex with a woman whose virginity has been taken by another man and who is not a widow or scripturally divorced.

There are far more women than men in the Church. God intended them to have believing husbands. Isaiah 4:1 referring to the Church in these days’ states, and in that day, seven women shall take hold of one man saying, "We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach." In other words, there will be seven times more women than men in the Church. This is being fulfilled before our eyes in many congregations. Hundreds of thousands of Christian women are desperately seeking material Christian husbands who are unmarried and are not finding them. The lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Christian women are made a misery because they cannot find a godly husband. Many fall into sin or backslide.

There are many other topics which will be addressed that follow in the weeks ahead. But God has a much better plan. God's vision for marriage in these last days is a pattern and a type of the wonderful lives those who overcome to the end will live with Christ for Eternity, a life filled with love, peace and joy, a life in which men and women are truly fulfilled as the men and women that God has called them to be. A life in which the world will see Christ and whole families and come flocking to the light. Life in which every Christian family will be a spiritual powerhouse, able to do greater works than Jesus did as stated in John 14:12, "Most surely, I say to you, he who believes in Me, and the works that I do,  greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." Please listen to the teachings that follow and see what treasure is contained for you today in the Word of God. I do not have all the answers, but the Holy Spirit does, and if we trust Him and walk by faith, He will lead those who desire into all truth on these issues. God bless you. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you. I hope that by the Grace of God, you will be able to listen to the teachings that follow in the weeks ahead, amen.

03_02 How Scripture Defines the Marriage Covenant

Good day. Father, we just come to You in the name of Jesus. We ask that You speak through me by Your Spirit today that You make me a yielded vessel. Father, I ask that whatever I utter today will be pleasing to You, yes, with Your heart. I ask You Father that if I say anything that is not of You that You will blow it away and that it will find no root in the people who hear this message. And I ask You Lord that whatever is a view that will implant in the hearts, that it will find root and bear much fruit to the glory of Your name. In Jesus name, amen.

Scriptural definition of Marriage

Today, I am going to continue with the teaching that I began last week on the scriptural definition of marriage. Last week we talked about the foundation principles. We talked about marriage being a prophetic statement. We read in some detail from the article'Wow, so that's how much Jesus loves me' and we established the foundation that in order to understand the things of God and the covenant of God we need to understand that marriage and the marriage covenant and because of the prophetic parallel between the marriage between Jesus Christ and his church and the marriage between men and woman, Satan had expended enormous energy in destroying marriage and bringing it about the levels of divorce and fornication that prevail in the world today.

The series of teachings is directed at establishing a very solid scriptural foundation. It is directed at getting down to the absolute nuts and bolts of what Scripture tells us about marriage, in order for us to learn to walk in the fullness of marriage, and in the process of learning to walk in the fullness of marriage, that we may come to the place where we understand the fullness of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, with God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. So, I would ask you to listen intently, to follow your Bibles, and to see exactly what the Word of God is showing us concerning marriage.

This series will go on for some time and in subsequent teachings, I will address issues of what exactly is adultery, what does the Word of God really say about divorce or one flesh bond, and a variety of other topics, as the Lord leads to build a complete picture which will enable you to walk in the fullness of the marriage that God has appointed for you. I pray that you will just receive what the Holy Spirit has for you today in Jesus name.

So, let us go now and access exactly what the scriptural definition of marriage and the marriage covenant is. As a starting point, let us just look at one aspect of how Jesus identified marriage when He walked the Earth. Let us consider the report of the Sadducees question to Jesus concerning the woman who was married to each seven brothers in sequence, as presented in Matthew 22:23-33. I'm going to start reading Matthew verse 23. "That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him (Jesus) and asked Him saying 'Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies having no children, his brother must marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now, there were with us seven brothers. The first died off after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise, the second, also the third even to the seventh. Last of all, the woman died also, therefore in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven she be for they all had her?'" Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor given in marriage but are like Angels of God in Heaven. Concerning the resurrection of the dead have you not read what was spoken to you by God saying, 'I'm the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.' God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

The same incident is reported in the Book of Mark, chapter 12, verses 18 to 27. Just to read verse 25 where Jesus says, "For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage that are like Angels in Heaven." The same incident is again reported in the Book of Luke, chapter 20, verse 27 to 40. This is 34 and 35, "Jesus answered and said to them, the sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are counted worthy to obtain that age and there is a resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage."

Gospel Marriages

We thus have three Gospels confirming that marriage does not occur in Heaven. This is a very powerful confirmation of this principle through three witnesses. But what exactly does this mean? Let us now consider the story of the beggar and the rich man, which is presented in the Book of Luke, chapter 16, verses 19 to 31. Jesus is speaking, and he says, "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fed sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover,  the dogs came and licked his sores. So, it was that the beggar died and was carried by the Angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.  Being tormented in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame.

But Abraham said, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus, evil things. But now he is comforted, and you are tormented. And besides all of this between us and you there is a great so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us." Then he said, "I beg you therefore Father that You send him to my father's house for I have five brothers that he may testify to them that they also come to this place of torment."

Abraham said to him "They have Moses and the prophets let them hear them." And he said, "No father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent, but he said to him if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead." So, we see a complete dialogue between the deceased rich man and Abraham with Lazarus, the deceased beggar present. It's absolutely apparent that the rich man could recognise Lazarus and that a dialogue was possible. So clearly in Heaven people recognised those they knew in this life. In fact, it's even possible for people in Hell to recognise and speak to people in Heaven.

The Final Quest

Clearly, since the knowledge of the person continues, the relationship continues, and this was confirmed in great detail in the visions reported in the book "The Final Quest' by Rick Joyner and I quote from page 103, the second last paragraph. This vision reports a progression in the judgement realm in Heaven, in which Joyner has scored up into Heaven and speaks to a number of people in Heaven. He has just completed a discussion with a man who he describes as a great reformer and that man's wife and established that things were not as they seem to be on the Earth. He is now speaking to the wife and he writes as follows. "Wanting to simply prolong our conversation, I asked the next question that came to my mind. Is it difficult for you and your husband to be here together? She replies "Not at all. All of the relationships that you have on Earth are continued here and they are all purified by the judgement and by the fact that they are now spiritual, just as we are now in our spirit. The more that you are forgiven, the more you love. After we forgave each other, we loved each other more. Now a relationship is continuing in much greater depth and richness because we are joined as the salvation. As deep as the winds went that we afflicted upon each other, the love was able to go when we were healed. We could have experienced this on Earth, but we did not learn forgiveness in time. If we had learnt forgiveness, the competition that entered our relationship and side-tracked our life would not have been able to take root in us. If you truly love you will be truly forgiven. The harder it is for you to forgive, the further you are from true love. Forgiveness is essential where you will stumble, and in many ways will stray from the course chosen for you."

So here we see very clearly that the woman concerned remained in a relationship with her husband in Heaven. They continue to know all that is applied to their relationship while they were on the Earth, and their relationship became much deeper and much more profound, while they were in Heaven. As a side comment, it's important to note that they say that we can experience all that they were experiencing in Heaven on Earth. And from that we see again, a powerful confirmation that God's intention for marriage is an incredibly sublime relationship which is beyond anything that anybody on this Earth can imagine right now. It's really with this in mind that this series of teaching is seeking to lay a foundation which is directed at establishing marriage as an incredibly powerful and incredibly profound prophetic statement of God's love for the Church.

Lazarus

Let's go back to the instance of Lazarus.  We see, confirmed by Joyner's vision, that Jesus was not saying that the seven brothers would not recognise the woman who had been wife to each of them when they got to Heaven, which is a possible interpretation. So clearly those seven brothers would all recognise that woman and from the passage that we have just read, each of them would remember the relationship that they had with her.  That relationship would become deeper and every aspect of their relationship with her would become deeper. Yet Jesus says that they will not marry or be given in marriage in Heaven. So, what do we see? We see the only thing that is different, the thing that is profoundly lacking in Heaven is that there is no sexual intercourse between the men and the woman. And clearly sexual intercourse is something that is given in this life, given in this age and it is marriage.

So, Jesus is saying in that passage that there is no sexual intercourse, and there is no marriage in Heaven. But every other aspect of the relationship continues in Heaven and from that we need to draw a conclusion which strongly suggests that the fundamental component of what makes a marriage is in fact sexual intercourse between husband and wife. So, let's go into other Scriptures and seek to establish whether this is in fact the case. to Deuteronomy chapter 22, verses 13 to 21. I'm going to address the question of virginity and what is marriage. Let's read from Deuteronomy 22:13. I am reading from the New King James version, "If any man takes a wife and goes into her and detests her and charges her with shameful conduct and brings a bad name on her and says 'I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found she was not a virgin,' then the father and mother of the young woman shall take and bring out the evidence of the young woman's virginity to the elders of the city of the gate, and the young woman's father shall say to the elders 'I gave my daughter to this man as wife and he detests her. Now he has charged her with shameful conduct saying, I found your daughter was not a virgin. And yet these are the evidences of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. Then the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him, and they shall fine him 100 shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name on a virgin of Israel,  and she shall be his wife and he cannot divorce her all these days. But if the thing is true and evidences of virginity are not found for the young women, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house and the men of his city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel to play the harlot in her father's house. So, you shall put away the evil from the ."

Adultery

Deuteronomy 22:14 states, "And give occasion of speech against her, charging her with adultery and bring an evil name upon her and say I took this woman, and when I lay with her, I found her not a virgin." This translation clearly equates the lack of virginity with evidence of adultery. Deuteronomy 22:14 in the New International Version states,"And slanders her and gives her a bad name saying, I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity." This translation more clearly indicates that the man approached the young woman to consummate the marriage, but presumably on inspection found her not to be a virgin. Deuteronomy 22:19 in the King James version states, "And they shall immerse him in hundred shekels of silver and give them onto the father of the damsel because he had brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel and she shall be his wife. He may not put her away all his days."

Consider Deuteronomy 22:28-29, in the King James version, "If a man finds a damsel that is a virgin, which is not the trust, and lays hold on her and lays with her and they be found, then the man that lays with her shall give unto the damsel's father 50 shekels of silver and she should be his wife, because he has humbled her, he may not put her away all his days." Supplementing this in Exodus 22:16 and 17 we find "If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride price for her to be his wife. If a father utterly refuses to give him to her, he shall pay money, according to the bride price of virgins."

Virginity

I will present some Scriptures and interpretation based on Deuteronomy 22:13-21 together with the subsequent Scriptures and then corroborate it with further Scriptures. Most of the Scriptures referring to virginity are listed in the appendix to the book 'the scriptural definition of marriage' and they are very extensive. God-willing, a more detailed interpretation of Deuteronomy 22:28-29, and Exodus 22:16-17 under the title'one-night stands' will be presented in a later teaching.

So, we see virginity is a prerequisite for Godly marriage and the Scriptures give rise to the following comments. One, the evidence of a woman's virginity is without doubt a cloth used to collect the bloodshed from the young woman's hymen when she was penetrated in sexual intercourse for the first time. Two, I do not believe that there is any disagreement with the word virgin in the context of a woman.  It refers to women who have never had sexual intercourse and in scriptural terms whose hymen is intact. Three, it is equally clear that the man who accuses his bride of not being a virgin after he approaches her, is married to her, and this marriage cannot be dissolved if he has brought a false accusation.

But finally, four, if this accusation is correct, then the young woman is defined by the word of God as a harlot and is sentenced to die immediately. Fifthly, if a man takes a virgin forcibly, he is responsible for her for life. He may never put her away or divorce her. And sixthly, if a man entices a virgin and lies with her, the father may refuse to commit her to marry the man when the father first hears about it. But if the father does not refuse to permit her to marry, then they are considered to be married.

In a subsequent teaching God-willing, we will consider the passage of Scripture in Judges 21:20-23 where wives are taken to Benjamin in terms of this principle. If the father does not permit the girl to marry, it would appear that Deuteronomy 22:13-21, which we read a few moments ago, prohibits her from ever remarrying. Virginity is sacred. The following interpretation can be derived from this. Virginity is sacred and holy. It is not negotiable in the sight of God. A woman who is not a virgin is only eligible to marry if she is a widow or divorced on scripturally acceptable grounds as identified in Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 19:3-10, and Mark 10:2-12, where Jesus makes it quite clear that there are certain specific conditions under which sexual union with the scripturally divorced woman is not adultery. God-willing, the subsequent teaching will address the subject of divorce in detail.

Thirdly, a woman who is a harlot or adulterous is only eligible to marry if she has come to salvation or she has come to true repentance of her sin and deliverance from her sin. She must be divorced in the side of God from the man who took her virginity and any man to whom she may have been technically or legally married in the sight of the world. Such a woman should only be married by a man who is absolutely certain that God has released her from marriage. A few asides regarding virginity. There are some side issues necessary to fully understand the Scripture and therefore to avoid misinterpreting it in the current age. Firstly, the virgin referred to in this passage of Scripture was typically approximately 12-1/2 years old and was on the point of commencing menstruation or had only just commenced. This is confirmed in the Talmud and other sources.

The Talmud Steinsaltz edition volume 9, Tractate Ketubot part 3, published by Random House, New York, in pages 1 to 13, repeatedly defines a virgin as being a girl between the age of 12 and 12-1/2 years, corresponding to the point at which a girl allegedly attains sexual maturity and is regarded as an adult woman. Accordingly, the physical factors which give rise to perforation of the hymen in older virgins would not have been experienced. Note that so-called child brides are still common in the Middle East until recently.  I've met a woman of Lebanese descent whose parents’ generation frequently married brides in the age group 12 to 15.

I mentioned this, not with a view to stimulating controversy about the acceptable age of a girl of marriage, but to overcome any difficulty that modern listeners may have with the Scripture based on the tendency for modern, athletically active young women to damage their hymens before marriage. It is important to understand that it is spiritual folly to marry a woman with a damaged hymen and this one is absolutely certain that God declared her free to marry. Failing this, the man will be committing adultery.

It would appear that witnesses were present at the active declaration, otherwise there could not have been any evidence as the man and woman would not be permitted to give evidence scripturally. Certainly, it would seem that the father must have been present in order to be able to testify with regard to the evidence of virginity in Deuteronomy 22:16. If he was not present, surely, any cloth with blood on it would suffice as evidence. Thirdly, to the best of my knowledge the hymen, like the foreskin, serves no known biological purpose of material significance. It only serves as a warning to the bridegroom to the effect that if the seal is broken, do not marry. We must therefore ask the question why did God create woman with a hymen and surely, the only answer can be to warn the bridegroom of impending spiritual danger if it is damaged or absent.

Conclusions

Some critical conclusions. Sexual intercourse with a virgin is marriage, and a woman was created from the beginning to have only one husband. The critical conclusions that can be derived from the Scriptures are firstly, since God created woman to lose her virginity only once, she was only intended to marry once, and therefore to only marry one man. In other words, biblical marriage is sexual intercourse with a virgin. Secondly, God ordained women to be this way from Creation, not after the fall of Adam and Eve. There is no Scripture to indicate that after the fall, God re-engineered Eve and added the hymen as an afterthought. Thirdly, therefore we must conclude that whatever acceptable sexual state God foresaw for women at creation, as measured by this unique seal of virginity, must still surely prevail in our fallen state, although God did introduce divorce for certain critical cases of spiritual or sexual fornication or treachery.

Virginity has some caveats. The preceding discussion on virginity is intended to highlight the importance of virginity in the side of God. At the same time, current social practice presents us with a situation in which women typically marry at an age considerably older than 12-1/2 years, use tampons and participate in activities which give rise to a greatly increased likelihood of the hymen being innocently perforated before marriage. This introduces some serious complexity in the life of any God-fearing man since it is apparent that adultery is a very serious sin, which leads to the guilty parties having a part in the lake of fire and brimstone if not repented off. Consequently, a man faced with the prospect of consummating a marriage with a woman with a perforated hymen would be well advised to earnestly seek the Lord for absolutely unambiguous confirmation that God will permit him to marry her and that he will not be committing adultery.

I am also advised that in older women, where the hymen is intact, it may become tight with a result that great pain is experienced in first intercourse, but the hymen does not tear, and no blood is shed. However, in such an instance, there should be little, or no doubt that the woman is a virgin.

Marriage Covenant

What is the marriage covenant? I think it is generally accepted within the Church that marriage is a covenant relationship. However, there are diverse explanations of the nature and form of this covenant and how it comes into existence. Let us now seek to understand the true scriptural marriage covenant. Covenant requires the shedding of blood. Hebrews 9:18-20 states, "Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood, for when Moses had spoken every precept or all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water, scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people saying 'this is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.'" Clearly, the covenant cannot be dedicated without blood. Covenants required cleaving, splitting, and cutting of some living creature.

Referring to Genesis 15:4-21, we read concerning Abraham or Abram at that stage,"And behold the word of the Lord came to him saying this one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir. And then he brought him outside and said, 'look now toward Heaven and count the stars if you are able to number them' and He said to him 'so shall your descendants be.' And he believed in the Lord and he accounted to Him for righteousness. Then He said to him, 'I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to inherit it.' And he said, 'Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?' So, he said to him, 'bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle, dove, and a young pigeon.' Then he brought all this to Him and cut them into two down the middle and placed each piece opposite the other, but he did not cut the bird in two. And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. Now, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then He said to Abram 'know certainly that your descendants will be stranger than a man that is not there and will serve them and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also, the nation whom they serve, I will judge. Afterward they shall come out with great positions. Now as for you, you shall go to your father in peace. You shall be buried at a good old age, but in the fourth generation they shall return here for the inequity of the emirates is not yet complete. And it came to pass when the sun went down, and it was dark, but behold, there appeared a smoking oven and burning torch that passed between those pieces.'

On the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying 'your descendants I have given this land from the river of Egypt the great river, the river Euphrates, the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Rephaim. The Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.'"

This is the passage, and specifically verse 6 where Abram believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness as referred to in Galatians 3:6. In Romans 4:9-12 we read, "Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only or upon the uncircumcised also. For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness, how then was it accounted? While he was circumcised or uncircumcised, not while circumcised but while uncircumcised and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe though they are uncircumcised. The righteousness might be imputed to them also. And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but he also walks in the steps of the faith which your father Abraham had while stile uncircumcised."

Covenants

In this passage, there appears to be a clear-cut relation between the covenant under which Christians now walk and the covenant that God cut with Abram in Genesis 15:4-21, which we have just read. However, there is another principle contained in Genesis 15 and specifically in verse 10, "Then he brought all this to him and cut them in two down the middle and placed each piece opposite the other." In verse 17 we read, "A smoking oven, a burning torch that passed between those pieces." The smoking oven and burning torch are widely regarded as being manifestations of God since verse 18 states that on the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram. So, it would appear that God passed between the halves of the animals in making the covenant.

Is there a confirmation of this interpretation in Scripture? Jeremiah 34:18 states "I will give the men who have transgressed my covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it." It appears clear in this verse that the covenant made with God by the Princes of Judah and others referred to in the subsequent verses, involve cutting across in two and parting between the parts of it. Essentially the same actions that we see in Genesis 15:10-18, however, there is more to it. The Living Torah, a modern Jewish translation by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, published by Moznaim Publishing Corporation, New York in Jerusalem translates Genesis 15:10 as follows, "Abram brought all this for him, he split them in half and placed one half opposite the other."Here we see the word translated, cut in the new King James Version translated split.

The footnote to Genesis 15:10 in the Living Torah states "Split them. This was a way of making a covenant." Rachid is cited as the authority on this. Indeed, the words covenant, and split appear to be closely related. It symbolised just as the two halves of the animal were really one, so it is with the two people making the covenant. Moreover, just as one side cannot live without the other, so the two cannot live without each other. It was also seen as a malediction. Anyone violating the oath would be torn asunder like the animals. In this one night we begin to see the deeper meaning embodied in Deuteronomy 22:13-30 regarding virginity.

Firstly, the covenant is made by splitting or cutting some living thing and shedding blood. Two, people who make a blood covenant become one, and cannot live without one another. Three, a person who breaks a covenant is to be put to death. This is confirmed by a variety of independent sources who studied the blood covenant in Scripture, and also in Pagan practice. I refer you particularly to teachings by Kenneth Copeland on "Covenant Made by Blood: Hesed - Agape," ISBN 0-88114-790-7, published by Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

Adam and Eve

The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'split' as 'break forcibly, be broken into parts, especially, longitudinally or with the grain or plane of cleavage.' Consider also the physical reality of a 'meat cleaver' as something that cleaves or cuts into the meat. The marriage covenant is cut when a man cleaves into his virgin wife. Bringing this together, Genesis 2:21-25, in the King James Translation states, "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh.' And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

Thus, we see the man cleaving or splitting his wife, forcibly breaking apart her hymen on the plane of cleavage, shedding blood. He then proceeds to 'walk' or 'pass between'the two halves completing the covenant act.

The imagery is vivid and powerful. If we put aside our prudery for a moment and wonder at the physical appearance of the external female sexual organ, we should be even further amazed at the imagery which our God has encapsulated in what superficially is an organ whose structure and design makes no earthly sense. It is not intended to; it faithfully recreates the two halves of the covenant animal, even to the hair covering the animal. Surely, we must conclude that God knew the end from the beginning and designed woman to be symbolic of His covenant with Man.

Taking it further, He symbolically recreates the cutting of the covenant every time a wife who truly loves her husband and gives herself totally to him and experiences sexual orgasm coupled with a flood of blood into the labia minora. How can we conclude, other than that, the sexual act is the most sublimely Holy representation of the act of covenant? How can we be, other than appalled, at how this symbolism has been lost and distorted?

The sexual act is an act of such enormous spiritual significance; is it any wonder that Satan has expended the energy that he has to deceive us for so long? How can we, for a moment, suggest that there is another purpose for virginity?

Cleaving

As in the side, many Christians today believe that the word 'cleave' means 'adhered to',and some translations use that in interpretation. But I would ask you to consider for a moment, that if you would speak to a geologist about the plane of cleavage in a gemstone or rock, he would tell you clearly, it's about splitting. If you were to go to any meat market and speak to any butcher about a meat cleaver and how he used it, he would tell you that he uses it to cut or cleave the meat. Secular media refer to a woman's cleavage as being the gap between her breasts. And so, it goes, the word'cleavage' is used extensively in every area of our lives to signify splitting or cleaving. If you would go into a hardware store and ask an assistant to give you something with which to cleave wood, he would not give you a tube of glue, he would give you an axe with which to cleave the wood. Cleaving speaks of splitting, it does not speak of gluing or sticking, and we are seriously in error when we think Genesis 2:24 tells us that a man will stick to his wife. It tells us clearly that a man will cleave or cut into his wife. It speaks clearly and unambiguously about sexual intercourse.

So, we see the female sexual organ is the symbol of the marriage covenant. Clearly every time a covenant minded man sees his wife's sexual organ, he is instinctively reminded of his covenant with her. Clearly it is an abomination for any other man to have sight of the outward symbol of that covenant, let alone to penetrate it, thus breaking the covenant.

Should we not ask ourselves whether it is possible that the heart of man seeks for this covenant purity with woman and, because of the wrong teaching of this age, turns to pornography and lust as the only substitute that offers any recognition of a deep desire for covenant? Surely the symbolic portrayal of the female sexual organ, aroused and provocatively displayed in the form of the blood red 'heart' used on valentine's day cards, to say 'I love you', and as a seemingly innocuous symbol of love throughout our society, represents one of the most effective devices that Satan has used to distract us totally from the true meaning of the love that God intended to exist between man and woman. Do you realise that every time you see a red heart symbol as used on cards and any number of devices in the world, Satan is tricking you subliminally to contemplate a woman's most private and most Holy part, in a very real sense, the door to her heart? As you realise that, I pray that you will come to recognise how fundamentally important this teaching is and how appallingly the world, by Satan's influence, and with the blessing of the Church has allowed this truth to be corrupted and lost.

Remember also that 1 Corinthians 12:23-24 states, "And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, on these we bestow greater honour and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honour to that part which lacks it." So again, we see that the greatest honour is given to the unpresentable parts, the hidden, the concealed parts.

Christian Covenant and Marriage Covenant

The close correlation between the Christian covenant and the marriage covenant goes further. We read last week Ephesians 5:22-33. Just to recap, in the King James Version, verse 22, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church and He is the saviour of the body." Verse 28, "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church. For we are members of His (Jesus) body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined or cleaved unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reveres her husband."

Surely here we see one of the most perfect examples of God's infinite attention to detail, His wonder and His majesty. We see the blood covenant between Christ and His bride, the Church, neatly tied in to the blood covenant between a man and his wife, both demonstrated symbolically by the covenant cut by walking between the halves of the animal that has been 'cleaved.'

If I return for a moment to the three points made earlier, one, the covenant is made by splitting or cutting some living thing and shedding blood, 1) Between man and man ‑ an animal. 2) Between man and woman ‑ the hymen of the woman. 3) Between man and God ‑ the precious Blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, shed on the cross at Calvary by the crown of thorns, the lashes, the nails and the spear, all of which cleaved into His flesh.

Two, people who make a blood covenant become one and cannot live without one another. 1) Between man and man ‑ spiritual curses come into effect, something which our generation is woefully ignorant of, but that is a subject for another discourse. 2) Between man and woman ‑ the one flesh bond, a powerful spiritual bond which literally unites and ties them together 'until death do us part.' 3) Between man and God ‑ the born-again reality, a powerful spiritual force in which the Spirit of Jesus comes to live within the Temple of the Believer who believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Thirdly, a person who breaks covenant is to be put to death: 1) Between man and man, long since lost. Numbers 30:2 states: "If a man vows a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth."

Today a man's word is seldom his bond. Yet there are still potentially eternal consequences since Revelation 21:8 is quite clear that 'all liars' will have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone.

2) Between man and woman, long since lost in the natural but spiritual death still results from unrepented adultery. Today adultery hardly seems to be regarded as a serious sin, even in the Church. Many preach that it is easily repented of. In reality, the covenant bond can only be broken by the death of one spouse unless God, in His mercy, and in response to humble petition in the name of Jesus, cuts the tie. But He will only do this as a consequence of persistent treachery on the part of one spouse. God-willingly, this will be the subject of a later teaching. But the offender who does not repent in this life will have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone.

3) Between man and God, the penalty remains eternal separation from God ‑ real death. Nothing has changed even though modern man and the church make light of this. People are breaking covenants with God all the time and turning their backs on Him to go to Hell.  They just do not realize it. The deception that it is not serious for people to break their word and for people to commit adultery has given rise to a far worse deception, that it is acceptable to betray and disobey God.

I sincerely hope that by now you will have begun to realise just how deep and how serious the subject of this teaching is. Millions, if not billions of souls are in Hell and many others are on their way as a consequence of man's heresies in this area.

The Bible on Marriage

Why does the Bible seem to give so little direct guidance on marriage? In another dimension, Ephesians 5:31-32, which states that a man "Shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the Church" answers another question. That of why, if marriage is so important, does God seemingly give so little direct guidance in the Bible on marriage? The answer must surely be contained in the above verses coupled to 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 which states: "For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

There are other scriptures which relate the Holy virgin, prepared for the coming of her husband, to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ including Ephesians 5:27 above. This thought is well developed in the article 'Wow! So that's how Jesus loves me!' which was discussed last week. Note that at the same time the use of the metaphor of the 'bride of Christ' is an allegory, metaphor or parable, in a sense that we become married to Jesus the instant that we pray the prayer of salvation and His Spirit comes to dwell within us. Thus, we are at the same time, both married and betrothed to Jesus in a way that is perhaps difficult for many to grasp.

The same thought is carried through into 2 Peter 3:14: "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless." Can there be any doubt that the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, traces the marriage of Jesus Christ to His bride, culminating with the wedding feast described in Revelation 19:9? "Then he said to me, 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' And he said to me, 'These are the true sayings of God.'"

Love

Understanding God's covenant love as it applies to marriage, as we come to terms with the understanding of the correlation between marriage and the new birth in Christ developed above, we can begin to see the richness of the instruction that God gives us with regards to marriage throughout the Bible. Thus, when Jesus says He will never leave us or forsake us in Hebrews 13:5, we must accept that this applies to us as such between a husband and wife. When God defines us a covenant keeping love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-10 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, but have not loved, I have become sounding brass, or a clinging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, but have not loved, I am nothing. And I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and now I give my body to be burned, but have not loved, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, does not provoke, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in inequity, but rejoices in the truth. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

But where there are prophecies, they will fail. Where there are tongues, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesise in part, but when that which is perfect has come and that which is in part, will be done away.

Surely, we must recognise that this is a love that God refers to in Ephesians 5:23-23 cited previously. The fuller definition is offered in dictionary with regards to love. It seems notable to me that there is not a single reference to relations between husband and wife in that entire passage. Do we truly believe that the Bible offers no material commentary on the love between a husband and wife? Surely not. Surely, we must accept that love between a husband and wife is an of the love between Christ and his bride of which I am sure both you and I hope to be members. Therefore, we must surely accept that the entire Bible contains guidance on marriage.

Above all, surely, we must accept that. Christian love, whether exercised towards the brethren or toward men generally is not an impulse from the feelings. It does not always run with a natural inclination. Nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all, Romans 15:2, and works no ill to any, 13:8-10. Love seeks opportunity to do good to all men.

Furthermore, quoting again from , love can be known only from the actions it prompts. God's love is seen in the gift of His Son, 1 John 4:9-10, but obviously this is not the love of complacency or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by the Excellency of its object, Romans 5:8. "It was an exercise of the Divine will in deliberate choice made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God himself." Refer Deuteronomy 7:7-8, "Christian love has God for its primary object and expresses itself, first of all, in implicit obedience to his commandments." John 14, 15, 21, 23, chapter 15:10, 1 John 2:5 and 5:3, and 2 John 6. Self-world that is self-pleasing is the negation of love to God. Surely, we must conclude that God is quite specific in what he considers to be love in the context of a husband and wife. It is not an impulse, it is a choice. It seeks the welfare of the spouse according to the Word and will of God, not its own welfare, nor the welfare of the spouse is determined by their opinion of what is best for them. It is determined by the principles set out in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love suffers long, is kind, does not envy, does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

Love is a series of choices with regard to an approach to the relationship which is totally devoid of any consideration of self. As the Agape Love of God is applied in the marriage relationship as a choice of lifestyle, romantic love follows, not the reverse. If this were the love practised between husband and wife, putting away, or divorce in the Church would be dramatically reduced.

In conclusion, the Word of God is absolutely unambiguously clear that the act of sexual intercourse is the act of marriage and the act of covenant. All vows, ceremonies, and traditions that men may choose to apply have no relevance unless coupled with sexual intercourse with a virgin bride, and they have no standing in the sight of God when the woman is not a widow, or a divorced woman who has been expressly released by the judge of all the Earth to remarry. Everything else is adultery and as we saw in the teaching last week, adulterers will not inherit the Kingdom of God. By the same token, sexual intercourse between husband and wife must be seen as the most divinely, Holy, and significant element of marriage. Is it any wonder that marriage in the world today is in the state that it is? Conversely, with this revelation, with this understanding of the incredible significance of the act of sexual intercourse between husband and wife as the definitive element of marriage, one can begin to walk the road that God has called us to walk in marriage to experience the divine joy, love and pleasure that He has for us in Godly marriage on this Earth and in this life.

It is my prayer that this teaching and the teachings that God-willing will follow in the weeks ahead will continue to build on this foundation and to assist you to see exactly what it is that God has purposed marriage to be, and to see exactly how you should deal with situations of adultery and divorce, which may have impacted on your life.  This will bring you to a place where you and your spouse can walk in the fullness of the marriage that God has called you to walk in, to reach out and touch others prophetically through the example of your marriage, as was portrayed so graphically in the teaching last week from the gardeners. I pray that you will take this message and that you will ask the Lord to write it on the tablet of your heart and imprint it and deal with the things that you need to deal with. I also pray that as you listen to this teaching, you will come to realise that in many cases you believe things which are not according to scripture.  You may have taught them if you are in a leadership position and you may have applied them in your life.

If that is the case, and if you need to pray, or if you need counselling, please feel free to contact us in South Africa.  The international code is 0027. Dialling code in South Africa - 117912327. Alternatively, 0027832516644, or alternatively you can email me on James@EndTimeIssueMinistries.org.za. We will be happy and blessed to be able to assist you with other material, with prayer, with counselling and guidance as to how you should address things in your life that may not be right as a consequence of understanding this teaching. If you do not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ at this time, if you have been trapped in sexual sin or if your experience of sexuality has led you to conclude that what the Church teaches is so wrong that you cannot possibly accept the yoke the Christianity, I would ask you to seek the Lord Jesus Christ now with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul.

Final Prayer

And if that is the case and if you have come to repentance, I would ask you just to pray with me firstly if you don't have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, I will pray for those who perhaps have a revelation that what they have been teaching is not according to the will of God. Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus and I will just ask anybody who is listening to this tape and who has never prayed the prayer of salvation, who has never invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come into their hearts and to receive lessons and to forgive them, just pray with me as I pray. "Father I come to You in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I confess my sin, I confess that I am a sinner, but I recognise today that the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross to die for me, to take my sin that I might dwell in Heaven for eternity and that my sins might be forgiven. And I confess my sin and I thank You now that You forgive my sin and I ask You Lord Jesus to come and dwell in my heart, to sit on the throne of my heart, to be my Lord and my King and my Saviour and to take control of my life, and to take over my life, and to lead me, and guide me into the truth that You have for me. I thank You for saving me, I thank You for delivering me and I thank You that You are now my God, and my King and I am now Your child and that You will take care of me, that You will answer my questions, that You will show me where I should fellowship and that You will lead me to a place where I can grow in Christ."

I would ask anybody who has just prayed that prayer for the first time either to contact us or alternatively to ask the Lord to lead you to a Church nearby where they will be able to help you. But if at any time you encounter something that you are not clear of and you need help, please feel free to contact us. For those of you who have listened to this and realise that what you have been teaching about marriage, about the marriage covenant, is fundamentally flawed, which is the case for most people in the Church today, I would ask you to examine your heart against the Word of God, and if you see that truly what you have been teaching is not correct and that it has potentially caused people to stumble, I would ask you just to pray this prayer of repentance with me right now, in Jesus name.

"Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus and I see that marriage is a covenant cut through the act of sexual intercourse between a man and a virgin bride. I confess that what I have believed and what I have taught is not in accordance with the truth that is contained in Your Word and I confess that heresy in that deception albeit for you as sin in Jesus name. Father, I thank You that if I confess my sins in repentance and turn around, You’re faithful and just to forgive my sin and I come to You now Lord in the name of Jesus, I lay my sin before You. I confess it is sin and I repent at my sin and I turn around and I ask You to forgive me. I thank You by faith, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that You have forgiven me and that I step forward and go forth from this place now by faith in Jesus name, cleansed and washed by the blood of the Lamb of all my sin. Father, I thank You that You will open my eyes as I read Your Word to see the full truth that is inherent in what I have heard today and to apply it in my own life, and in the teachings that I give to others in Jesus’ name. And Father, I thank You that You will show me that we, as a consequence of my wrong beliefs and my wrong teachings, I have gone out to others and I have performed marriages, I have given council, which is contrary to Your Word in this area and that You will show me what action You require of me to make restitution, to make right and to heal whatever sin has come to play in the lives of others, a consequence of my account. I understand and I recognise that those who have acted on my council, their blood is upon my hands and Father, it is my desire today to be cleansed of that blood, it is my desire today to go forth and to do good and to do the work that You have called me to do by faith, to set the people who I have placed in bondage, through my false beliefs and my false teachings free in Jesus’ name.

And I thank You Lord that it's not by might, it's not by power, it's by Your Spirit that this will be accomplished. I thank You that You will teach me and You will guide me and You will lead me to do what You require of me in the days ahead in Jesus’ name.

I pray that as you go forth, the Lord God will make His face to shine upon you, that He will bless you and prosper you and bring you into a deeper and greater understanding of His mercy and His grace, and of the truth of His word in the area of marriage and in every area of your life, in Jesus’ name. And if we can help you in any way at End Time Issue Ministries, we look forward to hearing from you, in Jesus’ name.

03_03 The One Flesh Bond and Submission

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Let us pray. "Father, we come to You in the name of Jesus, we dedicate this time to Your Word and seek a deeper understanding of Your Word and Your plan for us, in Jesus’ name. Father, I ask You that You will speak through me in the time ahead and that You will guide my thoughts and my speech that which I utter will be pleasing to You and achieve the purpose for which You have sent it. Father, should I utter anything in my own understanding, or my own strength that is contrary to Your Word or Your will, I ask you to seal it up and blow it away and that it will not find root as we hear it. But that which is of You Father, I ask You to imprint on their hearts, I ask You to water it by Your Spirit, by Your Word that it may find fruit, find root and bear fruit exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that they can ask or imagine. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Today, I am going to continue the teaching on marriage that I have been giving over the last couple of weeks. Today, in particular, I am going to address the question of 'One Flesh Bond' and the relationship between husband and wife, with particular emphasis on submission. God-willing in the weeks ahead, I will address other facets of this topic. In order to present this teaching, which addresses additional subjects and topics which for the most part, go beyond anything that I have taught in the Church or read as being taught by the Church in this age, it's perhaps relevant that I place these comments in context. The revelation that I am going to share with you today is born out of 7-1/2 years of seeking God around some of these topics and particularly borne out of some very hard and very difficult personal experiences. So that which I am about to say to you is not said lightly.  It is said with a very, very deep conviction that after much prayer, fasting, agonising, crying out loud over the last 7-1/2 years, that what I'm about to share with you is truly the Word of God and is truly a revelation by the Spirit of God.

My Testimony

Let me share a little bit of my testimony in order to help you understand the depth of the experience on which this teaching is based. I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord in the traditional Church at the age of 13. I am now 47 in a few weeks' time, and served to a point in my late teens and early 20’s. I subsequently backslid through intellectualism, through wrong teaching, through offensive hypocrisy in the Church and through a total inability to accept that the Bible could possibly be true and certainly that it could not possibly be the Word of God. Eventually, in a marriage that was not working, I sought solace in the arms of another man's wife and in the early '90s for two years embarked on an affair, which in worldly terms was dramatic and fulfilling and intense sexually. At the end of the two years, the secret was revealed, and everything was broken open, having embarked on a relationship which both parties agreed was purely for sexual gratification, and in which the word 'love' was never mentioned.  We induced ourselves to believe that by engaging in extramarital sexual intercourse, we were in fact acting in the best interest of our respective spouses to save our respective marriages, and we suddenly found the relationship doesn’t end.

At that point, as the two of us went our separate ways, I suddenly discovered that I was desperately in love with this woman and that it is as though some part of me was being wrenched out of me in the most forceful and terrible way. Totally broken, I found myself one night, in a hotel, contemplating suicide, having spent the entire night reviewing my life, and concluding that as a former military commander, a professional engineer, an academic with a doctorate, with significant academic recognition and achievement and professional achievement, my life was a complete mess and I had no hope. The following morning God spoke to me and told me to phone a business associate who had'something you need.' I phoned him. He received me with compassion and he led me back to the Saviour with a profound revelation that Jesus Christ had indeed died to take my sins upon Him that if I would repent and confess my sin, He would cover me with His blood and that He would give me a new start.

In the weeks that followed, I was water baptised. I threw myself into the service of the Lord. I threw myself into His world. I threw myself into counsel, anything else that I could find that would help me to get my life and my marriage back on track. However, I still found things going wrong. After many months of anguish, searching, praying and seeking counsel I reached a place of utter despair and at that moment, the Lord started to speak to me through Scripture and through teachings about the 'One Flesh Bond.'After six weeks of absolute agony, torment and vainly seeking to savour what I had now discovered to be a near telepathic bond with my former mistress, God in his mercy again intervened and through the prayer of agreement in humble and contrite submission, the bond was broken. It was as though I had been stretched in the middle of a giant bungee rope that was pulling me apart spiritually, and as the bond was broken by the Grace of God in response to my prayer, it was like the one rope snapped, and I snapped back together and found myself whole for the first time in three and a half years. I will share with you in a moment the scriptural basis of what I have just said, and I will share with you briefly the impact that it has on the Church today. However, as much as my flesh desired to think that the matter was now behind me and as much as the Church told me that the matter was behind me, it was not to be.

The years that followed, I discovered solid ties that had to be renounced. I discovered an engrafting of bloodlines that had to be severed. I discovered familiar Spirits attached to me and my former mistress, which continued to bring things to my remembrance and to draw us back towards one another. I discovered Demonic transfer had taken place bringing me into a place of Demonic closeness which had to be bound and cut out. I discovered deep grief which had to be healed and even then, after much further ministry, after deep and abject confession of my sin, after heartfelt renunciation of vows and promises that were ungodly and could not and should not be kept, I still found my heart yearning for the woman who had been such an important part of those two years.

Finally, the Lord led me to 1 Corinthians 13:8 "Love never fails." And at that point, I realised that when we speak so glibly of making love as the sexual act, we are in fact building a spiritual legacy which cannot fail and cannot cease, and because it is love and because love is of God, love that is misplaced cannot be renounced, and it cannot be removed. And out of that came a revelation of just how incredibly damaging sexual fornication is for the human spirit and the human psyche. Even though with much revelation we can be set free of so much of the consequences, we cannot set free misplaced love and we are left to apply that love in a godly way, to intercede for the loved one to find the Lord Jesus Christ and to serve Him and to achieve the high calling to intercede for their marriage and their children, and to renounce all claim against that person no matter how much a portion of the heart that is reserved for them for the balance of this life, he yearns for their company.

So, the message that I have for you today is a message of profound importance to any man or any woman who is currently tempted to engage in any extramarital sexual relationship. It is a message of profound importance to any man or any woman who has ever sexually joined themselves to a person with whom they are not currently living as husband or wife. In the weeks ahead, God-willing, I will go more in depth with many of the aspects of what I have touched on, but today, let me concentrate on building the scriptural basis for what I have just shared with you,  and from that, draw in certain critical conclusions based on the dramatic revelation which I have received in the area of the relationship between a husband and wife in the last 24 hours.

One Flesh Bond

Let me take you briefly through an understanding from Scripture of the 'one flesh bond.'Referring to Genesis 2:24 in the Amplified Bible, we find the Scripture says, "Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall become united and cleave to his wife and they shall become one flesh." We discussed at some length last week, the fact that the word 'cleave' in this verse clearly refers to sexual intercourse and it refers to the cutting of covenant between a man and his virgin bride. The repeated act of sexual intercourse has ongoing covenant significance.

Matthew 19:5-6 in the Amplified Bible provides us with the key to understand the significance of the One Flesh Bond. Jesus is speaking, and He said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be united." In the Amplified Bible that word 'joined inseparably' to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh, which means they are no longer two, but one flesh. What they forgot - as joined together, let not man put asunder or separate. It is particularly important to note the amplification 'joined inseparably' in the above passage. This is the key that opened my understanding to the condition that I was in many years ago, and ultimately provided the key to the spiritual breakthrough that saw the One Flesh Bond savoured and my spiritual integrity restored.

If one takes that together with the phrase, ‘let not man put asunder’, we start to see the full extent of the One Flesh Bond as an unbreakable spiritual bond, granted by God in order to bind husband and wife together. As the bond intensifies through repeated sexual encounters, so will love also intensify if both parties give themselves to one another in accordance of Scripture. 1 Corinthians 6 clearly reveals that multiple One Flesh Bonds can coexist. Matthew 19:5-6 clearly indicates that the One Flesh Bond cannot be broken by man. To quote 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ like the members of a harlot?" Certainly not. Do you not know that he who has joined to a harlot's body with her, the two shall become one flesh? But he who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body but he who commit sexual immorality sins against his own body. Would you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own for you are bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your Spirit which you have got. Here we see confirmation that many men can become one flesh with a harlot, and that a man can become one flesh with more than one woman. We also see the direct correspondence between the sexual act between husband and virgin wife, and the new birth resulting in the born-again believers becoming one Spirit with the Lord Jesus Christ. We also see that becoming one results from sex and not from marriage vows and we see no indication that it is a transitory, or reversible state.

Husbands and Wives

If we take this further and reconsider the Scriptures which indicate that the husband is the head of the wife, Ephesians 5:23-24 states "For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the Church and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore, just as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything." And I stress everything, and I will pick up on that, God-willing, in a few minutes in this teaching. 1 Corinthians 11:3 says "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God, the Father." And it goes on in the following verses in 1 Corinthians 11, to develop that in considerably more detail. Ultimately these passages which relate to the husband being the head of the wife are based and founded on Genesis 3:13-16. Following the fall, following Adam and Eve's sin of eating the fruit on the insistence of a serpent, we read"And the Lord God said to the woman 'What is this you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.' So, the Lord God said to the serpent because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you shall go and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. To the woman He said, 'I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception. In pain you shall bring forth children and your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you.'"

This is a profoundly important passage of scripture because it lays the foundation for the relationship between man and woman for the balance of this age. In particular, we see a Commandment or a statement that the woman's desire shall be for her husband. From that we draw clearly that there is absolutely no basis on which a woman may ever say that she no longer loves her husband. More significantly in the context of this teaching we see that the Word of God says that the husband will rule over the wife. This is a passage of scripture which is not frequently cited in the modern Church and one which Christians would find highly unpalatable. But it represents one of the critical keys to understanding the magnitude and the frequency of divorce and broken marriage in the body of Christ today.

And through this, we also understand the significance and the correlation and a close correlation between these Commandments and these statements of spiritual fact and the fall of man and the threat to Satan of the woman's seed bruising Satan's head. If we consider for a moment the consequences of ungodly or unfulfilled One Flesh Bonds, we see from the passage in Corinthians a moment ago that it is perfectly possible for a human being to have multiple One Flesh Bonds. Basically the One Flesh Bond is an inevitable consequence of sexual intercourse. At the moment of ejaculation not only is a physical ejaculate emitted but a spiritual ejaculate as well. The difference being that while the physical passes away, unless it gives rise to a child, the spiritual endures for the balance of the existence of those two human beings. In the Spirit I have seen it as being an infinitely elastic spiritual web which extends from the heart of the man from his Spirit to the heart, the Spirit of the woman and which ties those two people together for the rest of their lives, even if they only have intercourse once.

We see that for as long as a person has One Flesh Bonds with past sexual partners, whether heterosexual or male-male, that person is caught up in a spiritual spider's web which causes confusion, conflict, and pain which opens the doorway for Satan to attack that person. This is shown diagrammatically in the hardcopy of this teaching, which is available from this ministry should you want it. Basically, the consequences of spiritual spider's web of men joined to other woman and through those women joined to other men, who are joined to other women, who are joined to other men, on an infinite basis, viewed from the spiritual perspective, viewed from the Father's perspective, and from the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit's perspective, what this represents is absolute spiritual dislocation. I’ve seen, in the Spirit that a complete morass of absolutely indeterminate and indiscriminate bonds which cross each other, which intercept each other, which bring about a state of total spiritual confusion and with that, one gains an understanding of why fornication is such a desperately spiritually dangerous state and why it is such an abomination in the sight of God, and why the Word of God is so explicit about adulterers, rapists and homosexuals being put to death.

The only way the One Flesh Bond can come to end certainly under the Old Covenant was by putting to death the offenders. Failing which, we end up with a situation where a woman who engages in fornication, links her husband to the man that she is fornicating with, and thereby links her husband to every other human being that is linked to the man with whom she is fornicating. Therefore, when one joins oneself to a harlot, one is committing an absolutely appalling act of discrimination and violence to one's own Spirit. In generally accepted worldly terms, the term 'polygamy', which is many men having sexual intercourse with many women in the same group, that describes the state of wholesale fornication. This is distinct from 'polygamy' which relates to one man having more than one wife and 'polyandry' which relates to a woman having more than one man, which again the latter is also an abomination in the sight of God and expressly defined as adultery in the Word of God.

To place this in context, it is important to understand that arbitrary divorce and remarriage brings about a similar state because unless there is an absolutely clear cut Scriptural basis for divorce, there is absolutely no basis for the severance of a One Flesh Bond. Therefore, we understand, or we begin to understand why the Word of God speaks so strongly against putting away and divorce. In the case where a man and a woman separate and remarry again, the existing One Flesh Bond remains, and the situation becomes compounded. Just before Passover in the year 2000, I received a series of prophetic words which were published, and the entire suite is available as a digest document. In that, the Lord lead me to see progressively that the level of divorce and fornication within the Body of Christ had resulted in a situation where every single member of the body of Christ, who had ever been joined sexually even once to a member of the same, or opposite sex with him they were not currently living in a marital relationship and with a person to whom they had joined themselves to had in turn joined themselves to one other person with whom they were not living in marriage would find themselves by a simple mathematical extension joined to every single person on this planet who has not lived in a strictly scriptural sexual context for their entire existence.

The net effect of that, as you begin to see the picture that was shown to me at Passover this year, is that since there are so many members of the Body of Christ who find themselves in that situation of divorce, remarriage and occasional sexual dalliance, which has been supposedly dealt with, but only to the extent of repentance and not to the extent of having cut-off One Flesh Bonds. I stress again, One Flesh Bonds are not sole ties. Those of you who are listening to this, who have fallen into the trap of fornication, who have repented of the sin and had somebody pray with you for sole ties, I have to say to you that it is almost certain that the One Flesh Bond is still in existence unless you came to salvation under an extremely powerful anointing with a very dramatic salvation, in which case the Lord in His mercy may sever the One Flesh Bond for you. If those have not been done, and if that was not the case, that One Flesh Bond is still in existence and it is absolutely vital. I will lead you in a prayer at the end of this teaching to enable you to sever those ties.

Breaking the One Flesh Bond

In terms of breaking One Flesh Bond, the bond cannot be broken by man. We have seen in Scripture in Matthew 19:6 that "The Word of God says that which God has joined together, let not men put asunder." Now, as I have researched and investigated the Scriptures and from my own experience, what I have discovered is that the true meaning of Matthew 19:6 is not that man should not put asunder. In other words, it's not a legal requirement, it is a statement of spiritual fact. It simply says man is unable to put it asunder. Believe me, I tried. I cried out, I wept, I spoke in all sorts of ways and I assure you that it remained until the day that I came to a place of complete broken, humble petition in agreement and went before the Throne of Grace and said, Father in the name of Jesus, I confess my sin, I know that you have forgiven my sin, but I have this One Flesh Bond and I understand that the Word of God says that I have no basis to ask you to sever it because the Word of God says that it cannot be severed by man. And therefore, I come to you in the name of Jesus and I ask you in humble petition to have mercy on me and to cut the One Flesh Bond. And the moment that I prayed that prayer in agreement with a second person, that bond was instantaneously severed, and I was set free.

So I want to say to you today that if you have been involved in any sexual intercourse with any person who is not currently your husband or wife, there is hope for you. But that hope lies firstly in a profound revelation that whatever you did that was sinful, must be repented of and secondly, willingness to come in humble petition before Almighty God and ask Him in His grace and His mercy to set you free. As I said, I will pray that prayer with you at the end of this teaching. What I have to say to you also, is that prayer will only be granted and in fact should only be prayed if you are absolutely certain that you are released from that person. In other words, what I am saying to you is if as a man, you took the virginity of a girl many years ago, you may find that in the sight of God, God considers you yet to be married to her. We administered in a case of a woman whose virginity was taken in her mid-teens and who, over 30 years later found herself confronted with a situation where God had taken her out of a 20-year marriage in which children had been born, where she had married a man who was other than the man who had taken her virginity. The Lord had brought by a series of developments of the man who took her virginity, who is now a believer, back into her life and the Lord showed her while we were ministering to her that the Lord regarded this man who took her virginity 30 years previously as being her lawful husband in the sight of God.

So we are dealing with things which are profoundly deep and profoundly challenging and are not subject to the whim of man. They are not subject to our willingness to twist the Word of God. The Word of God is quite clear. The taking of a woman's virginity is the act of cutting covenant with that woman and once the covenant is cut, that woman is married to that man. Whether it's a one-night stand, whether it's a rape situation, whether it's a seduction situation, it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. And it is only in the grace and the will of God that He will determine whether that woman and man are free to sever the One Flesh Bond that came into existence with that act of taking virginity or not. There is no one principle that we have found, and we have to say to you that if you are in that situation where at some point as a virgin woman you joined yourself to a man who is not now your husband or vice versa, you will have to seek God yourself before you should even dream of praying for that bond to be broken.

God-willing, we will probably teach in more depth the issues surrounding divorce, surrounding the scriptural basis on which one has the right to come before the Throne of God and break off these ties. What I can say to you with some certainty is that other than the instance of the taking of virginity, those One Flesh Bonds may have come into place. Subsequently, in other words, if you are in a situation of cutting off covenant with a virgin, or as a virgin, and subsequently your other sexual partners between that event and the person with whom you are now living as husband or wife, the intervening relationships have all placed you in the category in the sight of God as being an adulterer, adulterous or a fornicator. Consequently, all of those other One Flesh Bonds are scripturally wrong and you have a basis with repentance and confession of sin to come before the Throne of God to have them cut off. At this point in time, I am not aware of any instance where there is a scriptural basis to indicate otherwise, unless there were very distinct circumstances that you may be aware of, and where you may have a check in your Spirit about a certain situation.

The implication of this also is that you may have been living with somebody for 10, 20, 30 years but because of fornication before that union, you may not strictly be married in the sight of God, no matter what was prayed of you in Church, no matter what pieces of paper you have and no matter what vows you took. My understanding here again is that if you are both believers and if you are serving God, the probability is that the Lord will extend mercy and grace to you and set you free from the commitment that came into existence with the taking of virginity. However, I cannot guarantee you right now that that will be the case and that would be a case requiring very distinct prophetic ministry in order to ensure the validity of your right to petition the Father in order to set you free.

Love or Lust

I want to speak now a little bit on why the One Flesh Bond does not require love or lust in order to be formed. I touched on that earlier in the context of my testimony and I want to come back to it now in the context of 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. If you turn with me there and read with me, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away." And if we look at the full scope of verse 8, we see that when that Scripture says that love never fails, it says that in the context that tongues will cease, and knowledge will vanish away.

So, we see that love is an eternal thing and because it is so good and because it is the essence of God, once love has come into existence, it cannot pass away. The only way that love can come to an end from my own experience is through continual treachery. I might add at this point that subsequently, after several years of crying out to God for my marriage to be healed of the things that were wrong before I ever resorted to adultery, the Lord showed me treachery of magnitude which ultimately permitted me to divorce. And in that particular instance when I divorced, when I prayed the prayer of divorce, when I cut off the One Flesh Bond, when I cut off and renounced my marriage vows, when I cut off the soul ties and dealt with other things, the release was instantaneous because in that case, as a consequence of ongoing treachery, love had been destroyed.

Divorce

Love can only be destroyed by a wilful act of, I would almost call it, arson. For a person who is loved, to destroy the love within the one who loves them, requires ongoing wilful and desperate disobedience and rebellion over a protracted period until it comes to a place where love can no longer be sustained, because of the magnitude of the treachery, and that is tragic. That ties in to the scriptural basis of divorce. Divorce is not something that happens because you have just found somebody you think is more attractive. Divorce is not something that happens because for some reason, a woman no longer desires her husband, or whatever the case may be. Divorce is something that happens after you have done everything in your power to save your marriage, after you prayed and interceded. God decides if the magnitude of the treachery is so irreversible that He will take you out. As far as I can determine the only basis on which God would permit you to divorce is when your spouse has reached a point of such apostasy that they are destined for hell with no chance of turning back. That probably represents less than 1% of all divorces that take place in the world today.

So, I would encourage you if you are divorced, and I am not trying to bring condemnation upon you, but it is important that you understand that you may find yourself in a situation resultant on false teaching and false doctrine which has placed you in a potentially invidious spiritual situation. The things that I am teaching today are not things that are subject to whim. These are the hard spiritual realities of what the Word of God actually says about your situation. It's no good ignoring them and it's no good running from them. They will not go away. They have to be confronted and they have to be dealt with in accordance with the Word of God. We are fortunate under the New Covenant that we have the Holy Spirit within us. We have the prophetic and other ministries readily available to us, but in order for you to deal with whatever situation you may be becoming aware of as I teach, I would strongly encourage you to get in touch with us, to receive ministry from us directly, or to be put in touch with others who may be able to help you obtain other documents and publications from this ministry, which may help you.

Coming back to the passage from Corinthians, we see that love is epitomised by some very simple but very profound behaviour, that it's long-suffering, that it's kind, that it does not envy, that it does not parade itself, that it is not puffed up, that it does not behave rudely, it does not seek its own, does not provoke, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. Love bares all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Basically, if you are in a relationship which contained even some of those components, then love exists and love will grow. And the more of those components that are available in the relationship to which I referred, the adulterous relationship, many of those elements were present. There was great kindness. There was great long-suffering and there were many other things. The consequence of that was with the composite of that and intense, passionate desire and sexual lovemaking. Love was built to a profound height and could not just be summarily destroyed when the necessary consequence of the sin became manifested and separation was called for. It's a deeply grievous thing to God. It's a deeply grievous thing to your soul to find yourself in love with somebody that you cannot spend the rest of your life with.

Is Love a precondition for Marriage?

So, the One Flesh Bond is an incredibly powerful spiritual force that Yahweh has given mankind to bind the husband and wife. The man who takes a wife and has regular intercourse with her, both giving themselves to the other without restraint or qualification, will find that love will grow and become more intense with a tighter point where they can't live without one another and they will feel incomplete when separated. This is the One Flesh Bond, an example of the power of love and Yahweh's wisdom. The marriage consummated without love but entered with a total commitment on the part of both parties, not to withhold anything and to consider only the other party, will become a marriage of intense love. Thus we see that love is not a prerequisite for marriage. Marriage is a wholehearted commitment to give all that is scriptural to the spouse, and marriage is a prerequisite for true love in marriage. In fact, it seems to me that so-called love between a man and a woman before marriage is never true marital love as Yahweh intended it. In fact, it is little better than lust. You will not find a single passage of Scripture which indicates that any form of desire or love is necessary between a man and a woman as a precondition for marriage. On the contrary, you will find that Samson lusted or loved. If you research the underlying Hebrew you will find that the word that is used to describe his desire for the Timnite woman and for Delilah is a word that speaks of lust, not of Godly agape love.

There is no Scripture which relates specifically to love being a precondition for marriage, even in the case of Jacob and Rachel.  There is nothing to indicate that the intense attraction and desire that Jacob had for Rachel was necessarily Godly or a requirement for that marriage. He found her highly attractive and he chose to do what was required in order to pay the bride a price to take her as his wife. The intense desire and what he felt for her after seven years of being close to her, not being able to consummate the marriage was a natural consequence, which will happen with the attraction of any man for any woman. But it is not prerequisite for marriage. lust had not been present we would not see in the Scriptures the prejudicial attitude that he had to Leah associated with the deception of Laban in placing Leah in the marital bed. We need to recognise that love, as we call it in the world today, which in fact is lust, is not a prerequisite for marriage and certainly not for successful marriage. In fact, I have to say to you that God intended marriage to work between any man and any woman who consummate marriage. It does not matter what background they come from, it doesn’t matter whether they knew each other for five minutes before the act of consummation or not. The principle is that if they apply these principles of God's Word, that marriage will succeed. It will grow strong, love will blossom, and they will flourish and prosper because they are walking in the Word and in the sight of God. If they get married for lust, and for the wrong reasons, and they just spend their time in lust, strife and division they will never have a good marriage. Therefore, most of what you were taught in marriage counselling misses the mark completely.

I should just add that the One Flesh Bond creates a spiritual underpinning for the husband and welds to his Spirit, the second spirit or more than a second spirit that can provide him with the spiritual underpinning that is necessary to accomplish that which God has called him to do. It's important also to recognise as previously stated that One Flesh in marriage corresponds to One Body in Christ. This has been touched in the last teaching and earlier in this teaching, referring to Ephesians 5:31 and 32, which again cites Genesis 2:24, in the context of the relationship between Christ and the Church, and for the sake of completeness, I will just read those verses, "Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. We must surely conclude that the One Flesh Bond between husband and wife has tremendous spiritual significance.

Consider also Romans 12:4 and 5, "For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do have not the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ." 1 Corinthians 10:17 "For we, though many are one bread and one body for we all partake of that one bread." 1 Corinthians 12:11-31 contains a number of similar verses. I will just highlight a few of them. Verse 12, "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ." 19 and 20, "And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members yet one body." 26 and 27, "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ and members individually." And with that, you see again the cross reference in the sense that if the wife suffers, the husband suffers. If the husband suffers, the wife sufferers. In the same way that if a member of the body of Christ suffers, the whole body suffers and the Lord Jesus Christ suffers.

Agape Love

It is highly significant that this last passage leads immediately into 1 Corinthians 13, described in detail as the agape love of God and also the agape love of brothers in Christ, and significantly in the context of this discussion, the agape love of husband and wife. The Scripture makes it very clear that God, in His wisdom created people different, formed different functions in the body of Christ and this too has a significance in the area of marriage which I will address, God-willing, in a future teaching.

Rottenness in the bones and contention. Proverbs 12:4 reads an excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. To understand the Scripture consider Genesis 2:23 and 24 "And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined or cleaved to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." We therefore see that through the One Flesh Bond the wife becomes bone of the husband's bone and flesh of the husband's flesh. That is the meaning of the One Flesh Bond. It is a spiritual bonding together of man and wife, which is so intense and so powerful that she literally, in a spiritual sense becomes part of his body. She becomes bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. She is no longer two, they are no longer two, but one. Accordingly, a wife who causes shame brings about a sensation in the man's physical body which can be likened to rotting in his bones.

I have experienced this with a wife who is in strife and division with her husband. It is like something that is rotten and pulling apart. God created man to walk in unity with his wife. A wife who does not walk in unity will have a negative effect on her husband. Conversely, a wife who lives in harmony and unity with her husband will brighten him up and he will achieve great exploits for his God in such a situation and will also accomplish much more for his family. Clearly, this requires that the husband is seeking to serve God faithfully that even if he is not the wife's unity is prerequisite. There are many Scriptures which deal with the subject of a house divided against itself cannot stand, tend to walk together and they still be agreed. And that again, God willing, will be the subject of a subsequent teaching.

Consider also Proverbs 21:9, "It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop than in a house shared with a contentious woman or wife." Proverbs 25:23 and 24, "The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue an angry countenance. It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop than in a house shared with a contentious woman or wife." It's important to note that the word translated ‘woman’ in most English translations is in fact the Hebrew word for ‘woman’ or ‘wife’. It is probably correct to assume that the translation in these cases in fact refers to ‘wife’ because it is unlikely that a man would be dwelling in a house with a woman who is not his wife. Proverbs 27:15-16 says, "A continual dripping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman or wife are alike. He who would restrain her, restrains the wind, and grasps oil with his right hand."

So we clearly see the implications of a woman who dishonours her husband and brings shame to him or a wife who is contentious and argumentative. We have a very clear basis to say that Scripture says that wife, if you are argumentative and contentious with your husband, you will bring about a condition in his Spirit, and in his flesh, which is analogous and feels like rottenness in his bones. In other words, you are going to bring about a situation in which your husband does not want to be in the same room with you, he is not going to want to be in the same house with you. He would prefer to be in the wilderness or he would prefer to live on a corner of the rooftop than to be with you. So, if you are a contentious and a fault-finding wife, the Word of God is quite clear, you have no one but yourself to blame for the fact that your husband does not want to be at home with you and does not enjoy your company, because you are making his life miserable and you are bringing about a state of spiritual dislocation which is an abomination in the sight of God.  This requires you to turn around, repent, and to seek your husband and God's forgiveness in order to dwell with him in unity and harmony.

This is brought to home more forcibly in 1 Peter, chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, "Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands that even if some do not obey the Word, they without a Word, may be won by the conduct of their wives when they observed your chaste conduct accompanied by fear." There can be no doubt that God does not intend a wife to harass or nag her husband, but requires her to submit to him, love him, and pray for him if he does get out of the will of God willing to error. And the whole passage that is a continuation of what I have just read goes into this much more detail, and I will touch on that in a bit more detail in a moment.

Submission

I want to talk now about the subject of submission and headship. I want to do that specifically in terms of a number of three-day fasts I have been on in recent weeks, part of which are being directed specifically at seeking the Lord, to understand what's required for husband and wife to walk in perfect unity, perfect harmony, a hundred percent of the time. I will share with you in a moment a series of things which to me profoundly indicate A) How significant it is and B) How easy it is for a husband and wife to walk in unity at all times provided they do so by putting the Word of God first in their lives. And they do it by faith and not by strength and provided in particular, the wife is prepared to exercise self- discipline in order to ensure that she makes a quality decision to serve God faithfully and that the only way she can serve God is by applying the Word of God to her marriage and to her husband. I am not saying that there are not certain things that the husband has to do as well, but today I want to emphasise that through the One Flesh Bond, through what the Word of God says to submission, any woman is in a position to have a profound influence on her husband if she will apply the principles that I am talking about today.

Going back to Ephesians 5:23-24, we see the husband as head of the wife as also Christ is head of the Church and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore, just as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. People, I want you to dwell on that word 'everything.' It doesn’t say wives, submit to your husbands when your husband is in the will of God. It doesn’t say wives, submit to your husbands when he is bringing home the finances that you consider necessary. It doesn’t say wives, submit to your husbands as long as he does not have a stronger anointing on his life than you do. It doesn’t say wives, submit to your husbands only when you perceive that he is doing right. It says wives, submit to your husbands in everything. There are no exclusions. It is absolutely unambiguous and it ties in with earlier verses that we have read during this teaching, which also make the same point. You are responsible for going wherever your husband goes and asks you to accompany him, and I speak in Spiritual terms as well as physical.

Consider also 1 Corinthians 11:3-15, I am not going to read the whole thing. I just want to pick up verse 3, "But I want you to know, that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man; and the head of Christ is God." The analogy, the hierarchy of order, the hierarchy of authority is unambiguously and clearly start-up. There is no uncertainty. If you feel uncomfortable with what I am sharing with you right now, please, I ask you to hear me through this teaching and I ask you to understand that if you are feeling uncomfortable with what the Word of God is saying to you, the fact that it does not agree with what you may have heard the Church teaching, or it doesn’t agree with what you yourself may have been preaching and teaching, does not alter the fact that this is what the Word of God says. God knows better than we do in our limited understanding how He intended marriage to work. And I speak in headlines in the remaining few minutes of this teaching to develop the broad understanding of what I am saying and God-willing, in the weeks ahead this teaching will flesh out certain other key points that arise out of this.

Again, going back to Ephesians 5:22 "Wives, submit to your husbands as the Lord."Colossians 3:18, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord."Compare that also to James 4:7, "Therefore, submit to God, resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." So, you see that submission is a prerequisite for resisting the devil. You can't resist God and submit to the Devil. You’re required to submit to God and resist the Devil. If you are going to submit to God, then if you are a woman you must submit to your husband, because God is the head of Jesus and Jesus is the head of the husband and your husband is your head. Therefore, in order to submit to God, you have to submit to your husband, because God has told you to submit to your husband. If your husband is not in submission to God, that's your husband's problem, not your problem. It is quite clear that because he is your head, if the head sent the body into pit, it's the head's fault for taking the body into the pit, it's not for the foot to think about going in different ways to where the head tells it.  If every organ in the body did its own thing, you wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning.

I want to refer you particularly to 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 1 through to chapter 3, verse 18. I am not going to read the whole thing in this teaching, but I would ask you to go and read it, and meditate on it because it contains an enormous revelation about what the Word of God actually says to you as a wife in particular about marriage. I am not saying that there are not things here that apply to the husband. I want to stress that the husband is brought under requirement by the same scriptures to live a Godly life. What I want to show you in the verses that I am about to read to you is that it does not matter what your husband does, you are told to submit to him. So, let's just go through this passage if I get 1 Peter 2 starting verse 13, "Therefore, submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the King, as supreme; or unto governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and for the praise of those who do good, for this is the will of God that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men."

In verse 18, "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth; for when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the Word, they, without a Word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the Holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror."

And so, it continues, but the point I want my listeners to please catch up here. We see in chapter 2 that people or Christians are told to suffer patiently when treated unjustly. That is correlated with Jesus Christ who had committed no sin, who had absolutely every basis to call down ten legions of Angels to deliver him, yet He went before the high priests, before Pontius Pilate, before Herod and He was ridiculed, He was beaten, the Crown of Thorns were placed on His head. He was flogged with cat o' nine tails, His blood was pulled out of His truss and He was subjected to the most humiliating and cruel death that man has just about ever devised, crucifixion on the cross, and yet He took it and He did not complain. He did not argue. He went as a lamb to the slaughter. Wives you are told likewise to be submissive to your own husbands. Jesus Christ redeemed the world by His obedience to His head, His father, and He went to the cross. Wives you can redeem your husbands if you will do likewise, calling to the Commandment of God.

So, we see clearly that the wife is called to submit to her husband in all things, even if he is harsh or unjust or ill. But I will say again, draw your attention to that passage of Scripture which specifically indicates that the Holy woman who trusted in God. So, God is not unjust. God is not asking you, as a wife to suffer and subject yourself to an unjust, harsh or an evil husband just because he is awkward. He is saying, "Put your trust in Me and I will be your shield and I will protect you and I will guide you, and I will hear your intercession of your husband and I will do whatever is necessary. But in your own strength, wife, you can do nothing, because you are not created to handle the strength to do anything except create rottenness in the bones of your husband." But understand also that because you are one flesh with your husband and there are Scriptures which say this in Ephesians and elsewhere, is that the husband will experience discomfort if he treats you badly because you are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. If he beats you he is going to feel that within his body. If he speaks to you harshly he is going to feel that within his body. If you do not provoke him, if you walk in humble submission, it will become progressively more and more difficult for him to harm you because you will come progressively into the protection of God and you are at liberty to say Father in the name of Jesus, that Your will be done.

“Father, I thank you that your Word says that your Angels came around us who fear You to protect them. I thank you that Your words say that no weapon formed against me shall prosper”…There are numerous other prayers that you can pray of yourself without directing them to your husband and I submit to you that if you do that in humble submission to the Word of God and submission to your husband, the day will come if you walk by faith and not your own understanding where, if your husband continues to deal unjustly with you, the Angel of the Lord, or an Angel of the Lord will intervene and supernaturally protect you and bring your husband to repent. But God can only intervene in your situation if you allow Him to intervene and He will not intervene if you are in rebellion and disobedience to your word.

Keeping God’s Commandments

Yesterday I saw a profoundly significant thing in this context. I was listening to a teaching by Creflo Dollar and he referenced 1 John 5:2-6, "By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His Commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep His Commandments, and His Commandments are not burdensome. Whatever is borne of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is he who becomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not only by water but by water and blood and it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.  So, we see there that a wife who submits to God and obeys the Commandments of God will overcome the world and will overcome the situation in which she finds herself and will be granted the victory through faith by her love for God. And how does she love God? She keeps His Commandments. And how does she keep His Commandments? She submits to her husband. And Creflo Dollar made the point which I think is profoundly important to every Christian. Our obedience to God is a direct measure of our love of God. If we cannot submit to the Word of God, if we do not obey the Word of God and the Spirit of God, we cannot say that we love God. It is not for us to declare our love for God as an absolute opinion of our love of God. It is for us to demonstrate our love of God by our obedience to His Commandments.

If we are not obedient to His Commandments, we cannot say that we love God. It is absolute hypocrisy to declare on one hand I am a Christian and I love Jesus with all my heart and then to walk out in self-will and rebel against the Word of God. You cannot claim, wife, to be truly loving of God if you are not in submission to your husband. And if we take the next step, we have to conclude that a wife's obedience to her husband is a measure of her love of her husband. A wife who is continually arguing, debating, finding fault, criticising, going her own way relative to her husband, cannot claim that she loves her husband. It is an absolute contradiction of terms to say that you love your husband when you are in permanent rebellion and argumentation with him. The Word of God is quite clear, if you love your husband, submit to Him. And if you submit to Him, you are demonstrating your love for Him. Otherwise you may have lust, you may have an intellectual thing that you call love, but you do not have the love of God directed in your heart towards your husband. If you did, you would obey the Word of God and you would obey and keep His Commandments and therefore you would submit to your husband. But I need to stress to you that this submission is not some weak nammy hammy rollover and play dead submission. It requires strength.

I refer you to Proverbs 31:10-31, which refers to a virtuous wife. "Surely this woman is a woman of character. She is a woman of strength." In fact, verse 17 says, "She guards herself with strength and strengthens her arms." Verse 16, "She considers a field and buys it; from her profit she plants a vineyard." Verse 15, "She also rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and a portion for her maid servant." Verse 14,"She is like the merchant ship; she brings her food from afar." Verse 13, "She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands." Verse 12, "She does her husband good, and not evil, all the days of her life." Verse 11, "The heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he will have no lack of gain." Now, we see that the husband's gain is directly bound up with the virtuousness of his wife. The verses that I have just read in reverse order now build the case to demonstrate that a husband cannot prosper unless his wife is virtuous and exercisers herself diligently, in the conduct of the business of the husband, and the business of the family, and the provision and so it goes on. We see a whole string of things which bring honour to her husband. Those requirements are character, a woman of diligence, a woman of inner strength, a woman that her husband can depend on and rely on to get on and do what is necessary to run his household. We see very clearly from this passage of Scripture that it is not the husband's job either to run the household or to tell the wife how to run the household. It's the wife's job to get on and run it, that's what God created her for. She is his helpmeet.

Serving God

The man is called to serve God and do what God has called him to do. He cannot do that if his wife is constantly nagging him to do things around the house and to be her helpmeet. Then I want to say to you again, it takes a strong person to submit like that. God is not calling women to do be weak nammy pammy people who are trodden over. He is calling women to be strength at their husbands' arm to walk hand-in-hand with their husband to do the work God has called them to do, in support of their husband. A good military commander is a man who was a good subordinate. In other words, a subordinate is a man who subordinates his will to the will of his commanding officer, recognising that it is more important for the military unit, be it a regiment, be it an army, be it a platoon, to go forward in unity with one leader than all go in different directions, because they all had different opinions. One of the most fundamental elements of basic training in any army is to teach the new recruits that it is not for him to take decisions and act contrary to the commands given to him by his superior officers and non-commissioned officers. If the officer says fire, everybody fires. If the officer says stop, everybody stops. If he says advance, they all advance. If he says retreat, they all retreat. There is no way that any army in this world will ever win a battle unless that principle is applied. There is no way that any marriage or any family unit in the world will ever make any impact for the Word of God and the Work of God, and the Calling of God on their lives, unless they apply the same principle. Therefore, if the husband says we go forward, they go forward. If the husband says we wait, we wait. If the husband says we retreat, we retreat. If the husband says we will serve God in this way, they serve God in that way.

If the husband falls into apostasy and gets off on a tangent and goes off down a side journey, then his wife goes with him. She may intercede, she may say, "Lord, I am not sure that this is right, it does not look right to me, or what he is doing is clearly contrary to the Word of God, I ask you to intervene, I ask you to open the doors that you want to open and then may close, I ask you to close the doors that you want to close and none may open. I ask you to bring the people you want into my husband's life and take the people you do not want, out. I ask you to move Lord and guide us and bring my husband back onto the right path if he is on the wrong path." But you are not called to judge, you are not called to direct your husband. You are called to be a watchman, you are called to say to him, "My dear, my love, I think that this might be wrong, or what you are about to do or what you have just done clearly is contrary to the Word of God. Please reconsider. I am concerned for you." But then submit. If he tells you to do something that's absolutely ungodly, tell him that it is absolutely ungodly, but then submit. How can I say that?

Abraham and Sarah

Well, let me refer you to two passages of Scripture. Turn with me, if you will, to Genesis chapter 12, verses 10 to 20. I am sure you are familiar with the story, Abraham and Sarah, his wife, go down into Egypt. Sarah is beautiful. She is his half-sister. Abram says to tell them you are my sister and not my wife lest they kill me for you. She goes down. Pharaoh's people see her. They say that she is beautiful. She is Abraham's sister. They take her into his harem and in verse 17, we read that the Lord played Pharaoh. It starts with great plagues because of Sarah, Abraham's wife. And I just want you to turn back with me while we do this to 1 Peter 3:6, "As Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord whose daughters you are, if you do good and are not afraid with any terror."

So, we see here in Genesis 12:17 that Sarai (Sarah) went into Pharaoh's harem because her husband instructed her to say that she was his sister. So she participated in the lie in obedience. She went into his harem, but God intervened, and God protected her, and we read in 17 because of Sarai, Abraham's wife. Now you can read that two ways. You can say that God played Pharaoh because of his sin towards Sarai, but you can also read it as God played Pharaoh that Pharaoh would not sin with Sarai and that Sarai would not sin. In other words, I would submit to you based on what I believe the Lord has shown me on the subject that you can read there with safety that Sarai knew that what she was doing was not right. She prayed in her heart before the Lord and said "Father," presumably not in the name of Jesus, because we are dealing Old Covenant but she prayed to Yahweh and she said "Yahweh, I am in submission to my husband. I know that what he is asking me do is not right. I do not want to commit adultery, but I must do what my husband has told me to do" and because of her humble submission, she placed herself in a position where God could intervene and deliver her.

If we turn to Genesis 20:1-18, people make all sorts of judgments on Abraham but that is not the point. We see a repeat instance in the Palestine lands with Abimelek, King of Gerar who again took Sarah. This has now taken place between the time that God appeared to Abraham and changed his name from Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah, but essentially the same thing happened. Sarah is taken into Abimelek's harem to become his wife, but again we read in verse 18 "For the Lord had closed up all the rooms of the house of Abimelek because of Sarah, Abraham's wife." Now we can either say that because of the sin, as in the case of Pharaoh or we can also say it was because Sarah had prayed. I would submit to you it is both. I would submit to you again that any wife who, in submission, is called by her husband to do something which she knows as sin, given that the Word of God tells her to submit to her husband in everything and having protested quietly and in submission to her husband and said"Please, my love, don’t ask me to do this, it's contrary to the Word of God." If he insists and she goes forward having prayed in her heart and saying "Father, in the name of Jesus, You know my heart, You know I do not want to do this thing, because if I do it, my husband will be sinning."

Wives, it's important that you understand because your husband is your head, if you submit to him and you do what the Word of God tells you to do, submit to him in everything and you then go forward and do something that he instructs you to do which is sin in contrary to the Word of God, the sin is not going to fall on you. The sin is your husband's sin. He will be judged for that sin, you will not, provided you have at least taken the measure of warning him that you believe he might be in error. But once you have said to him, "My love, I really do not feel comfortable with this, either it's categorically contrary to the Word of God," which would be of the case with Sarah and Abraham or "My spirit does not witness this, I think this could be wrong." And he says to you "Submit, do what I tell you to do." You have warned him, you have fulfilled your responsibility as a watchman in terms of and the blood will be on his hands. So whatever sin he calls you to commit, the blood will be on his hands, not on your hands because you have accepted his headship, you have done what your head told you to do.

Prayer

I truly pray that this teaching has given you a new perspective on the One Flesh Bond and a new perspective on submission in marriage. There is much more that I could talk on, but time is running out and God-willing, as I say, in the weeks ahead, I will address this in more detail. For the sake of those who may not have heard this teaching before and who may find that they have become aware of One Flesh Bond, I will lead you through a simple pray. I would ask you to get somebody to pray in agreement with you. Before you pray this prayer from the tape in a matter-of-fact please satisfy yourself before God, that you have a Holy and righteous basis to pray this prayer. Do not just pray it because you want to cut off a One Flesh Bond with a girl that you took her virginity 30 years ago, and you are now feeling uncomfortable, and you know that she is still down the road and that she is miserable and is still in love with you and that she has never married.

I want to tell you, right now, God is likely saying to you "Go and make right with her." He is unlikely to cut the One Flesh Bond and you may bring judgement on yourself by having the temerity to pray this prayer in that situation. There are many other situations where God will almost undoubtedly answer your prayer, particularly with regards to things which pertain to items before you came to salvation or things relating to it. It is a complex subject and not one to be tackled lightly. This Ministry is available to help you. For those of you who can identify clear cut things, if you were in fornication and adultery, if you are in prostitution, if you use prostitutes or whatever the case may be and provided you come to true repentance, you are at liberty to pray this prayer with me and deal with it.

What I have to say to you with my understanding and my experience is that you must deal with each instance, one at a time by name. Don’t go and pray this prayer in a group sitting with people you don’t know. The person that needs to agree with you and pray needs to be a person of the same gender as yourself, somebody you can rely on. It needs to be prayed privately and with sincerity. You may need to spend some time after listening to this tape, making a list, praying into that list and preparing your heart. The first step is confession of sin, repentance from that sin, request for forgiveness, receive forgiveness and then humble petition before the Throne of Grace for this thing to be broken. Likewise, soul ties must be renounced. Likewise, any vows or promises must be renounced or cut off, but that is the subject of another teaching, which God-willing, will be dealt with in the weeks ahead. Right now, I just want to deal with the One Flesh Bond.

When you have done the homework that I have spoken about and done the necessary preparation, please pray with me the following prayer. "Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus and I confess that I have committed adultery or fornication with,"mention the name of the person and you need to pray this with regard to each person, or you need to pray out the list of people here and "I confess that this is sin and I recognise my sin and I declare my sin before You now in the name of Jesus and I repent of my sin. I turn around and I turn away from my sin and I ask You to forgive me now in Jesus’ name. I thank you Father in the name of Jesus, that Your word says that if I confess my sins, you’re faithful and just to forgive my sins and therefore, by faith I receive that forgiveness now in Jesus’ name, and I worship and adore You and I glorify Your Holy name and I thank You for forgiving my sin, in Jesus’ name.

Father, I declare and acknowledge that as a consequence of that sin I have One Flesh Bonds with the people that I have just mentioned and I recognise and I acknowledge that Your Word indicates that I have no basis on which to renounce those One Flesh Bonds or to cut those One Flesh Bonds, or even to ask You to cut those One Flesh Bonds. And therefore, Holy Father, in the name of Jesus, I come to You in humble submission. I acknowledge the consequence of my sin, I acknowledge that my Spirit is spread abroad with all the people that I have just mentioned. I acknowledge that my Spirit is pulled asunder and ruined by the spiritual spider's web that attaches me to these people who are no longer part of my life, and I declare that and I acknowledge that is an abomination in Your sight and I come to You now Father in the name of Jesus and I ask You humbly to extend mercy and grace to me in Jesus’ name and to cut the One Flesh Bonds" and again, please name each person, one at a time quietly, reverently before God and receive by faith that which He has for you. Once you finish the list, just continue praying with me. "I thank You Father that You heard me and I thank You that Your word says that whatsoever two agree on Earth will be done in Heaven and by faith I thank you the One Flesh Bonds have been broken."

I stress again listeners, please do not have the presumption to pray that prayer with regard to a sexual situation that you do not have complete certainty that you have a reasonable basis to presume on the mercy and the grace of God for deliverance. If you find yourself in a situation where perhaps you are in prostitution, perhaps you regularly may have used prostitutes, perhaps you were in the habit of excessive use of alcohol or drugs and participating in sexual activity when you are not fully aware of what was going on, then I would suggest you make a list as best as you can of names where you have names.  Where you can't remember names, make a list of incidents, for example, at Grand Hotel, 25th of November 1995. Put down whatever you can just to act as a trigger point and then when you pray say "Father, I ask You to cut the One Flesh Bond with the man I had sex with in the Grand Hotel about five years ago and so on, and so forth.

In so far, as you have been involved in flagrant and extended fornication or prostitution and you have absolutely no way whereby you can remember the names, or even the details of every person you joined yourself to, be they male or female, I would encourage you just to come before the throne and say "Father, there are so many, You know who they are and I don’t. I just ask You in the name of Jesus to cut the One Flesh Bonds with all of them, in Jesus’ name." And I believe He will answer you, provided you come to Him with a humble and a contrite heart and by faith. You have no basis to do it on any other way. I would also like to deal with another issue. Something that's become very apparent to me recently, but because of the strong Pagan influence on the marriage ceremony and the whole approach to marriage that I touched on in the teachings of the preceding two weeks, there are certain things that need to be dealt with in terms of the vast majority of Christian marriages.

Firstly, because the Church today does not recognise the full magnitude of headship and submission that I have just taught on today, women grow up thinking that they have to be their own woman, thinking that they have to be independent. Furthermore, because women generally marry at a much older age than God had intended and applied throughout history until the last century or so, women have become much more autonomous, much more Independent, much more intent on standing on their own feet, making their decisions. Unless they renounce that autonomy and accept their husband's headship as an explicit act of faith, and an explicit conscious decision of their wills, things remain in force in this Spirit realm, which makes it extremely difficult for the average woman today, be she a believer or an unbeliever to actually submit to her husband according to what I have been teaching today. So, I am going to deal with a couple of issues, I am going to lead you first of all through a prayer which wives should pray with their husbands to accept the headship of the wife.

Secondly, I am going to lead you through a prayer which the husband should pray with his wife to extend his covering to her. The subject of covering in its own right is quite complex and an extensive subject which God-willing, will also form a part of another teaching. And then finally, the wife must renounce her own strength and accept her husband's strength and commit herself by faith to submit to her husband. I am going to pray three prayers and I would ask you to pray with me as appropriate. The first is a prayer for a wife to accept the headship of her husband. Just pray after me. "Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus and I confess that up until now I had not fully accepted the headship of my husband and I have not fully understood the requirement of Scripture with regards to submission and headship. In the name of Jesus, I confess that I have sinned against You and against Heaven, and against my husband, and I confess that sin now and I repent of that sin in Jesus’ name. Father, I ask You to forgive me and I thank You by faith for the forgiveness that You grant to me through the Cross of Calvary and the Blood of the Lamb. I thank You for that now in Jesus’ name."Address now to your husband by name, just mention his name where I say 'husband.'

"Husband, I come before you in the name of Jesus and I declare that the Word of God requires me to accept you as my head and requires me to submit to you. Husband in the name of Jesus, I now declare that you are my head. I renounce my own strength and I accept your strength. Husband in the name of Jesus, I renounced my right to take contradictory views and opinions to yours to find fault with you and in the name of Jesus, I now declare before all the Angels of Heaven and all the hordes of hell that I have renounced my own strength, that I have accepted the headship of my husband and that I have made a choice to subordinate my will to his, to submit to him, to desire him as the Word of God requires me to desire him, to be a helpmeet to him as the Word of God requires me to be a helpmeet to him, to honour him and respect him as my lord and as my head as the Word of God requires. Father, I thank You that by faith, You will change my heart, and You will teach me how to walk in what I have just prayed, and I thank You in Jesus’ name for the revelation. I thank You in Jesus’ name for the breakthrough and I declare my intention to walk in harmony and unity with my husband for the rest of our time together on Earth, in Jesus’ name. I thank You Father for Your mercy and Your grace. Thank You for Your deliverance and I thank You for healing my marriage now, in Jesus’ name."

You may find, wives, that you have put in place all sorts of inner vows. You may have chosen to make yourself sexually unattractive to your husband. You may have done all sorts of things, which have actually had physical consequences. You may have put on weight, you may have developed hormonal conditions, you may have developed other conditions which have been detrimentally affecting your relationship with your husband and detrimentally affecting your health and your ability to what has God has called you to be or to do. In certain cases, you may even find that you have been unable to get healed of certain physical ailments as a consequence of your rebellion and your to your husband. So the prayer that you have just prayed is a point of departure. You will need to go before God and ask Him to guide you. I would encourage you to think seriously about going on a three-day fast in order to deal with the consequences of the change that is required and as I said, God-willing, in the weeks ahead, there will be other teachings around the subject.

I have actually dealt with the third prayer that I said I would pray and the prayer that I have just prayed so there is only . These prayers are to be prayed by the husband in the presence of the wife. Where I use the word 'wife' please substitute the name of your wife. Husband, please pray with me, "Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus and I confess that I have not walked in the fullness of my headship towards my wife. I have not fully extended my covering towards her as Scripture requires and I ask You now Lord in the name of Jesus, to guide us and to change our hearts in Jesus’ name. And wife, in the name of Jesus, I now extend my covering to you. I now extend my headship to you. I declare my intention to follow the Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart, and all my mind, and all my soul, and all my strength in Jesus’ name. I declare my intention to seek to be as Jesus Christ to you and as Jesus Christ is to the Church. I declare my intention to seek to follow the Word of God to the best of my ability and I declare my intention to seek the guidance of the Spirit of God in every situation.

I accept that I will stumble, and I will make errors and I accept full responsibility for all sin in this family that is consequent on decisions that I take. I release you now in the name of Jesus from all responsibility in the event that you have warned me of a check in your Spirit or a word from God for scriptural basis to indicate to me that I have taken a wrong turning or a wrong action or a wrong decision. And once you have done that, I accept that the blood will be on my hands and I identify you before the Throne of Judgement, this day from the consequences of your submission to me. And in the name of Jesus, Father I ask You to place the yoke of authority in marriage upon my shoulders where it belongs, to remove it from my wife and to place it on my shoulders. And wife, I accept your declaration of allegiance, your declaration of submission, and I receive it now in Jesus’ name. And I declare by faith that we go forward from this point on in perfect harmony, in perfect unity. I declare that we will go the road that God has called us to go. We will seek to follow the Lord our God, with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our soul, and all our strength as one body united before God, in Jesus name."

And again, husbands there is much more that you need to deal with. You need to seek to become like Christ. You need to seek to come to a place where your love for your wife is so profound that everything just falls into place. Your behaviour in that regard is not a prerequisite for the wife, nor is the wife's submission a prerequisite for your seeking to become like Jesus. You will both miss it, you will both fall from time to time. That does not give you an excuse for wrong conduct on the other hand, and certainly your wife's acceptance of your covering does not represent a license for you to indulge yourself in any sin of any shape or form, because at the end of the day whatever sin you lead her into as of now having heard and prayed this prayer will clearly and squarely sit on your shoulders on the Day of Judgement.

So, I ask you to recognise that a profoundly significant change has taken place in your marriage as a consequence of the two prayers that you have prayed. I would encourage you over the weeks ahead to seriously and earnestly seek the will and Word of God in your life and that you would encourage your husband, as wife, also to seriously consider a three-day fast in order to deal with issues which the Lord may show you. I would encourage you both to recognise that you may well need to undertake a three-day fast together on a regular basis and I would encourage that to be not only a food fast, but also sexual fast, over a period of time directed at coming fully to the place where God wants you to be and studying the Scriptures. As I said, God-willing, there will be further teachings.

One last point on that, and it will also be the subject of further teaching in due course, God-willing, and that is, as a consequence of the stuff that you have now renounced, there should also be a change in your attitude to sexual intercourse within marriage. Sex is the most profoundly beautiful gift that God has given to mankind on this Earth, that is a shadow and type of joy that we will experience in Heaven and that was touched on in some measure in the teachings of the two previous weeks. There is much that you may well find that you have to deal with in your attitude to sex in the marriage, and again, until you deal with that, until the wife gives herself without reserve to her husband and the husband gives himself without reserve to his wife as is laid down in Scripture, you will find that there are still barriers. I would encourage you to start praying into that, start asking the Lord to show you how your current norms of sexual practice will need to change in order to develop the full strength of the One Flesh Bond. Because, by now I hope that you will be beginning to realise that marriage is profoundly founded on the act of sexual lovemaking between husband and wife, and that if that is not right, the marriage as a whole will be fatally flawed. So, in the name of Jesus, I encourage you to search your hearts in every area of your marriage and seek change in Jesus name.

With that, I would like to close. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you in Jesus’ name. Father, I thank You that as we go forth from this teaching, You will etch on the hearts of everyone who hears it, every truth that is of You. I thank You Lord that if I have uttered any word or expressed any concept or made any statement which in any way is not of You, that You will bind it and blow it away in Jesus’ name. But all what is of You I thank you Father, will take root in the hearts of those who have heard it and that it will blossom and bring forth fruit and abundance to the glory of Your kingdom. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, amen.

03_04 Love

Today I am going to continue with a series of teachings on marriage. I am particularly going to talk more on the role of the husband and supplying a covering to his wife. However, before I do this, I would like to recap the teachings of the last few weeks. A few weeks ago in the first teaching of this series, we saw very clearly that marriage is a prophetic statement that is provided to give us guidance in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We saw particularly in Ephesians 5:31-32, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church." Those two verses are absolutely pivotal in our understanding of marriage as a prophetic statement, that we see the intense parallel between the wonderful relationship that God intended a husband and wife to have, and the wonderful relationship that He intends us to have with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Marriage

When we fully understand and apply what God intends marriage to be, we can understand what God intends our relationship with Jesus to be. We saw also that there are many wrong teachings in the Church which are giving rise to the extremely high level of divorce, with over two-thirds of Christian marriages reported to be ending in divorce. And consequently, a higher level of adultery and fornication in the Church, which results in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ being joined to the world and in fact being joined to which warlock Satan is, etc. It's very apparent from all of this that before the Lord Jesus Christ returns, the Church must seek to become a spotless bride and in order to become a spotless bride, the Church must deal with the deception and the wrong teachings that we are dealing with in this series.

We saw also that the Word of God clearly says that no adulterous will enter the kingdom of God and therefore the truth must be told as currently, as you will see in the subsequent teaching on adultery.  There are enormous numbers of people in the body of Christ today who are unwittingly committing adultery and are not in a place to receive forgiveness because of ongoing unrepented sin.

Marriage Covenant

In the second teaching two weeks ago, we addressed the subject of the marriage covenant and we saw that the marriage covenant is clearly the act of sexual intercourse with a virgin. In the process of researching the Scriptures and expanding the Scriptures, we saw that the Word of God in Genesis 2:24 which refers to a man cleaving into his wife clearly refers to the act of sexual intercourse, and that consequently, the act of sexual intercourse is in fact the act of marriage. We further saw that there is no ceremony or rite with any officiating Priest or any other person regarding marriage, as it is practised in the Church today. In fact, more detailed study reveals that the marriage ceremony as it is practiced by the Church today is in fact more than a Pagan rite coming out of Roman times.

Having recognised that sexual intercourse with a virgin is in fact the act of marriage, it then became apparent that sexual intercourse with a woman who is not a virgin is adultery. That will lead to a part in the lake of fire and brimstone except in those specific cases we got a husband and a woman to divorce. And therefore it is absolutely vital that every person on this Earth comes to a clear revelation of exactly what marriage is and is not, and what adultery is and is not, because as I said previously, there are  an enormous number of men and women today who truly believe that they are in marriages that are acceptable in the sight of God, yet according to Jesus teaching in Matthew 5 and Matthew 19 they are living in adultery and there may be no course out of that adultery, except to dissolve the marriage and return to the spouses they were originally married to. This is an extremely difficult teaching and one which requires enormous prayer and enormous searching in the Word of God, in which God-willing, in the weeks ahead, I will be able to expand to a level where you would be able to grasp the full magnitude of what is required and also to understand God's marvellous plan for redeeming marriage in this age. We also stressed in that teaching that those who are teaching that are contrary regarding marriage and either regarding it as being a ceremony or a vow taken in churches distinct from the act of sexual intercourse or teaching people that they can get divorced on various grounds which have no foundation in scripture, need to repent of their sins because at this stage and many men and women of God by heaping up judgement for themselves on the day of judgement. Likewise, we saw that those who have married contrary to Scripture need to urgently seek guidance regarding their current state.

Submission and Covering

In the third teaching last week, we went more in depth into the subject of covering and particularly into the subject of submission and we saw in Ephesians 5:23-24 that the Word of God says very clearly that "The husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the Church and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore, just as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything." We went at some length into that passage of Scripture and we noted that it requires a wife to submit to her husband in everything, not just in those things which are lawful, scriptural, or in the will of God, all that she likes, all that she wants to do, but in fact in everything. We saw that this is an extremely challenging Scripture which requires considerable revelation to see how positive it is since the feminist world would have us believe that this is discriminatory when in fact it is empowering. God-willing, these principles will be presented in more detail in the teachings that follow.

We then saw in 1 Peter chapters 2 and 3, an extensive teaching on the responsibility of Christians generally to be submissive to their masters, their rulers and so forth. And we saw that we were specifically enjoined to following Christ’s footsteps in that He had suffered for us, leaving us an example where He was reviled. He did not revile in return when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. So, we see that Jesus is held up as an example to us as a man who was entirely righteous, who had absolutely no sin, yet He was falsely accused, falsely convicted, and falsely crucified, and yet He didn’t revile, He didn’t argue, and we are enjoined as Christians to follow that example. More specifically in 1 Peter 3:1, the chapter starts, "Wives, likewise be submissive to your own husbands, even if some do not obey the word without a word, maybe one by the conduct of their wives." And what we saw there is that wives are told to submit to their husbands as Jesus submitted to the high Priests and the Pharisees when they crucified Him. In other words, a wife should submit to her husband in absolutely everything. She should not argue with him. She should not revile him. She should not fight with him.

Again, an extremely difficult Scripture in terms of our current understanding, but it's important to note that chapter is also referring to believing wives and believing husbands because it says that even if some do not obey the Word, they without the Word, may be one by the conduct of their wives. In other words, that verse is indicating to us that a woman who truly submits to her husband, or when her husband from his sin by her conduct, not arguing with him and not with him. Verse 2 goes on "When they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear." And in verse 6 we read, "As Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, if you do good, and are not afraid with any terror." And so, we see that even a husband is cruel, unjust, or beats his wife. 1 Peter 3:1 clearly indicates that wife is still required to submit to her husband and that by submitting to her husband in that way she may bring him to repentance.

Referring to 1 Peter 3:6 we saw that Sarah is cited as an example of a godly woman and we saw that Sarah obeyed Abraham, even when it required her to misrepresent a marital status and place herself in a position where she could be committing adultery with Pharaoh and Abimelek. We went into some detail in the Scriptures which deal with those two instances. The first where Abraham and Sarah went into Egypt and Sarah was taken into Pharaoh's harem. The Lord struck Pharaoh and his court. The second instance where Sarah was taken into Abimelek's harem, again the Lord struck Abimelek's court. From this we concluded that a wife was required to submit to her husband even if it involved her sinning. But we observe that since by submitting to her husband in everything a Scripture required, the sin would then be upon her husband and not on her. We concluded that there was presumably an obligation on her to at least advise him that he was requiring her to sin and therefore bringing sin upon his own head.

We concluded from the verses we have stated that God intervened in both these cases.  Sarah, in a case where a God-fearing wife submitted to her husband when he required her to sin, and God would protect her. Assumption is that she advised her husband that she will be sinning, because of her love of God, reverence for the Word of God and love of her husband, but she will nevertheless submit and do what her husband requires of her. It appears that under such circumstances, a truly God-fearing woman can hope for the Lord to move in this situation as He did to Sarah to protect her. And if we read further, in 1 Peter 3, we see that the Scriptures clearly indicates that God will act. For example, 1 Peter 3:12 says "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good." Again, it's clear from the Scriptures that the Word of God is saying that a wife who truly submits to her husband and in obedience to the Word of God, will fall under divine protection.

We further saw in the same teaching that just as our obedience to the Word of God and the Spirit of God is a measure of our love of God, a wife's obedience to her husband is a measure of her love for her husband. We further considered Proverbs 31 which clearly indicates that a Godly submissive wife is in fact a strong entrepreneurial wife, which at first glance in terms of modern context, would seem to be a complete contradiction in terms. This is explained by referring to the military example where military experience indicates that the best military commanders are those who are being the best subordinates. In other words, self-discipline is sufficiently great, that they are willing and able to subordinate their will to the will of their commanding officer. We noted that in battle, a soldier who disobeys commands puts not only his own life, but that of his fellow soldiers at risk. Likewise, in spiritual warfare, a wife who is not in complete submission to her husband places her family at risk of enemy attack. And therefore it requires a woman with strong self will and strong self discipline to submit to her husband in all things and to accept his headship.

Watchmen

We further noted in which refer to watchman, clearly provide a basis to conclude that every wife has a responsibility to warn her husband of spiritual danger whether she sees this with her natural eye in the Spirit, by the Spirit of God, or by the Word of God. However, when she has given the warning, if her husband chooses to ignore the warning, the blood will be on his hands and his wife is therefore indemnified.

We concluded by praying for wives to take their husbands' covering and for husbands to extend their covering to their wives. This on the basis that modern teaching has brought about a situation in which it is not a given that a woman automatically renounces whatever she may have put in place in terms of so false prayers, inner vows, other active decisions or passive decisions to be master of her own destiny, which is the prevalent teaching in the world today. We also led husbands in prayer to accept overall responsibility for their wives, and in particular to accept that if they sinned and took their wives into sin, they accepted full responsibility and indemnified their wives and accepted that the blood would be on their hands.

I would now like to take this teaching further and in doing so I would like to note that going down the journey of understanding and applying these principles in our own lives even as we teach them. And therefore I expect that even in the weeks ahead, our depth of revelation in this area will continue to grow at an exploding rate as it has been doing in the last few weeks.

Even since the last teaching, a number of specific instances have given us a greater understanding of what this teaching means in practice. And from this it is becoming increasingly apparent to me why Scripture to marry in the faith. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says "A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives. But if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord." Clearly, if a husband is not in the Lord, Satan can use him to abuse and mistreat his wife. And if a wife is not in the Lord, Satan can use her to undermine her husband and to cripple him spiritually. Accordingly, it is clear that a woman should marry a man who is a material believer and one whom she is willing to submit to. Conversely, a man should marry a woman who is clearly willing to submit to him. The theme of this indicates that her husband should be significantly older than his wife. These are principles which cannot be stressed enough. The tendency of the modern age is to marry based on so-called , which is generally lust as was mentioned in earlier teachings. There is no basis in Scripture to infer that it is necessary for a man and woman, even to admit one another before marriage as we saw in the case of Isaac and Rebecca and equally there is no basis for there to be any material attraction between a man and a woman before marriage.

One Flesh Bond

God created marriage to work. He has provided us with incredibly powerful spiritual bones as in the One Flesh Bond which we discussed in some length in previous teaching. And these forces are quite sufficient for the marriage to be successful, provided these principles that are being taught in this series are applied. That requires that the wife is a God-fearing wife who submits to her husband and that the husband seeks to become like Jesus. But we have seen in the teachings with regards to submission that in actual fact, there is no basis for a wife to seek divorce, even if her husband is not fearing God. In contrast to this, we are aware of a number of instances where the Lord has permitted divorce, but in general this seems to only happen after many years, by which I mean, 10 or 20 years and interceding for a husband who is out of the will of God.  In those cases, it may be that divorce is only permitted for the sake of the children when the husband tends to complete apostasy and becomes heavily demonised and starts to serve Satan.

What we have potentially seen is that it is the Lord's will that we come into absolute total harmony. Even the smallest disharmony or disunity can be used by the enemy. Clearly, this is a progressive process, but ultimately if a man and woman are one flesh, if they are completely united in one, there is no potential for them to differ even on the smallest points simply because they see themselves as being one and not two people. This applies particularly in terms of areas of sexual intimacy and just the day-to-day relationship between a husband and his wife.  God intends them to be absolutely close, absolutely one, to see things together in the Spirit with one vision. Clearly this is not something that happens overnight. It requires a definite and dedicated intention and commitment to come into this place and prayer and fasting to get to that situation.

Agape Love

What's also become apparent to us is that the only way that this can become real in the case of a couple is to the agape love of God, and that is the love of the husband for his wife and the love of the wife for her husband. There are many scriptures which tell husbands to love their wives. Ephesians 5:33 enjoins the husband to love his wife and there are many other scriptures that do the same. For example, Colossians 3:19 "Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter to them." So, in many cases where the Word of God refers to a wife submitting to her husband, we find the corollary to that of husbands to love their wives. Clearly a husband who does not love his wife and is not as Jesus would be towards his wife makes it extremely difficult for his wife to walk in full submission. But the lesson that we learned in terms of the teaching on submission last week, is that the fact that the husband is not walking as Jesus walked and is no excuse for the wife not to seek to walk as Jesus would have walked towards her husband. Each of us is accountable. The husband will be accountable on the Day of Judgement for whether he did all in his ability by the Spirit to walk as Jesus walked.  His wife will be judged according to her submission and her willingness to lay down her life to serve her husband.

The first scriptures bring what I just said about love into sharp focus in Proverbs 10:12. It says, "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins." Therefore, we take that particular verse and apply that to the current subject of marriage, and what it appears to indicate is that love between a husband and wife will cover a multitude of sins in the marriage, and a couple that are walking in profound agape God-given love, not in the lust of the world, will be profoundly blessed. 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves torment, but he who fears is not made perfect in love." Again, we see perfect love casts out fear. In a situation in marriage where there is fear on the part of the wife with regards to anything, is an indication that love is not being perfected in either her or her husband. 1 John 4:16 says, "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." By extension, as we said earlier out of Ephesians 5:32, we can draw the conclusion that all the Scriptures which relate to our love for Jesus and His love for us apply equally to a wife's love for her husband and the husband's love for the wife. And so we see that a wife who abides in love towards her husband will abide in her husband, and her husband will abide in her and that is the level of intensity, intimate oneness that I believe that God is calling us to aspire to and to seek forth by faith in the spirit.

Love is from God

1 John 4:7-8 says, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." Again, we are talking about the profound agape love of God that is described so eloquently in 1 Corinthians 13, which is tolerant in long-suffering.  This requires that both husband and wife potentially rethink their attitude to one another in a significant fashion. Chapter 1 verses 5-8 we see this, “but also for this very reason giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to  brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For these things are yours in abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Again, we see a series of verses and concepts which, taken together, have a profound impact in terms of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore in terms of our relationships between husband and wife, and in particular if one takes that same passage and applies it to a wife giving all diligence, adding to faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love, we can begin to imagine the nature of the relationship that there will be between husband and wife. 1 Peter 4:8 says, "Above all things, have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins." That is again citing the diverse seen in Proverbs that I quoted a moment ago, Proverbs 10-12.

Love in Marriage

I cannot underplay and I cannot stress sufficiently the importance of love in marriage, but I say again, this is not carnal lust born out of appearances, it's not based on what the object of one's love looks like, how attractive they are sexually any moment of time what they wear, how they dress. It's very profound love which comes into being through the act of making love through laying down one another's lives, or the laying down of lives for one another and just completely losing sight of self and seeing the marriage, the husband and wife as being completely joined to one another, and not seeing any basis to draw distinction between the two of them. I referred earlier, and I’d just like to go back to 1 Peter 3:8-17 which follows on directly after the passage where wives are told to be submissive to their husbands in the same way that Jesus was submissive to the high Priests and the Pharisees. This says,"Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tender-hearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing." We see that clearly in marriage there should not be a trading of insults or a trading of abuse. "For he who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

So, we see bracketing and closing off the passage about the submission of wives, a confirmation that any wife who sanctifies herself towards the Lord God and submits to her husband will fall under the Lord's protection. And even if for some reason that protection is not evident in her life, it is better for her to suffer from doing good, that is submitting to her husband, than doing evil which would be to fight with him and to argue with him. We saw again, in the teachings last week, the extent to which a wife who strife’s with her husband and argues with her husband is condemned by the Word of God. It is stated that it is better in such a case for man to dwell in the corner of a rooftop than to dwell in the house with a wife who is contentious and faultfinding.

Definition of Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 provides a profound definition of love, which is touched on last week, but just a few points, starting at verse 4. "Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, it does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in inequity but rejoices in the truth. Bares all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, love never fails." And so, we see again that if that love is applied in marriage, husband for wife and wife for husband, so much of what we see is wrong in marriage today will just simply disappear. If there is no defending of self, if there is no arguing on the basis of self-centredness, if there is no withholding on the basis of things which self does not want to do, or say and that the only requirement is to do the will of God in the marriage and to walk in unity and harmony, love will overcome the multitude of sins.

Romans 13:8-10 says, "Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the Commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet. And if there is any other Commandment summed up in the same, namely 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilment of the law." Again, we see drawing all of this together so wonderfully that where the Word of God commits a husband to love his wife and a wife to love her husband, that is the fulfilment of the law. So, a wife that is in submission to her husband and is loving her husband is fulfilling the law. In such a circumstance it seems to me that it will be extremely difficult for even a reprobate husband to take his wife into serious sin and deception. To me these passages demonstrate in a profound way the enormous power,( perhaps not quite the right word), but I am going to use it for the purposes of what I am about to say. God has given a wife enormous power over her husband, but that power is the power of the cross. It's a power of a life sacrificed for the Word of God and the Will of God in submission to her husband. And the Word of God is quite clear that the things of God to the world. And therefore, as much as it may seem foolish for a wife to submit to her husband even if he is in major sin, we see the example of the Lord Jesus Christ himself demonstrate that submission, weakness and humility are the most powerful things on this Earth. The Love of God is more powerful than anything that seeks to bring destruction, anything that seeks to serve Satan. Satan does not understand love, and the profound love between husband and wife is the most fundamentally powerful force that there is to protect a marriage.

Lovemaking

Romans 8:33-39 "Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? That is Christ who died and furthermore, He is also risen. Who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' In all these things we are more than conquerors through  Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor Angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." And again, I would like to bring this back to the love between a husband and a wife as I explained a couple of weeks ago. The Word of God is quite clear. As a man cleaves into his wife as they repeatedly give themselves to one another in sexual lovemaking, they are literally making love, they are creating love and the more there is harmony, the more there is unity, the more they give totally to one another in sexual pleasure and every aspect of their marriage, the greater the strength of that love will become until it becomes an absolutely massive force which is unbreakable. As we have seen this is capable of conquering in every dimension.

The Power of love

So, we see that as a man comes to love his wife, it is impossible for that love to be end, and likewise as a wife loves her husband with the agape love of God, it is impossible for that love to end. Therefore, any couple that seek to get divorced on the basis of, I don’t love him anymore, or, I don’t love her anymore, are completely in error and completely deceived. There is absolutely no ways that God has intended divorce or marriage to end because there is no love. There is only no love if there is bitterness and strife, and a failure to submit. A wife who submits to her husband, no matter what the cost will bring about a profound love that will certainly lead her husband back from wherever he may be. The power of love is beyond anything that we can comprehend. John 15:12-14 says, "This is my Commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his Friends. You are my Friends if you do whatever I command you."

Again, if you bring this into the context of marriage, greater love has no wife than to lay down her life for her husband and greater love has no husband than to lay down his life for his wife. And today I am not just referring to physical death by some act of heroism or substitution in martyrdom or something like that. I am referring to the laying down of one's life in prayer, in intercession, in fasting, in serving. Just generally doing all that you can to love one another as the Lord Jesus Christ has loved us. And if we do that, then Jesus says that we will be His Friends, because that is His Commandment.

We cannot hide behind self-centredness and selfishness in order to excuse the lack of submission on the part of your wife or a lack of love on the part of a husband. These Scriptures and many others provide a powerful indication of how love between husband and wife is intended to be. I would encourage you to take a concordance and research the Scriptures that deal with love if you got them electronically on computer. There is an enormous number. I just pulled out a few on which I have just been speaking, but there are many, many others. If you get a profound revelation that Ephesians 5 is clearly saying to us, that the love between Christ and his Church, and the love between husband and wife is directly comparable, and you get to understand that we are Commanded husband, to love wife, and wife, to love husband, that every one of these Scriptures provide us with a direct teaching on what that love should be, you will begin to understand that the magnitude and the wonder of what God has created marriage to be.

I’d just like to touch on a few other points before I close. It's important to understand, those listening to this teaching may be wondering why I place so much emphasis on submission. Part of the reason for that is simply that the submission of a wife to her husband is something that has largely been lost in my observation. In the teachings of the Church today we see feminist teachings which effectively, if you cut through the niceties of what is taught, the wrong application of Scripture effectively tells her husband to submit to his wife. And it's therefore important to restore the balance in this series of teachings that I want to show you just briefly that God has provided some very powerful counterbalances to deal with the situation of a husband who is not serving God as he should.

Abuse

There are others, and some of them I touched on in the previous teachings. Consider for a moment Ephesians 5:28-33 "So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the Church, for we are members of His body, of His flesh, of His bones. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is in fact mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

So, let's go back to the verse which says, for no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it just as the Lord does of the Church. We saw previously that in Genesis, the wife becomes bone of the husband's bones and flesh of the husband's flesh, and this is not some abstract, satiric concept. It's very profound and it's a very real thing in a situation where a husband is spiritually sensitive. He, as we saw last week, experiences sensation which is similar to rottenness in his bones if his wife strife’s and is contentious with him. If we take that further we see that since a wife is one flesh with her husband anything that he does to hurt her emotionally, scripturally, or physically will also harm himself in a similar fashion because she is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. In other words, a husband that physically abuses or beats his wife is physically abusing or beating his own body and he will experience that in greater or lesser measure. I think it's a measure of the total ignorance of the Church today in these matters but nobody is addressing the subject.

The reality is that a man who beats his wife will experience distress and because he doesn’t know the truth. We have situations which men keep beating their wives on the basis that they claim that their wives are hurting them. So, we see, because of the deception, a completely terrible spiral of destruction where the more he beats his wife, the more it hurts him, and the more he accuses her of hurting him. And these are factors which are so deep that I don’t think that I even begin to understand the full significance of what I have just said to you. But if we can come to understand that any man who physically, emotionally or spiritually abuses his wife in any way is going to cause distress in himself.  He should not be surprised in the least if misusing his wife or abusing his wife causes him to feel the sensation of rottenness in his bones, to feel dislocated in joint because he is. If he is not loving his wife as Christ loves the Church, then he is bringing about spiritual distress to his own body. And accordingly, the best way for him to stop that distress is for him to stop hurting or abusing his wife.

And so, we see one aspect of the powerful counterbalance that God in his infinite wisdom has provided against the man abusing a wife who is in complete submission to him. Clearly the counterpoint to this is a woman who lawfully puts self above submission to her husband and rebellion against him, will bring herself into the situation that we saw in Proverbs which relate to a man married to such a woman who is better off in the wilderness, or on the corner of a housetop.

Covering

I have mentioned that a man covers his wife and I am going to just touch on a few points today, and God-willing next week, I will carry on with this teaching. It's important to understand that a husband provides his spiritual covering for his wife. I saw this yesterday as a man holding a large and very solid umbrella. That umbrella is in fact the Lord Jesus Christ who is the man's covering. In the vision I saw that as long as the woman stayed in complete submission to her husband, she stayed under the umbrella or covering that was sheltering them. All forces of hell were raining down, demonic attacks in the family unit but they were being deflected by the covering. While she was under this covering, the wife was at peace and securing in her husband. As soon as she started to strife with her husband, she he could no longer hold up the umbrella and she exposed herself to the enemies' attack because she stayed out from under her husband's covering.

At this time, the Lord brought to remembrance to elderly widows that we know. All of them as best as we can discern had been in submission and desire for her husband throughout their husband. The husband shortly before his death that she was a strong old woman who would not listen to him. The first woman is still vibrant, strong, and self confident. The latter woman is worn down apparently by all the burden that she has brought on by failing to walk in submission to her husband. Again, this vision of the covering is profoundly important in this day. Women who seek to be their own woman within marriage and not place their husband first, not to submit to them, not to walk in harmony with them bring themselves into a place where they carry an enormous burden of Satanic and Demonic attack. They break down their family, and again, there are Scriptures which say that a wife who is foolish with and it's really important that we understand the extent which a woman who is in submission and in obedience to her husband will turn them to success of her husband and therefore the success of her family, in converse to a wife who strives with her husband will weaken and break him down unless of course the husband chooses to get into submission with her. And I have to say to you, just about everything that I have heard or taught on marriage in the last few years, having gone through a marriage, which eventually broke down and then remarrying, virtually everything that I have encountered on the subject of marriage has, by implication required the husband to come into submission with his wife if she is not in submission with him. It's ungodly, it's unscriptural, and it places an enormous and unfair burden on the wife that will ultimately destroy her spiritually.

demonstrate the principle of covering by the example of Job. If you would like to turn to Job chapter 1, I am reading from verse 9, "So Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.'" I want you to note particularly that phrase 'touch all that he has.' "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, all that he has is in your power and you do not lay a hand on his person.' So, Satan went out from the presence of the Lord." And again, in verse 12, I want you to see that the Lord said to Satan 'behold, all that he has in your power.' So, anything that Job had was in Satan's power.

I read from verse 13, "Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and a Messenger came to Job and said, 'The oxen were ploughing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the Servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.' While he was still speaking, another came and said, 'The fire of God fell from Heaven and burned up the sheep and the Servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.' While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the Servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.' While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.' Then Job arose and pulled his robe and shaved his head and he fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."

It's really important that you see that literally Satan takes all that Job had. There is handful of three or four Servants who escaped to come and tell him that all that he had, had been destroyed or taken away. His children were destroyed, his flocks and his camels were all taken. His Servants were all destroyed. If we carry on in Job 2, reading from verse 6, "And the Lord then said to Satan, 'Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.' So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took for himself a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes. Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.' But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?'"

What I ask you to notice is that his wife through all of this was untouched. So God had said to Satan in verse 12 of chapter 1, "Behold, all that he has is in your power and you do not lay a hand on his person." Even after, in Job 2:6, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life." We see that Job's wife was completely untouched. So, we must assume that Job's wife was in full submission to him, not withstanding her seemingly angry Why he didn’t curse God. But in all the distraction that took place, Satan was unable to touch Job's wife. And I believe that is a remarkable example of what is meant by the covering of a man for his wife. And I really would encourage those people who are listening to this teaching to recognise that the covering that God provides to a God-fearing woman, who is in submission to her husband is profound and powerful in a situation such as Job's where absolutely everything is destroyed, where lightning falls, where raiders come, where there is absolute destruction, where the individual concerned, the husband is grievously affected in his body with boils and desperately ill. His wife comes through absolutely unscathed and untouched in her person. And to me that is an absolutely wonderful demonstration of God's provision for a God-fearing woman who is in submission to her husband.

Next week I will provide a much more detailed teaching on the subject of covering and provide you with more Scriptures on the subject. a few further thoughts, one of the things that I have seen in the last week that the Lord has been showing me very clearly is that the husband bears the brunt of any attack by the enemy when his house is divided, even if his wife is in lawful disobedience. And we see that in Job's case again, notwithstanding where his wife may have been spiritually, Job bore the brunt of the attack. But in any situation where there is division in a house, where there is hindrance, the husband is the person who is responsible for that house. He is accountable before God, and when Satan attacks that house, he will attack first and foremost the husband. The wife will come under attack where there are very specific instances where her sin is very personal, in which case she will experience very personal affliction.

So, instances where a wife is guilty of certain sin which her husband may not be aware of, sin which particularly affects her, and she may experience distress in her body. She may experience illness. She may experience a lack of three things which are important to her husband. So, a situation in which a wife in particular is experiencing such things, would be indicative of personal sin that she needs to deal with that's distinct from the sin of the household. But ultimately the husband is responsible if his house is divided or for that matter, if his wife is in sin and therefore he will bear the brunt of Satan's attacks in many, many case.

Bear in mind what I have just said. hat's also becoming increasingly apparent to me why many men have affairs with their secretaries. A good secretary must be in submission to her boss and respect and esteem him. If his wife is not in submission, does not esteem and respect him, the husband becomes very vulnerable to a woman who is doing this. Conversely, a secretary whose husband abuses and treats her with dishonour, will find herself drawn to an employer who treats her with respect and honours her as a capable trustworthy and submissive employee. The conclusion of that, in such situation where her husband who finds himself in an affair with a secretary, the wife should first of all examine herself. If she is not in submission, if she is not meeting her husband's needs, and not being the wife that the Scriptures require her to be, she has to ask herself to what extent she is responsible for the situation. Equally it's important to understand that Exodus 21, the first two verses makes it quite clear that it was God's intention for a man to be married to the woman who works closely with him. But that is a separate teaching.

Time does not permit to continue today. This is an extremely deep and complex subject, but God-willing, we will be able to bring further understanding in the weeks ahead. Father in the name of Jesus, I just bring this teaching before You in the name of Jesus and I ask You, by Your spirit to blow away and utterly destroy anything that has been said by me that is , but that which is of You Lord, I give You the honour, I give You the glory and I ask You Father in the name of Jesus to etch it deeply on the hearts of everybody who listens to this tape. And as they listen, to give them the revelation of the wonder and the beauty of marriage as You intended it to be and that they may walk in the fullness of what You have appointed for Godly marriage within the body of Christ. I thank You Father that You will raise up, stand up for people who laid down their lives to serve You in the fullness of what You have appointed marriage to be, in Jesus’ name.

I would ask anybody who is listening to this tape who does not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and who has perhaps been caused to stumble, by the fact of their observation of marriage is such that they cannot believe that God is real or that the Bible is what it claims to be, to seriously consider now turning around. The Lord Jesus Christ wants to save you. His words open up to me I will come and I will serve with you. If you don’t have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, I would encourage you right now just to kneel before Him and to pray after me. "Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus and I confess that I don’t have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I realise bring me to salvation. I ask You Jesus now to come and dwell in my life, to come and dwell in my heart, to take control. I bow my knee to You Lord Jesus. I call You Lord for You are Lord of Lords and King of Kings and I thank You Lord for saving me in Jesus’ name."

If you had just prayed that prayer I would encourage you to contact this ministry, or alternatively to find any local church where they teach the principles of salvation and being born-again where you can and where you can be water-baptised and walk in the fullness God has called you to be. Father, in the name of Jesus I ask You to bless and prosper all who listen to this teaching. In Jesus’ name, amen.

03_05 The Husband as Covering but the Wife Builds the House

Continuation of the series on marriage. The subject is 'The Husband as a Covering to the Wife, but the Wife Builds the House.' The tape includes some of the prayers and worship, which immediately preceded the teaching in order to provide a spiritual context on which the teaching is founded. For those who want to listen directly to the teaching, the present worship is about 20 minutes long, so the teaching begins about halfway through the tape. 

Ruth

October 14, 2000. This teaching is a continuation of the series on marriage. The title of the teaching this morning is 'The Husband as a Covering to the Wife, but the Wife Builds the House.' Ruth 3:9 records, "And he said, 'Who are you?' So she uttered, 'I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing for you are a close relative.'" In the Amplified, we read, "Spread your wing of protection over your maidservant for your next of kin." The context of this verse is one of Ruth, the Moabite woman who had married a Hebrew . Her husband, his father and his brothers all die and Ruth is left a widow with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and returns to Israel with her, declaring that your people shall be my people and your God, my God. This acceptance by Ruth as the God of Israel and the people of Israel thus forsaking her Gentile inheritance is a clear type of any person accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and wholeheartedly adopting the Christian faith.

From other verses we gather that Ruth had not made a shallow decision but an uncompromising decision to go all the way. She left her family and native land and adopted and complied with the social practices of her adopted faith and land. In fact, Ruth is so esteemed in the sight of God that she became the mother of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. And her name is explicitly recorded for Eternity in the Genealogy of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:15 which says, . And so we see that Ruth is one of the few women who are mentioned by name in the Genealogy of the Lord.

On this basis we must accept that the steps taken by Ruth, a widow, to seek the protection of Boaz are entirely appropriate and correct in the sight of God. She was not being forward when she approached Boaz. She was acting in accordance with laid down scriptural protocol in accordance with Deuteronomy 25:5-10. The interpretation of this verse is very eloquently presented by William Schnoebelen in his book, 'Masonry: Beyond the Light' and I quote verbatim from pages 230-232. Under the heading 'Headship' he writes, "Paul teaches that the 'head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man' (I Corinthians 11:3). This is how men and women are created by God. Two other key verses in this passage tell us: But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven…For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the Angels.

Husbands and Wives

1 Corinthians 11:5, 8-10, although this is a rather deep passage, it is not too deep that it cannot be interpreted by turning to the Bible itself for help. The first part is clearer. The husband is to be the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the husband. Paul clarifies this principle elsewhere, telling us: For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church: and he is the Saviour of the body. Therefore as the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. Ephesians 5:23-26. It is not a question of the husband 'lording it over' the wife as much as it is the husband giving himself up for his wife, laying down his life for her as Jesus did for the Church. This is not a permit for abusive behaviour on the part of husbands in any way, shape or form. The wife must be submissive to the husband, but the husband must be Christ-like in his care and devotion to the wife. He must be the channel through which the Holy Spirit can 'sanctify and cleanse' his wife.

To Spread your Covering

To Spread Your Covering: The last part of the passage quoted above is the most puzzling. What does 'For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the Angels' mean? This verse, and the ones preceding it, have often been interpreted with total literalness, to the extent that women have felt obliged to wear veils or hats to Church. However, the word here is 'power,' which obviously means more than a veil. If we stand aside and let the Bible interpret this passage, it all becomes clear. In Ruth 3:8-9, we find the elegant Hebrew custom to which Paul is referring: And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid: for thou art a near kinsman.

Ruth is asking Boaz, her near kinsman, to marry her out of obligation to his dead relation, Mahlon, her former husband. For him to cover her with his skirt was a way of saying he would marry her, taking her under the mantle of his protection, even as we, the Church, are under the mantle of Jesus’ protection. When a Godly man marries a woman, he takes 'power' over her because of the Angels. Which Angels are being referred to is unclear. Some say they are not good Angels, but fallen Angels, which might attack or tempt the wife. Others say they are good Angels who are scandalized by seeing a wife out from under the authority of her husband.

Fallen Angels

Although we cannot be certain, I prefer the first explanation, especially since there are two other places in Scripture which seem to indicate that fallen Angels might be very dangerous to unprotected women (Genesis 6:2, Jude 6-7). Thus, it is the duty of a man to provide a spiritual covering for his wife. Why is this? Because it is the way the Lord made the marriage relationship. It is the way men and women are put together. In a good, Christian marriage, the husband is the covering for the wife—her shepherd, her 'lightning rod,' if you will. He takes all the flak for her, even as Jesus did for us. He should be both a unique font of blessing for her and her strong protector from attack, whether spiritual or physical."

Covering

I believe that Schnoebelen gives a very concise and very explicit indication of what the concept of covering in Christian marriage is about. I have no doubt that interpretation is substantially correct and I have also independently encountered a teaching by Benny Hinn on the subject of Demons and Devils, which makes a related point about Genesis 6:2-6.  This refers to fallen Angels taking on the human form and having sexual intercourse with women. The inference says that this gave rise to the race of Johns. So fallen Angels which are referred to in Jude 1:6, "And the Angels who did not keep their proper domain but left their own abode is reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day." In 2 Peter 2:4 we read, "For if God did not spare the Angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell and deliver them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment." Reading this farther to Genesis 6:1-8 we find that it says, "When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were beautiful. And they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. Then the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not strife with man forever, for he is indeed flesh."

We see from that given that many believers accept that the term 'Sons of God' used in a number of Scripture actually refers to the angels, that this passage therefore refers to fallen Angels, marrying or as we have seen in previous teachings, having sexual intercourse with women. Satan realised that the only way that God could regain dominion over the Earth legally was for the Messiah to be worn of a woman and by instructing his fallen angels to marry as many women as possible. .He could corrupt the bloodlines so completely that it would not be possible for a sinless man to be born of women. The same teaching suggests that Noah and his sons were the only pure bloodline that remained and that was one of the reasons for the flood.

Taking this interpretation further, it is apparent that once an Angel has sinned by having sexual intercourse with a human woman, he is cast into chains for the Day of Judgment as referred to in Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4. As a consequence of the actions of Satan’s Angels before the flood, Satan's of Angels was seriously diminished and he could not afford to try that over anew again. However, this presumably does not prevent him from trying again at the end of the age, should he conclude that there is benefit to be gained, something I guess could even be a prerequisite for the birth of the Beast of revelation, but that's outside the scope of this teaching.

In this life, we see that the responsibility of Christian men to provide covering to Christian women in these last days becomes a greater significance if we take account of the level of deception that is accepted to accompany the end of the age, and also the level of persecution.

The bottom line must surely be that any unmarried Christian woman, whether a virgin, a widow, or a scripturally legitimately divorced woman, who is earnestly seeking God for a husband has a prerogative to approach man whom God has shown to her and asked him to extend his covering to her. We presume that the only basis for him to refuse to marry her would if he was quite certain that the approach was not of God. This requires a major change in paradigm by all concerned. The Christian woman is entitled to a covering and a Christian man is obliged to provide it if God has allocated the responsibility for that woman to him. Thus we see that the whole concept of a covering is of immense spiritual significance that a woman without a covering is highly vulnerable spiritually, and that the role of the husband in providing this covering is very significant indeed.

Building the House

I want to present a counterpoint to that which builds on teachings of the previous wee,s and in particular on something that I saw in Scripture as I was preparing this message. The counterpoint that I want to offer you is that it is the woman who builds the man's house. In 1 Chronicles 17:11-12 we see that says "And it shall be..." and this is now speaking to David through one of the Prophets regarding what will come and to the effect that God has told David that David is not to build a house or a temple for the Lord."And it shall be when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your father, that I will set up your seed after you, will be of your sons and I will establish his Kingdom. He shall build me a house and I will establish his throne forever."

I want you to see that in the context of Proverbs 14:1, which says "The wise women builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." And the context of these two passages is that I was impressed to research further the concept of the wise women building her house in Scripture. And in searching Scripture I found that yielding a computer-based concordance, I found no other reference to a man actually building his house, but I found repeated references to men building the Temple of God and referring to that as building God's house. And what I came to realise is that in the same way that human beings are used of God to build the Church, to build the Temple and in a very real sense to build the house of God, so it is the function and the role of the man's wife to build her husband's house.

And in the same way, if through rebellion and disobedience, we disobey the Lord and we bring sin upon ourselves resulting in the extreme cases in the history of Israel of the temple being physically torn down and destroyed, and in the context of the Christian believer seeing the Body of Christ rest asunder divided and even the actual physical body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, in other words our human bodies being disintegrated to such an extent that ultimately the believer turns away from God or is destroyed in some fashion. We see again, it is the believer which is a shadow and a type of the wife as we have seen in previous teachings who builds or destroys God's house on Earth and from that we clearly see the import of Proverbs 14:1 and I read that verse again because it is absolutely critical to understand the role that God has ordained for women in marriage, "The wise women builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands."

If we take that further in Proverbs 12:4 which we have referred to previously says, "An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who cause her shame is like rottenness in his bones." And we built on this at a previous teaching based on Genesis 2:24 and I quote here Mark 10:8-9 which says "And the two shall become one flesh. So then they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." From this again, I cannot stress this forcibly enough once they have made love, once they have had sexual intercourse, a man and woman become married, in the sight of God, they are no longer two but one. The wife must see herself as joined inseparably from her husband. She cannot be put asunder from him as we heard in the teaching on One Flesh Bond. Therefore anything that she does, which in any way causes separation between her and her husband strife, disagreement, anything that causes her to behave in a way that is contrary to her husband, brings about the sensation of rottenness in his bones. It is a near physical sensation which comes about in the spirit of a man when his wife is strifing with him when she is being in any way not submissive to him.

And therefore a wife is obliged by Scripture to see herself as completely harmoniously united in one with her husband. He has to see that she does not have the prerogative to hold counterviews to those that he has. I have said before as I believe it is clearly apparent from overall consideration of Scripture that the Lord has also called a wife to be a watchman for her husband so that if she discerns impending danger, be it physical or spiritual, she has a responsibility to inform him. But at the end of the day, it is the husband's job to take the decision. It is not the job of the foot to decide where the body goes. It is the job of the head to decide where the body goes.

In the same way, a wife who sees a need to differentiate herself from her husband in the community to establish her own name and reputation independently of her husband, is dividing her husband's house and therefore tearing down her house with her hands. It's also important to recognise that if the wife has put herself esteem, if she sees herself as being in any way stupid, foolish, or speaks in a derogatory fashion of herself, she is speaking likewise about her husband because she is one with him. If she will not esteem and lift up and pray and honour and adore her husband as Scripture tells her to, and the passages in Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3 that I used last week are particularly interesting if you read them in the Amplified in terms of what they say, the wife should in fact, how she should actually see herself. And maybe we should just turn there quickly.

Let's go through Ephesians 5:22, "Wives be subject, be submissive, and adapt yourself to own husband as a service to the Lord." It's important to note the amplification there,'adapt yourselves.' In other words, change the way you see things, the way you do things, to conform and submit to your husband. We turn to Ephesians 5:33, "However, let each men of you without exception love his wife as being in a sense who is very own self and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband." That she notices him, regards him, honours him, prefers him, liberates and esteems him and that she defers to him, praises him and loves and admires him exceedingly. It is an extremely statement of God expects a wife to do in the way she relates to her husband. Notice him, regard him, honour him, prefer him, venerate him, and esteem him, that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly.

I would stress on the word 'reverence' there that is amplified. Some years ago, the Lord led me to a bookshop to buy a Dake reference Bible and that happened just to pick it up and it opened at this particular verse and Dake makes the point that the word'reverence' is in Scripture used other than in this particular context only with regard to reverence fear of God and so we see that a wife is expected to have the same reverence for her husband as for God. And if we can just bring the revelation of just how critical that is and if a wife can put into practice those adjectives that I have just read out and perhaps I should just read them again because they really are a profound set of guidelines for the manner in which a wife should address her husband, that she notices him, regards him, honours him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him and she defers to him, praises him, loves him and admires him exceedingly. And again, because of deferring to him means that she puts aside her will, she puts aside her own opinions and subordinates herself to her husband.

Let us turn now to 1 Peter 3:1, "In like manner, you married women, be submissive to your own husbands, subordinate yourselves as being secondary to and dependent on them, and adapt yourselves to them, so that even if they do not obey the Word of God, they may be won not by discussion but by the godly lives of their wives." Again, we see the concept of adaption and we also see the concept that they should not argue, that they should not discuss, that they should adapt and submit. Verse 2, "When they observe the pure and modest way in which you conduct yourselves together with your reverence for your husband." You are to feel for him all that reverence includes to respect, to defer to revere him, to honour, esteem, appreciate, praise and in a human sense, to adore him, i.e. to admire, praise, be devoted to deeply love and enjoy your husband. Again, I want to read that amplification of the word 'reverence' again. With your reverence for your husband. You are to feel for him all that reverence includes to respect, defer, revere him, to honour, esteem, appreciated, praise and in a human sense, to adore him. That is to admire, praise, be devoted to, deeply love and enjoy your husband. There are stresses with elaborate interweaving and knotting of the hair, wearing of jewellery, or change of clothes, verse 4, "But let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart with the incorruptible and unfailing charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which is not anxious or in rot up but is very precious in the sight of God." Verse 5, "For it was best that the pious women of old who hoped him God were accustomed, in other words, it was the habit to beautify themselves and be submissive to their husbands. Adopting themselves to them and themselves secondary and dependent upon them." Again, the concept of adaptation.

It was thus that Sarah obeyed Abraham following his guidance and acknowledged him his headship over her calling him lord, master, leader, authority, and you are now her true daughters if you do right and let nothing terrify you with giving way to hysterical fears relating anxieties unnerve you. I just want to carry on a few more verses here, verse 7, "In the same way, you married men should live considerately with your wives with an intelligent recognition of the marriage relation, allowing the woman as physically the weaker but realising that you are heirs of the grace, God's own merit favour of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered and cut off." Otherwise you cannot pray effectively. And this comes back again, if the husband and wife are not in agreement, their prayers will be hindered and we have seen in previous teachings the aspect of two walk together and they will be agreed, a house defined as against a house fall and other Scriptures which clearly show that the vision in a marriage is totally destructive.

But what we see is that the onus on the husband to seek to live a Christ like life, but an enormous onus on the wife to adapt, to submit, to honour, to reverence, to revere, and to adore her husband and this draw us back into what I have said earlier in terms of building your house. It is by this action towards a husband that a wife builds her house and by conducting herself in that fashion. By arguing and striving with her husband, by not honouring him or steaming him, by persisting of going her own way, doing things the way she wants to do them, she brings about division in the house and as we have seen in Proverbs 14:1, she case her house down.

Let's come again to Ephesians 5:28-32, "So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church, for we are members of his body of his flesh and of his binds. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." And again, we keep coming back to this passage because it is so pivotal in understanding marriage. It demonstrates to us so powerfully that the act of sexual intercourse between a man and his virgin bride is directly analogous and comparable to the spiritual act of receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and being born again and having the spirit of Jesus come to dwell within us. We see that it clearly demonstrates to us that everything that Scripture teaches us about our relationship with Christ is a shadow and a type of our relationship between husband and wife. It shows us clearly that if we can understand what is being taught in this series on marriage, we will have a deep, much greater revelation of the relationship that we are called to have the Lord Jesus Christ.

If I can bring it back now to the subject of this teaching to the concept of a wife building her house, it's again important to draw on this statement that the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church. And likewise, the wife is the body of the husband, just as the church is the body of Christ. Every part of the human body is important. If a person does not have arms, they have great difficulty feeding themselves. If they do not have legs, they have great difficulty in moving from one place to another. If they do not have a tongue or the gift of speech, they have great difficulty communicating. If they are deaf, they have great difficulty in making their way in life when they can't speak to others. If they are blind, they are severely handicapped. Every part of the body is important. And therefore it is absolutely vital for a wife to understand that just because she is the body, just because she doesn’t have the authority to means that she is less important.

Her husband has the responsibility of getting direction and instruction from the Lord. The Lord in terms of where the family is going, but it is the wife who is responsible for the house that has to take the husband there. And in the same way, that a brain without , without arms, without legs, without anybody can do absolutely nothing. A husband without a wife who is completely supportive of him can do nothing. A wife who is paralysing her husband by trying to be legs going in the opposite direction by trying to be something different by trying to differentiate herself from her husband, totally disempowers and paralyses her husband.

There is a secular story which is a little bit vulgar but it's perhaps of some relevance here. We find that somehow feminism and liberalism has brought about a situation where the God's way of conducting the relationship between husband and wife is in some way viewed as demeaning to the wife and it's somehow the wife must her own woman and stand apart. It is alleged that the Scriptural teachings with regard to marriage and submission, etc., denigrate the wife and disempower the wife and that she has no self sufficiency, she has no purpose, she has no realisation of self, she does not accomplish her true potential. This is clearly, if one has a profound faith in the Word of God, clearly cannot be the case. Because God has created man and woman in the likeness and image of God and the Word of God says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

The story which is told in the secular world to demonstrate various things has relevance here. The story something as follows: The organs in the body one day were having a dispute as to which organ in the body was most powerful. The eyes said, "Well, I am the most powerful because I see where we go." And in a contest the eye refused to open for some days. All the body was certainly very disadvantaged because it couldn’t move around and if it did, it tended to walk into things. But at the end of three days, the body was not doing too badly. When the legs said, "Well, we are the most powerful organs of the body, look how strong we are, we carry the body wherever it goes." And so the legs went on strike for three days. And certainly the body was disadvantaged. It couldn’t move around, but it was quite able to sit in a chair and read a book and ate food that was put before it and really the body was actually able to relax quite nicely when the legs were doing nothing. And so the story continues that each of the significant organs of the body withheld their service for three days. that the contest was over and some sort of vote was called for when the anus actually spoke out and said, "I am sorry to trouble you folks, but I am actually the most powerful organ in the body." The anus closed itself for three days and at the end of three days, the body was feeling ill, it was nauseous, it was in no fit state to do anything. In principle there in Scripture which says that those organs of the body which are least glorious have in fact the greatest honour. And so the fact that suggesting that wives shall draw a direct parallel and what I am saying that there is a tendency for people to totally deny the power and the authority of the wife through submission.

What I am saying there is that they are the things that are least glorious in the body that have, in fact, the greatest influence on the health and the welfare of the body. And therefore a wife should not in any way underestimate the enormous power which God has given her. In fact, I will suggest to you that the wife is the foundation on which the husband's house is built. If she by fear, by pride, by self-centredness or any other self will formal action which is contrary to the Scriptures we read earlier in terms of submission, etc., she will tear down her husband's house and since everything that is her husband's is hers and vice versa since they are one, she will tear down her own house as a passage in Scripture that we have been referring to indicate to recap Proverbs 14:1, "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands."

Once we see that God has given women enormous power over her husband; the power of agreement or disagreement. We said before, it takes a strong woman to submit and subordinate her will to that of her husband. It is an act of choice, it is an act of deliberate submission, a deliberate decision to adapt her will to that of her husband. It cannot be done in fear, it cannot be done in pride, it has to be done by faith, it has to be done putting the Word of God first in her life. We see in Amos 3:3, "Do two walk together, unless they are agreed." A wife has to understand she cannot be part of her husband's life, she cannot play the role that God has appointed and ordained for her unless she walks in agreement with her husband. And we see clearly in the previous teachings that she is required to submit to her husband in everything irrespective of what he does. So the onus to walk in agreement with her husband lies with her.

And by withholding her agreement, we see that the house becomes divided. Luke 11:17, "But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and a house divided against a house falls.'" So we see that a wife who chooses to walk in disagreement and disharmony with her husband who does not obey to her husband, does not adore in every way do what the Scriptures tell her to do is dividing her house. She is bringing her house to desolation. There is no Scripture that I have been able to find anyway that suggests that it is within the husband's power to overcome his wife's rebellion and to make his house stand despite the rebellion of his wife. His wife is the underpinning, she is the pillar and the foundation on which his house is built.

By the same token, it's a foolish man indeed who pursues own godly endeavours and enterprises which his wife will find impossible to agree with even if she manages to submit physically to what he requires of her. And so we see the immense balance that God has created in marriage that if a man totally gets out of the will in an absolutely evidence sense which causes his wife to be absolutely horrified in which she finds difficult or impossible to agree with, therefore bring a situation about which breaks on that matter will cause him to feel disruption in his spirit, it will be cause him to be . But it is God's will for woman to immense power that God has given her to manipulate and control her husband as is the general purchase in the world and in the body of Christ today. It's for the woman to build her house, not to tear it down.

I came across a very interesting Scripture a few days ago, which indicates that a rebellious or adulterous wife weakens her husband. In fact, the Lord says that we crush him when we are unfaithful. In fact, you should just turn with me to Ezekiel 6:7-10. This is one of the many passages in Ezekiel where God through Ezekiel is rebuking the people of Israel. In verse 7 it says, "And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord. Yet I will leave a remnant so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries, then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I (Yahweh) was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from me and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols. They will love themselves the evils which they have committed, and all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the Lord. I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them." I want you to focus on that phrase, 'because I (Yahweh) was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from me.' So I would encourage any woman who listens to this teaching to understand that if you deliberately and wilfully refuse to submit to your husband, do not be surprised at the reaction.

If we can bring about a situation in which the Lord God himself says that by our adultery, that by our disobedience we crush Him, how much more can you by your rebellion and disobedience crush your husband. Women you have an awesome responsibility. God has given you enormous power to build up or to destroy your husband, to build up or destroy his ministry, in the same way that God has given us immense power as the church, the building of Christ, to build up the body, to build up the house of God on Earth which is the church of Jesus Christ or to pull it down and destroy it, and I have to say to you taking account of all that has been taught in this series that the body of Christ is probably guilty today of pulling down the house of God of crushing the Lord Jesus Christ by their rebellion, by their disobedience, by their insistence on hieratical doctrines and also some area including the area of marriage that we are teaching on at the moment. It is high time that the church realises that the division, the delineation, the false doctrines, the refusal to put the Word of God first, the refusal to recognise that if you believe you cannot agree on any area of is a serious problem because they are dividing, they are pulling apart, and tearing asunder the body of Christ, they are pulling down the house of God.

There is only one answer and that is God's answer according to Scripture interpreted with the aid of the Holy Spirit and if two believers reach a point where they cannot agree they should both fall on their face before God and say "Father, is it I that made sin here and in error and deception." Yet an absolute idolatry of self and self will that go forward and they held on to their difference of opinion and refuse to bother me to the Word of God and to come to harmony and agreement. And the same comments apply verbatim to a situation in which a wife insists on doing her own thing. It doesn’t matter how big or how small it is. If your husband has asked you to do a particular thing in the house and you do not do it on a consistent basis, you are dividing the house. You are tearing your house down. If he has asked you not to do something and you insist on doing it, you are tearing your homes down. And he is powerless to stop you. The only avenue that is opened here which is the which is being taught in the church widely today is the hint of bother me to his wife and to come on to agreement with his wife.

The only other way that a husband can prevent his house from being torn down is to say 'yes dear, no dear, what you want me to do next dear' and to bend his knee to his wife. But you have to understand wife you may get satisfaction from your husband to you and complying with your wishes and going with your ungodly conduct but both of you will be judged on the Day of Judgement for your ungodly action. I want to and bring you back to passage that we visited a few weeks ago, Proverbs 31:10-31, "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he shall have no lack of gain. She does good and not evil all the days of her life." Again, we see that her husband is relying on her, he trusts her and because he can trust her, he will have no lack of gain. But a woman contrary to that is if he cannot trust her, if she does her own thing, if she exerts herself against him, he will have lack. And I continue to see in the body of Christ today men who seek God or find themselves in continual lack will find their houses being brought down and I continue to see and I increasingly reach the conclusion that the reason for this is because their wives are doing their own thing and pulling their house down.

So anybody listening to this is in financial lack, if you continually find that something is going wrong with your finances, if your house is bringing pulled down, wife look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are the problem. Husband, look to yourself but look also to your wife. If you have been crying out and you have been seeking to serve God and to do His will and you cannot understand why things are going the way they are, perhaps your wife needs to adjust her thinking. Perhaps, she needs to make a sincere study of the messages. Perhaps, she needs to go back to 1 Peter 2 in the Amplified and I read that passage again, which says, "Together with your reverence for your husband; you are to feel for him all that reverence includes: to respect, defer to, revere him—to honour, esteem, appreciate, prize, and, in the human sense, to adore him, that is, to admire, praise, be devoted to, deeply love, and enjoy your husband." And if you are not doing that wives, it is time that you do because your husband will not succeed in life, he will not prosper, he will not fulfil the ministry that God has called him to do if you do not do those things. It is in your power to utterly destroy your husband and break down the house or it is in your power to build the house and to have a wonderful and fulfilling life on this Earth. But if you think for a minute that you can do it by following your own self rule, by doing your own thing, by rebelling against your husband and failing to honour him and respect him in the way those teachings and those Scriptures indicate, you will never succeed.

If I can go back to Proverbs 31:23, "Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land." It's apparent from the proceeding verses that the wife is in large measure responsible for running the home, running the family business, running the farm, commercial trading and all sorts of things. She is in a position of immense responsibility and immense authority to conducting the affairs of the family. Her husband's responsibility is to play a role in the conduct of the affairs of the community, to sit as an elder in the gate to judge others and to be a source of wisdom and guidance to the community. He can only do that if, going back to verse 11, "The heart of her husband safely trusts in her, so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not evil, all the days of her life." He knows that he he means that he can leave all the matters that she is responsible with for responsibly.

Verse 28, "Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Many women have done well, but you excel them all. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." These are remarkable things. The husband is in the gate as an elder and she is praised in the gates by virtue of what she has done. She has created the foundation. She is the pillar on which her husband stands. She is the basis for her husband's ability to stand in the gate and she is acknowledged and praised in the gate because of her submission because of what she has done. means power in this, which we don’t even begin to understand in the body of Christ right now.

We see again in verse 30, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing." We see the complete falsehood and fallacy of the approach to courtship today in which men look for women who are charming and beautiful, but they do not look to their heart. It is not the outward woman that counts, it is the heart of the woman that counts. It is the woman who fears God, it is the woman who puts the Word of God first, it is the woman who applies the teachings of Scripture to reverence her husband, to feel for him, all that reverence includes to respect, to defer to, revere him, to honour, esteem, appreciate, prize and in the human sense to adore him, that is to admire, praise, be devoted to, deeply love and enjoy her husband. Clearly, she has enormous responsibility and enormous power in the family. She is, by no means, a second rate citizen in the family. She is an equal partner with her husband but she has a job to do and he has a job to do. His job is to seek the leading of God and to set the direction of the family. It is her job to do all that she has called to do in support of them.

And surely, the secular proverb 'Behind every successful man, is a successful woman'is soundly based on Scripture and takes on a whole new meaning in the context of what I have just taught here. I sincerely pray that in listening to this teaching, you have seen a new dynamic and a new dimension to the subject of marriage between husband and wife and I would hope that every wife who has heard this would examine herself thoughtfully and clinically in the Word of God and make the quality decision to adjust her behaviour using as a benchmark of the passage of 1 Peter 3:2 that I have repeatedly read in this teaching, and that she will see that she has an enormous role to play that she will set herself as a goal to be as the Proverbs 31 Wife that her husband may be praised in the gate and she may be praised in the gate because of what she does.

Father, in the name of Yahooshua I bring this teaching before you I ask that if there is anything that I have uttered is not according to your word and your will, that you will blow it away and that it will find no roots in the hearers. But I ask Father in the name of Yahooshua that every word that has been spoken that is according to your will and your word will be etched on the heart of every person who has heard this teaching. Father, I thank you by faith and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that you will raise up an army based on what has been taught here today. I thank you that you anoint every woman who has heard this to be a Proverbs 31 Wife to be a wife who builds up and does not tear down her house; a wife who honours and esteems and reverences her husband and is not faultfinding and contentious.

I thank you Lord for husbands who will seek your will with renewed vigour knowing that their wives have taken the decision to change their behaviour that their husbands can focus on the things of God and the calling of God in their lives while their wives take care of the things that God has called them to be responsible for. Father, we thank you for that now in the name of Jesus. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in Jesus name.

03_06 Headship - Christ and Church as Pattern for Husband and Wife

Year 2000. This teaching is on the headship of the husband and the parallel between relationship between Jesus Christ and his Church as a basis for understanding the requirements of the relationship between a husband and his wife. The present worship which preceded the teaching is at the beginning of the tape in order to give a scriptural context to what the Lord was saying to us through the prayers and worship before the teaching began. The teaching begins after about 30 minutes on the tape, that's about two-thirds of the way through the first side of the tape.  

Husband as head of the wife

Today's teaching is entitled the husband as head of the wife, the family and the house. This teaching is an extension of the series on marriage that I have been giving over the last month or two. It seeks to address the next aspect of what has been taught. In particular, it's important for me at this point to stress that what I am about to teach today is a revelation that has really just been coming to me in the last week or in the last few weeks, as I have been preparing and giving this series, and I have been seeking to live and understand what it is that is being taught. Certainly, what I am about to say today, is a much deeper revelation for me than anything I have ever written, or taught, or understood, even though some of what I am going to say, in fact quite a lot of what I am going to say is contained in the book that I wrote over the 18 months to two years.

But somehow it is taking on a new life I am seeing increasingly, with complexity and the total lack of understanding that we have today in terms of God intended marriage to be. The counterpoint of that of course is that God intended marriage to be something far more wonderful than we have ever appreciated and certainly that you will find in practice virtually anywhere in the world. I have certainly never seen a marriage which conforms to the picture that I have in my Spirit as I preach this message in terms of what I believe the Lord has shown me in the weeks just passed.

Having said that, it's really important to understand therefore that certainly for me, this is breaking new ground and I have no doubt that there will be a lot more to learn, a lot more revelation and a lot more understanding that will be required before all of this really falls into the full glory of what God intended marriage to be. With that mind, I would also add that in the last couple of messages, I have been led by the Lord to deal very strongly with the issue of submission. And I have understood that emphasis to be a counterbalance to the strong teachings which are very prevalent in the Christian Church these days which I am now too basically saying that the husband should submit to the wife. And I understand that the Lord wanted to place that false teaching in a very sharp contrast with what the Word of God says.

So, we have seen in the recent weeks that Ephesians says that wives should submit to their husbands. 1 Peter 2 and 3 clearly show us that includes wives submitting to their husbands where their husbands are unjust, beat them and treat them in the most appalling manner and not just submitting when they believe that their husbands are in right standing with God. It includes passages which Indicate that disobedience and shameful conduct on the part of the wife brings about a Spirit condition similar to rottenness in the bones of the husband, and that foolish wife will tear her house down whereas wives and God-fearing women who esteem and submit to her husband will build up her house.

Having gone through all of that, the question that was foremost in my mind after last Saturday's teaching was Lord, what is my responsibility? And as I prayed into that in the last week, as I have meditated on the Word, I was told at the beginning of the week to buy a book by Dr. Creflo Dollar entitled, 'Lord, teach me how to love: Learning from the Ultimate Example'. I have not finished reading that yet, but just the portion that I did read brought to great conviction the very little extent to which I know how to love according to God's Word and God's Will for me as a husband, as a servant, an apostle and a prophet.

Just a few key points, something that has become very apparent to me is that the Scriptures talk of Jesus as the head of the husband. I refer you to the whole of Ephesians 5. I am not going to read the whole of Ephesians 5, but perhaps we should just pick up on one or two verses there. It's important to see that the context of wives, submit to your husbands, starting at verse 22 is in the context of moving away from fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness and foolish talking. It's important to recognise that Ephesians 5:3 speaks of fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness which better not even be named among you as this isn’t fitting for saints. And it's interesting perhaps that the English word ‘uncleanness’ is the same word that's used in Deuteronomy 24:1 to describe the basis on which a man may divorce his wife. But we see that the first part of Ephesians deals with the works of darkness and it rolls straight over in Ephesians 22 to wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is head of the Church and He is Saviour of the body. Therefore, just as a Church is subject to Christ, let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

And we go in the balance of Ephesians 5 as the basis on which this whole teaching has been presented with particular emphasis on verses 31 and 32. “For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ in the Church and in 30 we see again "For we are members of His (Jesus) Body, of Jesus flesh, of Jesus bones." So, the intimate correlation between the One Flesh Bond between husband and wife and the new birth experience with the Spirit of God as Spirit of Jesus coming to dwell in us when we are born again in the same way that the Spirit of the husband in a sense comes to dwell in the wife on the consummation of marriage.

And we see again just the scriptural confirmation that the act of sexual intercourse is in fact the act of marriage and the act of the marriage covenant. What I came to realise, as I meditated on last week's teaching is that in a very real sense, these passages that talk about the husband being the head of the wife indicate that the husband is almost a channel or conduit between the wife and God. I will just refer you also 1 Corinthians 11:3 "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man and the head of Christ is God." So, we see a very distinct hierarchy between God, the father Yahweh, Jesus, the son and man, and then the woman. And 1 Corinthians 11:6-12. I am not going to read the whole passage, but we see that verse 7 says "For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, woman is the glory of man. Man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, the woman should have a symbol of authority." And we talked last week on the covering. Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman nor woman independent of man for as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman but all things are from God."

Relationships in the marriage and with God

And we see the enormous cognitive complexity in this relationship that we are talking about. We have an entire book, the Bible, which has been given to us for instruction with regards to our relationship with God. That entire book, in the same way gives us instruction in the relationship between husband and wife, yet we see that the Scriptures talk about the man being the head of the wife and covering. We see the contrast of man coming through woman and therefore the whole relationship is exceedingly dynamic and multifaceted. It is really important that I stress that at this moment, because this reflects through everything that I am going to say, in the balance of this teaching.

This is not a simple subject, it is not a subject that can be simplified. It is a subject which can only be really realised and received by faith, by the Spirit of God. This is not something that the carnal mind can grasp and if you take what I am going to say in the next half hour or so, you like it, it completely missed the likely to accuse me of all sorts of things that aren’t even in my thinking. And I would ask you to really get a revelation of the passages that I have just read to you, particularly Ephesians 5:30-32 and 1 Corinthians 11:7-12, to really recognise that we are talking of shadows and types and patterns and metaphors and parables that are very, very complex.

I am certainly not teaching today on some form of autocratic rule and some sort of subservient slavery. I am talking today about a Spirit lead relationship which is dynamic. It is intense, it is lead by the Spirit of God, it is focused on God and it is not focused on the things of the Earth. It is immensely challenging to the natural mind, but if we would lay down our lives and seek to submit to God, I truly believe that we will experience something of incredible beauty and power.

So, just to come back to what I said a moment ago, the picture that I have, and I believe it's a picture that is summed up in 1 Corinthians 11:3, "The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." So, if we take it from the top down, the father is the head of the Son, the Son is the head of the man, and the man is the head of woman. There is a very definite channel of communication in the Spirit of the definite hierarchy of responsibility and accountability. I deliberately avoid the use of the word 'authority' because it is so abused and so misunderstood. Authority is a composite of responsibility and accountability. Without accountability and responsibility, there should be no authority. Until we see that the medium or the channel and again, it's important to recognise words like channel and medium have been seized on by spirits to describe the way they communicate with Satan. But it's important to recognise that there are words which describe things which are not well described by the use of other words. So, I am going to use those words occasionally in what I teach today, and subsequently I would ask you to recognise that I am not talking about the medium in the sense of the medium being the Spirits who goes between the Demon and the person who is enquiring of the Demon. I am talking about the medium that is being the medium through which we communicate. Jesus is the medium through which we communicate with the Father. We speak to the Father in the name of the Son and the wife does certain things in the name of the husband.

But it seems increasingly clear to me that while the wife has had a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and with the Father, in some sense that I cannot really describe to you right now, the husband is the channel through which a spiritual fulfilment should come, the medium through which a spiritual fulfilment should come in a sense, I believe, requires great wisdom in application and interpretation. What we also see and it is built to the force specifically in Ephesians 5:30-32 tied back to Genesis 2:24 to Mark 10 and Matthew 5, Matthew 19. Trust as we speak of the body of Christ being his body, his flesh, his bones, we speak of the wife being the flesh and the bones of the husband. We see the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us and we see the spirit of the husband imparted into the wife on the consummation of marriage. And therefore we see that while the Bible appears to say very, very little about woman and the relationship of women to men, certainly most people view the Old Testament as being very sexist and totally ignoring women in many respects. Whereas in fact, the woman is so much part of the husband that everything that speaks of the husband, speaks of the wife as well.

Married to God

Then we see that the ongoing metaphor throughout scripture of humankind being married to God, the Church being married to Christ shows us that everything that God teaches us about the relationship between man and God applies equally to the relationship between wife and husband. If we see the wife as a metaphor of the bride of Christ, the Church and the husband as a representative of Christ on Earth, we begin to understand just how much the Scriptures actually teach us about marriage. This teaching today will use that parallel very extensively. Virtually everything that I am going to say from now on works on the basis of this is what Scripture says, concerning the relationship between Christ and man and from that we deduce that this is what Scripture teaches us concerning the relationship between husband and wife.

I would really encourage you to see evidence that is in Ephesians 5:30, 31 and 32, and in other Scriptures and therefore to recognise just how richly we are taught in Scripture concerning the relationship between husband and wife and also to recognise just how far that departs from current practice and current teaching.

We see that everything that is said in scripture about the wife relative to the husband applies to the husband relative to Jesus. In other words, the husband must submit to Jesus in everything, no matter how much persecution comes as a consequence of his relationship with Jesus. We see also that it will appear that everything said about the wife relative to the husband also applies to the children relative to the wife. I do not want to explore this today. It's just something that struck me as I was writing the notes for this message. We have a progressive hierarchy and the children are told to submit to their parents, and the womb is spiritually the entity that brings a child into the world. She is the entity that has the most direct influence and impact on the upbringing of the children. The wife needs to turn the eyes of the children to the husband, to the father, and through the father to Jesus and through Jesus to the Father in Heaven. I don’t want to say more about that now, I may pick up on it in a few places. Just one last point on that point is that I believe we can also say that everything that Scripture teaches us about the relationship between father God Yahweh and Jesus Christ to Son, gives us a basis to understand the relationship that should exist between a father and his children and conversely children and their natural father.

So, just to recap here what I am saying is that Scripture defines the relationship between God and man and this defines the relationship between . We get 1 John 1:1-3, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life." Now, this is John as a disciple of Jesus who walked on the Earth with him, thriving in a sense the relationship that he had with Jesus. "The life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us. That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ." We see the relevance of fellowship between us, with the Father and with Jesus.

Therefore, I believe it's correct to say that God created man for His pleasure and fellowship. We see that in Genesis 3:8-9, the Lord God was walking in the garden and we infer from that it was a common occurrence for the Lord Yahweh to walk in the garden and to talk to Adam as His Friend. From that we draw a conclusion that God created woman for man's pleasure and fellowship. We get out of Genesis 2:18 and the Lord God said "It is not good that man should be alone. I will make a helper comfortable to him." And we see other Scriptures which support that interpretation.

God created man for pleasure and fellowship

So, the first conclusion we can draw is that God created man for the pleasure and fellowship with God . Secondly, God created woman for pleasure and fellowship with man. We did see that Jesus sacrificed his life in order to redeem man and it occurs to me that man must sacrifice his life in a spiritual sense in order to redeem woman. We read in Genesis 3 that where God rebuked Adam and Eve after they had eaten the fruit of the devil that He said that man would be the lord and would reign over the woman. I believe that we see in another sense that just Jesus is required to come down to Earth and lead men back to God. So man in a sense must also lead his wife back to Christ. I need to stress this, I am not saying that the woman should not have a deep personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. But somehow for us to come into right relationship with God, I just perceived that the Lord was saying to me that man has a role to play there and I would be the first to say to you that I don’t fully comprehend the significance of what I have just said to you.

If we turn to Hebrews 4:16, I am just going through a shopping a list of Scriptures as they came to me as I was preparing this message. Hebrews 4:16 says "Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." The point is that we must come boldly to the Throne of grace. But obviously we do not come in rebellion, we do not come in presumption, we come in humble submission to Almighty God. We come with a contrite and broken heart. By extension, the wife must be able to come boldly to her husband. She mustn’t come in subservience. She mustn’t come whimpering or crying. She must also not come in presumption and rebellion, but she must have the assurance of her husband's love and her ability to come to him. So, the one sign of that is that the wife must understand that she has the authority of Scripture to come boldly to her husband and her husband must understand that she has that prerogative and he must permit it to exercise that prerogative.

John 4:16-21 deals with the love that God has for us. Verse 19 specifically says "We love Jesus, because Jesus first loved us." It was really important that we see that. The implication of that is that the husband first loves his wife. The inherent implication of that is that just as we are still sinners, while we were not serving God, Jesus still loved us. He came down to Earth to deliver us. When a woman is unmarried, and she has no covering, a man will love her before she loves him, and he will reach out to her in her unmarried state and draw her in to his covering.

It's important that we understand that God has created man to have this desire to be united to a woman who is not married. I will talk more of that perhaps in a later teaching. In the following passage in 1 John we see in verse 20, "If someone says I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" This Commandment we have from Him that he who loves God must love his brother also. That's very important in marriage. We have to see that we can't say that we love God if husband and wife do not love one another.

Priests

In Hebrews 7:22-26 we read by so much more Jesus has become surety of a better covenant. Also there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing, but he because he continues forever has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore he is also to serve to the uttermost those who come to God through him since he always loves to make a decision for them. For such a high priest was fitting for us who is Holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and has become higher than the heavens. So, on one hand we see Jesus there as the frame of reference in terms of what God expects the husband to become. On the other hand, we see that Jesus lives to make intercession for mankind. By implication, the husband must love to make intercession for his wife.

We also see there that Jesus is high Priest and from that we infer that the husband is the priest in the home. In other words, the husband is the person who should take the lead and bring in praise and worship, the reading of scripture, etc. Again, if a wife is , there is no reason why she should not be active in these things. But the responsibility is on the husband to be the priest. That's the responsibility of the husband, to bring intercession to the Lord. It is the responsibility of the husband to minister to the Lord and for his wife to support in this. The situation in which the wife starts taking the lead and dictating to the husband, how they should serve the Lord, is going to give rise to spiritual problems.

If we turn in to 1 John 2:1-6 "My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He himself is the propitiation for our sins, not for ours only but also for the whole world. And by this we know him if we keep His Commandments. He who says, 'I know him' and does not keep His Commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word; truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him: He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as Jesus walked." And so, we see that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ and by implication the husband in a sense should be the advocate with God on behalf of his wife, on behalf of his family. It ties back into the concept of intercession and high priests. The husband has a very great responsibility to have an intense and intimate relationship with the Spirit of God with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus.

In Revelation 19:10, "Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, 'See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.' For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy."There are also teachings which suggest that the husband is also the prophet in the home. This is the only Scripture that I found directly that suggests that might be the case, although it seems to make sense that in the first instance of the husband is responsible for hearing from God and speaking the Word of God in direction to the family. Again, this is not saying that the wife cannot hear from the Lord that she may not give confirmation to her husband, that if she hears the Lord more clearly on certain occasions that she should not speak that to her husband.  The point is the responsibility of a godly Christian husband is to be the prophet in the home. It's important that I make this point because I see this happen so much in the Christian Church.

The fact that I am saying to you that the husband should be the priest of the home, it doesn’t mean I am declaring him as irrespective of his conduct to be the priest, to be advocate, to be the intercessor, to be the prophet. I am saying that's what he is called to be. He has an accountability before God to walk in those roles. His wife has an accountability before God to intercede and pray and to support him and encourage him to be in those roles. But just as he is the head of the house, and the husband does not mean that he can just say 'I am the priest of the home.' He has to live, he has to work the role of being the priest of the home. But irrespective of whether he does or he doesn’t, his wife is called to submit to him.

In 1 Timothy 6:13-15 we read, "I urge you in the sight of God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate that you keep this Commandment without spot blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ appearing which he will manifest in his own time he who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords." We see a number of points there. Firstly, we see that we are required to keep the Commandment, to seek to become without spot and blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing. And as I said in the first teaching in this series on marriage, we truly believe that until we understand what marriage is intended to be between man and woman, and it might take a thousand years quite frankly, we get to a place where it is fully applied throughout the body of Christ, but the body of Christ will not be a spotless bride until marriage is what God intended it to be on the Earth.

We also read that Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That's something which we perhaps very flippantly say and declare Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But if we understand what a king is and what a Lord is and the authority that they had on the Earth at the time the Scriptures were written, we might perhaps be a little bit more reluctant about happily clapping our hands and calling him King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If we have a revelation of what that means on the Day of Judgement, then we have acknowledged Him for who He is, and we haven’t prepared for it.

But again, the extension is in the same way that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords to mankind, the husband is the King and the Lord in the home. Again, I am not saying that gives him the right to behave like some carnal king or lord, it gives him an onus and a responsibility to conduct himself with dignity, with justice, with integrity as a good king and a good lord should be and King David is perhaps a good example in some respect of what a king and a lord should be.

We read in John 1:29-32 that Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world and the Spirit of God descended upon him and remained in him. The husband should give up his life to protect his wife. In other words, in situations of danger. It should be the husband who stands in the gap. It should be the husband who risks and if necessary, sacrifices his life either physically or spiritually to protect his wife. That is where this concept of covering must become particularly significant. All of the things that I am talking about up till now being spiritual covering, here I am talking about something which is potentially of not only spiritual, but physical that the husband should be willing to protect his wife and to give his life in protection of his wife. Unlike certain situations in Scripture where a man was threatened with in Benjamin and also in a lot of case in and where they wanted to send out a woman to satisfy the lust of these people. In fact, the husband perhaps should have protected his wife in that situation.

Praise and Worship God

We are told to praise and to worship God without inhibition and perhaps the most explicit Scripture there is Psalm 150. "Praise the Lord, praise God in His sanctuary, praise Him in His mighty firmament, praise Him for His mighty act, praise Him according to His excellent greatness, praise Him with the sound of the trumpet, praise Him with the psaltery and harp, praise Him with the timbrel and the dance, praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes, praise Him with loud cymbals, praise Him with clashing cymbals that everything that has breath praise the Lord, praise the Lord."

Psalm 69:34 says, "Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them." Psalm 107:32 says, "Let them extol Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the company of the elders." Psalm 109:30, "I will praise the Lord with my mouth, yes I will praise among the multitude." Psalm 148:1-5, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you stars of light! Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord! For He commanded, and they were created." In all that we see that we are told to praise God without inhibition. Everything that has breath praise the Lord, praise Him at the dance, praise Him with the song, raise your voices, and by extension the wife should adore and praise and make love to her husband without inhibition. The same principle applies. The same parallel applies that wife should be unstinting in her adoration and her praise and her lovemaking to her husband.

Hebrews 13:15, "Therefore by Him (Jesus) let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." We are told to offer a sacrifice of praise. God is always ready to receive our prayers, our worship, our prayers. The more frequently we offer them, the closer we would draw to Him and the more intimate our relationship will become. By extension, the husband should always be ready to receive the praise, the adoration, the lovemaking and the petitions of his wife and the more she praises and adores him, makes love to him, seeks his guidance, the closer she would draw to him, and the more intimate their relationship will become. I believe what I have just said to you may be the most significant part of this teaching in the sense that there is enormous power to be unlocked in prayers, in the Scriptural realm, and also within marriage.

In 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, we read the characteristics of God's agape love and we said before that this must apply between husband and wife and between wife and husband."Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

And I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and I have all faith, so that I remove mountains but have not loved, I am nothing. And I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned, but have not loved, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil. Does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. Bares all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

And we have talked about that at some length in the past and it's really, really important that all of us seek to walk in that level of love. I have touched on it previously and it's a point that's made very strongly in Creflo Dollar's book that obedience is a measure of love to God. If we read Galatians 5:13-26, "For you brethren have been called to liberty. Only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word: 'Even in this you will love your neighbour as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another. But I say, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lust against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness."

I want to stop there. This is not talking about sexual relationships within marriage. This is talking about sexual relations outside marriage. Adultery and God-willing, there will be a whole teaching on adultery in the next week or two. It deals with the fact of a woman having sexual intercourse with a man who is not her husband, a man having sexual intercourse with a woman who is not his wife, who is not a virgin, and not a widow. Fornication, on a larger scale, and the uncleanness and lewdness all speak of extramarital sexual conduct. Adulatory , hatred, contention, jealousy, outburst, , selfish ambitions, dissension, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, reveries, and the like which I tell you beforehand just as I also told you in the time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such there is no law and those who are crucified the flesh with its passions and desires, if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited provoking one another, envying one another.

And again, if we look at the works of the flesh that are described there, there are whole bunch of things which should not be present in marriage: contention, jealousy, outburst, , dissension, drunkenness, etc., etc., etc., should not be present in marriage. And we should seek to walk in the love that the Scriptures define. I believe that you would agree with me that we determine the extent to which we receive God's love. God's love is always present. It's there for us to receive. When we were yet sinners, He loved us. Today, if we are believers, we will experience His love to the extent that we choose to put ourselves in a position to receive God's love.

If we never spent time in the Word, if we never spent time in praise and worship, if we never spent time in prayer and we concentrated on the things of the world, we will have no experience of God's love. The more we seek God, the more we read His word, the more we praise Him and worship Him, the more we pray, the more time we spend alone with Him, the closer we get to Him and the greater and the deeper the revelation that we have of His love. And it's the same in the case of the wife. The more that she draws close to her husband, the more she will experience her love.

While I don’t want to make too much of a point of this, I think that the fact that the husband is generally always ready to be sexually responsive when approached, is just an outward measure of the spiritual condition that I am talking about here. A wife who approaches her husband, the more she approaches him to make love in a physical but also in a spiritual and an emotional sense, the more she will unlock what is in her husband's heart for her. But if she puts up barriers, if she rejects her husband, if she stands back from her husband, she will never know the depth and the fullness of the love that God has created in her husband's heart to be there for her.

Looking to Jesus

With that, we also need to recognise that the husband must always be looking to Jesus. If we read in Hebrews 12:1-11, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking on to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who is for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You are not yet resisted to bloodshed strong against sin. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him."

And it goes on to deal more with the chastening of the Lord. But we are exalted in verse 2 to look on to Jesus, the author and finisher of our fate. The husband must always be looking to Jesus and seeking to become like Jesus. And if in a scriptural sense, he turns around and starts looking at his wife and starts seeking to become what his wife wants him to become, and starts being directed by his wife, he has taken his eyes off Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and once he takes his eyes off Jesus, he will take his eyes off the way and then the whole house will stumble and in extreme cases, the house will fall.

In the same way, the wife must in a spiritual sense always be looking to her husband and through her husband looking to Jesus. I am talking about the ultimate that we should be seeking. I am not saying that your husband or wife right now satisfies these criteria. But it is for the husband to seek to be the man that is being described in this teaching, and for the wife to seek to be the woman that is described by this teaching. If each of them reaches out to the subject or to this goal, they will draw closer to experiencing this and it will be the prices of change, challenge and iteration in order to get there.

If we turn to James 4:6-11, "But He gives more grace. Therefore, he says, 'God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you." And we have said previously if the wife will submit to her husband, she is therefore submitting to God, and that will reduce her exposure to the attack of the enemy. If she refuses to submit to her husband, she steps out from the covering of her husband and she is fair going in for the devil to take her apart. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge."

Drawing closer to God

In the first instance, it is important that wives don’t judge or speak evil of their husbands and husbands don’t judge or speak evil of their wives. But when this draws close to God, the husband must draw closer to God, and as he draws closer to God, he will draw the whole family closer to God. If he tries to draw close to his wife at the expense of his relationship with God, then the result will be destruction. If he draws close to God and his wife draws close to him, then the whole marriage will be successful.

So, the wife, through her prayers, her thoughts, her words, and her actions must be constantly seeking to lift her husband closer to God in a spiritual sense. She should be encouraging him to draw closer to God and never seek to draw him closer to her. She must be the one who seeks to draw closer to her husband and for him to lift her closer to him. But she must never see her position as being the position of her husband or a position that her husband is going to, but she must always see that she must seek to be at her husband's position. If that is not where God wants him, she must intercede energetically for God to raise them both up to where she wants them. She will never get her husband closer to God by first getting closer to God herself and then trying to lift him up to her position.

If she does not feel that her husband is close enough to God, she needs to intercede, she needs to pray, she needs to submit to him, she needs to do everything that enables him to turn his eyes on Jesus. If she is arguing, fighting, and finding fault with him, he will take his eyes off Jesus to look at the problem. It's like a runner who is running a race and a little dog comes and starts snapping at his heels. He is going to turn and look at the little dog because he is going to be concerned that it's going to hurt him. It might even damage him slightly and he is likely to miss the turning, stumble, and fall. He has taken his eyes off the way. A husband cannot see the way, he cannot focus on Jesus if his wife is constantly snapping it and then finding fault with him and contending with him as we read in the Scriptures in previous weeks.

If we go to 1 John 5:1-3, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the God also loves Him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His Commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments. And His Commandments are not burdensome." We have spoken of that previously but it's absolutely vital if we love God, we will obey His Commandments. So, wife who loves her, she loves God, must submit to her husband in everything no matter what her husband does.

If a wife does not obey her husband's commandments, whatever he asks or instructs her to do, whether it's just and reasonable, whether it's unreasonable, she will only be demonstrating her love to him in so far as she obeys him. Again, I will make the point, these principles are so absolutely vital because if a Christian woman marries an unbeliever and that man is unjust and treats her harshly, she is still required by Scripture to submit to him, even unto death. So, a woman who marries an unbeliever is literally taking her life in her hands. If she starts speaking against her husband and starts contending against her husband, she will be found wanting on the Day of Judgement because she has not obeyed the Word of the Lord. If she marries an unbeliever and dies a most atrocious death after years of abuse but throughout that she has submitted to her husband, she has loved her husband and prayed for her husband, she will no doubt receive the Crown of Glory on the Day of Judgement because she has obeyed the Commandments of the Lord.

It's really important that we understand in both our relationship with God and a wife's relationship with her husband, delayed obedience is disobedience and incomplete obedience is disobedience. This obedience is not love. We cannot claim to love God if we only do what He tells us to do or His word tells us to do when we feel like it, if we put it off or if we only do part of it. We have to be sold out to God. We have to give Him our all a hundred percent. And a wife must be sold out to her husband and give of herself to him a hundred percent.

I remind you again that the passage in Ezekiel, which to me was profoundly stunning, if I can put it that way, this is now Yahweh the father, Lord God himself speaking through Ezekiel, the prophet in Ezekiel 6:9-10, "Then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I (God) was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from me and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols. They will love themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the Lord. I have not said in vain that I would do this calamity upon." We have to understand that for a wife to rebel against her husband, to be disobedient, to be contentious, presses his heart in the same way that if we are rebellious and disobedient, we will crush the Lords heart of the father and of the Saviour. If we get a revelation of that, one cannot marvel that we can be so callous towards our God who has given us so much. And also, the Church is so lax in terms of what it teaches regarding marriage and issues of what are called woman's rights and what have you.

I made the point earlier that I would prefer to stay clear of terms like 'authority.' I would also like to stay clear of terms like 'woman's rights' or 'men's rights' or 'anybody's rights.'It's a case where we have responsibilities, we have accountabilities and with those we may have some authority and responsibility to act. But a woman has responsibilities. She has accountabilities and in terms of what is required of her and workflows can rights. Recognise also that Jesus loves us unconditionally. He loved us when we were yet sinners. So, the husband must love his wife unconditionally and this is an enormous paradox in terms of what I have just read. So we have a situation where we are saying that the husband must love his wife even though she may be crushing him and bringing about rottenness in his bones.

So, he must still intercede, he must still be the priest of the home. He must still be the prophet, the king and the lord of the home even if his wife is not in submission to him. A point will come where he has done all and there is no more to do and he understood that the Lord may ultimately permit him to divorce. It certainly happened in my case after 25 years. It's not something that God is going to do until the husband has done something that approximates what God is calling him to do in terms of what I have been teaching this morning.

1 Peter 2:21 speaking again of Jesus, "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for us leaving as an example that you should follow His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. He himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we have down to sins, might live for righteousness. By whose stripes we were healed. For you were like sheep going astray but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

We see that Jesus bore our sins and, in a sense, I don’t again fully understand exactly what I am about to say to you, but it is becoming more evident to me that in some way the husband bears his wife's sins. If she is under his covering and in submission to him, as we have said already, if she sins in submission to him, he will be bear all of his sins. But it seems to me increasingly that we need to understand that in some measure even if the wife is not fully in submission, firstly, the husband is accountable. He is the head of the house. Secondly, he must bear her sins. And I do not exactly understand what I have just said there, but it seems very clearly that the Lord is saying to me, husband bear your wife's sins, accept the consequences and the responsibility to bringing correction in the home, not in an autocratic ruler sort of way, but in love according to the Word of God.

Don’t give the devil a foothold

It's important to realise that the next verse in 1 Peter 3 is wives likewise be submissive to your husbands. Ephesians 4:27 says, "Give no place to the devil." Give no foothold to the devil. That's important that we understand that we should not give Satan a foothold in our lives. John 10 says, "The thief does not come to steal and kill and to destroy. I have come, that's Jesus, that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly." If we give the devil a foothold in our lives, he will kill, steal, and destroy. Ezekiel 33:12-13 "Therefore you, a son of man, say to the children of your people, the righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression, as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness, nor shall the righteous not be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins. When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits inequity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered, but because of the inequity that he has committed he shall die."

And we see there that if we sin, we give Satan a foothold. Jesus has to watch powerless as we receive the just punishment for our sin unless the Father grants grace at Jesus' petition. Likewise, if a wife sins and gives Satan a foothold in her life or in her house, the husband has to watch powerless as she receives the just punishment for her sin unless the Father grants grace at the petition of the husband or of Jesus, or in some fashion the husband actually steps in the gap and takes the knock, or the punishment on behalf of his wife because of his love for her. Therefore destroyed for lack of knowledge. I really want to stress that as I wrap up this teaching. The teaching that I have given this morning is a massive departure, certainly in my own experience from current practice in general teaching. It indicates a level of harmony between Jesus and man and man and wife, which is seldom, if ever witnessed on Earth today. I had no doubt that as this becomes a reality in the life of any man and any woman, it will bring about an awesome glory and power founded on the love of God.

I think that this is something which is profoundly worth seeking and striving for and laying down one's life in prayer and in intercession to receive. Remember especially that James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." I have no doubt that the fulfilment of this teaching in the life of any husband and wife will take a considerable amount of prayer, dying self, seeking God, and probably many mistakes along the way, but I have absolutely no doubt that this is a very good gift and a very perfect gift from the Father.

I believe that God has given marriage to man and woman for us to understand what it will be like in Heaven. God has intended and this is the point made in that article in Joy magazine 'Wow, so that's how Jesus loves me.' God has intended marriage to be a prophetic statement. God has intended for us to have Heaven on Earth in the relationship between husband and wife. It's something that is profoundly worth seeking. It is something that is profoundly worth making a sacrifice for. But it is something that requires that we reject and discard virtually everything that we have heard and taught in Church with regards to the practice of marriage. It requires that we really seek urgently the guidance of the Holy Spirit and that we seek the Scriptures for revelation in this field, and that we prayerfully and humbly walk down this road that the Lord insists to walk down, constantly seeking guidance, realising that we will make mistakes, realising that He will step down, reach down, and pick us up.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I believe what has been taught this morning before you and I ask you in the name of Jesus that if there is anything that I have uttered which is not of You that You will blow it away, that it will find no root and that whatever has been taught that is of You, I ask You that it will find root and that it will be engrafted in the hearts of the hearers and that You will give them the anointing and the wisdom and the discernment to put it into practice. I ask You to hunger in our hearts that no marriage as You intended it to be Father. I ask You to touch our lives powerfully today. We give our lives to You. We give our marriages to You and we ask You transform us to be in the likeness and the image of God. We ask You to transform our marriages that we may experience the joy and the pleasure of Heaven on Earth in our marriages. We ask You to bring us to a place where husband and wife walk in perfect unity, in perfect harmony, where the full glory and power that You intended to be in marriage comes into existence in our lives. We thank You for this, in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and make His face shine upon you. In the name of Jesus, amen.

03_07 The Scriptural Definition of Adultery

This is the second teaching on the 21st of October 2000. The title is the 'Scriptural Definition of Adultery.' Before I commenced this teaching, somebody who listened to this morning's teaching, has suggested that perhaps impression might have been created that the Scripture permitted a man to abuse his wife. And I just want to stress that this is absolutely not the case. To the contrary, the implication of the covering and the implication of the husband being the head of the wife means that if the husband causes the wife to sin in any respect, he will be held accountable before God on the Day of Judgement and he will be judged accordingly even in this life.

It's important to understand, and I think I used the example a few weeks ago of the Russian who came to salvation because of a woman who did not in any way resist when he was beating her, and that God will act on behalf of the righteous woman who is in submission to her husband, who is being abused or who has been forced to sin, even though she is aware of the fact that she is sinning. One of the principles in the passage in 1 Peter 3 that I read is that God will fight on the side of those who obey His words. So, a woman who truly submits to her husband in absolutely everything, no matter how badly he treats her, will be protected by God and conversely, the husband will be extremely harshly judged. So contrary to being a licence for the husband to abuse his wife, the husband should understand this is a much more severe injunction and that he should treat his wife with the love that the Word of God requires. If she obeys the Word of God and submits to him and he treats her roughly, harshly or causes her to sin, he will be judged very severely indeed.

Conversely, we should also understand that the Word of God says in James 3:1, "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." We see that this supports what I have just said. A husband is required to be a teacher to his wife and therefore if he teaches her wrong, if he leads her into sin, he will be subject to a stricter judgment. Having clarified that point, let us return to the subject of what the Scriptures had to say about adultery. It's really important that we understand that. As you will see with this particular teaching, in the same way that we found that the teaching with regards to marriage is seriously out of line with what the Scriptures actually say and that marriage is the act of sexual intercourse with a virgin or a widow or in certain specific cases, with a divorcee and that will be addressed in a subsequent teaching. We will see here that adultery is converse of that. It is sexual intercourse with any woman who is not either a virgin or a widow or specifically, permitted by God to be divorced.

It's important to see that adultery is the sin which relates to ungodly sexual and spiritual conduct and is used throughout Scripture. I would like to address a number of definitions of adultery in Scriptures starting with Deuteronomy 22:22 which states, "If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so, you shall put away the evil from Israel." So, there is no doubt about that adultery is evil. It's quite unambiguous in adultery involves a man, marital state unspecified lying with a very specific woman and that is a woman married to her husband and the penalty for adultery is death of guilty parties, and as we saw in one of the earlier teachings, a woman is married to her husband if she has given her virginity to that man.

If we consider the New Testament in Romans 7:1-3, "Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man." It's interesting to know, and I was quoting from the New King James. It says, "She marries another man." In other words, she has sex. And again, we see the interchangeable use throughout Scripture of the word 'marry' and take and go into words which relate to sexual intercourse. There is no distinction in the Word of God between sexual intercourse with a virgin or a widow, and marriage of the two terms are used interchangeably.

So, again, can there be any uncertainty regarding the definition of adultery? It's clearly a woman who marries another man, or has intercourse with another man while her husband lives. Consider Proverbs 6:23-35, and I am just going to lift out a few verses there 23-29, "For the Commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her alert you with her eyelids, for by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread, and an adulteress will pray upon his precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom and his clothes not be burned, can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be seared? So, is he who goes in to his neighbour’s wife; whoever touches her shall not be innocent.”?

Verse 32-35, "Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he who does so destroys his own self. Wounds and dishonour he will get, and his disgrace will not be wiped away. For jealousy is a husband's fury, therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will accept no compensation, nor will he at peace though you give many gifts." This is also quite clear. Adultery involves going into one's neighbour's wife and jealousy is the husband's fury. There is no such provision regarding a man going into a virgin. There is also no provision of jealousy as a wife's fury. Female jealousy is a satanic counterfeit of the godly jealousy of the husband. And again, we see that a man who commits adultery destroy his own house. This is not something to be trifled with.

Adultery in Proverbs 7:5-27, we find another description of an immoral woman who seduces a young man and I just want to pick up a few verses here, 10, "And there a woman met him with the attire of a harlot and a crafty heart." Verses 17-19, she says, "I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey." Verses 22-23, "Immediately he went after her as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast, till an arrow strikes its liver; as a bird hastens to the snare; he did not know that it would cost his life." Verses 26-27, "She has cast down many wounded and all who are slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death." This woman is clearly an adulteress. She is seeking love with a man other than her husband. Equally clearly the spiritual consequences of adultery are too terrible to contemplate.

References made to an ox to the slaughter, till an arrow striking his liver, a bird hastening to its snare. It's quite clear this one act will cost him his life, that she has slain many strong men and her house is the way to hell. Can there be any doubt that adultery will commit the soul of the offender to hell. Certainly, true repentance, confession of sin, and asking for forgiveness will deliver the soul of the offender who sins unwittingly and comes to a recognition of his sin. But there are many who keep sinning because they cannot keep their sexual drive within the bounds of their present marriages.

Let us look also Proverbs 9:13-18, "A foolish woman is clamorous, she is simple and knows nothing. For she sits at the door of her house and a seat by the highest places of the city to call to those who pass by, who goes straight on their way, 'Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!' As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 'Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.' But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell." Can there be any doubt those who partake of adultery and harlotry are committing their souls to hell? How then can the Church dare to define adultery as anything that it is institute doctrines which have necessity or require that adultery is condemned? I will develop this further as we go on in this teaching, but I believe by now you already see that by failing to recognise that marriage is sexual intercourse with a virgin, there are many, many people who are committing adultery in this present age as a consequence of that. People who have girls who have lost their virginity foolishly in their youth and who now married a man who is not the man who took their virginity, in terms of what has been taught in this series, that is adultery, and those people are committed to hell and this is the truth that is told to them.

Consider Numbers 5:11-14, "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'If any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him, and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that she has defiled herself, and there was no witness against her, nor was she caught, if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, who has defiled herself; or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, although she has not defiled herself.'"

It goes on and lays down a spiritual process whereby the Lord will reveal her unfaithfulness through the particular offering and ministry of the Priest. In verse 19, "And the Priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, 'If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your husband’s authority,'"and here again, we see the concept of covering or authority. "Be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse." Verse 20, "But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has lain with you."

Again, a very explicit definition of the sin. Verse 27, "When he has made her drink the water, then it shall be, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, that the water that brings a curse will enter her and become bitter, and her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and the woman will become a curse among her people." Verse 29, "This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself." And so, we see very clearly that the Bible is very explicit in terms of identifying adultery. Again, there is no ambiguity. It's quite clear that it is the woman who goes astray with a man other than her husband.

Consider also Abraham and Abimelech. We looked at that from another perspective in terms of Sarah's obedience and submission to Abraham, even though she lied and misrepresented her marital state to Abimelech. Reading from Genesis, the whole passage from 1 to 18, I am going to read selected verses. You can refer to the previous teaching for more detail or just obviously look it up in your Bible. Verse 2-6, now Abraham said of Sarah, his wife, she is my sister and Abimelech, king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him "Indeed, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken for she is a man's wife." But Abimelech had not come near her and he said, "Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? Could he not say to me she is my sister and she, even she herself said he is my brother. In the integrity of my heart, in the innocence of my hands I have done this." And God said to him in a dream, "Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against me therefore I did not let you touch her." In verse 9, "And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? How have I offended you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?"

So, we see that adultery is not just sin. It is sin against God and that it is a great sin. Verse 18, "For the Lord has closed up all the of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife." So, in this passage we see that adultery is a sin against God that even though Abimelech had done this thing after Abraham and Sarah had deliberately lied to him and Abimelech had acted in God's faith. God still told him that he was a dead man. So, we see that even a man who commits adultery in good faith, because the woman has lied to him, is still condemned to hell. Furthermore, God closed up all the in the house of Abimelech, both of his wife and his female servants thus although Abimelech already had at least one wife. God defined adultery as being the taking of a man's wife and would have executed judgment and even death if he had actually consummated the relationship or he had not repented. Furthermore, we see that even if a woman lied about her marital state, the man is guilty.

Presumably this applies as much to a woman who lies to the effect that her hymen is perforated in athletics, or through the use of a tampon, or she says her husband is dead, or says that God has permitted her to get divorced. For that matter, she is mistaken in her belief? In one case, we administered to a woman who was seduced under hypnosis when she was in her teens and only had the full situation revealed to her by the Holy Spirit when she was in her 40s.  She had been living in adultery in the sight of God for nearly 20 years, while legally married in the eyes of the state and the Church to another man.

Clearly, it is also a sin if a Pastor has said that a woman is free to marry, or a man is free to marry a woman. In such a case, the Pastor will presumably also be found guilty on the Day of Judgement. Can one do other than explain road to this evil and perverse generation. Adultery is not to be taken lightly. It truly is an abomination in the sight of God. And this is confirmed through our Scripture. Surely it condones so-called remarriage, that is actually adultery. It must also wrack as an abomination in the Sight of God. in reality is sin against one's own body.

1 Corinthians 6:13-20 states, "Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will destroy both of them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For 'the two,' He says, 'shall become one flesh.' But he who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."

Clearly sexual union with a harlot or adulteress joins the man's body, the temple of the Holy Spirit to hers. Refer to previous teaching on the One Flesh Bond for more details. How then can the Church permit men and women to remarry when they are not divorced in the Sight of God? To stress, adultery is a sin against God. We see this very clearly in Psalm 51 where David repents of his sin and his adultery with Bathsheba in the murder of her husband as described in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. I just read selected verses. In verse 4 David says, "Against You, (speaking to God) You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge." Verse 9-12, "Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous Spirit."

That passage of Scripture is perhaps the most powerful example of true repentance in the entire Bible. Clearly, David truly feared that God would cast him away and take his Holy Spirit from David. David also says to restore the joy of His salvation. The Psalm clearly portrays the cry of a desperate man who has known God and knows the magnitude of his sin. At this time, he had approximately 10 wives and 10 concubines in addition to Bathsheba. But God only rebuked him in the case of taking another man's wife. Scriptures containing the word adultery, adulterer, adulteress, fornication, fornicator and harlot are listed in the appendix to the book, 'The Scriptural Definition of Marriage' which is available from this ministry in order to illustrate just how seriously God views these sins. I would encourage you in any event just to take a few minutes of the concordance and look at some of the references just to get some indication of just how vile adultery and fornication and harlotry are in the Sight of God and how absolutely abhorrent they are to the righteous and holy God.

Deuteronomy 28, 29, and 30 list the blessings of obedience and curses associated with breaking the mosaic law, the mosaic covenant of the Torah. These curses apply to all those laws which are listed from Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Numbers, Exodus, and Genesis. In other words, they apply to those who add to, or take away from the Commandments of God. They are applied to those who committed adultery and harlotry, etc. In other words, they apply to all those who have taught that sexual intercourse with a woman who is not a virgin is not adultery, and that remarriage after divorce is not adultery, and to all those who wittingly or unwittingly have sinned as a consequence of this heresies. Conservatively, we are talking of millions of people, probably about billions, who have sinned as a consequence of the failure of the Church to teach the truth in this generation regarding virginity and marriage and adultery.

But Jesus became a curse for us I hear you cry. Yes, certainly Jesus became a curse for us but of our sins confessed them before God and asked for in and receive forgiveness. Under the old covenant, the sin offering was put to death on behalf of the sinner. This required the sinner to bring the sacrifice to the temple. Under the new covenant, Jesus became our sacrifice once and for all. But we must still bring our sacrifice of a broken and a contrite heart before the Throne of Grace and ask for forgiveness.

Equally, if we sin wilfully, we crucify Jesus again. Hebrews 6:1-8 states, "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned."

How many men and women who call themselves by the name of Christ, who style themselves with titles like Reverent and Pastor contrary to the Word of God, who have access to as many translations of the Bible as they want, as well as access to diverse reference materials, who even publish such materials are crucifying again the son of God and putting him to an open shame? It seems to me that there are far more than most men and women would like to believe. We may well find on the Day of Judgement that God's books tell a different story of many who made God as the pillars of the Church.

Do not forget Matthew 7:21-29 and I read 21 to 23, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Today, we see many who prophecy, cast out demons, and do wonders in the name of Jesus. But Jesus here declares that He will say to me that He never knew them. Brothers and sisters, this is shattering Scripture, but it is Scripture, nevertheless. As you listen to these teachings, can you say with certainty that you truly know the Lord and do the will of his Father all have you been preaching or practicing and condemning God's children but seeking to live lives in accordance to Scripture? I urge you to consider carefully what you have taught and applied in this area of doctrine and to determine whether you need to repent and turn from your wicked ways.

Consider Ezekiel 18:30, "'Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, everyone according to his ways,' says the Lord God. 'Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.'" Consider also Ezekiel and others prophesied against were similar to the sins of the Church today if we have a better covenant and no doubt we will be judged that much more severely.

Adultery after Jesus came under the new covenant. There seems to be a widely held view that somehow Jesus did away with the penalty for adultery and that adultery is now something that can be confessed and repented of, where after it goes away, so the couple concerned can continue their relationship if they are married in the sight of the Church. This is seemingly based upon John 8:1-11 and I will read a few verses, 3 and 4,"Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.'" I am sure you are familiar with the story. You can read it yourselves. In verse 11, when Jesus asked if anyone has condemned her, "She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.'"

Clearly Jesus told her to sin no more. Imagine the scene, the woman was caught in the act, but the man was allowed to flee. Historical reports that I have read seemed to suggest that the application of the Scripture relating to stoning for adultery was seldom, if ever practiced in Jesus' day. during Jesus' lifetime and living, not that different from the world today, but perhaps more public was widespread in Roman, Greece, and throughout the so-called civilised world. Accordingly, it would seem that this woman had been living in a situation in which the likelihood of any serious natural consequences for her dalliance were unlikely. Suddenly, she found herself facing death while her lover who was present - he had to be, she was caught in the act - was seemingly permitted to flee and not pursued. Is it not possible that under these circumstances she came to a rapid and sincere repentance and is it not possible that Jesus who knows our thoughts knew that she had truly repented after .

The Lord knows the thoughts of man, but they are futile. Matthew 9:4-6 states, "But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, 'Why do you think evil in your hearts?'" Is it not possible that Jesus was as much grieved by the great hypocrisy of those who are caught in the act and yet did not bring her lover with her to be stoned as Jesus might have been grieved by her sin? Today we construct a doctrine of universal indulgence of fornication from this one incident, particularly when this passage is not included in many scripts. Refer to the footnote in the NIV and other translation. No doubt, true repentance for the broken spirit and the contrite heart brings forgiveness. How can this be achieved when a man has put away or divorced his wife without scriptural grounds? I will address this in much more detail in the later teaching.

Certainly, we can deduce that if a person commits adultery, recognises that it is sin and turns from it asking God for forgiveness, they will receive that forgiveness and they can continue their lives without eternal consequences. But the experience of David referred to previously, clearly demonstrates that David was living under the mosaic covenant as a Prophet. So, can we say that anything significant changed between the old and new covenant? God has always responded with mercy to a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

Nevertheless, in a passage in John 8:11, Jesus clearly tells her to go and sin no more. How then can the Church suggest that a man can marry a divorced woman whose divorce God has not sanctioned? Acknowledge that this is adultery and then tell her and her new husband that if they confess their sin after first intercourse, from then it will be in order. I have heard teachings to this effect. It is not an abomination in the Sight of God. At the same time, we must recognise that despite his sincere and abject repentance, David's family lived under the curse of his actions for generations as portrayed in the 'Books of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.' Only absolutely certain that this curse is cut off by Jesus' sacrifice. I think not.

My own experience presented in an earlier teaching in this series clearly indicates that heartfelt repentance is not enough to cut off the consequences of adultery. It is far more spiritual housekeeping required to cut off the curse and the consequences in this life. The One Flesh Bond must be severed by the Grace of God, some ties must be cut. Ungodly promises and vows must be renounced on both sides and cut off and the parties released. Restitution to the husband and family may be required. Curses spoken against one must be cut off. Demonic day prayers must be closed and familiar Spirits associated with the liaison must be cast out. All demons transferred between the parties must be dealt with.

I can state from painful experience that this will require great soul searching and seeking of God to identify all issues that must be cut off. In my case, this took years. I walked the road of recovery from adultery having been trapped by Satan's lies when I back slipped many years ago. Six years after even, God was still showing me aspects of ignorance and spiritual consequences which were still not finally dealt with.

Revelation 21:8 is quite specific. Sexual immorality leads to a part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. So, people do not confess their sin and repent in this life. We read in Revelation 21:8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Other translations state in the King James, 'whoremongers' and in the Revised Standard Version, 'fornicators.' The word'sexually immoral' in the New King James, 'whoremongers' in the King James and'fornicators' in RSV are all alternative translations of the word pornos, Nestles #4205. In dictionary, this is defined as a man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, fornicator. These words are seemingly closely allied with the word 'pornea' which is translated fornication in Matthew 5:32 in the King James, "But I say unto you that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication (pornea), causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." The same word occurs in Matthew 19:9, "And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication (Greek: Pornea), and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery."

Strong defines this word #4202 pornea, from 4203 harlotry including adultery and incest, figuratively idolatry. The scriptural definition of marriage lists all Scriptures which contain the word pornea in order to give you a better understanding of the scope of the word. The word covers both sexual immorality and spiritual unfaithfulness. And I would encourage you to research this is in a concordance if you don’t have access to the book. I believe the Lord has also shown me that pornea includes continuous spiritual unfaithfulness, idolatry, or betrayal of an extended period by a spouse with refusal to repent or deliberate returning to that sin.

However, based on my own experience, the Lord extends considerable grace to the offending spouse to give them time to come through repentance before permitting divorce. This may relate to a condition such as a spouse being a psychopath, or an alcoholic person who physically abuses the other spouse, and similar traits associated with intense demonic oppression corresponding to effective spiritual idolatry on the part of the offender. It seems that God's blessing for divorce may only come when the offending spouse has either reached a point where they are beyond redemption or have renounced their salvation.

We must remember that while one is married to such a spouse, one is afforded an opportunity to diet herself and to learn how to become more Christ-like as taught previously. It is probably easier to start in Heaven when in such a marriage than it is in a lukewarm marriage to another believer where you are not making any real effort to serve God. Thus, we see that divorce is only permitted in the event of adultery, sexual abomination, persistence idolatry and betrayal.

Returning to the question of whether Jesus relaxed the law on adultery, we have to ask ourselves if that is the case, why did John, the Baptist die, and I refer you to Mark 6:16-27, again reading selected verses. The context here is that John had been put in jail. Verse 18, for John had said to Herod it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. And we go through the whole story where Herod's daughter dances at the feast and Herod makes a foolish oath and in verse 27, we read, "Immediately the King sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison." The same incident is recorded in Matthew 14:1-12. Can there be any doubt that John opposed adultery with absolute conviction? Surely if the current doctrine had applied, he would just have told Herod to confess his sin and he could carry on living with Herod. Surely if Jesus was in the process of changing the law, he would have sent a message to John to tell him about the change. No. We must accept that the Word of God has not changed with regards to adultery. If John the Baptist was prepared to die rather than compromise, then surely, so should we.

So, we can conclude that a woman who had sex with more than one man while the first is alive is defined as an adulteress and a harlot, except in exceptional circumstances. There cannot be any doubt that adulterers and adulteresses who are referred to elsewhere as harlots and so forth fall into the category of sexually immoral. Accordingly, I have no doubt that we must accept that any person who is an unrepented, who did not know or refused to repent adulterer or adulteress. In other words, any woman who has had sex even once with more than one man over her lifetime other than a widow, a divorcee whom God has released to divorce and to remarry and her as being formally divorced, or a woman who was a harlot and who has come to full and sincere revelation of the sin, confession thereof and repentance and whom God has released to marry.

Any woman who has sex, who is not in one of those categories with a second man, will have their part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone whether they claim to be born again or not. Likewise, any man who has had sex even once with even one such woman, and who has not come to recognition of this sin, or confession of that sin before God and sincere repentance of that sin, will have their part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.

The accountability of Pastors and teachers

Matthew 23:8-13 states, "But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in Heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in."

Notwithstanding Jesus injunction here to call no man 'Rabbi' or ‘Teacher’, Christian leaders insist on appropriating the title Pastor, Reverent or father to themselves refer to distinguish Pastor or Teacher and converting that into a title. No one would consider calling themselves bookkeeper Smith and know that bookkeeper is a job description. Likewise, Pastor is a job description. Having set themselves up in this Pastor sadly to lose sight of Jesus' commandment that we should regard ourselves as servants to our brethren.

They may take it upon themselves to pronounce issues of doctrine to decide whether a couple of suitable marriage material or not, to decide whether a divorce is sanctioned by God, to decide whether a woman who is not a virgin is free in the Sight of God to marry, and to prescribe and pronounce on many other issues.  It is important to recognise that every individual is accountable before God for their own sin. Accordingly, while a Priest who run the councils will be accountable for his sin. The individuals will still be called to account of the Day of Judgement and the best I can determine is that they have committed adultery by following their Pastor's advice, they will still have their part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.

The Pastor is also likely to be found on the Day of Judgement to have added to or taken away from the Word of God to rely to the couple or be at an ignorance and therefore to have their blood on his hands. Remember also that Matthew 23 continues in verses 14 to 39 to further address the Pharisees and I read again selected verses. It is important to recognise that this passage gives perhaps Jesus harshest condemnation of the Pharisees through how to use his ministry. And this relates specifically to people sitting themselves up in positions of authority over God's people. Verse 15, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides." Verse 17, "Fools and blind!" Verse 19, "Fools and blind!" Verse 23,"And have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith."Verse 24, "Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" Verse 28, "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

I have to be blind. I have to ask those who are listening to this teaching to consider carefully what the Church is teaching in the subject of marriage and the subject of adultery. It does not matter what the Pastor believes, what the Church is teaching, or what is being taught in Bible school. If it is contrary to what is being taught here, it is sending people to hell or the very least, it is resulting in them having a part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. Please note, when I speak about people taking authority, I am not talking about the authority of the Apostle and Prophet and Evangelist in their ministry led by the Holy Spirit. I am talking about religious taking of position and application of titles and then presuming to override the Word of God.

We have to ask ourselves how sure we are that the verses that I have just read do not apply in great measure to many leaders in the Church today. The close reading of the reports of Joyner's visions reported in the book, 'The Final Quest' indicates far more than most would like to believe. Now is the time for all who call themselves by the name of Christ to carefully examine themselves in the mirror of the Word of God to determine their spiritual state.

Judgment revisited

Some people have the opinion that these people will not burn for eternity, but certainly there seems to be Scripture to suggest that they will spend eternity in an extremely unpleasant place. On the other hand, from the report of Joyner in 'The Final Quest' it does appear there is a possibility that a person who truly trusts God by faith for salvation through the name of Jesus may just be saved into Heaven with no treasure and possibly having gone through a judgment experience, which may well involve a part being a portion of time in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. But it does not seem with gambling on this when there are so many explicit Scriptures to indicate that there is quite possibly another fate which is truly worse indeed.

Luke 16:18-31 gives a story which demonstrates the principle. In fact, it gives two passages, two parables, two teachings which are juxtaposed in a very interesting fashion. Verse 18, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery." And in the next verse we read, "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day." And so, we go on in verse 22, "The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'" I believe it is a very interesting and intentional juxtaposition that verse 18 speaks of divorce and adultery, and the story of Lazarus and the rich man started in the next verse. I really believe that God is seeking to tell us something by this passage of Scripture, and that is that those who commit adultery, those who get divorced without due grants and remarry, commit adultery and will end up tormented in Hades, tormented in this flame.

Jude 1:7 states, "As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."Hebrews 6:2 states "Of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment." Can there be any doubt that this eternal judgment is eternal fire? Whatever the exact form may be, it is undoubtedly torment and suffering. And I made the point that this is New Testament. Many Christians today seem to have lost sight of the reality of judgment. They seem to have lost sight of the reality of dealing eternally with the consequences of their sin.

that the voice which speaks through word reported in Revelation 21:1-8 cited previously identifies himself in verse 21:6 as the Alpha and Omega, i.e., no less than Jesus himself speaking. Shortly thereafter in 22:18-19, where it specifically cautions not to add to or take away from anything written in this book. Revelation 22:16-20 says, "I, Jesus..." It carries on in verse 18, "For I testify to everyone who hears the Words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." I do not believe it is any coincidence that this is in the last chapter of Revelation, which is the last book of the Bible and these same warnings are contained in Proverbs and in Deuteronomy.

I have no doubt that we should not contemplate and suggest that someone who is committing adultery will not have their part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. So, we have a critical conclusion and that is unrepented adultery will almost certainly lead to a part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, if not eternal separation from God in hell. And it is true that once confessed, adultery is no longer adultery. As I said before, there are teachings to the effect that if you marry a divorced woman, you are committing adultery, but if you confess your sins and repent of it, it is not adultery after that. Matthew 19:9 in King James states, "And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except be it for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." Clearly unless a woman is divorced with is the innocent party in the Sight of God and has a certificate of divorce as discussed and the teaching to follow, any man having intercourse with her would be committing adultery.

Remember also that we have established that the use of the word 'marry' corresponds to the sexual intercourse. So, this is not talking about a man getting a certificate and the license from the state or the Church; this is talking about a man having sexual intercourse with a woman who is another man's wife, even if he has put her away. We see there also interestingly enough that if the husband puts her away and she sins, the husband will also carry that sin, confirming the earlier teaching.

If this is not divorce Yahweh's blessing, then every time the man has intercourse with her, they are committing adultery. It does not matter if they have a certificate from the state or the Church, they are still committing adultery every time they have intercourse, and Jesus has made this quite clear. If they confess and repent after every sexual encounter, then that is wilful sin and Hebrews 10:23-31 is quite explicit about that.

Verse 26, "For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. But a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. And again, 'The Lord will judge His people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

There can be no uncertainty about the outcome of this conduct. As you studied discussion on the One Flesh Bond and the latent supernatural forces designed by God to make marriage work, as discussed in the previous teaching, we will come to realise just how powerful God's plan for marriage is, just how effectively Satan has corrupted it, and , and just how great the opportunity is that awaits for you to make marriage work with your existing marriage partner. The reality is that there is much that we do not understand about godly marriage. If putting away divorces to be avoided and if we recognise that our harsh, legalistic approach will not work, the thinking is developed progressively in this series of teaching.

God's Definition with Sexual Sin

Leviticus 18:1-30 provides a comprehensive statement of God's definition of sexual sin."Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: I am the Lord your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord. None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord. The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness.

The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father—she is your sister—you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is near of kin to your father. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is near of kin to your mother. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law—she is your son’s wife—you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness. Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive.

Also, you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is in her customary impurity. Moreover, you shall not lie carnally with your neighbour’s wife, to defile yourself with her. And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.

Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. For the land is defiled; therefore, I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people.

Therefore, you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God.'"

Strong defines the word 'nakedness' in the above Scriptures as follows: #6172 'ervah,' from #6168 nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish). King James version: Nakedness, shame, uncleanness. Brown-Driver-Briggs defines: Nakedness, nudity, shame, pudenda, genitalia. Pudenda implying shameful exposure, nakedness of the thing, indecency, improper behaviour, exposed, undefended figuratively. Thus, nakedness is not only to sexual act as indicated by certain translations. It is the observance of the sexual organs with the people referred to. Surely, this must extend to sexual intercourse as well. It is fairly widely reported in sacrifice getting rid of unwanted children. Surely, abortion is such an abomination.

The above passages from Leviticus are extremely robust when it comes to stating God's opinion of these sins. He repeatedly states that it is for these sins that he visited judgment on Egypt and that he is driving the people out of Canaan. It appears also that these were the same sins which resulted in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and many of these sins are openly portrayed and practiced in the world today. This text is more or less duplicated in Leviticus 20:1-27. Again, in that passage I would urge you to note the close association between sexual immorality and spiritual immorality. Note that the same terms are applied to both: Harlotry, prostitution, fornication, adultery, relating back to the term pornea used by Jesus with respect to his grounds for divorce and adultery.

Deuteronomy 27:14-26 further addresses the subject of sexual sin and various forms of sexual sin, which is specifically trust and includes essentially the same list as in Leviticus. It is important to note that in that passage incest is listed together with bestiality, and so is adultery.

So, how seriously does God view sexual sin? There can be no doubt from these passages that God views sexual sin in a very, very serious light. Adultery is not something to be taken lightly. It is not something that can just be summarily repented of and then repeatedly executed. Divorce, which is not divorce but is putting away and results in a woman having intercourse with a man who is not her first husband, while the husband is alive is adultery. Intercourse with a woman who is not a virgin, who has given her virginity to another man is adultery. Intercourse with a virgin is marriage irrespective of the marital status of the man who takes that woman's virginity. In a very robust concept, there can be absolutely no ambiguity and no uncertainty about what God is saying. And it beholds everyone who calls themselves by the name of Christ to examine critically what they have been believing and what they have been teaching. Because if it does not accord with the Scriptures, implications are very clear.

Let us consider the implications for the Church at the end of the age. Consider Ezekiel 33:8-9, "When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.'" Certainly, every person who listens to this teaching and surely every person who has a Bible and certainly every person who reads the Bible should consider the possibility that they are called to be watching into the world in which we live. Surely, if we fail to recognise the importance of Scriptures such as those considered in this teaching, we place ourselves at risk of finding the blood of those who perish for eternity upon our own hands at the Day of Judgement. And for that reason, we risk finding ourselves cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone and hearing those dreadful words, 'Depart from me you workers of inequity. I never knew you.'

There is plan for those who call themselves by the name of Christ to become serious about the truth concerning marriage, being sexual intercourse with a virgin, and adultery being sexual intercourse with a woman who is not a virgin or widow, or who has been divorced in exceptional circumstances permitted by God. I urge everybody who has listened to this series of teachings so far to seriously go before God, even today and examine your heart in terms of your own life, in terms of your past sexual conduct, and in terms of what you have been teaching, preaching, and practising and counselling others to do in their lives.  If you have any reason, a question, a veracity of your conduct, I will suggest strongly that you go before the Throne of Grace today with a and a contrite heart and confess your sin and do whatever needs to be done to make right. If you are a Pastor or a Teacher and you have been teaching other than what has been taught in this series, you may find yourself null in the position when you have to contact people that you have advised to marry or even married knowing their circumstances. I would advise them that they may be living in adultery.

I would certainly not rule out based on our own experiences prophetic counsellors that you are going to encounter situations where God is going to sigh with couples who lived together for decades who rise children together are actually living in adultery. God is with our ignorance. God has called us to live according to His word and He does not come down and He does not extend grace to all doing sin. I understand that this is an extremely harsh perspective, but by the Spirit of God I say to you today I truly, truly, truly believe that it is time that each one of us and the Church as a whole examine themselves critically against the Word of God. Judgment is about to come in the Church. He can no longer afford to play games with the Word of God and teach falsely concerning virginity, concerning marriage, concerning divorce, concerning adultery.

There is much more that I can say on the subject of divorce, and God-willing, this will be a subject of a subsequent teaching in this series. You may have also noted that there are a number of other aspects which rise out of the Scriptures that have been read in this series so far which must cause you to raise questions concerning other areas. I will sincerely ask you to go before God and ask Him to open your eyes to a full revelation of the Scriptures that have been read in this series and the concept that has been read in this series. I would like to pray with every listener right now: Father, in the name of Jesus, firstly I ask you that if there is anything that I have said or taught in this message that is not of You, that You will blow it away and that it will find no root in the hearers. But I ask You Father that everything that has been taught will be word of Scripture that has been read, that You will impart it on the hearts of everyone who hears this teaching and that You will cause it to take root and bear much effect in the name of Jesus.

I further pray particularly that every aspect of this teaching which is contrary to what the Israelites referred, and practices and lived up to this point, but which is according to Your Word and Your Will. Open their eyes to see the truth, that You will cause them to examine their hearts and to come before Your Throne through revelation, confirmation and clarification, that they may come into a place of understanding the truth of what Your Word said concerning marriage. May they come to a place of repentance and a heartfelt turning around and will not hesitate to share the truths that have been brought in all series with those who would like to hear it, leadership and sheep in the flock of the Lord Jesus Christ, who are currently in sin, who are currently in a situation that the demon has footholds in their lives and is killing, stealing, and destroying on an ongoing basis, because they have ungodly sexual relationships that they have One Flesh Bonds which are because they are living in adultery. And Father I pray that you have mercy and that You will extend grace to those who listen to this. I pray also that You will judge severely and correct harshly seek out the truth and come to repentance, in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in Jesus’ name, amen.

03_08 Tying Up Some Loose Ends - Some Controversial Points

James Robertson -- 28 October 2000

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This message is entitled 'Tying Up Some Loose Ends - Some Controversial Points.' It’s part 8 of the series on marriage. The music that was played by the Spirit before the teaching is included on the tape to give some indication of the spiritual context of what the Lord is saying. The teaching commences after about half an hour, in other words about two-thirds of the way through the tape.

Good day! This is October 28, 2000, and this teaching is a continuation of the series on marriage which has been given over the last few months. In preparing this message, I have been led to call it 'Tying Up Some Loose Ends -- Some Controversial Points.' It needs to be stressed that the message contains a number of controversial points. During the course of the previous teachings, it has become apparent that in some of what was taught from Scripture, there were nonconformities or inconsistencies with current Church doctrine. Today's teaching will address these in more detail and go beyond that into some other areas, which are immensely challenging.

Accordingly, I would suggest that this teaching is not one to be listened to by young believers or people who are not mature adults. It addresses subjects which really should be the preserve of adult believers. At the same time, what is presented is solidly based on Scripture and if the Scriptures that have never before really come to your attention, you may find some of these conclusions and teachings immensely challenging and find yourself in a position where something within you rises up and seeks to deny what is contained in this teaching. I would encourage you to open your minds and your hearts and not to allow things to set in. As with all things, you are at liberty at the end to choose whether we accept something as being of God or not. Even if are unable to convince ourselves that it is not of God, we are at liberty to decide whether to put it into practice in our lives or not.

The important thing is that we should not be found on the Day of Judgement to have added to the Word of God or taken away from the Word of God and I refer you to the first teaching in which the eternal implications of adding to or taken away from the Word of God was stressed. Many of the points today represent a return to the truths which have been lost in some cases for generations, or certainly been ignored by the Church. It is really time that they are now confronted. I believe that these are the things which are absolutely pivotal to come into a full understanding of what the Word of God says concerning marriage, and in applying that which is being taught in the months passed, particularly if we have a desire to see the level of divorce, fornication, etc., in the Church brought to an end. I will also encourage you to take note of the present worship that has preceded this teaching. The Lord God is indeed Lord of His Church and He does indeed require us to submit to Him and to His Word above all things.

To go back to our cornerstone Scripture that has formed the basis of this teaching throughout, Ephesians 5:25-33, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the Church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 'For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

The of this passage of Scripture is that we see everything in Scripture that relates to the relationship between God and man also relates to the relationship between Christ and the Church, and between husband and wife. We see an incredibly powerful parallel which shows us that the entire Bible is a manual for marriage, firstly as a manual for marriage between the Church and Christ. Secondly, a manual of marriage between husband and wife. Its use will be made again of this parallel in the teaching today. A point has also been made previously that sexual lovemaking is a shadow of prayers and worship, and just as prayers and worship should bring us into the presence of our Saviour, and bring us into the presence of the Father, sexual lovemaking in marriage should be the highest ecstatic experience between husband and wife.

Marriage is intended to be a shadow and a type of Heaven. It is intended to be something incredibly wonderful, which is not something that a lot of people today can say regarding marriage. In the area of sexual love, I want to take you on a bit of a journey through the Book of Esther. I refer you to Esther 2:8-18. I will read the story starting here. The King's previous wife, Vashti, had been rebellious and disobedient and he had divorced her because of her rebellion, and that will be addressed, God-willing, in the teaching on divorce. The King is now counselled that he should seek a new wife to be queen. And so, virgins are sought throughout the country, throughout the kingdom. One of those is a young Jewish girl by the name of Esther who is an orphan, who has been raised by her uncle, Mordecai. All of these young virgins were packed into the King's palace and provided with the things that are necessary to prepare them in order to please the King. The objective of the exercise is that the young woman who is most pleasing to the King will become his Queen.

In verse 12, "Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the King again unless the King delighted in her and called for her by name."

We see that by virtue of the fact that she went in a virgin and she came out as concubine, sexual intercourse was a primary focus of the night that she spent with the King. "Now when the turn came for Esther, the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the King, she requested nothing but what Hegai the King’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. Esther obtained favour in the sight of all who saw her. So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The King loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so, he set the royal crown upon her head and made her Queen instead of Vashti. Then the King made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a King."

We infer that Esther must have been at least the three hundredth King Ahasuerus in all probability before her. But more importantly we see that she must have made a particular impression on the King. We must also infer that the impression was made at least partially in a sexual context and it seems reasonable to conclude that the manner in which Esther made love to the King was very pleasing to him.

Let's extend that and continue with the story of Esther. Note that God used Esther to save His people. If you refer to chapter 4, verses 7-17 and chapter 5:1-3, I will just read from Esther 4:14, and the story here is that after becoming Queen, Haman obtains an order to destroy all the Jews and neither Haman nor the King knowing that Esther is Jewish, nor the covenant communicates this to Esther. Esther was initially reluctant to do anything about it and Mordecai then communicates to her followers. "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 'Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so, I will go to the King, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!' So, Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him."

Esther 5:1, "Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the King’s palace, across from the King’s house, while the King sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. So, it was, when the King saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favour in his sight, and the King held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the sceptre. And the King said to her, 'What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!'"

Scripture says elsewhere that favour comes from God and here we see that it appears that God placed Esther in the for such as this, in order to save His people. Surely, He would not have placed her there in the fashion that we have just discussed, if it were to require her to commit any sin. Therefore we must assume that Esther's conduct was right in the Sight of God. We also note that God heard her prayers because she fasted and prayed for three days and we know from John 9:31 that "God does not hear sinners." We can also infer from the Scripture that Esther was a worshipper of God and did His will, otherwise God would not have heard her prayer. Again, I refer you to John 9:30-33 which says, "The man answered and said to them, 'Why, this is a marvellous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.'"

We must therefore clearly understand that God is not in a habit of answering the prayers of people who are not in right standing with Him and certainly if Esther was an adulteress or indulging in unwholesome practices, it seems highly unlikely that God would have then answered her prayers. And further we must recognise that the only way that the situation with Esther could have come about as God's will to save his people was for God to have permitted the entire situation with Vashti running with Esther to come to pass in such a way. God, knowing the end from the beginning, knowing that the thoughts of we must be certain that God allowed this entire situation to happen for His purpose and His glory for the salvation of His people. The reality is that the Feast of Esther is a major feast for the Jewish or was for many years. So we must conclude that God intended women to make love to their husbands in a way that is pleasing to their husbands.

Let's address the question of sexual desire a little bit further. 1 Corinthians 7-9 states with regards to those who are unmarried, "But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion." It simply states that where a man and an unmarried woman burn with passion for one another, it is better that they should marry. Where a man or a woman burns with passion, they should get married or they should find someone to marry. We taught previously that the word marriage is synonymous with sexual intercourse with a virgin or a widow. Therefore, basically what Paul was saying that if someone cannot exercise self-control, or they burn with passion, they should marry a member of the opposite sex who is available to be married.

In 1 Corinthians 7:39-40 Paul goes on to state, "A wife is bound to her husband by law as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry whomever she wishes, only provided that he too is in the Lord. But in my opinion a widow is happier and more blessed if she does not remarry. And I also think that I have the Spirit of God." In this latter section, Paul in a sense, seems to contradict what he says in 1 Timothy 5, which I will get to in a minute. We see Paul expressing his personal opinion that a widow and presumably, a legitimately divorced woman would be happier if they remain single. The implication is clearly that there are women who will be happier in this state, and therefore by extension, it would seem that the principle of covering is not a rigid spiritual requirement.

We also observe a clear instruction that if she is to marry the man, if she is to remarry, the man she marries must also be a believer. This is a qualification stated repeatedly in passages in Deuteronomy and many other Scriptures. Clearly the passage in Ephesians 5:22-33 does form the backbone of this teaching. It can only apply if both husband and wife, or both, are believers. Accordingly, we must deduce that all we have studied indicates the necessary requirement that a woman must marry a believing man. I stress again the point that was made earlier with regards to the subject of headship, the husband being head of the wife and so forth. It is foolish in the extreme for a believing woman to marry an unbelieving man, or for a believing man to marry an unbelieving woman. One is the child of God; the other is a child of Satan. I am sorry, I have to put it so bluntly, but that is the bottom line. One will not accept the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore the house will be perpetually divided.

A woman who marries an unbeliever puts herself in a position where the Word of God requires to submit to her husband in all things, and yet she is marrying a man who does not put himself in a place of submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. Consequently that man is entitled in the Sight of Satan to force that believing woman into prostitution, to beat her, maltreat her in any shape or form and she is required by the Word of God to submit no matter what he does to her. Because at the end of the day, he will not treat her worse than the Pharisees and the High Priests treated Jesus when they crucified him. It is absolute spiritual madness for a believing woman to marry an unbelieving man.

Conversely for a believing man to marry an unbelieving woman, it does not recognise the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ. She will not lift him up as we talked about. She will not intercede for him, but she will be constantly striving with him. The Devil will use her to bring strife and division into the household. The family will be perpetually divided and thus we saw even with King Solomon whom the Word of God says was beloved of the Lord, Jedediah. Eventually, his foreign wives, his unbelieving pagan wives turned his heart away from serving God. So again, it is absolute foolish for a believing man to marry an unbelieving woman.

Marriage of widows, 1 Timothy 5:9-14 states with regard to younger widows, "Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man, well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work.

But refuse the younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith. And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. Therefore, I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully." The clear implication here in Paul's letter to Timothy written as we understand that some years after his letter to Corinthians, that Paul appears to change what he expressly said was an opinion in 1 Corinthians 7:40. He is indicating that all women under the age of 60 should be married. Clearly, there are exceptions, people such as Kathryn Kuhlman, who has walked under a really strong anointment and anointing very close to God will not fall into that category. But the vast majority of women that seems clear from this passage of Scripture should be married and they should be married to a believer.

Lust and Adultery of the Heart

Matthew 5:27-30 states, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Clearly a man who lusts after a woman has committing adultery in his heart. In other words, he is sinning in his heart against God. However, we have seen in the passage in 1 Corinthians 7:9 where a man and woman burn with passion, they should marry. So, we deduce from that, that this passage is referring specifically to a woman who is married. It is important to understand that the word , translated 'women' in Matthew 5:28 is variously translated wife, or woman in Scripture as there was no word to distinguish between a wife and a woman in either the Greek or the Hebrew. This is because it was virtually unheard-of for a woman other than an adult woman, other than a widow or a harlot, to be married. So, Jesus is in fact saying, "He who looks at another man's wife to lust for her has already committed adultery within his heart." If the woman is unmarried, then the implication is that if he is lusting or burning with passion for her, he should marry her and take her under his covering.

Lust is Covetousness and it is Sin

Exodus 20:17 which is essentially the same Scripture which Jesus is referring to says,"You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour’s." In this context, lust and covet are approximately the same concept. So, Jesus was again not introducing a new Commandment in Matthew 5:28, he was restating the Tenth Commandment in a slightly different sense and making it explicit that coveting was the same as looking at a married woman and lusting after her.

If we look at Deuteronomy 5:21, again we see, "You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife." Ten Commandments are very expressed and very clear about lust. So, we see that lust and coveting of a woman and neighbour's wife with all other forms of lust and covetousness are expressly forbidden by God in the Ten Commandments written by God himself on tablets of stone. Yet, our whole society's approach to marriage places an inordinate emphasis on the physical appearance of the object of affection. Lust in our society is the basis for selecting marriage partners. Young men and women play much on the emphasis on how good-looking a member of the opposite sex is and hence how desirable that person is. It seems to me that this is nothing short of lust. In fact, it is my contention that objective consideration of the entire process of courtship practised in our society and by implication endorsed by the Church is largely driven by lust.

If a young person without the knowledge, experience and wisdom to evaluate the personality, etc., of a member of the opposite sex, is left to select a marriage partner themselves, they are inevitably going to rely on what they can see and therefore make a mistake. Thus, when the Church tells young people that they are too young to marry, they are effectively saying that they are too young to choose. In this regard, they are entirely correct. The scriptural way of betrothal was for the parents of the man and woman to arrange the match, taking account the social standing, etc. In fact, the match was likely to be between cousins, or children of neighbours in the same village. In other words, between children of families who had known each other for years and where the parents had observed the development of one another's children and identified which children are more suited to one another. Conversely, when the Holy Spirit makes the match, He looks at the heart.

For example, 1 Samuel 16:7 says "But the Lord looks at the heart." 2 Corinthians 4:18 states, "While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." Thus, we see that by charging God principles of marriage and forcing young people to make their own choice of marriage partner and enforcing them to wait to an age greater than spiritually required, the Church requires a recipe for marital disaster. seeks to counsel his victims on how to select a marriage partner and to make marriages work.

God did not expect us in our teens or early 20s to be capable of selecting a suitable marriage partner. He intended our parents or intended parents to make that choice, and He expected that to be done within the context of what has been said repeatedly in these teachings, how God intended marriage to work. The basic principles that are the backbone of this teaching, the husband seeking Jesus as head and seeking to be head to his wife, the wife submitting to her husband in everything, giving herself to him totally in love, all of the principles that we have talked about, make it inevitable that marriage will work. However, all the Pagan principles which are generally espoused by the Church in terms of basing the marriage decision on waiting until the child is old enough to make up their minds who is a suitable partner, dating numerous people, falling in love with people until they fall in love with Mr. Right, leads them down the completely wrong path.

God did not mean young girls or young men for that matter, to shop around and get personally and emotionally involved with any number of people before deciding who to marry. All that happens is that their hearts get hardened, they get confused, sexual desire is awakened, and it leads them into all sorts of danger and they end up marrying the wrong person. it is no wonder that the level of divorce in the world and in the Church is of such magnitude. The Church has permitted a situation in which looking to the things that are seen forms the basis of marriage. And that also results in a situation where when the object of affection gets a little bit jaded or turns out not to be quite as beautiful or attractive as it was thought of in the initial phase of the relationship, the parties assume they have made a mistake. That is not God's way. God is looking for a lifetime commitment and God has created marriage to work. I mean, this is really high time that the Church recognises this and turns away from using the world's way when it comes to marriage.

Let us consider a bit further, lust as opposed to love. Consider for example, Proverbs 6:23-26, "For the Commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot, a man is reduced to a crust of bread; and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life." Proverbs 11:6, "The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the unfaithful will be caught by their lust." Romans 13:8-14,"Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the Commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'You shall not covet,' and if there is any other Commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilment of the law. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil its lusts."

Can there be any doubt that lust in all its forms is a major sin and a major stumbling block in the lives of the world and the Church today, and particularly in the area of marriage, which are presented so much in the world on television, in magazines, in terms of selecting marriage partners. It is completely contrary to what the Word of God says, and it should be no wonder that men and women turn to pornography looking for physically perfect, sexual partners. Lust in all its form is an abomination in the Sight of God and it turns men and women from serving God and doing things God's way. If we consider God's definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." How different this is from the thing the world calls love today, which is surely nothing more than lust. Surely, the Church must look to itself to determine how it has contributed to this appalling situation.

Lust, Pornography, and Fashion

Consider also Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. 'Eat and drink!' he says to you, but his heart is not with you." As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. As you lust through pornography with a distorted approach to life portrayed on television, so is he or so he becomes an adulterer. I can confirm this from firsthand experience, it is only by the grace and mercy of God that I am in love today to give this teaching. Lust is indeed one of Satan's most subtle and destructive lies that it is okay to look and to lust and it will not harm you. Consider also Ezekiel 24:15-18, "Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.' So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded."

So, we clearly see that the Lord refers to Ezekiel's wife as the desire of his eyes. In other words, it is not wrong for a man to desire his wife. God has created woman's body, her breasts and her private parts to be attractive to her husband, but only to her husband. As indicated previously, the female sexual organ is the sign of the marriage covenant. So, in Bible times it appeared to be entirely unheard-of for a woman other than a harlot to expose herself in anything approximating a bikini or bathing costume in a place where a man other than her husband can see her. It appears reasonable to conclude that the Lord intended man to be aroused by the appearance of his wife's nakedness in private. So, we should not be unduly surprised that men are stimulated by scantily-clad women whether in the flesh or in pictures. In particular, we should realise that clothing that hugs the breasts or pubic area to all intents and purposes express the naked body. Tightly fitting bathing costumes with the outline of the genitals clearly visible are certainly at the very least causing men to stumble, and potentially asking for trouble and almost certainly in a front or Holy and righteous God.

On the one hand, wives may have an obligation to display their bodies in a pleasing fashion for their husbands in the privacy of the marriage chamber. Consider discussed previously. On the other hand, all women should dress modestly in public. And so far as this is unlikely to happen, there is a general rule in our present society, those who call themselves by the name of Christ would do well to exercise discretion with regard to where they go, what they watch and how they dress. Also the Word of God is quite clear that it is a sin for a woman to dress as a man, and as much as society today would have us believe that it is perfectly acceptable for women to wear trousers and other clothing which approximates men's clothing, we need to understand that this is not God's intention and that women are well advised to wear dresses of old types.

Lust and the Dress of Young Woman

Careful consideration of what is just being said, together with the discussion of virginity should cause all to realise that it is extremely unwise for any woman, in particularly, young woman to dress immodestly. In other words, in cloths that reveal her body explicitly. While it is possibly not practical for young women to dress in cloths as modest as those worn by women in certain Middle Eastern countries even today, it would seem that a good maxim would be to ensure that they are dressed materially more modestly than those within their associate. The objective should be not to cause some men to stumble and also critically not inadvertently cause a situation to arise where their virginity is taken through lust provoked by their dress or behaviour. Remember again, that Scripture makes it clear that if a man rapes a woman that woman is married to him for life. This is a passage of Scripture which is completely lost in this day and age.

Rape is not just something that is shocking. It is something which disqualifies a young woman from ever marrying in the Sight of God, because if her virginity is taken, then she is in fact married in the Sight of God to the man who took it, whether she gave it voluntarily or not. It really is high time that the Church teaches this and makes it clear how totally dangerous it is for young woman to expose themselves in a way which invites unadvised sexual intercourse or even rape. Whether this is date rape or whether it is some more shocking form of rape, we need to protect our young women and to do that we need to go back to what the Word of God says.

Acceptable Working Hours

There seems to be an almost universal view in the Christian community today that states that a man who spends more than 8 hours a day at work is incompetent, that a husband who works 12 hours a day, there is something seriously wrong with him, to a point where one gains the impression that many people seem to consider that to be grounds for serious objection, if not divorce. I refer you to Matthew 20:1-16 and I will read selected verses. Remember, this is Jesus speaking. "For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the labourers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace."

Verse 5, "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'" Verse 8, "So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the labourers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'" Verse 12, "These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day." It is important to note that Jesus is telling this parable as an indication of the fact length of service alone does not afford a believer any greater reward in the Kingdom of Heaven. In modern day terms, the land owner in the parable went out early in the morning, presumably at close to sunrise, which in Israel would be approximately 6:00, and retreated his labourers. He returned about the third hour of the day, 9 o'clock, the sixth hour, 12 midday, the ninth hour, 3 in the afternoon, and the eleventh hour, 5 in the afternoon, and in the evening one hour after the eleventh, i.e., 6 in the evening, he paid them off.

In other words, the first casual workers within the marketplace seeking work not later than 6 in the morning were paid off at 6 in the evening, having worked a full 12-hour day. It would therefore seem likely that they left their homes not later than about 5:30 or 5:45 to arrive at the market in time to be hired. They returned home not earlier than 6:15, if not 6:30 having been away from home for at least 12 and a half hours. If we take account of the custom of the men assembling at the gate of the city, it is possible that they may have assembled at the gate of the city for a while before returning home.

Furthermore, Scripture quite clearly instructs us that we have to work six days of the week. Consider Exodus 20:8-9, "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work." Exodus 23:12, Exodus 34:21, Leviticus 23:3, Deuteronomy 5:13-14, Luke 13-14, all indicate that God intends us to work six days of the week. Can there be any doubt that Yahweh intended man to work a 72-hour working week as opposed to the 40-hour working week, which is regarded as acceptable today. This being the case, is it not reasonable to conclude that a man who works 72 hours a week is not necessarily out of the Will of God and is therefore not in any way neglecting his scriptural responsibilities to his family. Surely, this requires a rethink of the role of husband and wife, which may well be influenced by domestic arrangement in which an extended family collectively provides the fellowship and logistical support to the husband and to the wife.

If we take account of the description of a virtuous wife and Proverbs 31, discussed previously, it is apparent that the role of the husband is not necessarily even as a breadwinner. His tasks to perform, which are must to do, is defending his family and participating in the government of his community and doing the work of the Lord, not just providing for his family. It is particularly interesting to quote Genesis 2:18, "And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.'" 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 confirms this. "For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man."

Surely from this we must conclude that women were created to help man and that man was not created to provide fellowship and companionship and support for women. Surely, Scripture teaches us that a man and his family are an integrated, harmonious team working together for the overall good of the family in accomplishing what God has called the family unit through the husband to accomplish as the calling. Surely, we must conclude that God intended the family to provide fellowship and support to the husband and to one another, rather than requiring the husband to support fellowship to his family or his wife. This does not in any way imply that the husband should sit back and be waited on by his wife. It does require that he busies himself with the work that God has given him to do, both in the Kingdom of God and then his secular occupation, while his wife supports him by running the household and to some, manage the household and family enterprises which do not necessarily require interaction with other men or travelling away from the household.

Important Aspects of Marriage

I would now like to address a number of other principles which relate to marriage, many of which are challenging and thought-provoking, but it seems necessary in order to have a comprehensive treatment of the subject of marriage that we confront these things. A menstruating woman is impure. Leviticus 20:18 quoted previously with regard to God's definition of sexual sin states, "If a man lies with a woman during her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has exposed her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from their people." Sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman is something which is viewed extremely harshly in the Word of God. Ezekiel 18:5-9, reading verses 5 and 6, "But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right; If he has not eaten on the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiled his neighbour’s wife, nor approached a woman during her impurity." We see here sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman is ranked on the same level in the Sight of God as adultery, as is not doing what is lawful and right. So, this is not just a minor infringement. It is something major, but it is something that is seldom, if ever, taught with regards to the subject of marriage. There are many people, as far as I can determine ,who actually practice sexual intercourse during menstruation as a form of contraception. Clearly, this is an abomination in the Sight of God.

Leviticus 15:26-27 takes this further, "Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening."So, we see that the husband is not permitted to touch whatever his wife sits on, let alone to touch his wife. I wonder how many men and women are keeping this Commandment. It certainly is a thought-provoking aspect. Do we understand why God expresses Himself so strongly considering these things? It gives a whole new dimension to why, when Rachel sat on the saddlebag with her father's idols in it when they fled from Laban, and she told him that she was unclean, that Laban did not even think searching the saddlebag because he knew that he would then come unclean.

Consider also Ezekiel 22:10, "If you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity." Again, sex with a menstruating woman is ranked with having sex with a man's mother. Ezekiel 36:17, "Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity."Can there be any doubt that requires men and women to respect the period of separation for menstruating women? Can God bless a marriage in which man and wife did not respect the period of separation during menstruation? The penalty for homosexuality is death. Leviticus 20:13 dealing with homosexuality says, "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them."

We need to recognise the extent with which male homosexuality is an abomination in the Sight of God. Again, the Church is compromised on this to a point where it is presented as something acceptable. At the same time we need to understand there is no corresponding explicit reference to sexual intimacy between women. I am not seeking to be controversial. I need to point out that there is no Scripture which prevents it and those Scriptures which deal with male homosexuality can in no way apply to women. It is not possible physically for a woman to lie with a woman as with a man. This is not the physical equivalent for penetration to take place.

I would like to address some even more controversial questions at this point, and in doing so, I refer to the concept which has made very eloquently by Rick Joyner in the book 'The World Aflame' where he addresses the freedom of believers to do what is not specifically banned. He makes the point that God wants us to exercise our own judgment. I am not necessarily advocating the points which I am about to raise, but I want to draw your attention to the fact that these are things which are not banned in any shape or form in Scripture. Therefore to teach that they are banned is adding to the Word of God or subtracting from it. It is important that we bring our thinking into line with the Word of God, because if we consume energy, teaching and preaching against things which are not banned in the Word of God, we potentially cause people to stumble and we create hurdles which prevent people coming into the Kingdom of God, or cause others to fall away. Even in the process, we neglect some of the things that have already been addressed in this teaching and fail to teach on this significance of the virginity and the fact that intercourse with a virgin is marriage, and fail to address many of the other points like menstruation, etc., that have been dealt with in these teachings, then we are in the process of seriously perverting the Word of God.

As I said before, the section that follows is going to deal with some things of fairly intimate nature and if you feel that you do not want to listen to that, I would suggest you jump about 5 or 10 minutes forward on this tape. Masturbation is a subject in which most Christian teachings are divided. It is alleged that Scriptures are silent on the topic. However, if we consider Leviticus 15:16-19, it says, "If any man has an emission of semen, then he shall wash all his body in water, and be unclean until evening. And any garment and any leather on which there is semen, it shall be washed with water, and be unclean until evening. Also, when a woman lies with a man, and there is an emission of semen, they shall bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening."

Surely, since there is no reference to how the emission of semen comes about, it is reasonable to assume that self-stimulation could give rise to this emission referred to. In fact, practically, it is unlikely that a man will have an emission of semen unless there is some form of stimulation. The next verse, verse 18 deals with emission of semen during sexual intercourse, referring to any semen which is discharged from the woman's body after intercourse. That is likely to be a routine occurrence where a man has sexual intercourse with his wife. In other words, such emission is not simple. It is simply a routine emission which brings about a state of uncleanness in the sight of our Holy God which precludes the people concerned from participating in certain rites of temple worship. From this passage of Scripture, it must be evident that God does not regard seminal emission on the part of the man in response to self-stimulation when he is not able to reach his sexual attention with his wife as being necessarily unacceptable. We could see that the issue of whether masturbation in the part of the male is acceptable and the Sight of God hinges more on the reasons and thoughts that accompany it. And we have referred previously to Matthew 5:28, "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." On that basis, the word ‘woman’ in this context refers to wife, or to a woman who is another man's wife. We must really conclude that masturbation while looking at pornography or fantasising about a woman who is not one's wife, is indeed sin.

However, there does not appear to be any Scripture that prevents a man, who is away from home and has a sexual need, fantasising about his wife. By the same token, this presumably concludes that there is no reason why a woman who is not with her husband should not release sexual tension by self-stimulation. Again, with the caveat that she should not fantasise or think about any man other than her husband. husband sexual contact. By extension of the thoughts in the previous section, it does appear there is absolutely no scriptural reason why a husband and wife should not participate in mutual sexual stimulation, including masturbation. By further extension, there appears to be no Scripture which prevents a woman from orally stimulating her husband or a husband from orally stimulating his wife. Whether they do so, and practice is a matter of personal taste and preference and there is not any Scripture that I have been able to identify which prohibits such contact, not withstanding various teachings to the effect that Scripture prohibits it.

While considering the teaching that follows, I ask you to consider in particular the following verses of Scripture. Hebrews 13:4 states, "Marriage is honourable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers, God will judge." The implication here is quite clear. Sexual intercourse within marriage is honourable and whatever is done in the marriage bed is undefiled. The implication being that there is no sexual practice between husband and wife that is only acceptable in the Sight of God, it is sexual conduct outside of marriage adultery or widespread promiscuity and fornication which God will judge. It is really important that we understand that it is the spiritual context that is sin, not a physical context. In other words, things which are perfectly acceptable in marriage are completely unacceptable outside of marriage.

Consider also 1 Corinthians 7:1-5, "Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." The following passage is particularly significant. Implication is if the husband requires sexual release, it is not for the wife to and conversely if the wife requires sexual release, he . By the same token, any sexual act between the two of them is perfectly acceptable in the Sight of God. We should take care in considering this not to introduce any scriptural restraints take account of this .

If we take this a step further, we find a challenging concept raised indirectly in Leviticus 18:22, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." Leviticus 20:13 makes the same point, "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination." This clearly refers to homosexual contact between two men, which is generally regarded as involving anal penetration. The Hebrew word used in these Scriptures is 'shakab' which translated here 'lie' is generally accepted as referring to carnal intercourse or copulation; in other words, penetration. This raises the extension which is very challenging. The Scriptures says that a man should not copulate with a man as he copulates with a woman, and since man does not have a vagina, the reference must be to anal penetration. The extension would seem to suggest that Scripture does not prevent anal penetration for woman by her husband. So far there is secular writings which indicate that many men and women do indeed enjoy anal penetration if the woman has a sexual derivative in form of contraception. This is widely practiced by Roman Catholics as a form of contraception. It would seem that this is not against Scripture.

Again, as offensive as one may find the suggestion, we must truly abide by the prerequisite if we cannot support our opinion of Scripture, we should be cautious about imposing our opinions on others. This may surely be a matter of personal choice to be resolved privately between husband and wife in the Sight of God.

Having addressed a number of issues which have almost certainly challenged you to a point you may have found offensive, I ask you to bear with me as I need to address one or two other subjects which are viewed as highly controversial in the Church today. In this series, it has been apparent, or it may have been apparent to you that it is obvious that a man can take the virginity of more than one woman and consequently, his sexual intercourse with a virgin is marriage, and the man can take the virginity of more than one woman, then from the beginning God created man to be able to have more than one wife. Even in the Garden of Eden, God had created Eve with virginity that she could give to only one man. Every woman that was born from that point on had a seal of virginity and therefore could marry only one man. But man has no corresponding indicator and was therefore capable of marrying many women. So, we must infer that God intended from the beginning that a man should be able to marry more than one woman.

The End of Age

Isaiah 4:1-6 provides a profoundly challenging Scripture. Reading backwards verse 6,"And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain." Verse 5, "Then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering." Verse 4, "When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning." Verse 3, "And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem." Verse 2, "In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped." Verse 1, "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, 'We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach.'"

The reason I read that backwards is that it is important when we read verse 1 to know what they were talking about. They were talking about the day at the end of the age when the Messiah returns, when the Lord God makes his dwelling place on Mount Zion. In other words, we are talking about the so-called Church age, the period at the end. And we clearly see that Isaiah 4:1 says, "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man. We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by Your name, to take away our reproach." We see clearly that it is a reproach for a woman to be unmarried. We see clearly that in that day, and we are very close to that day if we are not already in that day, those women would be so desperate to have their reproach taken away that they will be willing to provide their own food and clothing in order to be called by the name of a man, in other words, to be married to her. And we see in that day there will be seven times as many women as men in the body of Christ, Jerusalem, Zion.

A superficial inspection of virtually any congregation in the world would indicate that there is generally more than one woman to every man in the Church. There are congregations around with as many as ten women to every man present in the congregation. Can we substantiate that? We have already seen that the simple definition of marriage is the taking of a woman's virginity. This means that God, from the beginning of creation intended a man to have more than one wife. We see here that at the end of the age, there will be seven women to one man. It is important to realise that seven is the number of completeness, it is the number of perfection and it is the number of covenants. So, it appears that from the beginning, God created man and woman with the intention that at the end of the age, there would be seven times as many women believers as there are men. If you consider much of what has been taught in the previous teachings, you will recognise that this particular revelation puts a completely different perspective on many of the problems in the Church today, because if a man can have more than one wife, there is absolutely no reason for any believing woman to be married to an unbeliever. In fact, if we look at the discussion on headship over the last few weeks, it becomes apparent that any Christian man has an obligation before God to take to wife any believing woman who is without a husband and desires a husband.

I appreciate that this is highly controversial and totally contrary to what you may have believed about Scripture, but there are literally hundreds of verses of Scripture which support this. Let me take you through a particular train of thought which is just one of many avenues whereby what I have just said can be validated in Scripture. Let's read 2 Samuel 5:13, "And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David." Now, it is not infrequent to hear preaches from the pope that condemns David as an adulterer and to label him as an adulterer. But let's see whether that is in fact the case. Going a few chapters further on in 2 Samuel. After David sinned with Bathsheba and recognising that up until this point, God had not rebuked David in any way for taking these additional wives and concubines. In 2 Samuel 12:5-14, God sends Nathan, the prophet to David to correct him and to rebuke him. Reading from chapter 12:5, "So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, 'As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.' Then Nathan said to David, 'You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I (Yahweh, God) anointed you king over Israel, and I (God) delivered you from the hand of Saul. I (God) gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!'"

There we see that God clearly and unambiguously rebukes David for taking another man's wife. But at the same time, God clearly states that He gave David, as well his wives, and we know that David was married at an early age to Maacah, the daughter of Saul that he subsequently married Abigail, the Jewish widow or Carmelites and the other Israelites woman and then he married other women when he came to be king of Judah in Hebron and when Israel fell, it appears that God gave him either even more wives. So, God makes it quite clear that David’s adultery is totally unacceptable to Him that has given enemies of the Lord occasion to blaspheme, but God says that He himself gave David those additional women. It is necessary that each one of us ponder that deeply because to preach off  that and say that David is an adulterer other than with regards to his adultery with Bathsheba which he repented, and God forgave him, is completely perverse and just to speak against God's form of marriage and to speak against a man of whom God has much to say.

And since David was given Saul's wives by God himself, how dare we presume to speak against any man who takes more than one wife? How dare we say that it is sinful? How dare we say that it is adultery? How dare we, in any way suggest that it is contrary to God's will? Because God Himself gave David many wives. Let us consider that a little bit further, 1 Kings 15:4-5, "Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord, his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." David did right in the eyes of the Lord except in the matter of Uriah. In other words, in all other matters including the other ten wives and the ten concubines. And this is stated repeatedly, 1 Kings 11:33, "To do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David."

1 Kings 11:38, 1 Kings 14:8, 1 Kings 15:5, 1 Kings 15:11, 2 Kings 14:3, 2 Kings 16:2, 2 Kings 18:3, 2 Kings 22:2, 2 Chronicles 28:1, 2 Chronicles 29:2, 2 Chronicles 34:2, we read repeatedly that David did right in the sight of the Lord all the day of his life except in the matter of Uriah, the Hittite. And we have to ask ourselves how many times must Yahweh, God tell us through the Holy Scriptures that David did right in His sight all his life, before those who seek to argue in support of the Roman Pagan doctrine of monogamy stops slandering David?

Surely, if one feels Yahweh and His judgments, one dare not slander a man whom Yahweh God describes as a man after His own heart. Specifically, 1 Samuel 13:14, Samuel speaking to Saul, "But now Your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." Before you fall into the trap of Samuel that was before David took all these wives. Consider Acts 13:22, "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'" So, we see not only how repeatedly after David's death, in the Books of Kings and Chronicles that the Word of God says that David did right in the Sight of God except in the matter of Uriah, the Hittite. We see, even in the Book of Acts that it is reported that David was a man after God's own heart. Taking that in the context of Isaiah 4:1, I have to suggest to you that you should seriously consider the possibility that God is saying through these Scriptures, that it is in His own heart for a man to have more than one wife. In fact, He has appointed for men in this age to accept responsibility for up to seven wives.

In the context of the earlier teachings, I need to say to you this is not about lust, this is not about carnality; it is about responsibility in the Sight of God to unmarried Christian women whose lives are being made hell because they are unable to satisfy their sexual desires. They are unfulfilled because they are unable to have children, they lack a covering, they are exposed, they are falling away, they are marrying unbelievers and their lives have been made hell. And every Christian man in this age, I believe, will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ one day and be asked to give account for why he did not extend his covering to those single Christian women that came across his path when he had the whole of Genesis to Revelation to tell him that it is his responsibility before God to look after those women. And the Word of God makes it quite clear that every single woman is entitled to her husband.

It is important in raising this issue to see it in the context of what God's Word has to say about marriage. There is more in Scripture on the subject, but that is not the objective of my teaching. I have an entire book of something like 350 pages on the subject, which contains literally hundreds of Scriptures and a large amount of historical information which proves beyond reasonable doubt that monogamy was first implemented in the Christian Church by Justinian in about 615 AD. Monogamy is not what the Word of God says concerning marriage. It is a Doctrine of Demons as its foothold in Scripture. But I do not want to dwell on that subject because that is not the primary objective of this teaching. I want to address one other aspect before I close, and again, it is an extremely controversial and extremely difficult subject, but it has an enormous bearing on the state of marriage in our Church and in the world today. It has an enormous bearing on the level of fornication and it has to be dealt with in an appropriate fashion.

Let's consider the question of the age at which Yahweh intended men and women to marry. The evidence that I am going to present to you is somewhat circumstantial in the sense that there is no expressed statement in Scripture to this effect. But I would ask you to listen carefully to what I have to say and to pray about it. The basis of my revelation is an instance in which I was led by the Lord to pick up a particular book, open the book at a particular page, and I got the interpretation that I am about to show you. Subsequently, it has been confirmed to me by people I have met, who have grown up in communities where it is common practice and in other books. I will just give you the headlines of what this says. The book that I picked up was the Steinsaltz edition of the Talmud, the Tractate Ketubot, volume 9, part 3 and it dealt specifically with the passages of Scripture that we have referenced a number of times. "If a man seduces a virgin who is not being betrothed, and lies with her, he should surely make her his wife."Deuteronomy 22:28-29, "If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days."

The opening commentary states the laws concerning the seducer, or the rapist of a girl between 12, and 12 and a half years old and it’s explicitly stated in the Torah. However because these laws are written in a very many questions demanding practical solutions remain open there. Subsequently, under the heading 'Concept' the following statement is made: "And from when she produces two pubic hairs until she becomes mature, the defines legal majority in terms of sexual maturity. Hence it is signalled by the growth of pubic hairs, two hairs, although the sign usually appears close to the age of adolescence, 13 for a boy, 12 for a girl, it is merely the beginning of a process, which continues for a certain time until the child has indeed attained full sexual maturity, not however the completion of his or her physical or spiritual growth." It then goes on and addresses a variety of other things, but the important point about this is that the word ‘virgin’ referred to in the Scriptures that we have repeatedly cited in this teaching, relates to a girl as young as 12 and a half years old. Now that may be a great shock to you but the point of the matter is that somewhere around about 12 and a half, 13, 14 years old, the average young girl comes to puberty and becomes sexually aware and sexually active. Most of those young girls go on to be challenged by their sexuality. They become highly sexually aware and eventually end up succumbing to sexual temptation.

Statistics indicate that something of the order of 60% of all girls at the age of 16 have already lost their virginity. Something like 95% of all women in the world confessed to being not virgins on their wedding nights. Something like 60% of all women in the world confessed of having intercourse with two or more men prior to the night of their wedding. The net effect of this is that God did not intend young girls to battle with their sexual needs and their sexuality for years before marriage, leading them to be led by their hormones and led by their lust to come into marriage. There are many which indicate that it was commonplace for young girls to marry at about the age of 14 and there is substantial evidence that Mary, the virgin, who gave birth to the Lord Jesus Christ was somewhere between 13 and 15 years old.

There is plenty of evidence regarding not just relatively what we would term primitive cultures, be it in Africa, be it on the Pacific Rim, be it in Asia, be it in South America where the marriage age of 13 or 14 years old is commonplace and accepted as normal. Even in Lebanon, as recently as 30 or 40 years ago, it was commonplace for girls of the age of about 14 or 15 to be given in marriage. It was in fact unthinkable for a woman to live much beyond her 14th birthday without getting married. In fact, it was regarded as a shame for such a girl to be without a husband. And yet today, we have a worldly rule which says that a girl should be at least 16 before she is married and in fact, the Church will have us believe that she should be at least in her early 20s before she is married. The net effect is that her ability to submit to her husband, her ability to accept the headship of her husband is seriously perverted and seriously destroyed.

The other thing we should recognise is that circumstantially, Moses married Zipporah when Moses was about 40 and Zipporah was about 14; Isaac and Rebecca again about 40 and 14, and so it goes. There are numerous instances of Scripture of men of about 40 years old marrying girls of about 14. In that instance, submission is much more straightforward, and it is much easier for the woman to put into effect. It puts a whole new perspective on marriage and it puts a whole new perspective on harsh judgments of young girls who are unable to curb their sexuality.

In closing this teaching, I would pray that you will pray and consider carefully all that has been given. These are challenging subjects, but they have an enormous bearing on many of the facets of why marriage today ends up in divorce so frequently in the Christian Church.

"Father, I come to you in the name of Yahooshua. I ask you to blow away anything that I have uttered which is not according to Your Word and Your Will, but I ask that everything that I have said is according to Your Word and Your Will, will take root in the hearts of those people who listened to this teaching and it will bring forth abundant fruit in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen."

03_09 Do you love like Jesus loves?

James Robertson -- 29th October 2000

Entitled, "Do you love like Jesus loves." It was given at the Foundation for Living Church on Sunday, the 29th of October 2000, immediately following the teaching on . It deals with the subject of Christ-like love, self-sacrificial love, laying down one's life for one's friends and one's enemies, and is absolutely congruent with the teaching on marriage. Accordingly, the tape has been included in this series.

Greetings from the man with Lord Jesus Christ. I have a message for you, which has certainly challenged me, and I believe it will challenge you. Many of you are aware that over the last 40 days or so I've been on four, three-day fasts. In that period, I've been seeking to draw closer to the Lord. On this last fast, the Lord really started to challenge me on love, on the love of Jesus and the love that Jesus has for us. And to get this book "Lord, teach me how to love" by Creflo Dollar.

to tell you I normally read a book this size in about an hour and a half to two hours. It has probably taken me about five or six hours so far and I am only half way through. I've been incredibly challenged by this.

The Loveless Church

The Scripture came to my heart just before I got up and everything I have to say today, if you take it the wrong way, might sound quite harsh, but I am preaching to myself as much as to anybody else and it's something that I really believe that the Lord wants to tackle through Churches of right now. There is a passage in Revelations 2 which the New King James has subtitled "The Loveless Church."

"Nevertheless, I have this against you that you have left your first love. Remember, therefore, from where you are fallen repentant and do the best work. So, I will also come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place unless you repent." And the Lord has really been dealing with me in the last couple of weeks in terms of just how far I have fallen from that first love, just how far I've fallen from that place where it was never difficult to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning and seek His face.

Christian, true or false?

It was never difficult to do whatever He wanted me to do. And the message that the Lord has given me which sounds quite startling, but I believe it's incredibly profound is, Christian, true or false? I believe the Lord will challenge each one of us this morning to ask ourselves, Christian, true or false? We turn to Chapter 11, Verses 25 to 27. "Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So, it was for a whole year they assembled with the Church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch, and in these days,  prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch."

My understanding of the word ‘Christian’ is that it's derived from the Greek. It reflects to the word Christos, some of it refers to little Christ-like ones. And my understanding of what was happening in Antioch in those days is that the Spirit was moving powerfully. People were getting healed, people were getting saved and people were getting delivered.

The question that I believe the Lord asked me, and I believe it's a question that each one of us has to answer, is if we call ourselves Christians. and if we truly are little Christ like ones, When was the last time someone was healed as your shadow passed by? When was the last time blind eyes were opened when you laid hands on them? When was the last time a crippled man leapt and praised God after you had prayed for him? And my brothers and sisters, the answer I have to give the Lord is never. How do I presume to appropriate the name of Christ unless I am saved by His grace, unless His Spirit dwells in me. How dare I presume to call myself a little Christ-like one?

I believe the Lord wants to challenge each one of us with that today. Do you dwell in Christ? Do we dwell in Christ? Are we so full of Christ that He overflows out of us so that the world sees Christ and not James or Peter or whoever? Are we so full of ourselves that there is so little room for Him? We don’t have the right to appropriate His name as a label. It is a gift. It is something that people see in us. It is unbelievers to determine whether we are Christ-like, not for us to appropriate His name.

Love

As I pondered this in the last week or two, the thing that has dawned on me which has just been hitting me and hitting me is the difference is love. And about a week or so ago I said, "Lord, I don’t think I even understand what is meant by love the way You describe it. Yes, I know what it says in One Corinthians verse 13, I know what the Word of God says, but do I actually know in my Spirit, in my Heart what love is? Do I actually walk the love of Jesus Christ?"

The answer was no. I don’t think I even begin to understand it and as I read this book, I've read through one or two pages and just being convicted and said, "Lord, I don’t know how to love the way Jesus loved." If we start at a very straightforward point, Deuteronomy, Chapter 6, Verses 4 and 5, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

In Matthew 36 to 40, Jesus confirmed that. Somebody came to him and said, "Teacher what is the Great Commandment of the Lord?" Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the First and the Great Commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all, not some, all the law and the profits.

If we do not profoundly have a Revelation of God's love and what it is, and walk in it, we cannot keep the Commandment. We actually are as clanging cymbals. We are without any substance as Christians if we do not have a profound Revelation of what Jesus is saying when He says to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength. It's very easy to get and say, "Oh Jesus, how much I love You." It's going around in many Charismatic circles at the moment which I think must grieve the Lord terribly. Jesus, do you know how much I love you? What an insult. The Mighty God knows the thoughts of our hearts and we presume to ask Him how much if He knows how much we love Him. We don’t know ourselves how little we love Him.

Receiving Jesus

John 5, verses 42 to 44, "That I know you that you do not have the love of God in you." I really have to receive that. We have to listen to what Jesus is saying because Jesus is not speaking to people who are far off from us.

I've come in my Father's name and you do not receive Me. Another comes in his own name, and him you'll receive. How can you believe one who received honour from another but do not seek the honour that comes from the only God? And just how often does God send someone to us and we don’t receive Him because He doesn’t conform.

Today, if an unknown Prophet comes in to the midst of the average assembly and seeks to prophesy in the name of God, the Church will not receive him. The vast majority of assemblies will ask his credentials and tell him that once he has fellowshipped there for six months then perhaps, they will permit him to speak in public. And when they do that, they reject him.

Keeping His Commandments

In John 2:3-11, “Now by this we know that we know Him if we keep His Commandments. He who says I know him and does not keep His Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. When you get a Revelation of that verse it’s saying it's like a solid slap with a very large piece of that really is profoundiIf I look at my life over the last few years. By this we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. He who says I know Him and does not keep His commandments, he is a liar and the truth is not in him.

How many times have we half done what we know the Word requires us to do? How many times has He spoken to us with that still, quiet voice and we've said, "No Lord, not now, later." Whoever keeps his word, the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we're in Him. Comes back to what I said at the opening. It doesn’t help to have Jesus in us, we must be in Christ to the point where He has so encompassed us that we're able to keep His Commandments.

The light

He who says he abides in Him, owes it to himself to walk just as he walked, just as Jesus walked. Again, do we presume to label ourselves Christians? Or can the world in fact see Christ in us? Brethren, I write no new Commandment to you, but an old Commandment which you've had from the beginning. The old Commandment is the Word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new Commandment I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. And again, how many of us can truly say that we did not have unresolved differences and disputes with old school Friends, with old army colleagues, with business associates, with family? I will write a whole list afterwards.

He who loves his brother abides with him in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. And I was saying, Lord help me, I can't hear your voices as well as I used to.

I have to admit that I have been angry with people, I've been offending these people. I still don’t know how to make right some of this, but I will not know where I am going until I have, nor will you…

Creflo Dollar makes an extremely important point- Your obedience to the word of God and the Spirit of God is the measure of your love of God. You cannot say you love God if you're not doing what you should according to this Book, know what to do out of this book. I am not saying the things you don’t know to do, the way you've a read a passage in the Scriptures and you've been convicted If you don’t put that into practice in your life, how can you say you love God? Where the Spirit of God has spoken to you and told you to do something, whether it's to make restitution for somebody who wronged you, whether it's to go and make right with somebody that you've wronged, if you don’t do it, then your love is growing cold.

Faithfulness

Obedient delay obedience is disobedience and it's not love. I just printed out a poster that I made for myself and I thought it might help some of you as well. I've only done 10, so a cluster of people could share. It's just some points out of a series of tapes on faithfulness, that I started listening to led by the Spirit of God on my first fast about 35-40 days ago. And that too just really, really rocked me. The heading at the top here is why is it relevant, and what that means is when you come before the judgment seat of Christ, you'll be confronted with the things you've done, that you ought not to have done and the things that you've not done that you ought to have done.

And, at that moment as you stand before the Almighty God, why will it be irrelevant? “But Lord, I had a sore toe, Lord I had flu, Lord you know much that person insulted me…” Lord whatever will count for nothing. The worst that can happen will be, “depart from Me, you worker of inequity. I never knew you.”

The Scriptures are written to believers, they're not written to unbelievers this. It's . And in many others, I am not presuming to say that they all apply to you, but they're just headlines that I wrote down as I was going through that document and realising just how faithless I had become in my service of God.

Something else that's really, really rocked me this week because we've been walking by faith for many years and certainly in the last four years, is that we've never gone without food on the table. We've gone through some really, really testing times in large measures, the result of our own disobedience and our own sin as the Lord has taken us through various trials. But a very challenging verse, because we care so much about the faith walk in this age. And I am sure most of us listen to many teachings on faith and consider ourselves to be people who walk by faith.

Galatians 5, verse 6. "For in Christ Jesus be the circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything that faith working through love.The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." In other words, without love, faith is powerless. Faith cannot work without love and again, these are old truths that one can listen to and says’ “yeah, but I've read that Scripture dozens of times, I know about that.” But if you do what I've been doing recently and you kind of read the Scriptures and say, “Lord show me what's wrong in my life,” I have to admit my faith was being made powerless by my lack of love. And I want to ask each one of you to challenge yourself on that and again, I've done another little poster here and one currently in 13. We can have this one after this.

“I speak with tongues of men and of Angels but have not love. I've become a sounding brass and a clanging symbol and though I've the gifts of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and I've all faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not loved, I am nothing.” Without love, we're nothing. We have no standing before God. If we act in Jesus' name without love, it's nothing. “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burnt but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy, love does not parade itself. It's not . Love does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not perverse, thinks no evil. Love does not rejoice in inequity but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endears all things. Love never fails.”

The Fruits of the Spirit

One of the tragedies of the world in which we live now is the world will have us believe that love is a transitory thing. People fall in and out of love. They may fall into lust and out of lust but God's love never fails. When a man and woman have love, they can never not love. They may be confused, they may be distracted, but they can never cease loving except in extreme cases of treachery. And we don’t walk that. I don’t walk that.

And the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. against such things there is no law. And again, deeply, deeply challenging Scriptures.

I would like to go on and consider a few practical aspects, just out of some things that have really come to my attention again in the last few days and things which were racing through my head last night, thinking about this message.

John 15, 12-15, "This is My Commandment, that you love one another as I've loved you. Greater love has no man than this, to lay down one's life for his friends.”, you're my friends if..." if, One of the smallest words in the English language and perhaps one of the biggest words in the bible, "You're my friends if you do whatever I command you.” There it is. If you love God, you'll obey His Commandments. no longer do I call you Servants, for a Servant does not know what his Master is doing but I've called you Friends for all things that I heard from My Father that I've made known to you." And certainly, we've seen in this congregation in the last few weeks that the Lord has been speaking to us at some length about the things which are to come to pass shortly. He is doing that because He regards us as friends. It's so vital that we love Him. It's so vital that we obey Him. It's so vital that we do what we know He is calling us to do with the truth that He has given us.

Perhaps you can turn with me to 1 Peter, chapter 2, basically from 1 Peter chapter 2 to 1 Peter, chapter 3 or in fact if you like even the chapter 4, 19. I think it might be one of the most challenging passages of Scripture that each one of us needs to confront in the days to come because it speaks of submission to Governments, it speaks of submission to Masters, it speaks of a Wife's submission to her Husband. I am just going to lift out a couple of verses. I am not going to read the whole thing but I would encourage you to go away and meditate on this in the light of this message.

1 Peter 2:13, "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the King as Supreme or to Governments, as to those who are sent by Him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of those who do good." And so, it goes on. Verse 18, "Servants be submissive to your Masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle but also to the harsh." So, this is commendable if, because of conscience towards God, one endures grief and suffering wrongfully. For what created this, if when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently. But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps who committed no sin, nor was the seat found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously, who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree that we've the sins might live for righteousness by whose stripes you're healed.

And we so readily claimed the last part of that, verse 24 by His stripes we are healed. But do we recognise that when He was reviled, He did not revile in return, that He suffered in silence even though every blow was unrighteous and every blow was unmerited. And yet we're so quick, and I speak for myself again, I can't speak for you, but I just speak for myself. I respond so easily to a false accusation or an insult, something like that.

Husbands and Wives

It carries on and I am not going to pick up the whole passage but 1 Peter 3, verse 1, “Wives likewise be submissive to your own Husbands,” and this is a startling Scripture to really hit home a few weeks ago. Wives likewise, what’s likewise? Like Jesus, submit to your Husbands in what? In everything? Ephesians 5:22, I think it is Wives submit to your Husbands in everything. Whether your Husband is righteous or whether your Husband is unrighteous, submit to your Husband like Jesus submitted to the Pharisees and the high priests.

That some may be won by the conduct of their Wives. It's an awesome Scripture for any Woman who is married to an unbeliever and it's a salutary warning for any Woman who thinks of marrying an unbeliever. It requires that you lay down your life for that Man in whatever way. it comes to that. And so we go on and I am not going to go all the way down. Verse 7 makes it very clear that the Husband has an obligation to take his Wife under his covering and to take the blows on her account to protect her in the same way that Jesus took the blows for us.

Again, it's this concept of a love that we don’t understand. And so we go, to vVerse 12, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, and who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good, but even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you're blessed and do not be afraid of their threats. They will all be troubled."

We go on to chapter 4, "Beloved do not think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange things happen to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings that when His glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy."

Verse 17, "For the time has come for judgement to begin at the house of God and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the Gospel of God?" And I have to say to you that I've no doubt that judgement is about to begin with the House of God. We've heard of the coming tribulation, we've seen the evidence of the war that's in the Middle East that we need to understand that the judgement that will come on the world will come first on the Church. We will be convicted of arsons. We will have to deal with the things that are wrong in our lives which is not a pleasant thought. We need to get our lives right with God. We need to come to that place of love where it is as in Christ, not just Christ in us. We need to come to that place where we can lay our lives down for the sake of the Gospel and count it an honour and a privilege to do that.

The Holocaust Museum and the Jews

When I was in the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem in about June 1996. The Holocaust Museum is where the Israeli’s commemorate the Holocaust, Yad Vashem all of those absolutely terrible atrocities that were committed against the Jews by people who call themselves Christians incidentally. And that same truth I was speaking at two conferences and I've a slide at the end of my presentation with a cross on it.

And I prayed about it and I said "Lord, do you want me to take the slide out? I don’t want to offend this Jewish audience." He said, "No leave it. I want you to apologise to them for what has been done to them in the name of Jesus Christ." So, at two conferences in Tel Aviv in 1996 I got up, and at the end I said I want to apologise to you. Jesus Christ, who is a Jew, and the things that have been done to the Jews in the name of Jesus Christ are not right. I ask you to forgive me… It was an incredibly moving experience for me and what was even more astounding for me was the number of elderly Jewish men who came up to me afterwards and said we can't tell you how much that means to us.

Rick Joyner

My brothers and sisters, God is asking us to lay down our lives for our brothers and Christ for the Jews and for the unbelievers. I just want to close by reading three brief passages out of three books which have touched me enormously on the subject. I don’t know how many of you have come across this book "The Final Quest" by Rick Joyner. If you haven’t, I strongly encourage you to get it and read it. There are  five prophetic visions where Joyner was taken up into the third heaven and he comes before the judgement seat of Christ,. And a serious, serious wakeup call to the Church.

But I just want to read one little passage. This is where Joyner has come to the throne itself. He is before the Lord Jesus Christ. He has been through the judgement and he has discovered how little of his life he has actually led for Christ. And Jesus offers him a cup. "I then looked back at the Lord and was astonished to see tears in His eyes. He had wiped the tears away from every eye here except His own. As the tear ran down His cheek, He caught them in His hands and then He offered them to me. This is My cup, will you drink it with Me? There was no way I could refuse him. As the Lord continued to look at me, I began to feel His great love even as foul as I was, He still loved me. As undeserving as I was, He wanted me to be close to Him. And then He said, I love all of these- this is now in heaven. I love all of these with the love that you cannot now understand. I also love all who are supposed to be here but did not come. I have left the 99 to go after the one who was lost. My shepherds would not leave the one to go after the 99 who are still lost.

I came to save the lost. Will you share my heart to go to save the lost? Will you help me to fill this room? Will you help to fill these thrones and every other seat in this hall? Will you take up this quest to bring joy to heaven to Me and to My Father? This judgement is for My own household, and My own house is not full. The last battle will not be over until My house is full. Only then will it be time for us to redeem the Earth and remove the Evil from My creation. If you drink My cup, you'll love the lost, the way that I love them."

And every time I read that passage, in some three years I think since I first read it, it just really strikes me how wrapped up I get in the cares of this world and how little I devote myself to the things of the Kingdom. How little I devote myself to bringing Souls to Salvation. How little I devote myself to sharing the truth that the Lord has given me that He seeks to restore the Church to all truth.

Communism

I now want to read a short passage from this book, which I read about two years ago. It's called . It's an Afrikaans book, it's a translation from English but I don’t have the translation, so bear with me, I am going to read it in Afrikaans. It's about a young man called . His father was a general in the Russian army in the Second World War. His mother was a Christian. They were murdered shortly after the war, I think when Stalin took over. I am not sure of the details. He grew up in an orphanage. He was extremely talented. He came to be one of the top recruits at the Russian Naval Military Academy up in North Eastern Soviet Russia. He went on to become the leader of the Communist Youth League in that city.

He was then recruited by the KGB along with about 20 other young men, all exceptionally good athletes, extremely fit, extremely strong, to put down what the KGB had identified as the greatest single threat to Communism. Those people that they call believers, those people who were truthful Christians, who just would not bow the knee to the Communist God.

This young man eventually came to Salvation and I will tell you a bit more about that in a moment, but he came to salvation through the testimony of two Christian women. The first was a young girl of about 16 who they found at a home Church meeting of about 10 or 15 people, a group not bigger than this who were meeting clandestinely in a house. They stripped her naked, and they beat her with their bare hands until the flesh fell from her back. The next day, they went into her place of employment and they told them that she was a Christian. She lost her job.

A week later, they went in to break another clandestine meeting. She was there. They couldn’t understand it. She said I love Jesus so much, I can't not be here. They let her go, they couldn’t understand. A few days they went to another meeting and I just want to read a page from that. They're just about to break in.

.

Do we love to pray for somebody? It's about the precious God and not think for ourselves. That young man subsequently jumped ship in the Pacific Ocean five miles off Vancouver in the middle of a massive storm. by the Grace of God he miraculously; he should have died of exposure within minutes; he was washed up on the shore of Vancouver and came to salvation, to share his testimony. God alone knows how many people's lives have been touched by those two women who loved Jesus so much that they obeyed His Commandment, to love their enemies, to do good to the . Are we ready to do that? If the worst things with some people are speculating as being about to happen in this world really do happen.

If the rumours about the concentration camp near Kokstad, the gas chambers and the ovens designed to kill 3,000 people a day or two. If the rumours about the concentration camp in in an old , the similar capacity, a truth. If the rumour is about the 45 concentration camps in the United States, a truth. If the rumour is about a United Nation plan to annihilate two-thirds of the world's population, a truth. The Spirit that was behind the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic, the Spirit that was behind is about to break loose from this world when you love your enemies the way Jesus did. Will you retreat into self pity, self centeredness? I've got one last passage that I want to read and then I am done. And it’s comes very much closer to home.

Lord, teach me how to Love

This is from Creflo Dollar's book, "Lord, teach me how to love." I strongly encourage you to see if you can get hold of it. They do have offices near us if you can't get hold of it elsewhere. It is entitled ‘Covering others with love’. He says, I like this translation of 1 Corinthians 13: "It (love) does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything without weakening." Verse 6 and 7 from the Amplified.

He says, "I've known preachers who have fallen into sin. One of them had to check himself into an institution. He was shocked to see me the first time I went to visit him. He was so sure that, like many others, I had only come to hurt him more with words of condemnation. He actually asked me to leave, but I refused. I had already predetermined that we would have Communion together that day, so I found a cracker and some juice. Then I sat down with him to make a Covenant agreement with him. I grabbed his face and said, I promise to love you forever. And if you should die, I'll see to it that your Wife is taken care of and that your Children get a first-class education. I will not leave you, no matter what you do. I will love you unconditionally.”

He was so moved by the level of God's compassion, by the fact that God would actually send someone to convey his love at such a time that he was blown away. We both cried. I still cry every time we get together, because I think, what if I had killed him with my words and actions? Where would he be today? Now this man of God is whole. He made a complete recovery and is even more Anointed now than he was before.

There's no greater joy than seeing people climb out of the pit of despair and press on to higher levels of spirituality. That's the way God meant it to be."

Step up to the Challenge

That's the end of my message. I believe the Lord is challenging every one of us here today to step up to that measure of love which is the fullness of the man Christ Jesus. To set aside everything to do with self, to set aside all our creek? and notions and to love as we have never loved before. To love of the lust, not just the lust outside the Church, but the lust inside the Church who is so deceived in so many areas. Those people who think being a Christian is a Sunday School picnic, they don’t realise that they will have to endure great persecution and tribulation for their faith.

Do we love them enough to tell them the truth no matter what they do to us, to love our enemies if they persecute us? Even if confronted, that angry young man has the capacity to utterly smash our faces in his raging . So Father forgive him, love him, save him. Are we prepared to reach out to those in the faith who fail it and love them unconditionally and pick them up? Father, I just bring this message before You now. I pray Lord above all things if there be anything that I've said which is not of You, that You blow it away right now by Your Spirit that it will find no root. Whatever is of You will take root in the hearts of those who heard me, and we will bring forth Lord abundant . Father, my cry today, myself and all those who hear me as teachers, who teach love like Jesus loved and not to count the cost.

A final prayer

Dear father, in the name of Jesus, I ask you to pour out Your Spirit upon these people right now. I ask you to fill us to overflowing with the Glory and Compassion of your Spirit. Cleanse us of our unrighteousness, cleanse us of our self-centredness and let us see people the way you see the Lord God. Let us know Your world in every situation. Let us experience Your heart in every situation. Let us be vessels for Your love. Let us be vessels for Your faith by love in Christ Jesus. Let us come to the place where there is so little of us and so much of Jesus that the world says, "Look, there is a Christian."

Father take us out of this place where the unbeliever is more able to tell us what's wrong with our lives than we are. Take us into a place where Jesus is everything in our lives Father. Abba, Daddy, we cannot do it in our own strength. We cannot do it in our own ability. All we can say to You is Daddy, in the name of Yahooshua, Your Son, Crucify our flesh, destroy self-centredness, self-righteousness and self-confidence and everything that has anything to do with self. Let us be Crucified this day with the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's go out of this. Let us go out of this place. Truly New Creatures in Christ.

Father, we ask You by Your spirit to convict us of our sin, to convict us of everything that You've called us to do that we've left undone, and everything You've told us not to do that we've done. We ask You to convict us of our woeful disobedience and our negligence and our just plain carelessness. Father, in the name of Jesus, forgive us Lord. We're not worthy to come before Your throne but we come nonetheless by faith and the saving Grace and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for You've said we can come boldly before the Throne of Christ.

We ask You today Father, in the name of Jesus for Grace to serve You, for Grace to love the way Jesus loves and love what you won't deserve. For Grace to love the way those two women in impoverished circumstances in Soviet Russia loved. Love the enemies that the leader of the communist youth league jumped ship to fight to thank you. Lord, take us, make us, break us, use us, fill us with Your love today. Let us never be the same, let us never think the same.

Deliver us from our obsession with the things of the world from our obsession with our own comforts and our own cares and what people think of us in our carnal secular activities. Take us, Lord Jesus. Hold us in Your arms and infuse us with Your love that we're changed forever. Please don’t stop. Show us everything that has to change. And we yield ourselves to right now, Lord God. We  commit our spirits, our hearts, our minds, our souls, our bodies and all that we have, our families, our children, our houses, our cars, every material things that we have, we give it to You Lord. None of these things are of any worth except the love of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Lord, You gave everything that we might be saved. And we give You everything that we might be saved, that might save others.

Lord, today we commit ourselves to land Heaven and longer to have treasure of Heaven. Let us not squander the few precious years that You've given us of this considering yourselves with carnal things but let us consider ourselves with that which is written in your book concerning us. Let us consider ourselves with that you'll say to us on that great day. Lord, our desires to to be faithful Servants, not to be told. Depart from me, you work as a given you. Praise you Jesus. Praise you to stand and just receive from heaven. He just wants to pour out His spirit, He wants us to stand. Lord, pour out Your Spirit upon Your people now, fill us Lord, fill us, fill us, fill us, fill us, fill us.

Pour out the fire of Your spirit, burn out the dross, burn out the , refine us by Your Holy Anointing, refine us by Your Holy Fire. Cleanse us Lord Jesus. Jesus, I just want to say how sorry I am for all the times I disobeyed You. I want to say how sorry I am for all the times I've responded in   anger, for all the times that the people around me have seen Your great name brought in to disrepute by my conduct.. Father, I repent of that right now in Jesus name. I ask You to forgive me. I ask You to cleanse me with Your blood. I turn around and I choose to return to my first love and never before, not but by Your Spirit. For I am unable in my own strength to love myself, let alone to love my enemies. By Your Spirit all things are possible. Nothing is impossible for You.

Thank You Jesus for loving us. Thank You Jesus for dying for us. Thank You Jesus.  but soon you'll return for us. Amen.

Foundation for Living Community Church is a church based north of Pretoria. It is pastored by Neil Dreyer, an Apostle of God. He can be contacted on Pretoria,  012 808 1650.

This message has been recorded by a Church Without Walls a ministry of End Time Issue Ministries, P.O. Box 898, Randpark Ridge, Randburg 2156, Republic of South Africa. We can be contacted by email at james@end-time-issues.org.za. Our phone number, international dialling code, 0027 but this may vary from country to country, the 27 is standard. Our landline, 0027117912327. When in South Africa, 0117912327. My mobile number 0027832516644 and in South Africa, 0832516644. Our fax number internationally 0027117915004 and locally 0117915004.

All materials produced by this ministry are available at no cost to those who require them irrespective of financial means. At the same time, donations and offerings are clearly welcome to support the work. Please feel free to copy any of our materials in part, or in full as the Lord leads you understanding that the manner in which you utilize these materials and the manner in which you cite them and quote them is for your account and the day of judgement. So, we would ask you to use these materials widely, but please feel free to copy them however you see fit and to share these truths with anybody as the Lord leads.

I would urge those of you who received copies of these tapes at no charge that once you've listened to them that you consider passing them on and blessing others with them. Our hearts' desire that they should not become artefacts sitting on a bookshelf and gathering dust but the Word of God contained in these teachings should be spread as far and as widely as possible.

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If you're listening to these messages, and you've realised that you do not have a personal saving relationship with Lord Jesus Christ and that if you were to die right now, you'll be lost in Eternity in Heaven with him, I would urge you to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and to pray the prayer of Salvation. These steps of salvation are as follows. Firstly, admit and recognise that you're a sinner. Romans 3 verse 23 says, "For all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God."

Secondly, accept and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He came to Earth as a Man, that He was crucified and died on the cross and that on the third day He rose again. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father. And that by His death and resurrection he took your sins for Eternity. Romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrates His own love toward us but while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Thirdly, confess your sins, repent of your sins and turn around. Repentance means turning around. It means ceasing to do what you now realise is wrong. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just forgives us our sins, to cleanses us from all unrighteousness."

Four, confess your faith that Jesus Christ is Lord that you believe this, and receive His salvation and invite Him to dwell in your heart.

Romans 10, 9 and 10 says, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes into righteousness and with the mouth confession is made and to salvation. Give thanks to God for your salvation. Pray and cry out to God and give thanks to Him for saving you."

Six, work out your salvation by the Spirit of God. Philippians 2:12 says "Therefore, My beloved as you have always obeyed, not only in My presence, but now much more in My absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Salvation is a process. You're saved the moment you pray. Sinners prayer the prayer of Salvation and invite the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. The salvation is also a process whereby your mind is renewed, and you come to have a personal and deep relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is your choice how far you go in that relationship. He desires a wonderful, and a deep and an intimate relationship with you but it is your choice whether you'll do what is necessary to come to that place through reading the Bible, praying, seeking counsel and seeking guidance.

You should be Water Baptised at the first possible opportunity, Mathew 3:6 says "And we're baptised by Him in the Jordan and confessing his sins." Encourage you to ask the Lord to lead you to somebody who has some knowledge of the basic ordinance of Water Baptism who can Water Baptise you or  lead you to a Church where they can Water Baptise you. There is no reason why you cannot be Water Baptised today as a symbolic cleansing and washing of your sins. In fact, the minute you pray, the sinner’s prayer, it would be preferable for you to be Water Baptised.

Choose to be obedient to the Word of God, accept the Bible in its original Hebrew as given by the Spirit of God and choose to live your life according to that. 1 John 5:3 says "For this is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments. His Commandments are not burdensome." I encourage you to read the Word of God daily and to put into practice everything that you encounter, as a principle which I believe will fruiten your life, I encourage you to make an effort right now after you have prayed this prayer, to start reading your Bible from the Book of John through to the Book of Revelation. Make a discipline of reading the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation, at least two, three, four times a year and read the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi at least once a year. And I would encourage you to do that using different translations.

Ask God to lead you to the church where He wants you to be at this time. They will teach you, they will guide you, they will pray for you, and they will help you walk in the fullness of what God has called you to be. Be aware that He may move you. God may move you from Church to Church over time to teach you new things and you should not be reluctant to do this.

The service of God is a personal choice. It's a wonderful choice and if you'll step up by faith today and pray the sinner’s prayer and follow Him, you'll reap a rich harvest if that is your desire, to be found faithful on the Day of Judgement. Should you have listened to this and have decided that you're now ready to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, I would ask you to pray the following prayer with me in Jesus name.

"Father I come to you in the name of Jesus and I confess that I am a sinner. I confess that I don’t have a personal knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and I recognise that without Jesus if I were to die right now, I will spend Eternity in hell and not with You. I confess that I've sinned and repent of those sins and I turn around. I choose to turn my back on sin and to serve God. I confess that Jesus Christ came to Earth as a Man, that He was crucified, that He died and was buried and that He was resurrected on the third day and that He sits on the right hand of the Father.

I confess by faith that He died to take all of my sins and I thank you Jesus for taking my sin and I give You my sin right now, in Jesus name. I confess by faith of Jesus Christ, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and I choose now Lord Jesus to make You the Lord of my life. I invite you to come and dwell in my heart. I invite You to take charge of my life. I invite You to start leading and guiding me and directing me and I give You my life and everything that I have, and I commit myself to serving You now, Lord Jesus.

I thank you that You've heard now, and I thank You that You've now come to live in me and I thank You for saving me. I thank You that I am now a Child of the most high God. I thank You that I am now a Servant of the most high God and that You'll lead me and guide me into the paths that You want me to walk. I ask You Lord, to lead me to the Church where You want me to be. I ask You in the name of Jesus to bring the people that You want in my life, into my life by Your Spirit and to remove the people that You don’t want in my life by Your Spirit, in Jesus name.

I ask You to close all doors in my life which You do not want to open, that no man may open, and I ask You to open every door in my life that You want opened and that no man may close it, in Jesus name. Father, I ask You to teach me to be led by Your Spirit. I ask You to open my eyes to have a Revelation of the Word of God. I ask You to give me a hunger for the Word of God and for Your Spirit and I ask You to teach me to pray in Jesus name. I thank You Father, and I thank You Jesus for saving me and I declare that I am now a Child of God and I praise You and I worship You and I glorify Your Holy Name and I thank You for changing me and saving me and delivering me in Jesus name. Amen."

Now that you've prayed that prayer and you're born again into the body of Christ, realise that the Christian walk is a journey with all likening to a marathon race. You need guidance, you need assistance. If you have no one to help you, pray, then ask the Holy Spirit of God to come into your life and to help you. If you need to contact somebody, contact any of the major ministries. If you're not sure who to contact, contact this ministry through the address and telephone and email details that was supplied earlier.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His Face to shine upon you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Amen.

03_10 Scriptural Divorce Versus Putting Away

This teaching is entitled 'Scriptural Divorce Versus Putting Away.' It is the next teaching in the marriage series and follows on after the teaching on adultery, although it was recorded some time later. Having examined in great detail the Scriptures on adultery and determining that, which is currently regarded as divorce, is not. It is necessary that we now more closely investigate God's definition of divorce. As we do this, it is vital that we approach the subject, not with a legalistic view, but with a view to understanding God's heart in the matter. In considering this teaching it is important to recognise that current statistics indicate that approximately two-thirds of all Western marriages, both in the Church and amongst unbelievers end in legal divorce. A recent report suggests there are more divorces in the Church than in the world. Indications are that nearly all these divorces are not recognised by the Lord.

It is also important to understand that an enormous percentage of people who think they are married are living in adultery. Secular statistics indicate that 5% of women are virgins on what the world and the Church call their wedding night, in other words, the night of their contractual marriage. Two-thirds or more have had intercourse with more than one man. In such cases, great wisdom and discernment is required and some aspects of this teaching, which deal with the subject of marrying a so-called divorced woman apply to this case and is well pertaining to a woman who is not a virgin.

My Marriage

As I speak, I am acutely aware that both my wife and I had divorced by the leading of the Holy Spirit and remarried by His guidance. In this section I will endeavour to assist readers, assist listeners to understand what seemed to me to be some of the critical challenges relating to divorce within the body of Christ in this age. To share a little bit of my own experience, I was married in the sight of God in terms of these teachings for 25 years and then in the sight of the world contractually for 18 years. I did not consider the possibility that I could get divorced, despite the fact that from the outset, the relationship had been unhappy, full of tension, strife, and full of all sorts of unpleasantness. Eventually, at a particular point in time when I was really extremely desperate, I cried out to God for guidance. While I was travelling overseas in London at a time when I was very close to the Lord, as I was praying, I had a vision of a bookshop that I visited earlier in the day, and of a particular gondola in that bookshop and that book at a specific location on that gondola. I could not discern anything about the book, only that the position of the book and the position of the gondola in the shop, and that God wanted me to buy it.

When I returned to the shop the next day, I was flabbergasted to discover that the book was entitled 'When the Vow Breaks' and was a book on divorce within the Body of Christ. I agonised for some minutes before finally concluding that God definitely did want me to buy this book. When I started reading it that evening, and stayed up most the night reading it, it was as though the book had been written about my marriage, as it contains so many details of the betrayal, the unhappiness and the acrimony that characterised so much of my marriage. I should add perhaps, that at this point, I had been for some three years, continually going for counselling, examining my heart, seeking God for my marriage, trying to get my wife to go to counselling, praying, fasting, and really seeking to do everything that I could to heal my marriage

I had been told repeatedly in counselling that if there was something wrong in my marriage, it was my fault. I shared with you in a previous teaching the fact that I had an extramarital affair and I was repeatedly told that this was evidence of what was wrong in my heart, and that it would take many years before my marriage would be healed as a consequence of my actions. I found repeatedly that when I went before God and asked Him for guidance, and asked Him what was wrong in my marriage, He spoke to me about aspects of my wife's conduct and my own conduct, which were not in conformity with what I was being told in counselling. And in many times that brought me into places of great distress, in great anguish, if so. But eventually having dealt with everything that the counsellor had told me to deal with, having dealt with everything that I perceived God was telling me to deal with, my marriage was still a mess and it was at this point that I cried out to God. I subsequently confronted my wife with this. She confessed to having deliberately and actively, for 25 years set out to destroy me and to bankrupt me and confessed all sorts of things which were just beyond my ability to comprehend that anyone who said that she loved someone would do.

Having confessed, she repented, and committed himself to seeking to restore the marriage. However, some six months later, she had gone back on everything she confessed and was still conducting herself with no appreciable change. And by this stage, it has also been shown to me by God that He had been speaking to her for over three years regarding major sin, which she had deliberately set up. Certain things, which had given rise to various people being prejudiced, and she refused to repent. Eventually she had a vision in which the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to her and she still refused to repent. He turned His back and walked away from her and a few days later, He told me to get out of the marriage.

I am going to this detail in order that you may understand that when I speak of divorce, I speak of divorce from first-hand, and an extremely painful experience, and by the leading of the Spirit of God decided to get out of the marriage. Getting out of the marriage, I discovered that emotionally and psychologically, I was in a terrible state. I still found myself opposed by the Church and a large number of people who were not spiritually sensitive to what was going on and were not aware of things that had been happening, that I had never talked about to anybody.

God then brought my present wife into my life shortly after telling me to get out of the marriage. She had a similar but different experience. She had been married for 14 years to a man who, three weeks after the marriage, came home blind drunk and was seriously under the weather, or blind drunk on a regular basis for the next 14 years. He eventually started having major demonic attacks where he would go completely bizarre to a point where the lives of his wife and children were being threatened. When he came around he would have absolutely no recollection of it. The last three months of her marriage, she and the children slept behind locked doors with her husband on the other side of the door before God permitted her to divorce.

God permits divorce in certain circumstances

I share these things also that you may understand that when God does permit divorce, it is only after the party concerned, the believer concerned, has really gone through the law and spent a considerable amount of time seeking to save the marriage. It is also only when the other party has reached a point where God has given up hope that they will repent and turn around and that the marriage can be saved. So, divorce is not something to be taken lightly. With that background, I hope you will understand some of the context that I have to teach today and that what I am teaching is soundly based on the Word of God. It is based on considerable prayer. I pray that you will take serious note of what is taught here. I really believe that if you have been listening to the teachings that have preceded this and have come to a revelation of the sacredness of virginity and a revelation of the fact that adultery will keep you out of the Kingdom of God that you will see that this teaching and divorce is absolutely vital.

I pray also that you will see that by the time this teaching is complete, that divorce is not an option for the vast majority of Christians and that you will see in the context of what I have taught so far that God intended marriage to work, if you will turn around, if you will love the way Jesus loved, and if you will lay down your life for your marriage partner, God will give you a wonderful marriage. God intended marriage to work, God intended marriage to be for life and there is a very limited criteria in terms of which divorce is permissible in the Sight of God. He is calling His Church today to return to His principles and to seek godly marriages. That means that whoever you are married to in the sight of God right now, I really believe that He expects you to make that marriage work unless you have gone through a lengthy period of seeking to make it work no matter what the personal cost to you and the other party has completely turned away from God, has turned away to a point where there is no redemption and God has concluded that in His mercy and His grace towards you and perhaps towards your children, He would release you from that marriage.

I must also stress that as previously stated and said eloquently in the document, 'Wow, so that's how Jesus loves me!' that I presented in part 1 of this teaching, God's plan for marriage is infinitely better than we know it to be in this age. He has provided supernatural mechanisms to ensure that Godly marriage will work and will be good. We must simply understand these mechanisms and learn how to apply them in our lives by the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is my prayer that by the time you have listened to this full series, you will understand that there is a wealth of Scripture which will assist you to achieve God's plan for your current marriage. Application of the Scriptures requires that you and your spouse commit yourselves a hundred percent to doing things God's way; to recognise that if things are not working, it is because there is a problem on the side of you and your spouse, and not with God. Divorce is only an option if God decides. If you will take this wholeheartedly by faith with a commitment to God to work it out, I have no doubt that the marriage that will await you on the other side of this Jordan will truly be a land flowing with milk and honey, and a land of great joy and blessing which will be a true witness to the people of God and to the people of this world with your present spouse.

To start off, I want to take you to a couple of passages of Scripture which deal with divorce in practice. Isaiah 50:1 "Thus says the Lord: 'Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce, with which I sent her away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, and for your transgressions your mother has been put away.'" Now this is God speaking of Israel who, as we have heard previously in Scripture, is shown to be married and treated as a wife by God; as distinct from the Church, which is married or to be married to the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, in Jeremiah chapter 3:1-25 they say "If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s wife, may he return to her again. Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers, yet returned to me," says the Lord.

The rest of that passage through to verse 25 goes into great detail about Israel's sins against God, the Father. It is important to understand that gives us a pattern of what God considers to justify adultery. It is persistent and wholehearted treachery of a great magnitude that makes it a mockery to suggest that any form of marriage exists. If you read the first chapter of the Book of Esther, I don’t propose to read it now, but I would encourage you to go and read it yourselves. It provides an example of divorce for a rebellious wife and while one might argue that the instance there is very harsh according to the current world view of things, when this recognised that in a situation in which both parties understand the way marriage is required to be, the conduct of Queen Vashti in absolutely refusing to come when her husband, the king summoned her to come before his subjects was likely, in fact, as a passage of Scripture to lead to the wrong example to all the subject and all the women in the realm of that King.

We need to understand that rebellion and treachery is the fundamental essence of the way God permits divorce, be it sexual, or be it spiritual as in the case of Vashti where her rebellion was breaking down her husband's house. We have heard in previous teachings that a woman can break down or tear down her house, the house of her marriage with her hands and bring about a state of rottenness in the bones of her husband.

We will see that subject in a variety of conditions, not least of which is the manner in which the husband is conducting himself that it is this form of conduct, which may ultimately give rise to a situation where God may permit divorce, but I stress again, subject to the husband's conduct. It is only when the husband has laid down his life for his wife in a way that Jesus did, and gone to all the links that God may require of him to turn his wife away from her sin that God will ultimately permit a man to divorce his wife. We have to see the shadow and the type that we have used throughout this teaching out of the passage in Ephesians 5, which clearly draws a direct parallel between Christ, the Church and a man and his wife. We have to see that parallel. We have to see that the criteria which Scripture lays down for a believer to lose their salvation to commit the unpardonable sin, to crucify again the Lord of glory, as in Hebrews 6:1-6.

It is that sort of conduct, which will permit a man to divorce his wife. But in the process, he must have sought to become Christ-like. It is no good a husband who is in rebellion against God and is not serving God, divorces his wife because she is in rebellion against him, because as we have seen before, the wife's conduct towards the husband is a mirror of the husband's conduct towards the Lord Jesus Christ. So we have to understand that before a man can divorce his wife for any reason, he has to look to himself. I believe this even if his wife has committed sexual fornication or sexual adultery under the new covenant. God requires that husband, like the Lord Jesus Christ extends grace to her and that he lays down his life for her, and particularly that he examines his own heart because if he has been unfaithful to the Lord, if he is worshipping idols in the sense of putting his work before his service to the Lord, or  before his relationship with the Lord, he should not be surprised if his wife was disloyal to him.

Covering and Adultery

So, we see the double edge sword of the Word of God that I referred to in a previous teaching and particularly in some of the aspects that were dealt within the area of covering and adultery. We see that as that sword is wielded against the conditions in a marriage, it introduces a significant onus on both husband and wife to lay down their lives to make the marriage work. There is absolutely no shadow of a doubt in my mind that a man and woman who apply the principles that have been taught so far in this series will find that they will have a wonderful life, if they will lay down her lives for each other, if they will love with God's agape love unconditionally, and if they will stop being blown by winds of doctrine, emotion and lust, and will constantly seek in a scriptural way to serve and to love one another. If a wife will submit no matter what is happening, if the husband will love unconditionally, and if either party really does things the way God lays out in His word, then the marriage will turn around and the marriage will succeed.

It's important in talking about divorce that we understand the distinction in Scripture between divorce and putting away which is generally translated in most English translations as ‘divorce’. I read from Malachi 2:1-17. I won't read the entire passage, verses 7 and 8, "For the lips of a Priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have departed from the law. You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts." And that passage has relevance in this teaching, because the sad reality is that the majority of people who apply the title 'Pastor' or 'Priest' to themselves are not teaching with regard to marriage in accordance with what the Word of God actually says.

Marrying an unbeliever

Verse 11, "Judah has dealt treacherously and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the Lord's holy institution which he loves, he has married the daughter of a foreign god." We see again that it is totally unacceptable and an abomination in the sight of God for a believing man or woman to marry an unbeliever. The Scriptures deal more specifically with a believing man marrying an unbelieving woman, but I have absolutely no doubt that the reverse applies as well and there are certain passages of Scripture which touch on that. As I said before, any believing woman who marries an unbelieving man must realise that she is opening herself up for Satan to make her life hell on earth. And if she does it wilfully and knowingly that the man is an unbeliever, she has no basis for divorce. She went in there with her eyes open and she must live out her life. She must suffer the consequences of her wilful disobedience to the Word of God unless God in His mercy releases her to get out of that marriage.

Observation is that in the vast majority of cases, a woman who truly does the Will of God will find that she is committed to that man for life.  She is expected to lay down her life for that man in the hope that one day he will come to salvation. We are turning to Malachi 2:13-16, "And this is the second thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and crying so He does not regard the offering anymore nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the Lord has been witnessed between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously. Yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit and by one he seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit and let none deal treacherously with a wife of your youth. For Yahweh, Lord, God of Israel says that He hates divorce for it covers one's garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. Therefore take heed to your spirit that you do not deal treacherously."

Putting away

So, in this passage of Scripture we see that God specifically hates what we are talking about, and that is ungodly divorce. But it is important to understand that the word that is translated divorced here in the New King James and most other translations in the King James is actually translated 'putting away.' There are different words in Scripture which are both translated 'divorce' in most translations, but in actual fact word in Malachi through 16 is ‘putting away.’ In other words, it deals with sending a wife away without a scriptural reason. I would really suggest to you that this whole passage of Malachi provides much for the modern Church to consider in the light of what is presented in this series of teachings.

Just to recap, in the King James version of Malachi 2:16 it states, "For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore, take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously." So, putting away is something which is an absolute abomination in the sight of God. It is violence against the woman concerned. It's treachery against the woman concerned. People who have put their wives away from no godly reason, for no scriptural reason have to understand that they will be judged very severely on the Day of Judgement. They will be classed as adulterous as we read in previous teachings and this is spelt out in Matthew 5, Matthew 19, and Mark 10.

A woman who leaves her husband for no reason will likewise be judged very severely. This is in stark contrast to a godly man who divorces his wife because of her persistent treachery and adultery, her refusal to repent, her persistent rebellion and a man who comes to a place where having laid down his life, having interceded for his wife, having examined his heart before God, having dealt with the things that God has called him to deal with. Having been like Jesus to his wife still finds that she refuses to repent, still finds that she continues with her adultery and her fornication, be it sexual, be it spiritual. In other words, if she continues with her rebellion, disobedience, her refusal to submit and her insistence in going her own way, her insistence in dividing the house, her insistence in tearing down the house, only then will God permit that man to divorce her.

Matthew 19:9 in the King James very succinctly summarises the Lord Jesus Christ's position on putting away. "And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." So, unless that woman is put away for fornication, in Greek the word, there is pornea, and its derivatives are used throughout the New Testament to speak of both sexual fornication, adultery, woman having sex with a man who is not her husband, the man having sex with a woman who is another man's wife, and also idolatry and fornication towards God. So pornea speaks both of spiritual unfaithfulness and sexual unfaithfulness.

So, we see that Jesus himself declares that putting away is wrong in the sight of God and declares that those who put away for reasons other than fornication or pornea on the part of the other partner, specifically on the part of the wife, will be committing adultery. It's important again to understand that this passage of Scripture is quite clear. It is speaking about pornea on the side of the wife, not pornea on the side of the husband, although inference in certain instances and based on the examples that we have encountered where we were quite clear that God has permitted a woman to leave her husband. Pornea would appear to be pornea on the part of the husband towards God, rather than pornea towards the wife. And there is an important distinction there. A man who turns his back on God and turns to follow Satan wholeheartedly is no longer a fit husband for a believing woman. That is a distinction from a man who is just an unbeliever.

Here, I am talking about a man who is beyond redemption. I am talking about a man who has forsaken the Word of God who has perhaps had knowledge of the Way and the Word of God and has turned to serve Satan through persistent alcoholism, persistent extreme abuse of his wife and children, through blasphemy and total rebellion, that his pornea towards God is of such magnitude that God can no longer bear to see His child, His daughter, and the wife of that man subject to that. It seems to me that as long as there is some hope from God’s side, that the wife, through her humble submission, her example, her prayers and intercession for her husband, as long as there is some possibility that that man can come to repentance, I find no scriptural basis for that woman to obtain divorce. By the same token, as I said a few minutes ago, until a man has laid down his life as the Lord Jesus laid down His life for the Church and laid down his life for his wife, on no scriptural basis may that man seek to divorce. If he does divorce, in the current jargon of the world and the Church today, he is not divorcing, he is putting away. He is committing treachery, he is committing violence against his own house.

If we go back to Mark 10:1-12 and again, I will read selected verses, "The Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him, is it unlawful for a man to put away his wife?" Most translations read ‘divorce’ there. And the Scripture goes on temping Him or testing Him. And He answered and said unto them "What did Moses command you," and they said,"Moses suffered to write a bill of divorce and to put her away." Jesus answered and said, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this precept that from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the twain shall become one flesh. So then they are no more twain but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." And in the house the disciples asked him again the same. And he said to them, 'Whoever shall put away his wife and marry another committed adultery against her, and if a woman shall put away her husband and be married to another, she committed adultery.'"

This particular passage in Mark 10 does not include the reference to pornea or fornication contained in Matthew 5:32 and Matthew 19:9 as discussed elsewhere as grounds for divorce. However, it serves to place the discussion in this proper context. Note that in verse 2 the Pharisees asked Jesus is it lawful for a man to put away his wife when Jesus asked in verse 3 what Moses commanded.  He replied in verse 4 that Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement and put it away. This is a distortion of the Scriptures as Deuteronomy 24:1 clearly states, "When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favour in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of the house." The key concept in Deuteronomy 24 is uncleanness, which is essentially the same concept as pornea in the Greek. So, there is no change in doctrine brought about by Jesus. Jesus was confirming the doctrine. He was saying in Matthew 5, Matthew 19, and Mark 10, a man may only divorce his wife as a consequence of her fornication, her adultery, her treachery, and no other reason. Yet the Pharisees came and said is it lawful for a man to put away his wife. So, they were testing Him, they were seeking to trap Him and the play on words was in fact, hypocritical.

Adultery and fornication

So, it's important that we understand Jesus did not change doctrine. If anything, He reinforced what God's intention was from the beginning. In other words, He says for the hardness of your hearts, the hardness of the hearts of the married couple who are unable to lay down their lives for one another. We have to understand that under the New Covenant, we have revelation, and we have the Holy Spirit as a teacher. God will not condone wholesale divorce or putting away under the banner of divorce where there is no scriptural basis. I have to stress that it is my personal understanding of what the Lord is saying.  It is that there are very few people in this world today who are believers, who claim to be divorced, or for that matter, even unbelievers who claim to be divorced, who are not in fact guilty of putting away, guilty of treachery, and where they have remarried or one of the partners has remarried,  they have in fact committed adultery.  They are seen today in the sight of God as adulterers and every time they have intercourse in that marriage, they continue to commit adultery.

If you understand the Scriptures, it says that no adulterer or fornicator will have a place in the Kingdom of God. It is a devastating thought. It means that there are literally billions of people in the world today who face this and have very, very little hope of spending eternity in Heaven unless the Church repents of its false teachings in this area.

We see the same distinction between 'divorce' and 'putting away' in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16, "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, let not the wife depart from her husband. But if she departs, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace."

I need to stress that this passage of Scripture is addressed to the Corinthians, a gentile of the Church, a group of new believers. So, it is absolutely clear that every believer to whom reference is made was a recent convert. This is not dealing with believers who have wilfully and contrary to the Word of God gone and married an unbeliever. This is dealing with a situation where both who are unbelievers, one has come to salvation and the other is not. And in that case, the believer is told to remain with the unbeliever unless the unbeliever leaves them. If the unbeliever leaves them because of their faith, the unbeliever is rejecting them because of Jesus; that is a separate matter.

It's important to recognise that passage refers to wives departing from her husband and tells her that she may not remarry. She must remain single or else return to her husband. So, if a wife chooses to leave her husband, she is told to remain single. Again, this is clearly referring to separation, which is not related to fornication, pornea or uncleanness as discussed elsewhere. On the other hand, if an unbelieving spouse departs, the believing spouse is free to marry again but it is not for the believing spouse to depart unless God clearly permits him.

Again, to recap, any divorce, which does not result from pornea is not divorce; it's putting away. The vast majority of so-called divorces in the world today are not divorce, they are putting away. Therefore, the vast majority of those who considered themselves divorced and who have remarried are living in adultery.  They may well be on their way to the lake of fire and brimstone either temporarily or for eternity. So, from consideration of this in previous teachings, I hope you will see clearly that the situation results from false doctrines regarding virginity, marriage, and divorce. In taking account of that, I refer you to Mark 9:42-44 which says, "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed rather than having two hands to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched."

I believe that my understanding of that passage of Scripture is the little ones that are being referred to are all of the Lord God's children. So, if you are teaching that it is acceptable for a man to put away his wife and for them both to remarry, you are causing them to stumble. It would be better for you to have a millstone hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea, because at the end of the day, you will be cast into the fire that shall never be quenched, where your worm will not die, and the fire is not quenched. So, anybody listening to this, who has been teaching on divorce or who has been divorced, I urge you to carefully consider your doctrine and your actions with regards to divorce, as you listen to this. I understand this is a hard word, but it is far better for you to deal with what you have to do in this life and come before the judgement seat of Christ and be found to be an unfaithful servant of foolish virgin, , tears and not and to be cast into eternal hellfire.

Uncleanness

We have read already the scriptural definition of divorce in Deuteronomy 24:4 and to stress again, the word 'uncleanness' Strong's #6172, is defined by Brown-Driver-Briggs as 'nakedness, nudity, shame, pudenda, genitalia, pudenda implying shameful exposure, nakedness of a thing, indecently, improper behaviour, exposed, undefended. So, it’s the same word that is translated ‘nakedness’ throughout Leviticus 18 and 20 with regard to sexual sin which we have referred to previously. And it correlates closely as I have said before with the word ‘pornea’ used by Jesus in Matthew 19:19. As I said, in Matthew 5 and Matthew 19 and Mark 10, Jesus was simply confirming what Deuteronomy 24 says in terms of identifying uncleanness or pornea as the grounds for divorce. That is the same basis of Malachi 2:16. God is not saying in Malachi 2:16 that He hates divorce. He is saying He hates putting away. He hates a situation in which a marriage is terminated except if the one spouse is irrevocably committed to hell and is beyond redemption.

With this understanding, I really believe that much of the confusion about what constitutes scriptural divorce should be cleared up. Therefore based on what I have said, there is very little basis for believers to divorce in this age. They have a new and better covenant for you in Hebrews 8:6 which says, "Now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, and as such he is also a mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises." So, more is expected of us under this better covenant. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within the Temple of God within us. We have tying and the gifts of the Spirit. We have the atoning sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. We have the name of Jesus to use in our petitions to the Father and in taking authority over the Forces of Darkness. Overall, we surely have much more going for us and the people of the so-called Old Testament. Therefore more is expected of us.

Judgement

I refer you to Luke 12:42-51 and I read verse 48 and 49, "He who did not know, yet committed things deserving a stripe, shall be beaten with a few, for everyone to whom much was given, from him much will be required, and to him much has been committed of him, they will ask the more. I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish that it were already kindled!" So, it's clear that those to whom much has been given, much will be required of them. Jesus said He came to send fire on the Earth. He didn’t come to bring peace on Earth at this stage. He came to bring judgement. He came to provide us with the spiritual gifts and the authority to conquer and to walk in victory. But we will be judged if we don’t walk in there. Surely, that passage alone tells us that being a Christian in this age is more demanding and will require a stricter judgement than being Jew before the time of Jesus. Does it not only tell us that Christians will be more severely judged than the Jews? Can we not also, therefore infer that more will be required of a Christian before God permits us to divorce, than of a Jew? I really ask you, if you are listening to this, to consider it carefully, and I ask you to consider it in the light of the proceeding series of teaching.

These statements that I am making at the moment with regards to divorce may sound completely untenable and impractical in the light of your current understanding of marriage. But if you look at it in the light of what I have been teaching, if we do what the Word of God tells us to do in terms of the wife submitting, in terms of uninhibited sexual lovemaking, liberating, and making love, creating love in terms of 1 Corinthians 13, in terms of the One Flesh Bond becoming progressively stronger, more harmonious, coming to a place where there is a telepathic oneness of communication between husband and wife, then you will see that this is not unjust, it is not unreasonable. God created marriage to work but we have to put away the modern jezebel inspired teachings which put the wife as the queen that is served and worshipped by her husband. We have to turn things around. We have to put the husband as the head of the house. We have to put the husband as the Priest and the Prophet and the king in the home, seeking God, and ministering to God for his family. We have to put the wife in submission to the husband serving him, being a helpmeet to him, doing everything that is necessary to assist in the home and in the business, and ministering to his needs sexually. It is not for him to go out of his way to please his wife sexually. It is for her to please him sexually and it is for him to please the Lord in his ministry to the Lord in praise and worship, and in the conduct of his family.

Christian Marriage

Christians are expected to do what's required of them by the Word of God to make marriage work. So, I would most sincerely counsel any person listening to this who is considering divorce to consider their position very carefully and only proceed with divorce if they are absolutely one hundred percent certain that it is God's will for their lives. Likewise, people that are already divorced in the sight of the state and the Church are not always divorced in the sight of God. Just by way of a secular example, if you receive a speeding ticket but you were not speeding, that can be squashed in court. In the same way a certificate of divorce for which there is no scriptural basis may be squashed in the Court of Heaven. In such a case, God may well require the spouses to return to their original partners and confess and repent of their adultery.

I have shared with you previously the testimony concerning the woman that we ministered to prophetically. After something like eight hours of ministry, under the guidance of the husband, in which she received a string of visions in terms of which I was given words of knowledge,  she realised at the age of around 46, that when she was about 16 years old, she had been hypnotised by a man for marriage ceremony. The marriage had been consummated. He had repeatedly had sex with her by bringing her back under hypnosis and he had subsequently, after she had married another because her father had refused to permit this man to marry her. This man had even seduced her while she was married to another man and her father by her. God in His mercy brought this man back into her life, but as they were now both born again took her out of the legal marriage because that was not a marriage at all.  It was adultery. Eventually, after this mystery when she confronted this man, he confessed, and it turned out that he even had photographs of the ceremony.

Marriage in the sight of God

So, you need to understand if you are a woman, the man who took your virginity may still today be your husband in the sight of God, even if it is 20, 30, 40, 50 years later, even if you have had 5, 10, 20 other men subsequently.  This even applies if you have been legally married in the sight of man, in the sight of the state and in the sight of Church with marriage ceremonies performed by a Pastor or a Priest in Church to any number of men.  You are still potentially married to that man that took your virginity, and the reason that your walk with God is a mess, the reason your present marriage is a mess is because you are in adultery.  Until you repent and turn around and return to the man who took your virginity, you will have no peace. I am not espousing this as a doctrine for every person. Every case has to be treated on this, there is no basis interpretation. Only the Spirit of God knows the truth with regard to your situation, because as with the woman who was hypnotised, she did not even remember having had sex with this man. She did not remember the marriage ceremony she had gone through with this man. So, your understanding is of no use to you in the situation.

Divorce in terms of God

If we go to the contrast where a man is clearly shown by the Spirit of God that he should divorce, he is in terms of Deuteronomy 24:1 perfectly entitled to issue a certificate of divorce as a hand written or typed document with his signature on immediately that God tells him to go ahead with that divorce. He does not have to go through the courts before that divorce becomes effective in the sight of God. Legally he will still need to go through that legal divorce process in order to remove all the yokes between himself and his former wife and to untangle their financial services, etc. But in a spiritual sense, he is entitled to inform his wife that he is divorcing her in terms of Deuteronomy 24:1. My understanding is that he would need to give his several explicit and preferably written warnings before he finally issues a certificate of divorce, but the day that God tells him, you may now divorce or you may get out, he can issue that certificate.

In the case of a woman that God permits to divorce, she needs to get a divorce certificates from her husband and the probability is that she will only get that by going through a formal secular legal divorce process. If in certain societies, where she is not guaranteed of the success of that process, she might need to endeavour to get a letter from her husband or have the discussion with her husband, that the husband has agreed to divorce her. If she is unable to get a certificate of divorce in terms of Deuteronomy 24:1, it's unclear exactly what would apply. Again, it's a situation in which there is no basis legalism every case must be taken on its merits.

We have gone in some of the previous teachings into some detail about the contrast or the characteristics of an immoral woman and the attributes of a virtuous wife. Proverbs 5:15-19 says, "Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed to abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own and not the strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth, as a loving deer, and a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you at all times and always be intoxicated with her love." Again, we see a very explicit parable there in the manner in which a husband and wife should conduct themselves, and how a godly woman should conduct herself towards her husband with a sexual reference in terms of the fountain being the man's sexuality. There are many other issues that we have dealt with in terms of how a woman should conduct herself and what the attributes are of a harlot. I don’t intend to go into those now. Time doesn’t permit it. But they just provide a greater measure of what forms the basis for divorce.

Worldly sins

It's important also to realise that in the present age, as a measure of the depths of the version, this will be sunken to that there are reports that indicate that many men encourage their wives to commit adultery, and even participate with more than one man being sexually active with one woman at the same time. So, we see that there is no wonder that there is massive judgement about to come on the Earth. There is no doubt in my mind that the level of sexual perversion, fornication, adultery and the absolute spiritual mess in the world is at least as severe as it was at the time of Noah, if not worse.  It’s at least as severe as it was in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah at the time that they were destroyed.

We should be under no illusion that the world is in a terrible spiritual state. If you recognise what I am teaching in the series on marriage, if you understand how the Church has departed from the truth regarding marriage, you will understand that the Church is no better than the world. The level of fornication in the Church is absolutely terrible to behold, as well as the level of divorce and remarriage in the Church. God said to me some time ago at Passover in the year 2000, that every believer who is joined to one person, joined sexually, had a one flesh bond with one person with whom they were not now living as husband and wife, and was effectively joined to every other single person on this planet who likewise had had sex with any person who is not today living with him. In other words, any believer who is joined to a man and woman through one instance of sexual intercourse in their life, and that person is not living with them, has in turn joined themselves to another person and is joined to every Satanist, every Witch, every Warlock and every agent of Satan on this planet. It gives Satan a direct spiritual hotline into the very hearts of believers and it means that the Body of Christ is joined in the most appalling fashion to the world and to the hearts of those who have given themselves over to Satan. worship to their hearts of those who have deliberately and actively invited Demons to take possession of them. It is no wonder that the Church operates in so little power and operates in so little holiness and sanctification.

So, we see again there is very little basis for a man and a woman to leave their present life. So the man or when they were joined to in terms of taking her virginity. It would seem that where a person is married to somebody who becomes an active practising , and certain other classes that God would permit a divorce, but where they knew about that state beforehand, again, the same conditions apply. The believing spouse should lay down their lives for the salvation of their partner. I really believe and the more I pray about it, the more I see it, God is only going to permit divorce if the other spouse is irrevocably committed to hell.

Just by way of example, there are numerous testimonies of believing spouses who faithfully served the unbelieving spouses for decades with the love of God and are finally being rewarded by seeing their loved ones come to salvation. Sometimes when one or other of the spouses is on their deathbed, what a treasure it must be to see the soul of a loved one in Heaven for Eternity in return for having laid down one's life in prayer and service. There can be no general rule. Only God knows and He can determine the point at which a woman who is joined to a man can be separated. But I would really submit to you, God wants everybody say it. So, don’t believe that because your husband is not serving God the way you think he should, that it gives you a reason to leave him. And the same applies in the reverse.

There are a number of Scriptures which indicate that there are certain instances where putting away is prohibited. Deuteronomy 22:16-19 which deals with a situation where a man falsely accuses his new bride of not being a virgin says that he may not put her away all his days. Deuteronomy 22:28-29 which deals with rape, states that a man may not put away his bride or put away the girl all his days. Basically, this deals with rape or a man who seduces a woman. As far as I can determine, neither of these prescriptions relate if the woman subsequently resorts to pornea.

The Ideal Partner

I want to talk for a minute about the unloved wife. Many divorces today come about because the woman says she does not love her husband or vice versa. Perhaps one of the most difficult Scriptures for the modern Church to accept in this context, is Deuteronomy 21:15-17. It states if a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved and they have borne him children, both the loved and the unloved, and if the firstborn son is of her who is unloved, then it shall be on the day he bequeaths his possessions to his son that he must not bestow firstborn status on the son of the loved wife in preference to the son of the unloved, the true firstborn. But he should acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he has for he is the beginning of his strength, the right of firstborn is his. Here we have a passage with explicit provision for a man to have two wives at least and in addition, we have explicit provision for one of those wives to be unloved. Surely, this must squash the idea of one perfect partner, the idealistic searching for wife after wife and husband after husband or girlfriend after girlfriend, boyfriend after boyfriend, scrapping each previous relationship in the process.

We are clearly taught by the Scriptures recorded in these teachings that once a man has married a woman, they are married for life, barring some specific and extreme situations. So, surely the response of the disciples to Jesus in Matthew 19:10-11 remains true. "His disciples said to him, 'If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.' But Jesus said to them, all cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it is given. Perhaps it is indeed better not to marry. It is certainly not to marry lightly or hastily for the wrong reasons." The fact that the husband does not love his wife, or she does not love him, is no basis of talk. It's also important to understand that the agape love defined in 1 Corinthians 13 is not something that you have or you don’t have. It is a decision to love. Therefore, for any believer to say they do not love their wife, or their husband is an absolute abomination in the sight of God. They are commanded to love and the love that is set out in 1 Corinthians 13 is not a love that is subject to whim. It is a decision. It is something that they are commanded to put into place. If you are a believer and you say you don’t love your wife, you don’t love your husband, then you are saying you don’t love God because you are not prepared to obey this Commandment.

Therefore it is absolutely necessary that before marriage, we search our hearts in order to be clear that we are indeed intent on making a lifetime commitment. It's certainly critical that we pay diligently to the Father in the name of the Son in order to ensure that the person you intend to marry is indeed the person that God would have us marry in the time of marriages as we have understood it. It's vital that we lean not to our own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." And that we look not to things that are seen but to things that I am seeing. 2 Corinthians 4:18, "While we do not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen. The things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

A hasty and unconceived marriage that is not of God but is born out of lust or other wrong motive may well be the most eternally spiritually dangerous thing that anyone can do. I fell into that trap and I was in that trap for 25 years before the Creator in His mercy and His grace delivered me. Such a relationship is a hell that I would not desire for my worst enemy. It is a hell born out of false doctrine and wrong ideas resulting from the perverted teachings that Satan has infiltrated into the Christian Church for nearly 2000 years, which is hell. I pray those who hear this teaching will start to take active steps in prayer in spiritual warfare to overcome all.

Let us consider some practical situations where divorce is equally considered in the modern world. I have referred previously to the statement of husbands who don’t love their wives, wives who don’t love their husbands. I refer you to Exodus 21:10-11, if a wife says that she has no desire for her husband or no love for her husband, then as I have said in a previous teaching, Genesis 3:16 says that her desire shall be for her but that's a Commandment. She is not permitted, she was created to desire another man and if she is a believer, she must understand that she is in gross error and deception to suggest that she cannot desire her husband or that she does not find her husband attractive. It's also important to understand that Exodus 21:10-11 makes it absolutely clear that if the man takes another wife, there is no basis for divorce. Exodus 21:10-11 says if he takes another wife, you shall not diminish her (the first wife's) food, her clothing, and her marriage rights. If he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free without paying money.

So, essentially, if the man puts a wife away, in other words, he stops providing for her in terms of food, clothing, and denies her of her marital privileges, then she has a basis for divorce, and that passage is dealing specifically with bond women, slaves, servants. It's not specifically dealing with a free woman but by extension, one would assume that the same principle applies there. So, there we have the only instance that I am aware of in Scripture which actually provides for a woman to leave her husband and that is if he ceases to provide for her in a fashion consistent with the provision when he first married her. But even then, I would suggest to you that that needs to be taken very carefully and it relates only to where a man has taken another wife and totally discarded the first wife.

Work, Abuse, Cheating in Marriage

In another teaching I have dealt with working  of the husband and I have stressed that in Bible times men were working at least 72 hours a week, 6 days a week. They were at work for 12 hours a day. The fact that the husband is away from home a lot of time is no basis for a woman to get involved in adultery or to seek a divorce. I have touched on previously, the discussion of headship and submission. There is no basis in Scripture where a husband is sinning that his wife has a basis for divorce. This thing about a man cheating on his wife has no scriptural basis as a basis for divorce. If a man is not cheating on his wife, he is permitted in Scripture to take more than one wife. And even if we ignore that, the passage in 1 Peter 2 and 3 shows us that a wife is to lay down her life for her husband, to submit to her husband in everything in the same way that Jesus submitted to the Scribes, the Pharisees and the High Priests. They have unjustly and falsely accused him, beat him, and crucified him. By the same token, abuse of the wife is not a reason for the wife to leave her husband or divorce him unless God specifically releases her as we have talked about earlier. It does seem to me that in some cases God will release a woman from the marriage for the sake of the children.

There was a recent report in the public press where a wife of a high-profile Church leader decided to divorce him allegedly because she wanted her own identity. There is absolutely no scriptural basis for her. As I have taught in a previous lesson, a wife gains her identity through her husband. She is one with her husband, she is part of her husband, she is called to be a helper to her husband. She gains her fulfilment through the fulfilment of the husband's calling. She dare not seek her own identity apart from her husband because she is dividing and tearing down her house. Many people advance incompatibility as a reason for divorce. As you have seen there is no such thing as incompatibility. God created marriage to work between any believing man and any believing woman if they will just apply the principles that have been taught in this series.

I have said before, it is effectively only the wife's pornea that is explicitly given in Scripture as a basis for divorce. And therefore, a wife seeking divorce from her husband has to be led by the Spirit and she has to understand that there are only very specific and very extreme instances where this will be permitted and only God can decide. As I have said before that it may be the case but only in the case of where the spouse, the husband turns totally away from God and commits the unpardonable sin and it is beyond redemption that God will permit divorce, it may not have to go quite that far if the children are being seriously threatened and then they fall away and also end up going to hell but there is no scriptural basis to draw that conclusion. It's only a personal observation in trying to understand situations where we know that God is moved. And we have to be clear that we don’t build doctrine on our understanding of how God moved in a particular situation. He knows the hearts of men, we don’t. He knows all history, we don’t. He gains grace in ways that we do not understand. Again, I will stress the point of this series is God will fix your marriage not we should get divorced.

Husbands role in the marriage

I stress again the husband must serve his family in the same way that David served Israel, not the way that Solomon ultimately forced Israel to serve him. Jesus is the ultimate example of how the husband should serve his wife and serve his family. If the wife is not ministering to her husband as he would like, then he needs to ask himself whether he is ministering to Jesus as Jesus would like. If he is not, he should not be surprised if his wife is not ministering to him as he would like. That includes the wife making love to the husband versus the husband in praise and worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the husband is not serving God as a wife would like him to or believes he should, then she has to ask herself whether she is serving the husband as she should.

As I said before, the relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ and the husband and the husband and a wife are mirror images of one another. They are two sides of the same coin. If one is filthy, the other has to be filthy. It's a mirror, it's a sowing and reaping situation. In the same way, if the children are not conducting themselves in a way that is pleasing to the parents with regards to their relationship with the father, with regards to the relationship with the mother, the parents have to look at their relationship with one another, their relationship with God the Father, and their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The two go hand in hand.

The Word of God is a two-edged sword. It cuts both ways. There is an interesting example of the headship of an unbelieving man and a believing wife in Bob Larson's book of Spiritual Warfare. It's also in his book 'In the name of Satan.' It deals with a situation where a believing woman was heavily appraised by a Demon, that it come to her through a generational curse and was seeking to destroy her. And eventually the only way that Demon could be cast out was for the husband, who is an unbeliever, through his authority over her body, as her head through the One Flesh Bond, to take authority over that Demon to tell her to leave. We do not even begin to comprehend the spiritual power and authority that a husband has over his wife for her good. And also, for her harm if he is a Satanist or an unbeliever who is alert to these things, he can manipulate her in ways she will not understand. But a godly man who is seeking to draw close to God will provide a covering and a protection for his wife, which is absolutely vital for her in this age. He also mentioned that in this context of marrying a woman who is not a virgin.  This is a particularly horny issue today since the likelihood of a man finding that woman that he comes to marry, a virgin, is relatively low.

Virginity

I stress again that we have to seek God's guidance, but it is also important to note that God may spiritually restore virginity at salvation if there is true repentance in that area. It may also be restored during ministry with regards to One Flesh Bond. We had an experience where we were praying for a young woman of about 24. She lost her virginity to a close family member, I think, a stepfather or an uncle when she was about 14, in something which was close to a rape situation. She left home and she had been used and abused by a number of men and while we were praying, she saw a vision in which she saw her hymen regrow and her virginity restored.

Healing from Divorce

So, God will restore virginity in the Spirit realm for a woman where He chooses in His mercy and His grace to do so. But again, this is not something we can demand. It is something that is given by grace. So, the restoration of virginity, which is a prerequisite in a sense to have permission to marry or remarry a woman who is not a virgin, is an act of grace. It's not something that we can take as a matter of course. There are various practical implications of divorce and it is important to those who are touched on but in dealing with somebody who is divorced, I would suggest that she contact us or somebody else who is knowledgeable in these things from ministry. So far, divorce in the sight of God is only permissible following serious treachery or spiritual unfaithfulness in the part of the offending spouse. Mostly when the God permits a divorce, it will require considerable ministry with regards to spiritual, emotional, and psychological healing. I personally took several years of healing at the Lord's hand and even some psychological counselling before I was fully restored to a point where the hurt and the deep psychological distraction had been healed.

One Flesh Bond

The minimum actions it requires following a divorce, the foremost certificate of divorce must be issued by the husband, not necessarily a court order but a letter will suffice. However, for legal reasons, a court divorce should be obtained if the couple are married by the Church or state. If they became one flesh through sexual intercourse, then this letter will suffice but it is scripturally a requirement, though again, in the current age, the indications are the Lord will extend grace but that it is not practical. If the woman is the one seeking divorce, this presents certain problems for which the guidance of the Holy Spirit should be sought. In some cases, it may be acceptable for the wife to send a letter to confirm a discussion. However, there can be just situations where there may be problems since we have not ministered in all possible situations. It's not possible to give more detailed guidance at this time, although we have, as I have said before, ministered in situations where the Lord has extended grace and treated relationships that have terminated without any form of contact with the other party. The One Flesh Bond must be broken by fair agreement, requesting the Lord to sever the tie by His grace.

Cutting curses

I don’t know of any instance where the One Flesh Bond is cut by an individual praying on their own. It needs to be prayed in agreement with the second person who is knowledgeable in this area. This is not a demonic bond and it cannot be cut and it cannot be renounced. It can only be severed by grace if the Lord has permitted the divorce. The Lord should be asked to sever the bond at both ends and to cover the spiritual realm with the blood of Jesus to heal the wound. The same basic principles to a greater or lesser extent apply to man or woman who has had sex with multiple partners who are no longer living with them as I touched on in the session on the One Flesh Bond. All marriage vows and all promises must be renounced and cut off unless there are promises of vows which God requires to be fulfilled. Our vows are our words going indefinitely. The soul ties should be cut off at both ends. This is the emotional tie between the man and the woman. All blood line curses of demons which were passed down or were transferred through the male bloodline to the female and vice versa, must be cut off.

All curses spoken against the believing partner by the offending partner and their associates must be regularly cut off. Know that curses are not necessarily satanic or occulted. Any swear words, curses or bad statements made against your spiritual force continue to operate against you until they are cut off. This is particularly important since in a true divorce, the unbelieving party, or the party that has sinned to the magnitude that permits or results in God permitting divorce is unlikely to be friendly towards the person who has divorced them. So they may well continue to speak curses and even seek actively witchcraft or Satanic help against them. We have certainly seen that in our own lives.

All demons transferred between the parties must be bound and cast out. First of all, sin, which may give the demon the right to remain, must be confessed and repented of. This is a complex subject and you are advised to consult a prophetic ministry that is gifted in deliverance. Note that in this day, deliverance is a very specialised prophetic ministry and there are not many who have truly in-depth knowledge and experience in this field. Again, we can help. Any familiar spirits associated with relationship must be drowned and cast out. In the event of true divorce as a consequence of pornea, it appears that God's agape love between the couple would have been destroyed and will be dead by the time God permits a divorce. Conversely to that, in the case of adultery, in other words, where a man or a woman has had an extramarital affair and that is brought to an end, you may find yourself with the agape love of God fixed in your heart towards the person with whom you have committed adultery. In this case, there is no scriptural basis that I know of to cut off that bond of love. The only way to deal with that bond of love in this life is to direct that love to Holy Spirit inspired prayer for the good of the object of that love and their rightful spouse. In other words, pray for blessings on their marriage, healing to their marriage, etc.

Praying that somehow that person may be released to marry you, is very unlikely to be the will of God, no matter how much you love them. Adultery is a terribly destructive thing. And as I said, only in the case of true divorce will you find the agape love that has awakened in your heart through lovemaking and through the relationship will be destroyed. Otherwise, you will find yourself leaving a partner for whom there is still love in your heart.

Marriage to a divorced woman

There are enormous challenges determining God's will and marriage with a divorced woman, in fact, to any woman who is not a virgin. I pray that by now you will realise that there are numerous good reasons why a man should not consummate a relationship with a woman who is not a virgin, without taking considerable care. And equally a woman who is not a virgin, I would hope would also appreciate that there is no way that she should want to join herself to another man until she is absolutely certain that the Lord has permitted it. My advice is that unless you are totally satisfied that it's God's perfect will and it's perfect time to not even think about consummating a relationship in any case where the woman is not a virgin.

Punishment and Judgement

As you consider the subject, you will realise that it was an area that is right for religious laws designed to assist you to make this decision and the Church is full of such laws at the moment. At the end of the day, there are numerous principles contained in this series of teaching, which will assist you to ascertain when it is probably not safe to consummate a relationship. But since they all rely on the fact at your disposal and the completeness of the memory and integrity of the woman involved, there is no absolute guideline other than ask the Lord to show you. Consider the cases of Jacob married to Leah presented fraudulently in the case of the woman that I have shared with you the testimony who was seduced under hypnosis who only discovered 20 or 30 years later that she was married in the sight of God to a man she did not even remember having taken her virginity.

Only the Holy Spirit knows the truth and only He can be trusted to guide you. This is a critical issue. I recently became aware of a situation in which a gentleman of God, in compassion married a woman who he understood to be divorced, immediately following consummation of the marriage. It's reported that he fell ill and within six months he was dead. And it's understood that this was judgement on him for committing adultery.

I have ministered in a situation of a man, again with a blessing of his Pastors, married a woman whom he understood to be divorced and within six months he was on the brink of bankruptcy, again, having been judged for his adultery. In that case, he realised there was something wrong and he divorced her, but when I ministered to him some years later, he had not cut off the One Flesh Bond. His house was still divided.

Signs

There is much that I could say about being led by the Holy Spirit and seeking guidance, but that is a subject for another teaching on being led by the Holy Spirit. I refer you to Genesis 24:12-14 where asks the Lord for a sign with regards to the girl to marry Isaac. I refer you also to Gideon with the Fleeces in Judges 6:36-40. In my own experience, I asked the Lord for a number of signs before I married my wife, and the most definitive of those was a miraculous situation in which I was led by the Spirit and I encountered her in the meeting of some 3,000 people in a way that led both of us to know that it could only have been God. Again, we need to seek God and we need to do it carefully. It is no good brashly asking God for signs. Realise that Satan, his Demons and his fallen Angels infest the area around you. And therefore, if you talk about signs and speak not nor write them down, Satan is at liberty to take that and create that situation for you. You have to pray in your heart as did in Genesis 24:45. You should not speak it out to anybody. Don’t share the sign that you have asked for with anybody until it is fulfilled, and I would urge you to ask for several signs, James 1 to 6 is asking faith for the doubting.

There are numerous scriptures dealing with being led by the Spirit of God. 1 Thessalonians 3:11, "Jesus Christ direct our way." 1 Thessalonians 3:5, "The Lord direct your hearts." John 16:13, "He will guide you." Psalm 48:14, "He will guide us, He will be our guide even to death." Psalm 49:10, "He will lead them." Psalm 58:11, "The Lord will guide you continually." Romans 8:14-15, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you receive the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'"

You can only be led by the Spirit of God to the extent that you are willing to humble yourself and admit that you do not know what His will is and to admit that you are utterly dependent on Him to help you avoid making a terrible mistake. Do not demand that He lead you. Do not ask for presumptuous signs. Do not go forward presumptuously. Ask in faith without doubting and be alert for supernatural events in your everyday life, which will surprise and encourage you. Whatever you do, do not lean to your own understanding and do not look at the things that are seen. 2 Corinthians 4:18, "Ask Him to open your eyes of your heart to see what He is doing in the world around you by His spirit." It is all too easy in the subject to fall into Pharisees and lean on your own understanding, lean into other people's understanding, look into teachings. If you are thinking of getting divorced, only God can give you the permission to get divorced. If you do not get God's permission before you divorce, you are not divorced in His sight and you are committing treachery in His sight. If you remarry, you are committing adultery and fornication.

If you are thinking of having a marriage or consummating a relationship between a man and a woman where the woman is not a virgin, then again, only God can tell you if it is safe to do and no man has the authority to do that. You can seek prophetic ministry, and if the Lord in His mercy, sends Prophets across your path to give you confirmation, well and good. But you may not go and ask a person to tell you. They can express an opinion. I can express an opinion. We can pray prophetically, but at the end of the day you have to accept that responsibility to discern God's will for your life yourself.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I need to say that God intends your present marriage, provided it is truly marriage in His sight, to be a wonderful blessing to you. I pray that by now out of the series of teachings you will see that God's plan for marriage is very different to that which you have been taught by the Church today. I pray that you will see that these teachings of the Church are great in destructive heresies. But there are truths in what has been taught here which will heal and restore your marriage. Jeremiah 23:1-6, I am reading 5 and 6, "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a branch of righteous. A king shall reign in prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. Now this is his name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.'"

Judgement is coming upon the Earth, ladies and gentlemen, and if you have not dealt with issues of divorce and fornication in your life, I would encourage you to start doing so today. Realise also that these are the same days spoken of in Jeremiah 23, that are spoken of in Hosea 4, which is dealt with in another teaching. Truly, these are the days in which the truth of the Lord's perfect plan for marriage will be restored as it was outlined in that article 'Wow, so that's how Jesus loves me,' that I reported in my first teaching. God's plan for the marriage of the Church to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ requires that we understand the fullness of his plan for marriage in our lives on Earth. As we do this, we will truly see Heaven on Earth and we will learn to live in harmony and unity in godly marriages where divorces are unheard of.

Remember, Luke 18:20, the things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Jeremiah 29:11 is over quoted and misapplied as it is has relevance to that which assumed to come for another thoughts that I think towards you says the Lord. Talks of peace and not of evil to give you a future and a hope. If your marriage seems impossible to take up, He is able to turn it around. If you are in a marriage to an unrepented sinner, take heart. The Lord may see fit to deliver you soon, but He may also see fit to work a miracle in a situation that you believe is beyond hope. But whatever your current marital situation, expect to see change and improvement. If you are an unmarried woman, expect the Lord to provide a husband but not necessarily according to the formula that you may lay down or according to your expectations. If you will change your paradigm and humble yourself before the Almighty God, expect to see good things. However, if you stubbornly insist in retaining your false doctrines and heresies, be aware that the wrath of God is about to be unleashed on this Earth as never before.

I refer you to 1 Peter 2:1-8 and in particularly verse 4, "As you come to him (Jesus), a living stone rejected indeed by men but chosen by God and precious." Verses 6 to 8, "Therefore it is also contained in the scripture, 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will by no means be put to shame.' Therefore, to you who believe he is precious but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. And the stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, they stumble being disobedient to the Word to which they also were appointed."

I really pray that you understand that it does not matter how much the truth that is taught in this series may offend you, or how much they may be contrary to what you want to hear and what you have been taught throughout your life, they are truths of Scripture. They are the truths whereby marriage will succeed, and divorce will become unnecessary in this life, the truth by which we may overcome and rule and reign with Christ in victory for eternity. But the ignorance of those truths, the denial of those truths, the acceptance of slipshod attitudes with regards to marriage, the failure to recognise the truths with regards to what the Bible teaches us concerning marriage are consigning millions, if not billions of people to burn in hell for eternity and I appeal to you today from this series, please take up to heart and put it into practice, in Jesus name.

Father, I pray that any word that I have spoken in this message, which is not according to Your Word and according to Your Will that You will blow it away and that it will find no root in the hearts of the hearers. I pray Father, in the name of Jesus that every word that I have spoken that is according to Your Word and Your Will, will be implanted and engrafted in the hearts of the hearers and that it will find root and that it will produce abundant fruit in their lives. I pray for the healing and deliverance of every marriage of every person who hears this teaching. Thank You Lord that the fullness of Your blessings for marriage will manifest in their lives. I pray for every person and every man who is currently married to a woman, who is not a virgin at the time that he married her. I pray for wisdom and understanding for them to know whether they are truly married in the sight of God or if not, what adjustments needs to be made.

I pray for every couple or every individual who has been divorced with the permission of the Church who now realises they may in fact not be divorced and may be living in adultery. Father, I pray for the wisdom and the understanding and the boldness and the courage to come before You and say Father, in the name of Jesus that Your Will and not my will be done. Father, I pray that You will heal the aching hearts and the broken hearts. I thank You that You will restore those that need to be restored to their original husbands and wives. I thank You that You will heal those in marriages that You have consented to, that You will extend grace and mercy to those whose grace and mercy was appointed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and bless you abundantly. In Jesus’ name, amen.

03_11 Marriage - Summing Up

James Robertson -- 4 November 2000

This teaching is the wrapping up of the series on marriage. The present worship precedes the teaching in order to give an indication of what the Lord was saying through the praise songs. The teaching commences approximately 30 minutes into the tape, that's two-thirds through the first side. 

The Principles of Marriage as God intended

Today, I am wrapping up the series on marriage. And what I intend to do, God-willing, is just to give an overview of the entire series and share the conclusions that I have reached through this teaching. We started out by looking at various indications of marriage as a prophetic statement. In other words, that everything the Bible tells us about marriage also teaches us about the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church. So, we see that in 2 Corinthians 11:2 it says, "For I am jealous for you, with godly jealousy for I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." In Romans 12:4-5 we read that we, being many, are one body in Christ and then in Ephesians 5:25-33 we read, "Husbands love your wife just as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for her." And towards the end of that passage in verse 32, "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church." So, we see that everything that the Bible teaches us about marriage, teaches us about God and the relationship between the Church and Jesus Christ, and everything that the Bible teaches us about the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church also teaches us about how we should conduct marriage.

So, this whole teaching is based on the basic principle that if we can understand more about what God intended marriage to be, we will also better understand how we are expected to conduct ourselves in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and conversely, the more we understand about the relationship between believers and the Lord Jesus Christ, the better we can understand how God intended marriage to be. We looked at an article that had been published in Joy magazine in October last year called'Wow, so that's how Jesus loves me,' which showed in a very convincing fashion that marriage is indeed a prophetic statement and we also saw that a lot of what goes on in the marriage ceremony today comes out of the occult and is not in fact out of the Bible at all. What is generally practised in the Church with regards to marriage practices, marriage ceremonies, etc., rings and so forth has no scriptural basis.

We also saw it was important to understand these truths because we would each be judged according to the knowledge that was available to us through the Bible, etc., and what we did with it. James 3:1 states, "My brethren, not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." We saw that Romans 14:10 also showed that we would all stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ. Therefore, it is really important that we understand what the Bible really says about marriage, what it says about divorce, what it says about adultery and so forth, in order that we do not find ourselves on the Day of Judgement being judged because we did not do what the Bible tells us to do. We saw from the visions of Rick Joyner published in 'The Final Quest' that many believers are currently taken prisoner by the enemy and are not really serving God and are in bondage to all sorts of Demonic falsehoods and lies.

We also saw that the love of God requires that we keep the Commandments of God and that we should not add and take away from the Word of God. We also saw that 1 Timothy 4:1-3 warns us of doctrines of Demons relating to marriage in the End Times. Therefore, we see that it is important that we understand what the Word of God really says about marriage because Revelation 21:8 also says that all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. We also saw that if we do not understand what adultery is, the Word of God is very clear that all adulterers will go to hell. And therefore, we saw that there was an enormous amount that we needed to learn about what the Word of God says concerning marriage.

Virginity

In the teachings that follow, we went on and we assessed a number of specific topics. In particular, we went in some length into the question of virginity and what the Bible says about virginity. We saw that the Bible was absolutely unambiguous that the virginity of a woman is the seal which gives rise to marriage.  We saw that having sexual intercourse with a virgin is the act of marriage and having sexual intercourse with a woman who is not a virgin is adultery unless that woman is a widow, which means that the man that took her virginity had subsequently died. We saw that there were plenty of Scriptures which indicated that this was the case. We also saw that the marriage covenant is actually the act of sexual intercourse with a virgin with the shedding of blood.

We saw also that covenant is made by the shedding of blood. There are various Scriptures which relate to that. Hebrews 9:18-20 says, "Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood." So, we see that a covenant cannot be made without the shedding of blood. We went at some length into the Hebrew interpretation of the word 'cleave' which is used in Genesis 2:24 to define the act of marriage. Genesis 2:24 says, "For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave onto his wife, and they shall become one flesh." That passage in Genesis is pivotal to understanding what Scripture says about marriage. That is the definition of marriage. And we saw that 'split' in the Oxford English dictionary means to break forcibly, especially longitudinally with the grain or the plane of cleavage and we saw that the word 'cleave' occurred in Genesis 2:24 relating to the act of sexual intercourse between a man and a virgin with the shedding of blood.

We also saw that the original meaning of covenant was that the covenant was made by the shedding of blood. The people who make a covenant become one and cannot live without one another and that a person who breaks covenant is to be put to death. We also saw that the Bible was very clear about the fact that adultery gives rise to death even if it is not death in this world, it is death in the life to come. We saw that the Church has almost completely lost sight of this meaning of virginity, the sacredness of virginity, and have failed to preach that having sexual intercourse with a woman who is not a virgin and who is not your wife, who is not a widow, is ensuring that you have a part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone after the judgement. So, we saw that we need to understand a lot more about marriage and what it means. We also saw that sexual lovemaking between husband and wife is a parallel of praise and worship between the Church and Jesus Christ and we learned many other lessons about that which I will touch on a little bit more.

One of the dilemmas that seems to exist concerning Christian marriage is that there are actually very few passages in the Bible, which directly speak about the manner in which a Christian or a biblical marriage, scriptural marriage should be conducted. We saw that particularly Ephesians 5:31-32 unlocks this through the statement that a man shall be joined unto his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church and we repeatedly, throughout this series developed this understanding that as we understand the relationship between Christ and the Church and apply that to marriage, we will better understand how marriage should be conducted and conversely, the more we gain understanding of what the practical application of marriage is, the more we will be able to understand the relationship between Christ and the Church.

One Flesh Bond

We then went into quite a lengthy discussion about the One Flesh Bond, particularly concentrating on Matthew 19:5-6 in the Amplified Bible, which said, "For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be united, joined inseparably to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. They are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." Through various things and I shared some of my own experience and the revelation that I have received from the Lord through personal experience, we realised that the One Flesh Bond is a spiritual bond that comes about as a result of sexual intercourse. It comes into being through the act of sexual intercourse. The man becomes one with the woman. In extreme cases of long-term relationship, it gives rise to a telepathic bond where a man and woman can communicate between each other without speaking any words.

We saw also that 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 clearly indicates that a man can become one flesh with any number of women. He can become one flesh with a harlot. We saw that that Scripture says that this is a sin against his own body. We explored the fact that by man having joined himself to more than one woman, and certainly to harlots and women who are not his wives, he finds himself in a situation where his body has been pulled apart, where he cannot prosper because his house is divided, and innumerable spiritual penalties that we pay in this life for a situation in which a man who has had sex with a woman who is not his wife and who is not living with him. We discussed how that could be broken and in that session,  we actually prayed for people to have that One Flesh Bond broken.

Headship

We went on from there and we discussed the Concept of Headship. Ephesians 5:23 says, "For the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the Church and he is the Saviour of the body." 1 Corinthians 11:3 states, "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of woman is man and the head of Christ is God." And we discussed subsequently at some length the hierarchy that this last verse actually shows us. So, we see that the relationship between God and Christ tells us something about what the relationship should be between man and God. We saw particularly that the relationship between Christ and the Church is mirrored in the relationship between husband and his wife. We saw also that the relationship between the husband and God, the Father is mirrored in the relationship between the man and his children. And we saw very importantly that where there are situations in marriage where the family is not the way it should be, firstly, the husband is totally responsible before God for the conduct of his wife and his children.

Secondly, we saw that if the husband was dissatisfied with the conduct of his wife towards him, it was very likely that his wife's conduct towards him was a mirror of his conduct towards the Lord Jesus Christ. So, if his wife was rebellious, the possibility existed that he was rebellious towards the Lord Jesus Christ. If his wife did not listen to what he said, the probability was that he was not listening to what the Lord Jesus Christ was saying to him. By the same token, we saw that if the children were rebellious towards the husband, the husband was probably in rebellion towards the father. And looking at these relationships, we saw that God has given us a very powerful indicator of how our spiritual state was relative to Him. We saw also that the relationship between the children and the mother was likely to be a very strong indication of the relationship between the mother and her husband.

We spent some time discussing all of those factors. We came back again to the question of the One Flesh Bond and the point that comes through in the One Flesh Bond is that it is a permanent thing. There is no provision in the Scriptures anywhere for it to be broken. Once sexual intercourse has taken place, it is an Act of Grace for it to be broken. And what we also learned from that is that the more the husband and wife give to one another in love, the more they are joined to each other, the more the bond becomes strong and the more successful the marriage will be. We drew the conclusion from that that God had created man and woman in such a way that marriage would work. We realised that in fact, there is absolutely no basis for marriage to fail except out and out blatant rebellion resulting from the wife resorting to adultery and turning her back on her husband, or the husband going into complete spiritual rebellion against God and falling away totally to a point where God eventually releases the woman to divorce.

We also saw that it was spiritually to all intention and purposes impossible for a man who has One Flesh Bonds with women who are not his wives, and are not living with him, to prosper because the Devil will constantly go before the Throne of God and show that his house is divided and will steal, kill, and destroy in his life. We saw that the One Flesh Bond creates a spiritual underpinning for the husband and for the marriage and that One Flesh in marriage corresponds to One Body in Christ. We also saw from the passage in Genesis 2:23-24 where Adam says this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, and subsequently the word says that they shall become One Flesh. Proverbs 12:4 says "An excellent wife is the Crown of her husband but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones." So, we saw that a woman who actually deals shamefully towards her husband, a woman who is rebellious, a woman who is contentious, a woman who is disobedient will bring about a sensation in the spiritual realm in which the husband feels like his bones are rotten, that he is weakened and that he is unable to do what he should do.

We saw that Proverbs 21:9 and several other verses said, "It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop than in a house shared with a contentious woman or contentious wife." We saw that there were a number of factors which gave rise to a situation within marriage where a woman who is not in submission to her husband, who is driving against her husband and will cause enormous spiritual distress to her husband. But again the counterpoint to that is if that is happening, the husband needs to look at his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ to see whether his wife's behaviour is in fact a mirror of his behaviour towards the Lord.

Two-Edged Sword

We continually saw throughout this series of teaching that we are dealing with a closed loop situation in a way where everything is two-sided. We saw that the Scriptures say that the Word of God is a sharp two-edged sword, and the point was made it cuts both ways. In other words, if there is conduct which is unacceptable in the wife, it is an indication of unacceptable conduct on the part of the husband either towards the wife or towards the Lord Jesus Christ. We saw the Word of God cutting in both directions continually. We went on and we dealt with the subject of submission and headship. We saw in Ephesians 5:23-24 where it says "For the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is head of the Church and he is the Saviour of the body. Therefore, just as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything."

Submission

And we spent some time stressing the word 'everything.' The point about the passages which deal with submission tells a wife to submit to her husband in everything, not just what she feels like submitting to, not just when he is right, not just when she thinks he is in the will of God, but in everything, no matter what he is doing. And we studied that further in 1 Peter 2:1 to 3:18 and we saw in considerable detail how God established a series of parallels where He tells us to submit ourselves to every ordinance of man. He tells servants to be submissive to their masters not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh, for this is commendable because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully and then we saw that even further, for to you were called, because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that you should follow his steps who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return.

When He suffered, He did not threaten but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously, who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, and might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed for you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the Word, they without a word, may be one by the conduct of their wives.

And we saw very clearly the progression in terms of which wives are told to behave like Jesus Christ to when he was falsely accused, falsely convicted, falsely beaten, falsely crucified by the Scribes, the Pharisees and the High Priests and did not fight back. He did not revile, He accepted the wrong treatment and we saw that very clearly in this passage in 1 Peter 2-3, telling wives in the same way to submit to their husbands in absolutely everything. We saw also that in verses 5-6 of 1 Peter, chapter 3 where it says, "For this manner in former times the holy woman who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. His daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror."  And we saw there that there were two examples in Scripture, lengthy examples in the Book of Genesis where Sarah lied about her marital status, pretended that she was Abraham's sister and that she was unmarried, and was taken into the houses of first Pharaoh and subsequently, Abimelech. In both cases God struck Pharaoh and Abimelech because they had taken a married woman into their houses.

We saw that at no stage did God criticise Sarah for obeying Abraham, instead we see that she is praised because she obeyed Abraham in absolutely everything. From that we concluded that the Word of God was saying that a woman should submit to her husband even if he tells her to do something wrong. From that we concluded that it is absolutely vital for an unmarried Christian woman to marry a godly Christian husband, and not to marry out of the faith. If she married out of the faith, she was likely to be highly exposed to an unscrupulous and ungodly man requiring her to do things contrary to the Word of God, which Scripture would require her to submit to and know him beat her and harshly treated her.

This does present certain problems with regards to women who come to salvation when their husbands do not, but we see, and we saw in the discussion in divorce, that there is absolutely no scriptural basis for a woman who finds herself in that situation to be divorced.  It is possible that the husband may permit divorce in certain instances for the sake of the children, where the husband has had adequate opportunity to repent and come to salvation and has turned his back on the Lord and has possibly become heavily demonised, where the children's salvation is potentially going to be jeopardised, if the woman does not get out of that marriage and potentially marry a godly husband. This passage of Scripture creates enormous dilemmas, if you like, for the Christian Church today, which would have women believe that if they do not like the way their husbands conduct themselves, they are at liberty to go and find themselves another husband. In fact, what we saw very clearly in this teaching is that Jesus himself said in Matthew 5, Matthew 19, and Mark 10 that is adultery, that it is putting away, it is not divorce and that it is completely unacceptable in the Sight of God.

Coming back to the question of submission again, we noted that our obedience to God is a measure of our love of God.  By the same token, a wife's obedience to her husband is a measure of her love for her husband. But we saw that that was not in weakness, and we discussed at some length what the Scriptures say in Proverbs 31:10-31 which speak of a virtuous wife. We saw that woman was strong, that she exercised initiative, that she conducted her own business, that she was involved in agriculture, she was involved in manufacturing, she was involved in trading and through her exceptional example her husband was known in the Gates of the City, and he sat among the elders of the land. So, we saw that in some respect those people who espouse the views of women's liberation are correct that woman was intended to be active economically in the lives of the community. We also saw that that was intended to happen within the marriage as part of their husband's economic unit, as part of building up the family and building up their house.

We also noted that from the military experience, it takes a strong person to submit. A weaker person does not have the self-discipline to submit. So, to suggest that a woman is weak and effeminate and without strength if she is required to submit, is absolutely contrary to world experience in other things. A good subordinate is a person who actively, and as an act of self-discipline, submits himself to those people who are put in command of him. The military example speaks very clearly of that. A good commanding officer is generally a man who is a good subordinate. If he was not a good subordinate, he would never get to the place of being a good commanding officer. We saw again in base repeating that even when the husband was in error, the wife is required to submit.

Covering

We then went on and discussed the role of the husband in supplying a covering to his wife. We saw that it was very clear that Satan was very open to abusing and mistreating women who were not married or who were out of their husbands' covering, and that it was important for a woman to marry within the faith as I have just said. We also saw that love is absolutely essential and that the husband is called to love his wife no matter what. We saw Proverbs 10:12 says, "Love covers all sins." 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love crossed out fear because fear involves torment." 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 spells out in considerable detail what the love of God is, and we are enjoined to love our wives in that same fashion. It is absolutely important that we understand the love of God in order to understand how man is called to love his wife.  Is an area which certainly from my experience the church also largely ignores.

God loves us with an unconditional love. He loves us even when we misbehave, even when we get completely out of His will. Yes, He does rebuke us. Yes, He does correct us harshly at times. And again, these are mirrors which are lessons which speak to us of the relationship between a man and his wife. It is important to understand that no matter how bad things get, until somebody commits the unpardonable sin and totally turns their back on God in rebellion and walks away, God will always forgive them. He will always correct them. He will always take them back. And therefore again, we see that only in the extreme cases of persistent rebellion and adultery, either spiritually or sexually, does a man have a basis to divorce his wife. A woman who is in constant strife and rebellion with her husband will eventually come to a place where there is no basis for the marriage to continue, provided she has been given adequate warning, and adequate opportunity to repent and turn around.

But conversely, coming back to the concept of the relationship between Christ and the Church being a mirror of the relationship between a man and his wife, we see that Jesus continually puts up with, and tolerates our disobedience. Therefore extreme love is required of the husband and it is only in extreme cases that divorce is permissible.

I cannot stress this enough, I do not believe that in this age that the Church as a whole even begins to understand the Love of God from a perspective of applying it between a man and his wife. We did not understand the love that caused Jesus to go to the cross. We preach very easily about how Jesus went to the cross, and it was love that held on to the cross because there was no basis for Satan to crucify him. He could have called ten legions of Angels to take him down. He did not have to be beaten like that. He did not have to have his beard plucked like that. He did not have to have the Crown of Thorns put on his head. He did not have to have his back beaten and lashed until the flesh was falling off. He did not have to lie on that cross, while they drove those rut nails through His hands and His feet. He did it because He loved us. He did it voluntarily. With one word, He could have actually destroyed any, or all of the men who were tormenting and torturing Him like that and yet He uttered not a word.

The scriptures say that He was silent, that when He was reviled, He reviled not. We do not understand how a man can love his wife in that fashion, how he can give his life to protect his wife in that fashion. And because we do not begin to understand it, we do not begin to practice it and that creates a situation where it is very difficult for the wife to love her husband the way she has been commanded to, because her husband is so seldom anything like Jesus, but notwithstanding that she is told to submit.

So, we see the continuous tension about the less the husband is like Jesus, the more difficult it is for the wife to respond to him and submit to him in everything as though he were Jesus. She is still required to do that and conversely, the more rebellious and the more disobedient the wife is, the more difficult it is for the husband to behave towards her the way Jesus does, but he is still commanded to love her the way Jesus loves the Church, irrespective of her conduct. We see that the more the wife seeks to submit in a godly fashion, the more the husband will come back to being like Jesus and conversely, the more the husband loves the wife in a Christ-like fashion and lays down his life. Furthermore, she will be drawn back to submit to him.

It is an iterative and circular process with a godly man and a godly woman.  They will progressively draw closer to God if that is their heart's desire, but if one of them is unsaved and an unbeliever and completely disinterested in the things of God, that marriage is destined to be immensely destructive and immensely stressful for the believing partner. But nevertheless, they are still required to lay down their lives the way Jesus laid down His life in the hope that one day they may come to salvation. And there are certainly testimonies of women who lived for 20, 30, 40 years with ungodly men who beat them, who came home drunk every night, who cheated on them in the most appalling manner, and yet they submitted meekly and humbly. They prayed for them daily and came to salvation on their deathbeds. And there is certainly a requirement for wives to lay down their lives for their ungodly husbands where they find themselves in that situation, but for unmarried Christian woman to strenuously avoid getting into that situation, the same applies in the case of the husband.

The fact that his wife is an unbeliever does not provide him with a basis for divorce. He is required to lay down his life the way Jesus did until she comes to a place of committing adultery or complete spiritual fornication, at which place God may permit divorce. But again, from my own experience, we see that the situation may only happen in the case of a man who married an unbelieving woman after 20 or 25 years, once he has dealt with the issues in his life. Therefore, we deal with an extremely complicated set of spiritual issues when we talk about marriage and when we talk about divorce. We saw also that Ephesians 5:28-33 clearly makes it apparent that a woman is bone of her husband's bone and flesh of his flesh. Verse 28, "So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes it and cherishes it just as the Lord does the Church. We are members of His body, of His flesh and His bones." And again, we see the intimate circular parallel of our relationship between Christ and the Church, and man and his wife.

We discussed at some length the man providing a covering for his wife and I refer to a vision that I saw in terms of which the man was holding a very large and very solid umbrella. That umbrella is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the man's covering, and in that vision, we saw the woman, provided she stayed in complete submission to the husband, she stayed under that umbrella and that had sheltered both of them. If the husband received serving God, if he was seeking to pursue his high calling, then all the Forces of Hell would be raining down on that family unit. But they would be deflected by the covering, which was Jesus Christ, that in turn would protect the wife. If the wife got into strife, disagreement and division with her husband, she would get out from under that covering and she would be weakened. She would weaken her husband if she would come under attack herself. In the same way if the husband gets out of agreement and out of submission to the Lord Jesus Christ, he comes himself out from the covering of the Lord Jesus Christ and he finds himself being attacked.

We saw that the book of Job gives us a very clear example of that. We saw that when God gave Satan permission to attack Job and told him not to touch his body, everything was destroyed around Job, but his wife was untouched. Even after the Lord told Satan that he was permitted to attack Job's person, the wife was untouched. We saw that therefore the wife is very secure under her husband's covering provided she obeys the Scriptures in terms of submission, etc. She may suffer the same material loss as her husband does, but she will be materially protected in a physical and spiritual sake.

We read some length from a book by William Schnoebelen on the whole issue of covering. Referring to Ruth 3:9, "And she answered, I am Ruth, your maidservant. Spread your wing of protection over your maidservant for your next of kin," reading from the Amplified. We read that in 1 Corinthians 11:3 it says, "Neither was the man created for the woman but the woman for the man for this cause ought the woman to have power on her head," and we saw that the word 'power' was not a lordship thing. It was a protection issue we further saw that this was relating to the sake of the Angels. From that we referred to Jude 1:6, which refers to the Angels who did not keep their proper domain. We saw that there was clear evidence that a woman who found herself outside her husband's covering, who did not in fact have a husband, would find herself very susceptible and vulnerable to attacks by Satan and his cohorts.

Therefore, we saw that there was a very clear responsibility on the part of Christian men to provide a covering to any Christian woman who is not married in these last days, and that this covering was extended by taking her as his wife. We then came back again and looked at the role of the woman and we saw in Proverbs 14:1 that a wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one pulls it down with her hands. And again, we saw the juxtaposition. A woman who does not submit to her husband, a woman who strives with him or a woman who conducts herself foolishly will tear down her house, her husband's house. She will pull her husband down. She will prevent him from going on with God. She will undermine him, so to speak. And again, we saw that this tied back and to the issue of the One Flesh Bond. We saw very clearly that the wife should not see herself as separate from her husband. She is one with her husband and we saw through that, that it unlocks one of the dilemmas of Scripture which seems to talk almost exclusively about men. We saw again, through the example of Job, that because the woman is one with the man, wherever the Scripture talks about the man or even the man's house, it is referring to the man and his wife.

And it is really important that we understand that because God is not sexist, and He is not discriminatory the way that feminists would have us believe. He has clearly defined a role for man and woman as an integral unit. We saw also that there is substantial evidence to indicate that it was virtually unheard of for a woman not to be married when she reached puberty in Bible times. In other words, every single woman would get married at the age of puberty, which is typically about 12 and a half, 13 years old and she would come under the covering of a man. The modern syndrome of millions of unmarried Christian women is a consequence of the teachings of this age.

We saw again that the Scriptures say that every house divided against itself will fall, Luke 11:17. Therefore again, this question of division in the household brings about a house falling. It allows Satan to kill, steal, and destroy the life. We saw that remarkably God said He is crushed by His people when they deal falsely with Him when they are faithless and when they are adulterous. Ezekiel 6:9 says, "Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I (God, Yahweh, the father) was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols." And again, we see the parallel of the adulterous wife and the adulterous believer. The one causes immense spiritual distress to her husband, the other causes immense spiritual distress to the Lord Jesus Christ and God, the Father.

We came back again to the subject of love and Ephesians 5, various verses, verse 2,"Walk in love," verse 25, "Husbands love your wives just as Christ loves the Church,"verse 28, "So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies," verse 33,"Nevertheless let each one in particular so love his own wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband." And again, we see the love of God coming through the self-sacrificial love, the unconditional love which is absolutely vital for marriage to work. We saw also from other Scriptures that the husband is the Priest and he is also the advocate, he is also the king and the lord of the house. That does not mean that he has some right to deal in a lordly condescending ruler type of fashion. Each of these has a job description, each of these is a role.

The husband is Priest, he is responsible for going as an intercessor before God. He is responsible for the spiritual hygiene and the spiritual health of his family. He is responsible for laying down his life for his family and for his house to see the things are in order. He is the advocate which means that he is responsible for going before the Throne of God to intercede again for his family when there is sin. He is the king and the lord of the house, and that means that he is finally responsible for everything that goes on in that house and everything that goes wrong.

He is called to rule but in the sense that Christ rules the Church, which is not with a heavy-handed depression but with a rule of love and justice. We saw that the definition of adultery is straightforward, it is a woman married to her husband who is lying with another man. And we saw that that is evil in the sight of God and that the current teachings of the Church with regards to divorce resulting in millions, if not billions of people committing adultery in this age. We touched on a variety of loose ends including the fact that the Word of God says that the marriage bed is undefiled and that the husband should not withhold himself from his wife, nor the wife with her husband, and that sexual lovemaking is a profoundly important part of marriage.

All of these factors together come back to the conclusion that God intended marriage to work but at the same time, it leads us to the conclusion that almost everything that you may have heard or taught and applied in the Church with regards to marriage today, is not a very close approximation of what has been summarised in the last three quarters of an hour. So, I would really urge those who listen to this teaching to reassess their situation, to recognise that the Word of God is absolutely unambiguous. God created marriage to work. If there is a problem in your marriage, God is able to fix that marriage, but it requires that you return to the basic principles that have been set out in this series of teachings and God will heal your marriage.

It is also important to recognise some very fundamental principles which have an enormous impact on the Church today. The first of those being that virginity is sacred, it's holy. The act of taking the virginity of a virgin is the act of marriage. There is no other act of covenant or marriage in the Word of God that is that any party, any feast, any civil ceremony, any piece of paper is an adjunct which may be required by man, it may be nice from a human worldly point of view, but it does not constitute marriage.

If a man takes a woman's virginity, he is responsible for her in the Sight of God for the rest of his life and her life. The net effect of that is clearly that a man can take the virginity of more than one woman and therefore he would be accountable before God for more than one woman and will be considered in the Sight of God to be married to more than one woman. In a society which espouses monogamous beliefs, it is vital that men and woman understand that a man should only have sex with one woman. If he has sex with more than one woman, he is either committing adultery if he puts her away, or else he is married to those women and he must do whatever he has to do within that monogamous culture to deal with the consequences of his sin, but he cannot put her away. He has to deal with her as his wife and he has to protect her.

These are all the points that have been dealt with in this teaching and again, the question of adultery is absolutely paramount. The question of divorce being something which only happens in extreme circumstances when one spouse has really done everything that God requires of them to heal the marriage, and the other has clearly turned away completely from doing anything to heal the marriage in the Sight of God.  This means that the vast majority, perhaps even 95% or 98% of all divorces in the Christian Church right now are not divorce at all; they are putting away.  This means perhaps as many as 60% or 70% of all Christians today are living in some form of adultery since the statistics indicate that something in the excess of two-thirds of all Christians today have divorced and remarried.

I pray that as you listen to this teaching, you all have gained a new insight to what God intended marriage to be. I pray that you will be convicted that God intends marriage to work. It is likely that you will find that they are many things that you believed, and possibly things that you have practiced as a result of the teachings that you have heard, where you will now realise that you may be in serious sin in various areas of your life and I would strongly urge you to contact this Ministry for assistance in dealing with that sin. You can contact us over the Internet or email atJames@EndTimeIssueMinistries.org.za or you can contact us in South Africa on 32516644 telephonically. The entire teaching series is available also from us at PO Box 898, Randpark Ridge, 2156, South Africa.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask that if I have said anything today, which is contrary to Your Word or contrary to Your Will, that You will blow it away and prevent it from taking root in the heart of the hearers, but everything that I have taught today, which is according to Your Word that by Your Spirit, You would cause to take root in their hearts, that You will nourish it and it will produce abundant fruit in their lives, in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, amen.

03_12 Scriptural Response to the Sexuality of Teenage Girls

James Robertson

Year 2000. The teaching is entitled 'The Scriptural Response to the Sexuality of Teenage Girls.' The teaching is preceded by the prayers and worship of the meeting, which provides a spiritual context for the message. The teaching starts after approximately half an hour, in other words, two-thirds of the way through the first side of the tape. 

First Sexual Experiences

This message is entitled 'The Scriptural Response to the Sexuality of Teenage Girls.' It is a continuation of the teaching on marriage, and it seeks to address specific issues regarding the sexual behaviour and the sexual characteristics of teenage girls in this age. The context of this teaching are statistics which indicate that an excess of 60% of all women bear their first child or have an abortion by the age of 19 in South Africa. Other secular statistics which indicate that possibly worldwide an excess of 60% of girls have their first sexual experience by the age of 16. Less than 5% of women in western countries are virgins on the night of their contractual marriage. Greater than 60% of women have had two or more men at the time of contractual marriage. These statistics also indicate that a substantial number of women have their first sexual experience at the age of 13 to 14, with a significant number being molested and raped by close family numbers. Teachers also indicate that girls entering high school at the age of about 13 are sexually precocious and highly sexually aware. This distracts them from their education.

In the light of the teaching so far, you will see that this is a spiritual disaster of catastrophic proportions. Implication is that two-thirds of the world's population will not receive the Kingdom of God on this one point alone. I refer you again to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor coveters, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists will inherit the Kingdom of God." This is absolutely unambiguous. There can be no doubt that any woman who has had sex with more than one man, and any man who has had sex with a woman, who has had sex with more than one man, will not inherit the Kingdom of God unless they come to a revelation of the truth and they come to repentance. The indications are that these statistics that I have just read out are not that much different within the Body of Christ as a consequence of the wrong teachings, which is so prevalent in the Church today.

Age for marriage

We need to understand the scriptural basis of this phenomenon and formulate a scriptural response as a matter of urgency, particularly for young girls in the Body of Christ but for the world as a whole, if we are to be a light and salt to the world, it's time that the Church starts to recognise the truth concerning marriage and to teach it. As a point of departure, the Talmud clearly indicates that the Scriptures which relate to virginity, used in the previous teachings, relate particularly to the level of sexual maturity, which applies and comes into effect in the life of most girls at about 12, to 12 and a half years old, indicating that this is the intended age at which they should be married. This is a principle that is applied in most cultures and societies around the world until relatively recently, in the last century or two in most cases. Recently Satan has totally corrupted our thinking to believe that a girl is not ready to marry until she is in her 20s.

The Talmud

Just to provide a little bit more background to this.  I first came to understand what I have just said to you, when I walked into a bookshop and found a set of the Talmud, the Steinsaltz edition on the shelves.  I happened to pick up Volume 9, Tractate Ketubot, Part 3, which I opened at a passage dealing with the age of a virgin or at marriage. The particular teaching dealt with Exodus 22:15-16, "If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall surely make her his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins." In Deuteronomy 22:28-29, "If a man finds a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the virgin fifty pieces of silver, and she shall be his wife, for he has humbled her. He cannot let her go all his days." And these are just two passages which deal with a virgin.

We have dealt with many others in this series. In the same section of the Talmud under the heading 'Concept' the following statement is made. "And from when she producers two pubic hairs until she becomes mature, the defines legal majority in terms of sexual maturity and to the signal by the growth of pubic hairs, two hairs. Although the sign usually appears close to the age of adolescence, 13 for a boy, 12 for a girl, it is nearly the beginning of a process, which continues for a certain time until the child has indeed attained full sexual maturity, not however the completion of his or her spiritual growth.

I subsequently came across a further reference from the document entitled 'The Gospel of the Birth Of Mary', which is published in a volume entitled, 'The Lost Books of the Bible', published in New York on January 1, 1926. The document is alleged to have been referenced by to date back to about the 4th century. It is clear that the document is not inspired by God and is the best defence for a fairy tale, which contains much which is not scriptural. However, recognising that it is a work of some antiquity, the following passage is of some significance. In chapter 5:3-4, the following is reported concerning the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. So that when at length she arrived to her 14th year, at that time the high priest made a public order that all virgins who had public settlements in the Temple and will come to this age should return home, and as they will now have a proper maturity, should, according to the custom of the country, endeavour to be married.

We thus have a second independent source which indicates that an age of more than 14 years was the age at which a girl should marry. I have subsequently encountered a variety of other sources, which indicate that this is commonplace. It is certainly commonplace in African traditional culture and in many other cultures for a girl to be married. I have met a woman of Lebanese descent who indicated to me that her grandmother and all women of her grandmother's generation, and preceding generation, had all been married at the age of about 14 or 15. In arranged marriages it was taken for granted but that was the manner in which marriage would be conducted. In all cases those marriages had endured for the duration of the lives of those individuals.

Becoming sexually aware

Considering this and accepting that the substantial historical evidence indicates throughout Bible times, women or girls were married at the age of about 13, maybe 12 and a half, 14, certainly not later than 14 and a half or 15, there are a number of factors which we need to take into account. Through the years since I became aware of this particular reality, and in observing both my own daughter and what is generally being reported in the press and observed by teachers, it appears that the development of sexuality in teenage girls in the present age seems to go through more or less the following progression.

The ages that I cited for example only, but they appear to be reasonably indicative. From about 12 to 13, the girl tends to be naive, but aware of the changes that are taking place as she reaches puberty. From the age of 13 to 14, she started to become curious about sex. By the age of 14 to 15, she starts to become curious and interested in boys. From about 15 to 17, there is an increasing awareness of her sexual needs and the tendency towards uninhibited flirtation, which may lead to lust. From about 17 onwards, and this may happen as early as 15 from what I can see, or possibly later at about 20, girls seem to follow two divergent paths. They either become intensely promiscuous, indulging in uninhibited sexual practice by which stage lust has taken over, and it would appear that this applies to probably in excess of 50% of all girls certainly in our society.

Alternatively, she becomes increasingly conscious of the need to suppress her sexuality to avoid .  This leads to an increased hardening of attitude towards her own sexuality and towards the opposite sex. In either case, girls by this stage, learn that their sexual desirability is something which can be used to manipulate men and in either case, the spirits of lust and harlotry or frigidity tend to be well-established. By this stage, in a strict sense, the girl is probably unsuited as a wife. This is in terms of the submission and other issues that we have taught, without going through an enormous struggle to overcome and unlearn the patterns of promiscuity, or frigidity that she has learnt between age of 13 and 17 approximately. Therefore, she is also extremely prejudiced in terms of her ability to give herself to her husband sexually, and without inhibition. She may also be carrying a burden of One Flesh Bonds and Soul Ties where she has spread her heart over any number of young men with whom she has had flirtations of parties, flirtations of school, or short or long romantic affairs.

It appears that the majority of girls, by the age of 17 or 18 have fallen in and out of love a significant number of times, ranging from so-called puppy love and infatuation, which has never given rise to any contact, possibly not even direct speaking to the boy concerned, through to fully fledged and passionate embraces, kissing, French kissing, petting, and full-blown sex in many instances, as borne out by the statistics that we read earlier.

Foundation of Marriage

If we go back to this progression that I have just worked through, and we look in contrast at a girl who marries at the age of 13, basically at the point at which she is still relatively naive, the phases of curiosity about sex in boys and increasing awareness of sexual needs will then all occur in the early stages of marriage as a marriage is consummated. And as a consequence it is reasonable to conclude that she will channel all her sexual interest and uninhibited sexual energy into her husband. She is also at a point where her emotional and psychological formation is still relatively incomplete. Therefore, provided she marries some years of senior and particularly, if he is a godly man, she will have relatively little difficulty looking up to him, adoring him, submitting to him, as we have learnt that Scripture requires of her.

This will give rise to an extremely robust and substantial marriage, an extremely robust One Flesh Bond, and particularly, the biblical practice of an initial 7 days dedicated to consummation of the marriage is followed. I cite as an example, Genesis 29:27 referring to Laban speaking to Jacob concerning Leah, "For full her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years." And week there refers to the week or 7-day period during which the bridegroom and the bride are alone together in the bridal chamber, presumably with the primary intention of sexual consummation of the marriage, making love, and coming to know one another in a very intimate way.

This will undoubtedly lay a very strong foundation for any marriage. And if that is taken together with the prescription in Deuteronomy 24:5 which says, "When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business. He shall be free at home one year and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken." So we see there are scriptural provisions, that when a man takes a new wife, he should devote considerable attention to her in the first year. Again, referring to the teaching on the One Flesh Bond, you will see that by the end of the 7-day period, and certainly at the end of the one year where considerable attention is devoted of the husband to the wife, where there is no period of absence of the husband from the wife during that first year, the One Flesh Bond will be extremely strong by the end of that period. Therefore the marriage would be extremely strong by the end of that period.

Sexually active

It's interesting, in another book which I was led by the Lord to purchase, there is a set of statistics which indicates that girls in their early to mid-teens are much more sexually active, but much less fertile than older women.  The inferences drawn in that book is that girls in their teens are equipped for love and only subsequently did they become fully equipped for mothers. The implication is that if there is passionate sexual involvement, passionate desire on the part of the teenage girl who is married, she is unlikely to fall pregnant. In some fashion, the Lord has equipped that her hormone will suppress her fertility and therefore she will be better equipped to bond with her husband, whereas by the time she is in her late teens, she is ready to bear children. And consequently, a woman who marries in her late teens or early 20s is very likely to fall pregnant very rapidly if she does not use contraception, whereas the indication which seemed to be that a girl who marries at the age of 13 or 14 and is highly sexually active towards her husband is relatively unlikely to fall pregnant.

So, in this teaching we see that all conventional wisdom regarding the age of marriage of girls is completely and totally wrong, and in fact, is at the heart of the massive spiritual carnage that was described earlier. In the current dispensation where it is illegal for girls under the age of 16 to enter into contractual or civil marriage in many countries, this poses a number of dilemmas for the parents of such a girl. First of all, based on the teachings that have been given so far, I hope that you will recognise that any and all forms of emotional involvement with boys needs to be avoided. That means no hand-holding, no kissing and no hugging. That is all intended in terms of what we have seen so far to be reserved solely for the single man that that girl will marry. Things like petting, fondling of breasts and genitals, of which there is much debate in the Body of Christ as to how far is too far, is completely beyond the power in terms of our current understanding in this series of teachings with regards to any young woman. She is intended to reserve all of those emotions and all of those desires for the man she marries. She is intended also to give those to that man at the age of about 13 or 14.

This is immensely challenging for any parents today, particularly in the light of peer pressure at school and socially. Advertising, television, and magazines, all portray diverse relationships between men and women and encourage the syndrome that one should have numerous relationships and become romantically involved with numerous people in order to select the right one. What we have seen in these teachings is quite clearly that none of us, psychologically, emotionally, or in any other way, are equipped at the time that we generally enter into marriage, to determine whether a marriage partner is in fact suitable for us or not. Only the Spirit of God can determine that for us and furthermore if we marry a godly partner and we apply the principles that have been taught in this series, that marriage will succeed, whether the couple met the day of the marriage for the first time or .

In fact, it is arguable that in the current situation, a couple that meet for the first time and consummate the marriage on the first day of meeting, and apply all the principles in Scripture that we have discussed in the previous teachings, have a greater chance of successful marriage.  This is provided they had not been messing around, in the sense that we have been talking about, than a couple that have played games by so-called courting and assessing each other for years where inevitably without the benefit of a strong One Flesh Bond and without wholehearted commitment, there is a high probability of becoming double minded, critical, and finding fault, which will give rise at best in marriage that will not be as good as God intended it to be, at worst, and as evidenced by the statistics most probably to a marriage which will fail.

Guidance for teenagers

So, we find ourselves with a major dilemma for any parents of a young teenage girl, or a girl about to enter into the teens in terms of how does one guide her and how does one manage (if manage is the right word) her relationships. What wisdom and what guidance are required in order to actually direct it in terms of that direction. It is important to understand that with the regards to the subject of petting and hugging, Ezekiel 23:1-4 is very clear. Ezekiel says, "The word of the Lord came again to me saying 'Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. They committed harlotry in Egypt; they committed harlotry in their youth; their breasts were there embraced, their virgin bosoms was there pressed.'" We see there is no reference in that Scripture to sexual intercourse. We see simply that by allowing their virgin breasts to be embraced and their bosom to be pressed, (pressed suggesting hugging, not even direct caressing), that they were already seen by Almighty God as being involved in harlotry.

Father and daughter

So, we see that this introduces a much greater onus on appearance, especially the father, since as we have seen in previous teachings referring to Deuteronomy 22 and specifically verse 16, it is the father who is required to come to his daughter's defence if it is alleged that she is not a virgin on the day of her marriage. From that I think we should infer that the father will also be accountable before God if his daughter has played the harlot and is not a virgin when she comes to marriage. The implication of this is that the parents of any young girl need first of all to instruct her in great detail, and clearly, in terms of the constraints and the implications of breaking those constraints, and in terms of what God's plan for marriage is, and how beautiful and wonderful a godly marriage can be.

It is also important that they clearly stress to her that the sexual feelings and emotions that she is experiencing are not ungodly, are not sinful, but they must be directed in the fashion which God intended, but because of social pressures and special laws, it may be not possible for her to exercise those at the age at which God intended her to. As a consequence, strict curfews and chaperoning will be required after the time it is decided she should marry and until the marriage has been in fact consummated.

By the same token, we see increasingly out of this series of teachings that the average individual, in fact, all individuals are really not in a position to gauge who they should marry, and that marriages should be prayerfully arranged by the parents of the girl, with parents of a suitable husband at a time that they perceive to be right. I realise that this is an extremely difficult principle to apply in this age, but I have no doubt, and the more I observed the developments around me, including those of our own daughter, I realised just how critical it is that the parents accept their responsibility to assist the suitability of a marriage partner and to ensure that the necessary arrangements are made with the parents of that young man, and that is not left to young men and women to decide on marriage, based on their own youthful lust and based on the fact that their sexual urges are becoming increasingly out-of-control.

Sexual feelings

As I have said a moment ago, the young girl needs to understand that her feelings and desires are natural, but they must be contained and treasured until they are socially acceptable at the time of marriage. It must also be recognised that the age of 14 or 15, or even a bit older, as we have talked about earlier, is the fact that they are extremely sexually aware, and this is something they are not necessarily directly conscious of.  Body language, conduct and flirtation is not necessarily something that they are positively actively consciously doing, but it is just a natural response to the change that is taking place in the body and to the stimulus of the presence of the member of the opposite sex. Extreme sensitivity and extreme understanding are required. The Love of God is absolutely prerequisite in responding to this challenge.

As an alternative, since we have seen that statistics indicate that in excess of 60% of young girls marry through sexual intercourse and when I use the word 'marry' I use marry in the word that the Bible uses it, sexual intercourse with a virgin as we have seen in the previous teachings. Since a majority of girls in excess of 60% marry through sexual intercourse before 16, and then go on to commit adultery and become harlots in the Sight of God, we must accept that a possible course of action is for parents to permit their so-called underage daughter to marry a godly man of their choice, and to dwell with him until they are at an age where they can get contractually marriage in the sight of the state. This offers the young girl the benefit of harnessing her sexuality the way God intended it, without waiting for the necessary contractual arrangements to be made.

I would submit there is a necessary compromise, if you will, in terms of current understanding relative to the practical realities which have been spelt out in this teaching. It is absolutely unconscionable, unjust and unreasonable for us, as parents, to expect our children to have their entire marriage potential and sexual potential perverted, twisted and incorrectly applied over a period of years.  This, leading to a situation where the capacity to marry the way God intended them to marry is seriously prejudiced, compromised, and possibly destroyed altogether as evidenced by the 60% plus level of divorce in the world and in the Church with recent reports suggesting that divorce in the Body of Christ is even more prevalent than it is in the world. Therefore, every parent who has a teenager or near teenage girls must prayerfully confront the issues that have been presented in this teaching.

I do not for a minute suggest that this is an easy subject, but at the same time, we cannot afford - with the information that is now at our disposal as a consequence of this series of teachings - to ignore the reality that that girl was created to be married at age 13, that the sexual desires and flirtation and everything else that she manifests are the way God intended it to be towards her husband. They are a gift from God intended to ensure that the marriage gets off to a strong and robust start. They are intended to ensure that a strong One Flesh Bond is formed and therefore they are not to be treated lightly. They are not to be distained and they are certainly not to be treated as though there are indications of perversion or innate sinfulness on the part of the young lady.

Seek prayerful guidance

I leave you with that thought; anybody who has any relationship with a girl in her teens must prayerfully seek God for guidance as to how to guide and direct that girl. Father, I pray that whatsoever I have uttered in this teaching that is not according to Your Word, not according to Your will, not according to Your Spirit, that You will blow it away, that it will find no root in the hearers, but I ask You Father in the name of Yahooshua, that whatever has been said that is according to Your Word and Your Will and Your Spirit for this age, that it will find root in the hearts of those who heard it, that it will bear abundant fruit, that You will open their eyes of their understanding to see how to apply this in their lives, and that You will give compassion and sensitivity in dealing with the people who are the victims of the false teachings which have been exposed through this teaching. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

03_13 The Scriptural Relevance of betrothal

It was originally recorded on the November 6, 1999. Though I have been impressed to include it in the marriage series immediately following the teaching on the scriptural response to the sexuality of teenage girls. It has been re-recorded on the November 15, 2000.

Betrothal

I want to go through a few Scriptures which I believe are fairly definitive in understanding what the significance of the trifle with regards to marriage and particularly in terms of understanding whether the betrothal is a necessary prerequisite to marriage, or whether the marriage can come into existence without betrothal.  And also, in terms of whether betrothal in some fashion creates a legal contract which has greater significance than the act of sexual consummation in marriage.

So, we can start out with Matthew 1:18 and I am reading from the New King James, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." So, we see that betrothal is indicated there as relating to the period before consummation of the marriage. But in terms of understanding betrothal further, if we go to Lanzes translation, which is the translation from the original Aramaic, whereas all the other English translations are translations from the Greek, which in turn was translated from the Aramaic or Hebrew. Prior to that, Mathew 1:18 says, the birth of Jesus Christ was in this manner. While Mary, His mother was acquired for a price for Joseph before they came together, she was the child of the Holy Spirit. So that translation by a person who grew up in an Aramaic speaking part of the world indicates that betrothal actually relates to the acquisition of a wife for a price. So, we see that the act of betrothal in scriptural terms involves paying a price, the bride price for the bride. That is addressed further in Deuteronomy 22 as an example where we see that if a man takes the virginity of a woman, he will pay the bride price.

So, in Deuteronomy 22:28-29, "If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver.  She shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days." Now, the correct translation of divorce is actually ‘put her away’. But the fifty shekels of silver if we read elsewhere, is the bride price of a virgin, the dowry if you like, or the lobola that was paid by the husband to the father of the young girl in order to secure the contract for that woman to marry and in terms of Deuteronomy 22 earlier on. In Deuteronomy 22:13-21 we see that if a woman is found not to be virgin on her wedding night, then she was regarded to be a harlot and should be put to death. So, the interpretation of Deuteronomy 22:29 would appear to be that once that girl had lost her virginity, she would never again be able to marry. And consequently, the man who took her virginity, even in this case by force, should pay the bride price and he would accept the responsibility for her as his wife willy-nilly in perpetuity.

Bride Price

There is another Scripture in Exodus which suggests that the father, in the case of a seduction, would have the opportunity to refuse to give his daughter as the wife of the man who took her virginity. But other than that, the provision is basically the same, and the implication there would also seem to be in the light of Deuteronomy 2:13-22. In such an instance, a girl who had lost her virginity would never be able to marry again and she would have to remain under the protection of her father. If we take that a step further and we go through to the case of Rachel and Leah in Genesis 29, the basic context of that Scripture is that Jacob had supplanted Esau in getting the birth right and the blessing from Isaac and Rachel. Jacob's mother was concerned that Esau was going to kill him and therefore she persuaded Isaac to send Jacob away to Rachel's brother Laban, until Esau had calmed down. So, Jacob travels to Haran where Laban lives, and he meets Laban's daughter, Rachel and he falls in love with her and we see that in Genesis 29:18 it says, "Jacob loved Rachel; and he said to Laban, 'I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.'"

So, in that case the bride price was seven years of labour on Jacob's part presumably in part, because Jacob had left his father's house in a hurry and only with clothes he stood up. When he arrived at Laban's, he was penniless and therefore fifty shekels of silver which as I understand it was a pretty sizeable financial transaction in those days was something that he could not have to pay and perhaps it was possible that the sacrifices seven years' wages because we see in the preceding verses, in verse 15, Laban said to Jacob "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?" And we see that in response to that, Jacob undertakes to serve Laban for seven years for Rachel.

Deception

In verse 19, "And Laban said, 'It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.' So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, 'Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.' There we see again that the actual marriage is the act of sexual intercourse, the 'go in' to the virgin."And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah, his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he (Jacob) went in to her. And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah, as a maid.

So, it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, 'What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?' And Laban said, 'It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.' Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years."

There are a couple of important principles with regards to betrothal and with regards to marriage that come out in that passage. The first one is that notwithstanding the fact that Leah was given to Jacob deceitfully, and that presumably she was brought into a darkened room where Jacob could not see clearly to distinguish that it was in fact Leah, and that he had sexual intercourse with her, and therefore took her virginity. The next morning, there was no question about 'I was not betrothed to this woman and therefore she cannot be my wife and resulting in Jacob sending her away.' He accepted that by taking Leah's virginity with knowingly or unknowingly he was now committed to her for life and that she was his wife. And accordingly, we see from that passage that virginity is the deciding factor in whether a marriage has taken place.

We also see that any betrothal agreement beforehand is not a prerequisite for marriage, because there was absolutely no contract of any shape or form between Laban and Jacob with respect to Leah. And yet notwithstanding that because Jacob had taken Leah's virginity. He also further accepted that the bride price that he had paid over the preceding seven years for Rachel, was forfeited in respect of Leah, because he had taken her virginity. In terms of the passage in Deuteronomy 22 that we looked at a few minutes ago, by taking her virginity, it would appear a case of deception by the father that her virginity was forfeited and could never be restored. Jacob acknowledged and accepted that he was liable for the bride price for Leah and that he would have to work another seven years for Rachel.

We see also that it was traditional to have seven days of celebration of the wedding feast during which the bridegroom would focus his entire attention on the bride for the full seven days, which probably has some correlation to the idea of honeymoon today. But the critical principle there is that having taken Leah's virginity without any betrothal arrangement, Jacob found himself married to her. He did not dispute it and he did not fall back on the nonexistence of betrothal agreement as some means of nullifying the marriage.

Marriage

To look at another instance where the same principle is clearly evident, if we turn to Genesis 38, this passage follows on immediately after Genesis 37, which is where Joseph is sold by his brothers into Egypt. In the next verse we see "It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him." So, we see that Judah went and married outside of the tribe of Israel. He took a wife from the Canaanites, rather than doing as his father had done and going back to Hirah and to get a wife from his family.

In verse 6, "Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him." That presumably flows from the fact that Judah's wife was Canaanite woman and not a Hebrew woman. "And Judah said to Onan, 'Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her and raise up an heir to your brother.' But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother." Other translations say he spilled his seed or he spilled his semen on the ground. In other words, he refused to consummate the marriage fully. "And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore He killed him also. Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, 'Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.' For he said, 'Lest he also die like his brothers.' And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

Covering

Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. And it was told Tamar, saying, 'Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.' So, she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife." It's important to understand that other Scriptures and Deuteronomy which make it very clear that in the event of a woman becoming a widow, there is a very strong obligation to the brothers of the first husband to marry that woman and provide her with a covering. We see the fulfilment of that in the Book of Ruth Boaz, but the passage in Deuteronomy that refers to that requires that if a man will not marry the widow of his brother, the widow is permitted to remove his sandal from him in public before the elders of the city, and to spit in his face for failing to extend his covering to her.

So, the act of Judah failing to give Timnah to Shelah as his wife as soon as Shelah was of an age suitable to marry, was in fact quite a significant event from the scriptural point of view. It is not just a case of Judah breaking his promise to her, it was a case of ignoring a basic scriptural principle. It is important to recognise that when Judah said to Timnah in verse 11, "Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown," he was certainly betrothing Timnah to Shelah, because the bride price had already been paid in respect of Timnah for the first brother. Therefore legitimately, in every sense Timnah was entitled to expect Shelah to marry her and out of desperation recognising that she had not been given to Shelah as wife, and that in terms of the scriptural principles that we have already touched on, she was not really available to be married by any other man and she decided on the face of it to take the law into her own hands and to actually gain a covering for herself from her father-in-law if she could not gain that from his son.

So, we see in verse 15, "When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. Then he turned to her by the way, and said, 'Please let me come in to you'; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, 'What will you give me, that you may come in to me?' And he said, 'I will send a young goat from the flock.' So she said, 'Will you give me a pledge till you send it?' Then he said, 'What pledge shall I give you?' So she said, 'Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand.' Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood. And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her.

Then he asked the men of that place, saying, 'Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?' And they said, 'There was no harlot in this place.' So, he returned to Judah and said, 'I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place.' Then Judah said, 'Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her.' And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, 'Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore, she is with child by harlotry.' So, Judah said, 'Bring her out and let her be burned!'" That was a scriptural requirement that a girl that had played a harlot should be put to death. It's interesting to note that elsewhere in considering Rachel and Leah, we see that repeatedly it was stated in Scripture that it was God who had closed up the wombs, the womb of Rachel. And at various times both Leah and Rachel interceded and asked God to open their wombs that they should bear children. And again, if you consider the birth of Samuel, his father Elkanah, his mother Hannah was crying out before the Temple of the Lord in Shiloh because she was without a child. And again, the Lord opened her womb.

So, it is interesting that with one act of sexual intercourse Timnah conceived. If one accepts the principle which is laid down in verses of Scripture, only a few chapters before this, subsequently that the Lord determines whether a child will be conceived or not, one might draw the conclusion that God for some reason known best to Him, decided to permit Timnah to become pregnant as a result of her intercourse with Judah.

Verse 25, we see "When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, 'By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.' And she said, 'Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.' So Judah acknowledged them and said, 'She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.' And he never knew her again. Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. And so, it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, 'This one came out first.' Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, 'How did you break through? This breach be upon you!' Therefore, his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah."

Genealogy

A couple of interesting things about the passage that I have just read, it is important to recognise that if we go to Matthew chapter 1 again in verse 3 of chapter 1, looking at the genealogy, verse 1 says "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." Verse 2, "Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa." So, it goes on until we get to verse 15,"Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. So, all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations."

So, we see there 42 generations, 42 different men, and yet throughout that genealogy, the only women who are mentioned are first Timnah, second Rahab, the harlot who we read about in Joshua where the Israelites captured and walls of fall down, Ruth whom we read about in the Book of Ruth, the wife of and each one of those women is a fairly extensive story about in Scripture and then finally Mary. Other than that, none of the other mothers are mentioned in that genealogy and it would seem to be significant that thousands of years after the events of Genesis that we have just been reading, God saw fit to name Timnah by name in Matthew 1:3. So, from that it seems to me we must conclude that there was some specific reason in the Lord mentioning Timnah. And in fact, it is also relevant that Timnah is one of the few mothers who is mentioned anywhere in Scripture in the Genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ, although they are as the wives mentioned throughout Kings and Chronicles. I am not sure exactly what confusion we draw from that, but it would seem that the Lord did see some particular merit in Timnah. He saw fit to have her story recorded in detail in Genesis 38 and then reference again to that in Matthew 1.

The Book of Ruth

It is also significant that in the Book of Ruth, where Ruth is being blessed by the women of Bethlehem when she is married to Boaz, that the blessing that they say is that she should be blessed and honoured as Timnah, and that she should raise up a seed for Boaz, and in fact, that blessing comes to pass. So, we should be very careful about condemning Timnah for playing the harlot in order to obtain a covering that she was scripturally entitled to, from Judah, in which she had unconsciously failed to give her. And in 26 we see that Judah acknowledge them, and said, ‘she has been more righteousness than I because I did not give her to Shelah my son.’

The key point there, from the point of view in this discussion with regards to betrothal, is that, do not think that there can be any doubt that Timnah was betrothed to Shelah, Judah's son. It is not indicated that it would seem almost certain that a bride price had been paid with regard to Timnah, when she was first taken as wife of Er before slaying him. And therefore in terms of the scriptures by implication, even if it was not stated, there was an implied betrothal between Shelah and Timnah. However, above that, Judah had made a commitment, a vow if you would like, in verse 11 where he said,"Remain in your father's house till my son Shelah is grown."

Timnah and Shelah

So, there was betrothal in fact between Timnah and Shelah and yet when Judah discovered that he had had sex with a widow, and this was the first person to have sex with Timnah, since both her former husbands had died, he did not for a moment suggest that she should now be given to Shelah. There was nothing to suggest that she was betrothed to Shelah. Therefore, she is in fact Shelah's betrothed and Judah had sinned in some way that Timnah belong to Shelah, the inference from the Scripture, and he never knew her again and would indicate that he accepted responsibility for her.

It seems almost certain that she gave birth to those children within Judah's house because they acknowledged throughout Scripture as the sons of Judah, and they were not treated as illegitimate children that were raised by Timnah in her father's house. It seems fairly clear to me that by having intercourse with her and by recognising who she was, the Scripture that says that he did not know her again. It indicates that he expected, that by having intercourse with her, he had extended his covering to her, and that covering could not be withdrawn. If she were to have intercourse with any other man, including his son, she would then be committing adultery. But at the same time, he was acknowledging the requirement, I think it is in Leviticus 18 or Leviticus 20, which says that a man shall not marry or have intercourse with or expose the nakedness of his daughter-in-law.

So, Judah had sinned by having sex with Timnah. Children were conceived, the One Flesh Bond had been formed and all of that was irreversible. Therefore, Judah accepted his obligation to be in her husband to Timnah and certainly to extend his protection and his provision to her for the rest of her life. He also accepted those children as being his children and did not seek to reject them on some legalistic basis. So, the conclusion that I reached out of all of that, is that while betrothal is scripturally indicated as a desirable prerequisite to marriage, it is not an absolute requirement. Furthermore, if there is a betrothal in existence and that woman has sex with another man while she is still a virgin, or while she is a virgin who has known no other man, but a deceased husband or husbands, she automatically becomes the wife of the man who has sexual intercourse with her, and the act of sexual intercourse takes precedence over the betrothal.

Betrothal and putting away

Conversely as we saw in the case of Leah, if there is no betrothal arrangement and the man takes the virginity of the woman, even in deception, he is still married to her. He still has an obligation to pay the bride price to the father of the bride, notwithstanding the fact that there was no betrothal arrangement. So, I believe that those passages of Scripture make it abundantly clear that the act of sexual intercourse is the act of marriage. That is confirmed in Genesis 2:24. Genesis 2:24 says that a man shall cleave unto his wife, which is a very clear connotation of sexual intercourse and sexual penetration.

Therefore, the act of marriage is very clearly the act of sexual intercourse. It is not an oath, it is not a vow, it is not betrothal, it is not the bride price. All of those are relevant in a well-ordered community where people are seeking to live their lives in an orderly respectful fashion, with the bridegroom or the would-be bridegroom. Or his parents approach the father of the bride and asks for her hand in marriage and pays the bride price or lobola as an act of betrothal. Then a wedding feast is held and the bride as a virgin, is given to the man in marriage.

If none of that happens, and the man takes the virginity of the girl, knowingly or unknowingly, or if she as a widow has intercourse with him, immediately the marriage is consummated, a One Flesh Bond is created, and she becomes bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. That is an irreversible thing. Mark 10 says "That which God has joined together let no man pull asunder." What Mark 10 is referring to, is the joining together that comes about as the act of sexual union, not some legalistic joining together that happens through some sort of a contract and God by the act of manner in which He has designed man and woman that in this act of sexual intercourse, the virginity is sacrificed, the blood covenant is cut in the flesh of the virgin through the breaking of the hymen and even if that does not happen, if the woman is a widow, the One Flesh Bond is formed as a result of the sexual act as a result of the immense sexual ejaculation and spiritual ejaculation that goes with it and that is an unbreakable and irreversible bond.

Thereby God has created man to join to woman, to become flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones, and as a consequence, Mark 10 very clearly says to us they cannot, or they may not be put asunder. To separate a woman who has been joined to a man is sin in the Sight of God, divorce, or putting away, unless she has committed major sin which is dealt with in Matthew 5 and Matthew 19 in terms of pornea.

Alternatively, to take that woman and give it another as many people would suggest that if she was betrothed and she had a one night stand, to use modern terminology, with another man that she would still belong to the man to whom she was betrothed is clearly not the case. And if for some reason, the man who was betrothed to her told her that he no longer wants to marry her, and she then understood that she was free to marry another man and she consummated a marriage with another man, at that point, she becomes married to that man. Whatever agreement there may or may not have been for her to marry the first man is null and void as we see in the case of Timnah and Shelah. Once she had sex with Judah, she was One Flesh with Judah. She was bone of Judah's bone, flesh of Judah's flesh and she was no longer available to be married to Shelah. And thus, we come to understand that the principles that it’s talking about, we see that there is enormous error in what has been taught by the Church today. It is bringing large numbers of people into sin and into bondage. It is a cause for major concern.

Lying with others

One further factor to take into account, Deuteronomy 22, reading from verse 22, "If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so, you shall put away the evil person from Israel. If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbour’s wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you. But if a man finds a betrothed young woman in the countryside, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. But you shall do nothing to the young woman; there is in the young woman no sin deserving of death, for just as when a man rises against his neighbour and kills him, even so is this matter. For he found her in the countryside, and the betrothed young woman cried out, but there was no one to save her. If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days."

We find three specific instances addressed here in verse 22. The classic example of adultery dealt with in great detail in a previous teaching, and there is no question about that. In verse 23 and 24, we find a situation of a betrothed young woman who is raped or seduced by a man in the city. In such a case, she is assumed to have consented to intercourse. The betrothal is clearly defined as bringing into play a special status for that young woman, and her act of sexual intercourse with another man is treachery towards that man and therefore she should die. Conversely the act of sexual intercourse by the man is an act of violence and treachery against the betrothed husband, and therefore, that man should die.

The majority of translations say that the betrothed girl is already the wife of the man to whom she is betrothed, but it is important to understand that the word there is which is explained on a number of occasions is the same word whether there is one woman or many women and whether those women are married or not. The basic principle is that any adult woman is assumed to be married. Therefore, it would be equally correct to translate that passage in verse 24 as saying because he humbled his neighbour's woman, in other words the woman betrothed him. We cannot draw any conclusion that betrothal gives rise to marriage. This is a fairly widespread teaching and it is based completely on the erroneous translation of . Sorry, I have used the word which is the Greek in the New Testament. This is which is the Hebrew. As with the Greek, in Hebrew there is only one word for one or many women, one or many wives. There is no distinction between woman and wife.

This occurs in both the Greek and the Hebrew and it's really important to understand that any word translated as woman, wife, or women or wives is the same word in Greek or Hebrew and this is an indicator of quantum and marital status before them. So, we cannot construct any doctrine which says that the Word of God says that a woman who is betrothed is actually a wife. She has a special legal status. She has been bought with a price and therefore she is contractually committed to a man to whom she is betrothed. If she breaks that contract, the penalty is serious as we have seen here in Deuteronomy 22:23-24. But it is important to see that in verse 25, 26, and 27 as in the same instance in the country, if the young woman is raped and there was no one around to help her, she is viewed as being innocent and the man who raped her should die. And again, we see there is a specific situation there in terms of betrothal which is different in the case of an unbetroth woman or a married woman.

Rape

So, there are certain characteristics of marriage associated with betrothal. So, in the event of a betrothal agreement that does exist, any man who has sex with that betrothed woman will die and depending on the circumstances, the woman as well should die. Again, this brings us to a place of recognising the dilemma in modern society where anybody acting on that Scripture is put into death. A young man who has raped his daughter would immediately be arrested and convicted of murder. It is a very real problem in South Africa as we see with the Muslim community, but God actually giving effect to this particular passage of Scripture and find himself in conflict with the law. It does leave one with a very difficult situation if one's betrothed daughter is raped and there is no recourse to putting the man to death. She must be regarded as married to the rapist even if it is undesirable and unacceptable for her to live with him. She would have to be kept in her father's house and would not be able to marry again unless God intervened in a very specific way to indicate that He would release her from that One Flesh Bond, but that is a separate discussion.

We see again, as we saw at the beginning of this teaching, verses 28 and 29, if a man rapes a virgin, they are regarded as married. There is some aspect in terms of Exodus where in the case of seduction, the father is giving the opportunity to deny the girl's hand in marriage, so to speak, to the man who seduced her, but we must infer based on this teaching that if that is the case, there is absolutely no basis on which she can remarry.

So, the bottom line is that yes, in the event of betrothal, there is a particular Scriptural status inferred. However, it is not marriage if the woman loses her virginity to another man. She is then in effect married to him if he cannot be put to death. The parents of that girl are left with some very difficult situation in terms of interpreting Scripture, in terms of either they must give her to a man who had sex with her as his wife, or they must accept the responsibility for her welfare the rest of her life.

The bottom line with regard to betrothal overall is that engagement, etc., as practiced in modern age, bears very little or no resemblance to what is described in Scripture. It is therefore important to understand this in considering the concept of engagement in the modern Church. It is also important to understand that betrothal was a binding irreversible contract, except in the cases we just talked about where the woman lost her virginity to another man. It was a commitment to marry. This idea of getting engaged in order to get to know one another better and thinking that engagements can be called off, is absolutely unscriptural. It has absolutely no basis in Scripture and in the subsequent teaching, God-willing, I hope to address the issue of how binding vows and promises are. I hope that will remove any uncertainty with regards to the fact that betrothal or engagement is a binding contract before God. It is not something that can be played with. It is not something that can be reversed.

Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that if there is anything in this teaching which is not of You, that You will just blow it away and that it will find no root in the hearts of the hearers, but I ask also in the name of Jesus that everything that is of You will be implanted and engrafted in the hearts of the hearers, that it will grow forth and produce abundant fruit in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in Jesus’ name, amen.

03_14 The Price of Righteousness: Lessons from Judges 19-21 – Rape, Vows, Oaths

Judges 19-21, vows, rape, etc. It was first given on October 30, 1999, but I have been impressed to include it in the series on marriage following the teaching on betrothal.

Teaching on the Price of Righteousness. Scripture is Judges 19-21. Judges 19, "And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him." The story continues after several days, the man and his concubine and his servant start on their journey back to the place where he lived and they were seeking a place to stay.

Homosexuality and rape

In verse 12, "But his master said to him, 'We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners, who are not of the children of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah.' So, he said to his servant, 'Come, let us draw near to one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah.' And they passed by and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would take them into his house to spend the night.

Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also was from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place were Benjamites. And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveller in the open square of the city; and the old man said, 'Where are you going, and where do you come from?' So he said to him, 'We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; now I am going to the house of the Lord. But there is no one who will take me into his house, although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything.'

And the old man said, 'Peace be with you! However, let all your needs be my responsibility; only do not spend the night in the open square.' So he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank."

So we see there, principle of requirement for hospitality. But it carries on, and in the next verse we read, "As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, 'Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally!'" So, we see here almost a repetition of the situation that the angels who went to visit Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. "But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, 'No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage. Look, here is my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine; let me bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile thing!'"

So from that particular verse it becomes apparent that the view of homosexuality is far more severe than even rape. And I think that just demonstrates the extent to which the whole attitude of the church to homosexuality is an absolute abomination in the Sight of God.

Verse 25, "But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go. Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, till it was light. When her master arose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen at the door of the house with her hands on the threshold. And he said to her, 'Get up and let us be going.' But there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place. When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. And so it was that all who saw it said, 'No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, confer, and speak up!'

So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the Lord at Mizpah. And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword." I think one actually reflects on that passage, it presents a number of serious challenges of our modern view of a lot of these things. But without dwelling on some of the other issues, I think the thing that really is evident in the verses is our attitude to rape today is that as a consequence of one gang rape by a group of people in one time, the entire fighting force of the nation of Israel 400,000 soldiers assembled to actually decide what to do. If we look today at a situation where a woman can be raped, gang raped, and where rapists are quite possibly not even going to be sentenced, there is an enormous paradox between our attitude to these things today and what it was then.

Verse 3, "(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah). Then the children of Israel said, 'Tell us, how did this wicked deed happen?' So, the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, 'My concubine and I went into Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to spend the night. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they ravished my concubine so that she died.'"Verse 8, "So all the people arose as one man, saying, 'None of us will go to his tent, nor will any turn back to his house; but now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: We will go up against it by lot. We will take ten men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make provisions for the people, that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may repay all the vileness that they have done in Israel.' So, all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man.

Then the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, 'What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? Now therefore, deliver up the men, the perverted men who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel!' But the children of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel. Instead, the children of Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah, to go to battle against the children of Israel. And from their cities at that time the children of Benjamin numbered twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered seven hundred select men. Among all this people were seven hundred select men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair’s breadth and not miss. Now besides Benjamin, the men of Israel numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.

Judgement

Then the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, 'Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?' The Lord said, 'Judah first!'" So, here we see that we have a situation where a group of men have raped and murdered a woman and it is viewed so seriously in the nation of Israel at that time that the entire nation assembles. Secondly, when the people of the community, in which the crime took place, refused to hand over the criminals to be put to death in accordance to Scripture, the children of Israel then take the matter to God, and God says that they show exact judgment on the people of Benjamin.

So, in verse 19, "So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Gibeah. Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites. And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day. Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, 'Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?' And the Lord said, 'Go up against him.'"

So, here we see that in seeking to bring about justice in accordance with Scripture, which requires that the rapist should be put to death, and where the children of Benjamin refused to put the rapists to death, but instead took sides with the rapists, twenty two thousand men lost their lives in seeking to enforce that requirement of Scripture for the rapist to be put to death. Yet God still says to them that they should go up again to exact justice.

Verse 24, "So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the second day. And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword. Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. So the children of Israel inquired of the Lord (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, 'Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?'

And the Lord said, 'Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.'" So, we are now in a situation, two days into this battle, but forty thousand men of Israel have been killed. God again says, go and execute judgment. Verse 29, "Then Israel set men in ambush all around Gibeah. And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in battle array against Gibeah as at the other times. So the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the other times, in the highways (one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah) and in the field, about thirty men of Israel."

One of the things that strikes me about that is that these four hundred thousand men that went out and on the face of it, would have expected an easy victory over I think twenty-six thousand men, they lost forty thousand men and yet they went out the third time and another thirty were killed. So those men felt so strongly about executing judgment on behalf of the Lord and honouring the Word of God that forty thousand and thirty men were prepared to lose their lives for the sake of one rape and murder. Verse 32, "And the children of Benjamin said, 'They are defeated before us, as at first.' But the children of Israel said, 'Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.' So all the men of Israel rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Baal Tamar. Then Israel’s men in ambush burst forth from their position in the plain of Geba. And ten thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not know that disaster was upon them. The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel."

So God now moves to exact judgment. "And the children of Israel destroyed that day twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites; all these drew the sword. So the children of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. The men of Israel had given ground to the Benjamites, because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah. And the men in ambush quickly rushed upon Gibeah; the men in ambush spread out and struck the whole city with the edge of the sword." So, all the women and children in Gibeah are now destroyed.

"Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city, whereupon the men of Israel would turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty of the men of Israel. For they said, 'Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.' But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and there was the whole city going up in smoke to heaven. And when the men of Israel turned back, the men of Benjamin panicked, for they saw that disaster had come upon them. Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and whoever came out of the cities they destroyed in their midst. They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them, and easily trampled them down as far as the front of Gibeah toward the east. And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all these were men of valour. Then they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; and they cut down five thousand of them on the highways. Then they pursued them relentlessly up to Gidom, and killed two thousand of them. So all who fell of Benjamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon for four months. And the men of Israel turned back against the children of Benjamin, and struck them down with the edge of the sword—from every city, men and beasts, all who were found. They also set fire to all the cities they came to."

The Body of Christ

So, we see that in executing judgment for that one gang rape and homosexual intent and murder, over forty thousand men of Israel sacrificed their lives to execute judgment. Twenty-five thousand men of Benjamin were destroyed, and all the women, children and cattle of Benjamin and their cities were destroyed. In fact, the whole tribe of Benjamin had only six hundred members left. So, the tribe was almost obliterated. I think that is a very sobering picture in the context of what the Church tolerates today in the form of rape, murder and homosexuality.

I think it is particularly relevant in the context that we are moving rapidly into an age of tribulation. Ezekiel 33 says that if God has called one to be a watchman and one fails to give the message the blood of those that are destroyed will be on the hands of those who failed to give the message. If we accept that the Word of God requires the Body of Christ to warn the world of that which is to come, and to see that justice and judgment prevail, to at least preach the truth, then it would seem that the amount of blood that is potentially on the hands of the Body of Christ for failing to tell the world the truth about rape, murder and homosexuality, is of absolutely massive proportion.

We go on to chapter 21. We see some more Scripture, which again, is challenging in terms of current teaching. "Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, 'None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.' Then the people came to the house of God and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly, and said, 'O Lord God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?'" And the principle there is that because those men, the six hundred men who had survived, had no wives and the tribe would die out.

"So, it was on the next morning that the people rose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. The children of Israel said, 'Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to the Lord?' For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who had not come up to the Lord at Mizpah, saying, 'He shall surely be put to death.' And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, 'One tribe is cut off from Israel today. What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters as wives?'

And they said, 'What one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord?' And, in fact, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly. For when the people were counted, indeed, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there. So, the congregation sent out twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and commanded them, saying, 'Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children. And this is the thing that you shall do: You shall utterly destroy every male and every woman who has known a man intimately.' So, they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, four hundred young virgins who had not known a man intimately; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan."

Vows

So we see further that the men of Israel took their oath and their word so seriously that the consequence of this one group of people from Jabesh Gilead, failing to comply with the action of the rest of Israel, in order to honour the Word of God and in order to exact judgment on the people of Benjamin and Gibeah, who were guilty of the intended homosexuality, rape and murder, that entire community was also put to death. And again we see that we have no level of sincerity and righteousness towards the word of any individual today that we would even consider an action like that within the bounds of comprehension, that a group who have taken a vow would so absolutely sincerely honour that vow that they would give effect to that vow by destroying an entire community. And that furthermore where they have taken a further oath, that none of them would give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife. They would take extreme measures to find some way to provide wives to these six hundred men, bearing in mind that presumably at the time they took the vow, that they did not expect to find only six hundred men surviving from Benjamin which presumably the vow was taken before the Benjamites went into battle.

But be that as it may, the reality is that they were not prepared to revoke that word even if it meant that the tribe of Benjamin would die out. So verse 13, "Then the whole congregation sent word to the children of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and announced peace to them. So, Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved, the women of Jabesh Gilead; and yet they had not found enough for them. And the people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a void in the tribes of Israel. Then the elders of the congregation said, 'What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?' And they said, 'There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel. However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, 'Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.'' So again, we see that even though despite the people grieved, they were not prepared to break their oath.

"Then they said, 'In fact, there is a yearly feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.' Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, 'Go, lie in wait in the vineyards, and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land of Benjamin. Then it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to them, 'Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given the women to them at this time, making yourselves guilty of your oath.''

And the children of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them. So the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family; they went out from there, every man to his inheritance. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

So, you see the Scripture, Exodus, which provides for a father to act against a situation where a man has sex with his daughter without his consent to prohibit that becoming a marriage. You see that being dealt with here by way of the Israelites advising the fathers and brothers of those girls not to exercise that scriptural prerogative that they had through refusing the children of Benjamin to keep those girls as their wives. Again, it gives us a completely different perspective on the whole issue of marriage as being something in terms of which there is a period of courtship and a period in terms of which the couple established whether they are right for one another, and in which there is some consideration of the possibility of the relationship ending. Whereas you see a situation in which none of the modern, socially practices are applied, and yet the entire community accepts that those are valid marriages.

Death penalty

At the end of the day, through those three chapters of Judges we see a very, very different view of the application of Scripture with regards to murder, rape, and homosexuality, with regards to the execution of judgment, and with regards to the definition of marriage according to Scripture. As best as I can determine, although verse 25 in chapter 21 says in those there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. The key point is that the execution of the death penalty for murder, rape, and homosexuality is a scriptural requirement and was faithfully exercised. We see that God required Israel to exact that death penalty even though He permitted over forty thousand men of Israel to be destroyed in the process.

We see that it is not acceptable in the Sight of God for others to act to protect a murderer, a rapist or a homosexual from the death penalty. If they do, that they would be found guilty with the people that they seek to protect, and they will also be put to death. We see that it is acceptable in the Sight of God that even if there is a heavy price to be paid for executing judgment, judgment must nevertheless be executed. And then we also see out of the same story that it was considered reasonable for every man to have a wife. We see that it was considered absolutely unacceptable for a man to break his vow or oath, no matter how extenuating the circumstances might be, and they were not even prepared to consider breaking their oath. They were only prepared to contemplate some action which was within the confines of their oaths and within the confines of Scripture in order to permit those men to gain wives.

I really believe that the modern Church has to look very, very critically at that passage of Scripture and ask themselves how they reconcile what they teach today and what they do today with that passage of Scripture. Either we believe that the Word of God is the final authority in our lives and we seek to live our lives in accordance with that, and we do not accept that it is tolerable for murderers or rapists and homosexuals to be allowed just to continue living their lives and being protected by society, and we speak out against it. Or we in turn potentially and become part of the problem. In the same way, we need to revisit our whole attitude to what constitutes the preconditions for marriage and more specifically, what constitutes the preconditions for divorce. Because by implication, there is no indication, in this passage of Scripture, that those women who were given to the Benjamites without any courtship, without any process of selection, which either the men or the women had any material choice in the selection of wives, that there was any prospect envisaged that those marriages could be terminated.

Where that really leaves us is with an enormous amount of unresolved challenges in terms of what the Church should be asking itself, saying to itself, preaching about and speaking to the Word about when it comes to the area of righteousness and judgment and dealing with murder, rape, and so forth.

Ungodly vows

Taking this further, I would like to share some thoughts on ungodly vows and vows made under false pretences. We have a tendency in the world today to make promises, or even vows, without fully thinking through the consequences or even understanding the consequences. There seems to be a belief that a broken promise or vow has no consequence. This is particularly the case of so-called marriage vows in the context of two-thirds of marriages ending in divorces as we have heard in previous teachings. However, Scripture has a very different view as already presented in this teaching. It is necessary that we take this further in the context of marriage vows. Consider the following passage from Joshua 9:3-27 and Joshua 10:1-15.

"But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended, old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, 'We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.' Then the men of Israel said to the Hivites, 'Perhaps you dwell among us; so how can we make a covenant with you?' But they said to Joshua, 'We are your servants.' And Joshua said to them, 'Who are you, and where do you come from?'

So, they said to him: 'From a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God; for we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt,"  It continues and they expound in some detail what they have heard about what has happened to the children of Israel. They elaborate on their lie that they came with new food, new garments and new wineskins, and they have all now become decayed because of the length of the journey. "Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.

And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours who dwelt near them. Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim. But the children of Israel did not attack them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation complained against the rulers.

Then all the rulers said to all the congregation, 'We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them. This we will do to them: We will let them live, lest wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them.'" So we see very clearly that they expect judgment if they break the oath. "And the rulers said to them, 'Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, as the rulers had promised them.'

Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, 'Why have you deceived us, saying, 'We are very far from you,' when you dwell near us? Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.'

So, they answered Joshua and said, 'Because your servants were clearly told that the Lord your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore, we were very much afraid for our lives because of you and have done this thing. And now, here we are, in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us.' So he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them. And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, in the place which He would choose, even to this day."

Chapter 10, "Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it—as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king—and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, 'Come up to me and help me, that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.'" So the kings gathered together for war.

Verse 6, "And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, 'Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.' So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour. And the Lord said to Joshua, 'Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.' Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. So the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.

Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: 'Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.' So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel. Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal."

So, we see here that the inhabitants of Gibeon were crafty and went and pretended to be ambassadors. In other words, they lied. In response the men of Israel did not ask counsel of the Lord and went and sworn oath. In other words, they took a vow not to harm these people. When they found out that they had made the vow under false pretences, they did not renounce the vow or declare it to be of any effect. They accepted the consequences of their foolish vow and said we have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel and therefore we may not touch them. In other words, the vow, although given to a group of people whom God had told them to utterly destroy, and given under false pretences, were still binding. Notwithstanding all of this when Joshua goes to protect the Gibeonites, God performs what must be one of the greatest miracles in the Bible. The sun and moon stand still for a day, an occurrence which is apparently provable from astronomical analysis.

Centuries later in 2 Samuel 21:1-9 we read "Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, 'It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.' So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.

Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, 'What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?' And the Gibeonites said to him, 'We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us.' So, he said, 'Whatever you say, I will do for you.' Then they answered the king, 'As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us, and we will hang them before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord chose.'

And the king said, 'I will give them.' But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the Lord. So, they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest."

Famine

Here we see that centuries after making the oath to the people of Gibeon, Saul killed many of the people of Gibeon in his zeal for God's commandments but ignoring the oath. As a consequence, famine comes upon the land because of Israel's sin and breaking his oath, even though it was an ungodly oath planned under false pretences centuries earlier. In order to obtain deliverance from the consequences of breaking the oath, it is necessary for the children of Israel to go to the Gibeonites and ask what atonement must be made to the Gibeonites for the sin of Israel against Gibeon. The Gibeonites in turn demanded the death of seven of Saul's descendants, a seemingly harsh sentence, but one which clearly indicates the eternal consequences of a vow broken even if rashly given. Even more of a paradigm challenge in this passage is that we read elsewhere in Samuel that God says that He gave David Saul's wives. Therefore, we must conclude that Rizpah and the wife of Saul was in fact at the time this happened also now the wife of David, and we know that Michal, the daughter of Saul was in fact David's wife. The five sons that were referred to there are presumably the sons that were brought while Michal had been given to another man.

So, we see that David’s two wives, two women who lived in his house, who had children, who were Saul's, were forced to give up those children to be put to death in order for David to honour the request of the Gibeonites. I would suggest to you, that is an enormous challenge for any man to actually give up his stepchildren to be put to death as the only way that he can satisfy the requirement of the men of Gibeon, for the fulfilment of the vow that they obtained under false pretences.

It is easy for us westerners with our current view of life to be absolutely horrified by this. But it is not for us to be horrified by the conduct of the man who calls man after his own heart in the Book of Acts and also in the book of 1 Samuel. We have to recognise that we do not understand how critical our words are. Words have eternal input. Words remain in existence long after we die. By the Word of God, the world was created and we are created in the likeness of image of man. We cannot take our words lightly. Jesus said that a ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and a ‘no’ be ‘no’. At the same time, while we could perhaps debate that a promise or a vow may not be as binding as a vow taken in the name of the Almighty God, there does not appear to be any Scripture to indicate this. In any event, the average marriage vow taken in modern Churches today, even before magistrates, is a vow that was supposedly taken before God. And therefore, it is just as binding as the vow between Israel and the Gibeonites.

In any event, even if it is not taken in the name of God or before God, James 5:12 "But above all, My brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No,' lest you fall into judgment." And having considered these passages, we must begin to gain some appreciation for the level of judgment that faces us from making vows that we do not keep or for breaking vows. It is therefore clear that if one has made a vow, oath or sincere promise, at the very least, he is bound by it in the Sight of Heaven and will be held accountable for the consequences of  the breaking of that vow. In other words, he will be judged. It is therefore important that we resolve any vows, oaths or promises which have been made and not kept, particularly where those have a significant detrimental impact on the party to whom they were made.

Vows, oaths and promises

Proverbs 6:1-5 gives us some useful guidance with regards to surety-ship but it appears that the same principle would apply to any other vow, oath, or promise. "My son, if you become surety for your friend, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, you are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth. So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; for you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; plead with your friend. Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler." You must go to the person to whom the vow, oath, or promise was made and ask them to release us. We are enjoined not to rest until the person has released us.

By implication of the story of the Gibeonites committed by Saul, we may have to make atonement or restitution before the other person will release us. There is also nothing to indicate that other than humbling ourselves or pleading with the other party, we have any basis at all to expect them to release us, other than their good grace and their mercy towards us. This is absolutely critical in terms of discussing modern marriage and divorce. It presents immense dilemmas when a man or woman divorces with no scriptural basis and then marries another and takes vows in Church before God when they still have vows in place with their first wives. to renounce their vows. Either they need to be released by consent, or if the vow was broken by the other party then the vow has been nullified.

Again, we see that divorce is only permissible even if it is a contractual divorce based on marital vows taken before a pastor or a priest in Church or before a magistrate, or even just the reading of typical vows which say to honour and to cherish, from this day forward, until death do us part. Those vows have enormous significance in Heaven and to summarily put away one's wife or husband and to marry another contrary to those vows, is to bring great judgement upon us in the Sight of God.

As one considers these Scriptures and as one considers the example in the Book of Judges with regards to Benjamin, and as one considers this example with regards to Gibeon, we can only be appalled at the total lack of realisation in the world today of the importance of vows, oaths and promises. We can only look and wonder at the magnitude of the judgement that is likely to come upon men and women in this age. While on the subject of vows and oaths made under false pretences, the question may have risen in your mind with the previous passage of Scripture as to surely the Gibeonites lied, and therefore the promise and the vow that the Israelites made was of no consequence. This is a critical subject. It relates to the issue of women who lie about the virginity or lie about their widowhood. It relates to all sorts of things. But basically, the point that we need to realise is that if we believe a liar and act on a lie, we will be judged accordingly in the sense that we will be judged on the basis that we have sinned, even though we sinned as a consequence of somebody else's sin.

If you turn with me to 1 Kings 13, and the story here is about a prophet who goes from Judah to Bethel to speak to Jeroboam, the king.  He rebukes him in the Sight of God, gives him a word from God, the king's hand turns leprose, the altar is split, the king repents and in verse 6 we see "Then the king answered and said to the man of God, 'Please entreat the favour of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.' So, the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before. Then the king said to the man of God, 'Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.'

But the man of God said to the king, 'If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread, nor drink water in this place. For so it was commanded me, by the Word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.' So, he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel."

Clearly, we see we are dealing with a prophet here, a man who hears the voice of God clearly, certainly on this particular occasion, and also a man who is at a level of prophetic calling with God that a true significant miracle is performed. The altar is split, and the king's hand is withheld from being drawn back. Verse 11, "Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. And their father said to them, 'Which way did he go?' For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. Then he said to his sons, 'Saddle the donkey for me.' So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, 'Are you the man of God who came from Judah?' And he said, 'I am.'

Then he said to him, 'Come home with me and eat bread.' And he said, 'I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For I have been told by the Word of the Lord, 'You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.' He said to him, 'I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the Word of the Lord, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.' But he lied to them."

So, we read on, that he in fact listened, he believed the lie, he went back, and they were at table. Verse 21, "And he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, 'Thus says the Lord: Because you have disobeyed the Word of the Lord, and have not kept the Commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lord said to you, 'Eat no bread and drink no water,' your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers." And in verse 24, we read that he was killed by a lion. The important point here without getting into the detail of how the prophet heard God very clearly on the one point, but then subsequently allowed his flesh to dictate to him, and decided to go back after he had been lied to in order to eat and drink, the key point here is that this prophet, this man of God believed a lie. God judged him because he had acted contrary to the Word of God in believing a lie. He was judged there and then and shortly afterwards he died. We have to understand that our words are binding before God. We have to understand that if somebody lies to us and we act on that lie, or we believe a lie, we will be judged accordingly.

Lies

So there is absolutely no basis to think that if a woman tells a man that she is a virgin, but the token of virginity, her hymen, was ruptured as a result of a sports event, a surgical intervention or as a result of using tampons, and in fact she is lying, and in fact she did lose her virginity - she had a one-night stand or something - that does not, in any way release the man from the fact that he has committed adultery with that woman. He will pay the eternal price. We heard in the previous teaching that adulterers have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven. It cannot be clearer than that. We cannot afford the luxury in the area of marriage of trusting somebody who may be lying to us.

The same applies to a woman who says that she is a widow, when in fact her husband is alive. Even if she truly believes she is a widow, and somebody has lied to her to the effect that her husband is dead, the same applies to a woman who has got divorced and lies, or says that God told her to get divorced. Whether she was confused, whether she was deceived by lying spirits, whether she was laid astray by a pastor who gave her a false interpretation of Scripture or whether it is just an outright lie and she knows well that God did not permit her to divorce, it does not matter. The man who marries her is committing adultery. In the same way, in marriage, promises made are binding. We have to understand that God's ways are not our ways. They are much higher than our ways. The standard of righteousness, holiness and sanctification that He requires of us are far in excess of those which you considered reasonable and acceptable in the age in which we live.

The age in which we live is an age where righteousness and right-standing with God, and where the principles of a godly life are to all intents and purposes totally ignored. Any basis that we have of current social conducts certainly in the Western Eurocentric world is completely defiled.  It is completely devoid of validity in the area that we are talking about at the moment, in fact, in the whole area of marriage. Accordingly, if we are to be found pleasing before God, if we are to be found to be faithful servants at the end of our lives, we have to revisit what we believe in the area of vows as well as in the area of marriage.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I bring before you this teaching in the name of Jesus. I ask you to blow away anything that I have uttered which is not according to Your Word and according to Your will in Jesus’ name. But I ask too, that which has been spoken, which is according to Your Word and according to Your Will and by Your Spirit will find root in the hearts of those who hear it and will bear much fruit, in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

03_15 Marriage Matters for Men

This teaching is a continuation of this series on marriage, and it is entitled 'Marriage Matters for Men.' The teaching is preceded by the prayers and worship songs, music that was played prior to the teaching, which continues for about half an hour to provide some spiritual context to the message. The message begins about two-thirds of the way through the first side of the tape. 

This teaching is a continuation of this series on marriage and it is entitled 'Marriage Matters for Men.' In the series so far, we have addressed a wide range of subjects concerning marriage, and I felt impressed. Now to address some matters specifically relating to the role of men in marriage, in presenting this teaching, all that is presented is based solidly on Scripture. It is important to understand that the majority of what is contained in this teaching differs dramatically from current social practice. It is important to understand that the fact that this difference exists, does not mean that God is mistaken in what He intended. And I would urge you to listen to this teaching with particular emphasis to seeing the diagnosis or factors which give rise to many problems in marriage today, and to see that they result again as so much in these teachings from the departure, from the principles that God laid down.

Frequently, in discussing these matters, I find that people seem to think that somehow God was confused, and that God's way of doing things is no longer applicable in the current age. However, such people seem to completely ignore the fact that more than 60% of Christians marriages are ending in divorce. Adultery and fornication in the world today is absolutely appalling and widespread to the extent that the vast majority of people on this Earth today are adulterers and fornicators in the Sight of God. And that even within the Church as a consequence of the wrong Doctrines with regards to virginity and divorce, there are numerous believers who are in fact adulterers in the Sight of God, and who are therefore appointed for a part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.

Age of men for marriage

I would like to talk first of all about the age at which men should marry. We have had in a previous teaching a fairly lengthy discussion about the fact that God in fact appointed for women to marry at puberty, at the age of 12 and a half to 13 or 14.  We have seen that that has a significant bearing on a variety of sectors in marriage. However, when we look at men, we find much greater diversity. We do not find the concept of the virgin, young girl who is generally married in Scripture shortly after she becomes sexually aware and physically ready for marriage.

Consider for example in Genesis 25:1, Abraham took a concubine by the name of Keturah. At that stage, we know that Abraham was well over 100 years old. And he subsequently took several concubines and fathered a significant number of children by those concubines. It came to my attention recently that if we take the Word of God, literally, and we recognise that man was created in the likeness of image and image of God, Ron White and Jonathan Grave encountered archaeological evidence which clearly suggest that men were created this way, and that man today is a very second-rate replica of the way God created man 6000 years ago. We see in fact through the passages of Genesis how the lifespan of men deteriorated or reduced rapidly after the fall of man as sin got a deeper and deeper hold on their lives.

Therefore, for Abraham, he died at the age of 175, and to take additional wives when he was in his 100’s was nothing extraordinary. Whereas today, for anybody  to live even to an age of 100 is quite unusual. So, we do see there that men in the past have married at a greater age. Contrast this with King Joash in 2 Chronicles 24:1-3, "Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada, the priest. And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters." The context of those verses seems to suggest that the wives were taken soon after he became king, but that is not necessarily the case. I certainly would not like to suggest categorically that there is a scriptural precedent for a man to marry at the age of seven, although there is some Talmudic teaching which suggests that such a thing is perhaps possible.

If we contrast this with the likes of Moses who fled into the wilderness from Pharaoh at the age of 40 and met Zipporah and married her, and we look at a few other Scriptures; Genesis 25:20, "Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian." Genesis 26:34,"When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives, Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite." So, we see a number of instances of men at the age of 40 taking their first wife. Bear in mind again that Moses lived to over 100 years old and Isaac too, I believe, lived to over 100 years old. So, in terms of relative lifespan, they were not as old at 40 as men today are.

If we look elsewhere in Scripture, we find that David was probably in his 50’s or 60’s when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and took her as his wife. He was even older when the young virgin was brought in to keep him warm. On the other hand, when he took Maachah as wife, David was probably no older than about age 18 or 20 years old, or maybe perhaps a few years older. So, there is significant scriptural basis to indicate that men marry at a very wide spread of ages. If we look at Genesis 11:10-27,"The genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and Begot Arphaxad two years after the flood. Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah. Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber." So, we see three instances, therefore we know that Shem was married before the flood, but we see that Arphaxad was married not later than 34 years to have a child when he was 35. Salah was married not older than 29 years to have a child at 30. So, we see increasingly the age of marriage in those passage is more in the vicinity of 30. "Reu lived thirty-two years, and Begot Serug. Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and Begot Terah." And so we see a progressive reduction in the age of men at marriage.

At the same time, it is important to note that there are significant number of Scriptures which indicate that a man becomes of age as an adult effectively at age 20. This contrasts with the man becoming spiritually independent and also having certain other attributes of adulthood, also a sign to puberty which corresponds to the Jewish in the case of girls. But in terms of males playing a material role in society, we find various Scriptures which indicate that this first takes place at age 20. Exodus 38:25-26, "And the silver from those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary: a bekah for each man (that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone included in the numbering from twenty years old and above, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men." That relates to the offering, the half shekel offering which was used as a means of determining the number of adult men, men who could go to war in Israel.

We see again in Numbers 1:1-3, "Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 'Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above—all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies.'" Again, in Numbers 14:29, we see referenced, "from twenty years old and above" and 31 says, "but your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised."

There we see that the men who were judged as a result of Israel's disobedience and refusal to go into the promised land were regarded as those twenty years old and above, and the men under the age of twenty are classed as 'little ones.' So, the men under the age of twenty actually came into the promised land. It is important to recognise that there is a fairly widespread indications in our society today that girls who are 14 now are a good deal more mature emotionally and are more responsible than boys quite a few years older than them. So, we see that God has actually created man and woman differently in that context as well that girls mature earlier from a point of view of being ready to marry and to raise a family from the age of about 13, whereas men mature later and are really only equipped to play a responsible role in society in the Sight of God at the age of 20.

The implication of that is that before a man reaches the age of 20, it is debatable whether he is mature enough and responsible enough to take a wife and to provide the necessary guidance to her. And there, we see a minimum age gap seemingly envisaged by God between husband and wife of about 7, to 7 and a half years. This gap ensures that the husband is sufficiently mature and sufficiently older than his young wife, that she should have no difficulty in accepting him as her head and looking up to him, reverencing him and submitting to him as Scripture requires. I think there can be little doubt if we consider this, and certainly as I prayed about this over the previous few years, it has become increasingly apparent to me that the current social practice which generally sees both husband and wife in their early 20’s, with little or no age gap between them, and the wife every bit as worldly and experienced as her husband, creates a recipe for disaster.

We have to ask ourselves, how can we realistically expect a wife in such a situation to respect her husband and reverence him? How can we expect him to command her respect? And I do not say command in an authoritarian way; I say command in the sense of having the stature in her eyes that she is well able to respect him.

Worldly principles to marriage

And then we see on top of that, that the Church perverts the Word of God further by applying worldly principles to marriage counselling directed in making this ungodly recipe work in practice. We have to recognise that the reason that there is so much divorce in the Body of Christ today is because what the Church is teaching is fundamentally unsound, and fundamentally unscriptural. If only we were to revert to these practices. I am under no illusion that it would take some considerable time for the paradigm shift that is implicit and inherent in this teaching to be put into practice. I have absolutely no doubt we would see the level of divorce in the Body of Christ reduce steadily in the years to come. I have no doubt that God requires the Body of Christ to return to his practice of marriage and to put these principles into practice in the age that is at hand.

If we look at another passage of Scripture, Numbers 4:1-3, "Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 'Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ house, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting." Now we are looking at the priests. We are looking at those that were set apart to serve God. What is interesting about that is we see that they commenced officiation in the Temple or the Tabernacle at the age of 30, and they ceased at the age of 50. There are a couple of .

Jesus was about 12 when he commenced his father's business. If we turn to Luke 2:41-50, and I will just pick up a couple of verses. Verse 42, "And when He (Jesus) was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast." This is the situation where Jesus lingers behind in Jerusalem and then after three days Mary and Joseph discovered He is not with them. They return and they find him in the temple. Now, verse 46, "Now, so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So, when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, 'Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.' And He said to them, 'Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?'"

Sons taking over from their fathers

Now, it is important that we understand that Jesus was not being precocious or rebellious, yet at the age of 12 and a half or so, at the age of puberty, a child reaches the age of spiritual maturity, and maturity in certain other areas. At the age of 12 and a half, 13, a boy should  start to be trained up about his father's business. His childhood is over, and at that age, he is beginning to be prepared to assume a role in his father's business. The key point as far as Jesus was concerned was that he had an earthly father in the form of Joseph and he was no doubt already at that stage being trained up as a carpenter to take over his father's businesses as his father's firstborn son in the sight of the world. But at the same time, he was also being prepared by the Spirit to take over his heavenly Father's business on Earth and to do what he had come to do. It was customary and I would almost suggest to you, almost unheard of, for the son not to work in the father's business, not to take over the running of the father's farm or the carpentry shop, or whatever form of business the father was in. And so, Jesus became a carpenter like Joseph, and as the Carpenter of Nazareth.

This is not directly evident from Scripture, but there are teachings to this effect, which are apparently based on sound research that it was customary for the son to assume responsibility for the day-to-day running of the father's business at the age of 30. This ties in to the age at which the priests became active in the temple, and since Jesus had come to introduce the new priesthood, He could only start to appreciate being in the office at the age of 30. There is apparently a broader principle, and that is that at the age of 30, it was fairly customary in Jesus’ day for the older son to assume the responsibility for the day-to-day running of the father's business.

If you think about that, if the father had married at about the age of 20, that would mean that the father would be about the age of 50 to 60 years old when the son started to take over the business and accepted responsibility. Given that the lifespan of men by the time Jesus was here, it was probably not that much different from today. We can see that the age of 50 to 60 for a man to hand over his business to his son seems imminently practical. The father is still young enough to mentor, coach and guide the son in the day-to-day running of the business, and the son is old enough and responsible enough to be able to run the business to a fairly large extent without undue supervision.

At this age, the father is at a point where his level of accumulated wisdom through his life is such that he can now afford to spend more time contributing to the running of his community. We read repeated references in Scripture to the elders in the gate, and it seems reasonable to conclude that the elder in the gate is quite clearly the man in his  50 to 60 years onwards, whose eldest son has now assumed responsibility for the running of the business. His father is now still active enough to sit in the gate with the other elders of the city to deliberate over matters of social action, corporate decision-making with regards to infrastructure development and judgement with regards to behaviour of criminals, etc.  Generally, to take an active role based on his accumulated wisdom over the years of his life, in ordering the affairs of society and the affairs of his family, bearing in mind that by the time a man has reached the age of 50 to 60, it is likely that his father in turn has passed on and will pass on fairly shortly. Therefore, the overall mantle of patriarch passes from the father  or the grandfather if you like, just for the sake of consistency, to the father at the time that the son is able to assume the responsibility for the running of the family business, and to a degree consequently, the running of other family affairs.

We see a logical progression where the grandfather is perhaps the patriarch and the overall overseer of the family. The father is the overseer of the business, and the son is the person who actually runs the business. So, there is a logical progressive handover of knowledge, wisdom and experience from generation to generation, which ensures firstly that the family is well-ordered and conducts its affairs in a responsible fashion. Secondly, that the business is well-ordered and well-run.  Thirdly, that the affairs of the community are well-ordered and well-run. It avoids a situation in which under-experienced and under-qualified individuals find themselves in positions of responsibility at ages where they are not equipped for it, and it also avoids a situation in which there is a continuous repetition of the mistakes of the previous generation.

Men making a living

The current situation where, at the age of 20, 22 or 24, a man marries, moves out of his parents' house and then sets up house on his own, leaves him in a situation where he finds himself making all sorts of mistakes that his father and grandfather before him, no doubt made as well. And these things have a tendency to repeat themselves down the bloodline. Because of the current perverted social mindset which sees it as right that a young man and a young woman should be completely autonomous, we then get this tragic situation where the young man resents his father's attempts to advise him and guide him.  He goes on and squanders immense energy and resources making unnecessary mistakes and struggling to build a family and build a house without the parental guidance that God intended him to have.

We see the same principle contained in our relationship with the Lord. He does not expect us to battle and struggle and do things on our own. He is there for us and He guides us. The Word of God refers to in Scripture, to young men, to children and to old men, and the three phases that have been evident in what I have just said are very apparent in that. So, God the Father and the Son treat us as children in the first period of time after we come to salvation. They expect us to behave responsibly as young men, to fight in the war thereafter, and finally they expect us to be elders, wise men and counsellors to those who are coming after us.

So, just to sum up, based on what has been said so far, it is apparent that the Lord's intention is that a man should grow up in his father's house, and that from about the age of 12, he should become active in the family business, learning the business and developing the necessary skills. At about the age of 20, maybe a little bit earlier in certain circumstances, but generally possibly a little bit later, if the son has no inclination to marry, he would marry. In the case of the firstborn son, that son would assume responsibility for the day-to-day running of the family business at about the age of 30, and at about the age of 50 to 60, assuming he married at about age 20.

If his first son was born when he was between 20 and 30, that man would retire from the running of the family business and become an elder of his community involved in the day-to-day running of the community, judging disputes, etc., as an elder in the gate. We have Scriptures which refer to the wisdom of men with gray hair. So, the implication is clearly that a girl of about 12 to 14 marries a man of about 20, who is more mature, who is established in his father's business, and is therefore able to teach his wife at home what the Scripture requires. She is then able to, without difficulty, submit to him because it is easy for her to look up to him. He is a man who has a career and responsibility and he has an income.

A young man of 20, who is being groomed by his father since puberty will be capable and will be a responsible man able to look after a family. In most generations, he would also be conscripted into the army and have undergone military training, thus further maturing him. Typically, a man is considered old enough for military service from about the age of 16 to 18 in many countries, although as we have seen a brief while ago in Exodus, that the Scripture indicates that a man is only ready to go to war at the age of 20. A man who is at that age, who has gone through basic military training, who is being prepared for some years for those responsibilities will be well equipped to lay down his life physically and spiritually for his wife and family and to be the prophet, priest, and king in his household. Bearing in mind again, that he is not required to do that at the age of 20 on his own, because he is within an extended family setup. He is subject to his father, who in turn, is subject to the grandfather.

And as much as many people might find it trite or offensive to make reference to the movie, 'The Godfather' and other movies of that elk, it is important that we recognise that even in the last century, there was plenty of remaining evidence of this type of patriarchal extended family setup in which the grandfather, the father, the son and the children all lived within an extended community and all had a role to play in the activities of the family. There is a reason for that. There is a reason why those families portrayed in movies like 'The Godfather', were so strong.

They were running their families according to God's pattern. They may have been doing nothing else, but according to God's pattern, they may have been murdering, killing, and destroying, dealing in drugs and also sorts of things. Their family structure was according to God's pattern and it was immensely strong, immensely robust, an immensely sustainable family structure and that is why in the Western Church, Satan has so energetically set about destroying it, lying to us and convincing us that it is unjust and unwarranted interference in the lives of the young man in his twenties.

It is also important to recognise that when this young man marries his wife of 12, 13, 14 years old, that young girl is not alone and that young man is not alone in caring for his young wife. She is brought into an extended family where her mother-in-law and other family members will assist her to adapt to married life. They will probably take care of many of the chores in the first year, which Scripture lays down for the initiation of marriage. If we read Deuteronomy 24:5, "When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken." And as it had been touched on in a number of the previous teachings, that one verse of Scripture contains an immensely powerful recipe for the success of marriage.

A man who is able to devote considerable attention to his new wife for the first year of his life, and that means intense intimacy and intense lovemaking on a regular basis, by the end of that year, the magnitude of the One Flesh Bond between that man and woman would be so great, that they truly will be one flesh. She truly will be bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. This level of spiritual communication between them will be such that even if they are separated by hundreds of thousands of miles, they will be able to communicate by their spirits as though they were in the same room. Under those circumstances, their prayer life becomes commendably powerful and an enormous threat to the kingdom of Satan. The  possibility of adultery and treachery under those situations becomes almost beyond the bounds of comprehension because the intensity of the love, the intensity of the bond is such that neither of them would even consider some form of disloyalty to be other.

And again, we have to understand these principles to understand why divorce is such an extreme event, according to Scripture, and why divorce is an absolute last resort after the most appalling persistent treachery, particularly under the New Covenant. And conversely, we need to understand these principles to understand why God, and how God created marriage to work. If we do not believe that God created marriage to work, we will continue going down this road of destruction which the Church is hell bent on at the moment. If we recognise these principles, if we turn back from our deception and the road to destruction that the Church insists on following, and we look at these principles and we apply them and stop making excuses as to why we do not think God knew what He was doing when He wrote Deuteronomy 24:5. If we do that, if we turn around, we will see miraculous results. There can be no doubt that if we adjust our behaviour to accommodate this, and I am not saying that it will be easy, but I am certain it can be done. We will see marriages which are absolutely robust and sustainable.

Young girls marrying

Recognise also that within the dispensation that I have been talking about, the mother-in-law and the grandmother-in-law would educate the young girl with regards to housekeeping and the raising of children.  And recently, somebody offered the objection to me that such a young girl would be undereducated, and therefore this would result in the breakdown of society. The answer to that is quite simple that even in today's age, in the year 2000, there is absolutely no reason why a man's mother cannot help to look after any children that may come if her son marries a girl in her teens or help to look after the children while that new wife completes her education even if she goes to university. It is a major paradigm shift. It requires major sacrifice on the part of the mother, and on the part of the grandmother if she is still around and alive, but the benefits to that family and to the Kingdom of God will be beyond anything that we can comprehend right now.

So, in the same way that we saw the progressive pattern of handover of responsibility from grandfather to father to son, we see a similar principle inherent in the pattern for marriage and the pattern for the young girl. While she is in her teens, she is still a young girl. She is still maturing, she is still forming her character. She can be taught about the family's way of doing things, she can be helped to adapt to her husband and everything that goes with it. As she comes into her twenties, she becomes more and more into the role of a mother and helpmeet in the family. As she comes into her old age, she will play a greater and greater role in looking after the children.

So, we again see a situation in which the young wife in her teens and twenties is not subject to the same pressures of standing on her own feet, making all her own mistakes. She has a grandmother-in-law, and her mother-in-law to assist her and to manage many of the affairs of the household. As per Proverbs 31 says, where we saw so dramatically the true role of a wife as a helpmeet, as somebody who brings honour to her husband, and we see now that she is not required to do that and figure that out on her own. She has her mother-in-law and her grandmother-in-law to help her and to look after the children. The age difference again provides a useful stagger in terms of the handing over of responsibility from grandmother, to mother, to daughter-in-law.

If we understand these principles, it is now much easier to understand why in the Western World, there is so much conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, where men marry women their own age, and the mother-in-law still instinctively has the need to coach and develop her daughter-in-law to be the wife her son needs. On the other hand, the young wife has possibly been to university, left home and lived on her own and is highly dependent, resents to this intrusion and instead she struggles on her own to learn the skills of child-rearing and running a family as well as attempting to be all things to her husband.  In this process she frequently makes numerous mistakes and becomes lonely and bitter towards her husband who is unable to meet all the roles that she wants him to meet, wherein actual fact, a whole bunch of those roles should in actual fact be fulfilled by her mother-in-law, her grandmother-in-law, perhaps her father-in-law, and her grandfather-in-law; where an extended family would take immense pressure off both the young wife and the young husband.

If we return for a moment to the Ephesians 5 parallel, Ephesians 5:30-32, which has been the cornerstone Scripture of this series, we see again, Jesus Christ is the pattern for men. We have seen that repeatedly throughout this teaching. It is important to recognise that Scripture says that we love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19,"We love Him because He first loved us." In the context of marriage, this means that it is the prerogative and the responsibility of the husband to seek a wife, not for the woman to seek a husband. It also means that men are created to seek out a wife. In the context of the teaching on covering, we also see that men are required to provide a covering to any believing woman who requires one.  Therefore it is to be expected that men will be attracted to any and all unmarried women. They are programmed by God to seek to protect and cover women. The fact that Satan as like so much out in this series corrupted God's principles by replacing this desire to protect with lust, does not alter the fact that men are programmed in this way. It is also notable that God, the Father constantly seeks those who are ready to be betrothed or married to Jesus, and He sends His Angels to assist in bringing those people into the Kingdom.

Responsibilities

It is clearly the responsibility of the father of the young man to identify a suitable bride and to negotiate with the bride's father to bring her into the family. It is not for the young man to go out, led by his youthful desires, lust, misconceptions and lack of wisdom to go and seek a wife for himself. It is the father's responsibility to identify prayerfully the young woman that is most appropriate for his son, and to negotiate with that young woman's father. It is also notable that we, the Bride of Christ are instructed to preach the Gospel to all the world and to bring further brides to be married to our husband, Jesus Christ. The implication is that any godly woman who has a godly husband is to tell other single women about her husband, that they may too receive his covering. This is paradigm wrenching stuff. It is Scripture. We have to recognise God did not intend women to be single beyond the age at which they are eligible to be married. We have to recognise that God clearly did not intend them to suffer in the way that they suffer in this age, to end up either unmarried and full of shame, or in a situation in which they have married unbelievers, made terrible mistakes or been used and abused by men who do not have the right scriptural background and basis to care for them, love them and cherish them the way the Word of God requires.

A further thought, in weighing up what has just been said, remember Proverbs 31:3, which we have seen sets a very robust standard in terms of the acceptable conduct of a wife and the role that a wife should play starts off in verse 3 by saying, "Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings." And elsewhere Scripture tells kings not to multiply wives. So, that needs to be taken into account. There is clearly an injunction there which says that a man should not just similarly go out and take more than one wife. And this is quite clear that it is God's will, and that He is prepared for it and He has the necessary family infrastructure behind them to ensure that this will work. It’s also important to recognise that practical indications are that girls become highly sexually aware of puberty, and that boys only become sexually aware some years later, other than the degree of latent curiosity resulting from discussion, peer pressure and the social pressures of the world we live in. But oppressing physical need for sexual fulfilment generally only manifests in boys between the age of about 16 to 20.  Others can go to the age of 30 or 40 without any particular pressing need to marry. Again, this supports the fact that God has created man and woman from the beginning to be different in this area.

Co-residing

Another point which arises with regard to this discussion and which can cause a bit of confusion; Ephesians 5:31 quoting Genesis 2:24 which is quoted also in Matthew 5, Matthew 19, Mark 10 "For this

reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh." The portion of the verse, a man shall leave his father and mother has been used doctrinally to indicate a basis that man and woman should establish their own home independent of the parents of either family. This does not correlate. It is not congruent with the pattern that Jesus has given us with regards to marriage where He has clearly spelt out that at the end of the age, we will be taken. The Bride of Christ will be taken to his Father's house. He says clearly that in his Father's house there, are many rooms or many mansions. Likewise, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father.

In other words, Jesus who is engaged in the Father's business is directly dwelling in proximity to the Father. It seems to me on one level, that one should recognise that I am not necessarily advocating in this teaching and I do not think that the Bible indicates that the various family members should all co-reside in the same house. I think what it does indicate is that they should dwell in reasonably close proximity to each other. Clearly, in the simplest form in an agrarian economy, they can build additional dwellings on the same property and all participate in the running of the family farm. But obviously a time will come when members of the family have to move out and leave. But certainly it is not the case that they must all dwell in one massive house with 30 or 40 bedrooms to accommodate the whole family. That is not implied, and I do not think by the passage of Scripture which says, "In my father's house are many mansions." But I think we do need to recognise that even if logistically, the family members cannot live physically on the same piece of land, even if it in different physical houses, they should seek wherever possible to dwell close together.

And really the point that is made in this teaching has less to do with physical co-residence or co-existence and more to do with spiritual, ethical as well as moral guidance and roles and responsibilities within the family. In other words, what I am saying, it is still possible for the grandparents to play an active role in bringing up the grandchildren even if they live a few blocks away from the younger generation, and conversely in a similar situation. It is possible for the younger generation to take care of elderly parents, although it does seem reasonable to suggest that an age and stage does arrive where it is preferable in that case for them to co-reside on the same property.

Clearly that logistical problem is a challenge in our current society, but that is not fundamental issue as I see; the key point is to recognise that there is the spiritual, moral, ethical division of labour, roles and responsibilities intended in how we conduct our lives and therefore to understand that if there is a compromise that we handle it accordingly. The other point of a man shall leave his father and his mother, in terms of leaving physically, packing his bags and going somewhere else, also does not totally correlate with the concept of us all dwelling with Jesus and the Father in Heaven. It seems to me that since we have seen very clearly that the whole concept of Genesis 2:24 is in fact a spiritual, rather than a physical concept, and that the leaving here, is a spiritual leaving in the sense for the man by cleaving to his wife, creates a new house.

It is certainly an inheritance of the father's bloodline, but it is a new house and therefore in some mysterious way he leaves, it seems the spiritual covering of his father's house, and he creates his own covering in some fashion. I have to be quite honest and say that I do not have all the answers in this particular area, but it is certainly I do not think indicates any basis to discount the various ages of development and maturity of men and women, the different roles of grandparents, parents and children and grandchildren as they have been set out in this teaching.

Avoiding broken marriages

Again, particularly in this area, we are dealing with something which cannot be slavishly implemented in the current era, but I strongly believe something that God is challenging us to really revisit and sort out our thinking in a serious fashion. The way God intended men and women to live together in family life and in business, to raise children, is dramatically different from the lifestyles that we live and practice in the world today. I would submit to you that as much as you may immediately suggest that it is completely beyond the bounds of possibility that people could live in this fashion today, if you are to think about it and pray about it, you would find that it is a lot more possible than you may realise. It will require serious Holy Spirit led adjustment in the way you and the other members of your extended family think.

I would suggest to you that it is not beyond the bounds of possibility to move aggressively back towards a situation where for generations, a resident in one residential compound and the grandparents, parents, young couple and their children live together in harmony and start to fulfil the different functions that had been described in this teaching as with all the relatively controversial matters that have been raised in this series. The objective is not to be controversial for the sake of controversial. It is to make the point that if we are truly concerned about the levels of divorce, fornication, and adultery, and if we truly opt seeking to prepare a spotless bride for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to get to the bottom of why marriage is such a mess in this age. If the reason that marriage is such a mess in this age require significant logistical, sociological, and other adjustments in the way we view ourselves, then so be it. We must do that, we must look to accept the responsibilities that God intended us to have. We must look to perform the roles and the functions which God intended us to perform.

God’s way

Men must have the wisdom and the humility to recognise that their fathers and grandfathers have a role to play in guiding them, and that they have particular responsibility with regards to their children and grandchildren. Conversely, women must recognise that their responsibilities and the domestic infrastructure and social structure in terms of which they are expected to operate is dramatically different to what they have grown up believing. We have to put aside the fairytales and we need to return to Scripture. We need to seek to know God's will in our lives, and we need to seek above all things godly marriages which are robust, and which cannot be broken by anything until the Church and until the Body of Christ learns to live together in marriage and in harmony. We cannot reasonably expect the Church to live with the Lord Jesus Christ in harmony. We have to recognise that His ways are far higher than our ways, His thoughts are far higher than our thoughts, and His way is the best way.

If we are not living our lives according to God's way, it is time that we change it. It is time that we revert to the principles that God set out from the beginning, which are programmed into us spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally and in every other way. It is time we stop fighting against God. It is time we stop forcing people to do things that they were never equipped by God to do. It is time we stop forcing young couples in their twenties to stand on their own feet, build careers, and everything else with the enormous tension and stress that comes with that. And at the same time, it is time that we stop forcing people in their sixties and seventies out of society and putting them into old age homes which are really no better than asylums, for those people to decay and die out of the way of the younger generation. That is not the way God intended it to be. Those people were intended to be useful and constructive in their families right to the day of their death. They were intended to be cared for by their families right to the day of their death, and it is an abomination in the Sight of God the way we treat elderly people. We need to reassess our whole attitude to how men manage their marriages, manage their lives, and manage their affairs. It is time to return to God's way of doing things.

There is a tendency in our society today to hold that the Bible treats women as second-rate citizens and suggest that they are incapable. That seems to be behind a lot of the so-called women's liberation movement. However, we have already seen in a previous teaching and a fairly detailed analysis of Proverbs 31, that the woman described in Proverbs 31 is a highly capable, highly effective and efficient woman. She runs the affairs of her household, she purchases land, she engages in commerce, she supervises the working of the land and she is highly profitable. It is also said further that she brings credits to her husband to such an extent that he is highly regarded in the gate of the city. In other words, he is regarded as an elder of repute and is regarded as a man whose opinions are a substance which counts. We saw that also in the context of the contrast between the Scripture which says that a woman tears her house down, verses of Proverbs 31 "Wife who clearly builds her house up, builds her husband up, and was a major asset in the community."

Simple observation of countries which have not been unduly subject to the Western feminist ethic, we find that throughout Africa and Middle Eastern countries that women have considerable responsibility in the affairs of the family. They may not be out come about in the community consorting with other men and moving around, but they are attending to the affairs of their family and their business.  We read in Genesis, God created woman to be a helper to man. In other words, to be a helper to her husband. And it seems very clear from Scripture that this is basically what we see in Proverbs 31. We see a strong woman who is part of her husband's house, a vital and necessary part of her husband's house. In fact, it is apparent from Proverbs 31 that her husband could not possibly engage in all the commerce and activities that are attributed to his wife over and above the other activities and commerce and  business of state and welfare, etc., he might be engaged in.

The head of the house

So, to say that just because a woman is part of her husband's house and builds her husband's house, she is somehow second-rate, completely misses the point of marriage. We have seen in previous teachings the extent to which a woman becomes one flesh, one body with her husband. This identity is spiritually caught up with that of her husband. If she supports her husband in such a way that he succeeds, then she will succeed. She will bear the fruit of her encouragement, her help and assistance. We have also seen the principle that only one man can lead a military unit. If there are two people trying to command the same military unit, it will fall into disarray. If the subordinates in a regiment do not submit to the authority, the command of the officer commanding that regiment will be defeated in battle. It is not a question of saying that the others are in some way inferior beings to the man in command, it is simply that the man in command is the man who has been put in command, and has presumably been put in command because of a variety of considerations that he is a good leader, etc. But the reality is that, for example, a sergeant major is an absolutely vital role player in any military unit. A military unit is only as good as its weakest link. So, a good regiment comprises good men. A good family comprises good women and children.

But at the end of the day, somebody has to be at the head, somebody has to lead, somebody has to take the final decisions. God is not saying that there is anything inferior about woman. He is just saying that He created and crafted women to perform a different role to the role He created men to play. In the same way that when we read in Scripture that the Father is the head of Jesus Christ, there is no implication that Jesus is in some way inferior to the Father simply because He subordinates His will to the Will of the Father. It is a perversion to suggest otherwise.

Another aspect which is important in this context of marriage matters for me, Exodus 21:1-3, "Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them: If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh, he shall go out free and pay nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him." The implication here is quite clear. A man who is married should work with his wife and his wife should work with him. The application of the Scripture as I see it is such that it was not God's intention for women to go and work for one employer and men to work for another employer. If a man came to work, if ignore the context of slave and we simply regard them as employees, if a man came to work for one employer, his wife has come to work with him.

Working together

If we look also at Exodus 21:7-11, "And if a man sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marriage rights. And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money."

The implication here is that clearly a single woman who came to work for an employer expects her to get married to that man. It is apparently dealing deceitfully if she comes to work for him and he betroths her, and the implication is that it is a reasonable expectation that he should betroth her even to himself or to his wife and his son and they marry her. A man is also enjoined to treat her like a daughter. In other words, there is no shame attached to such a woman being married to her employer or to her employer's son. It is a reasonable expectation that a woman who comes to be employed and is single is married to either her employer or to one of his sons, and that she should be accorded the same privileges as a daughter in that household. This is not some second-rate abuse. It is recognising that women have a need for a covering and her sexual needs, and that a man who is presented with a woman in his household will find himself by the nature of the way God created him desiring to provide a covering to her.

The fact that modern society does not see this way does not alter the fact that this is the way God intended it. So, we see that in modern day society, a situation in which a man's wife goes out and works for another man, creates problems. It is no wonder if one understands what these Scriptures are indicating, that we have situations where men employ other men's wives and end up having affairs with them. It really seems quite clear from these Scriptures that that was not God's intention. He intended women to be helpers to their husbands. In other words, He intended them to work with, and alongside their husbands. He did not intend a man to employ another man's wife as a secretary in a very personal and intimate role.

And conversely, He did not expect men to send their wives out to work for other men. If we understand that it is perhaps easier to understand the prevalence of extramarital sexual affairs in the business setting, it is also important to understand that we should be seeking to return as far as we possibly can. Certainly those men who are in a position to determine whether their wives work with them and alongside them or work for other men should seek the Lord to bring them into situations where their wives can work alongside them, and not work elsewhere. With that, I will leave you to consider that there are enormous aspects of what men need to evaluate in terms of how they conduct and manage their marital and family affairs.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask that anything that I have uttered which is contrary to Your Word or contrary to Your will, will be blown away and find no root in the hearts of the hearers. I ask You that everything that has been spoken, that is according to Your Word and according to Your will, will find root in the hearts of the hearers and will produce abundant fruit in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

03_16 Learning How to Love

James Robertson -- 18 November 2000

This teaching is entitled, 'Learning How to Love.' It is part 16 in the marriage series recorded on November 18, 2000. In previous teachings in this marriage series, we have seen the basic scriptural principles and the scriptures which refer to love in a fairly early teaching. There was subsequently a teaching on 'Do You Love the Way Jesus Loves',which address some of the profoundly significant ways in which Jesus laid down his life and the way we require to lay down our lives for others with the specific examples of people who submitted to unjust conduct, and by their humble submission brought others to repentance. The teaching today is directed at addressing some of the issues of how do we get to the place by the Spirit of God where we actually can love in that way.

The teaching is based on the book, 'Lord, teach me how to love' which I have referred to previously. This book by Creflo Dollar is immensely challenging, or certainly I found it immensely challenging in terms of beginning to comprehend just how awesome the love of God is and just what an adaptation it requires in my own life, and may I say in the lives of pretty much all the Christians that I have encountered in my work. To put all of these things into practice in a way that is actually tangible and noticeable to those around us, is an immense challenge. I believe that Creflo Dollar has been made by the Sight of God in a wonderful way to provide certainly what I would consider to be the most significant teaching that I have encountered on the subject.

Accordingly, I have produced a summary of the headlines of what really struck me in reading that book. In this teaching, I am basically just going to run through, not necessarily with much of my own comment, the points that are raised there.  I’ll be doing this from the perspective that I believe that as we apply these principles in our lives, we will be transformed by love and come to a place where people can in fact see Jesus in us, and where the compassion and love of God will move through us to an extent that will be tangibly significant to the world around us, that we will be able to make a difference and that we will come to the place where truly unbelievers may call us Christians, because they see Jesus Christ in us and because we do the works that Jesus Christ did.

Transformed by love

I am just going to run through the points that I have noted as I read through the book in sequence. One of the first sections that he addresses is be transformed by love. He makes the point, in a number of places in the book that true love will transform us, the love of God will change us. Therefore, if we decide to love, we must expect and be willing to change. We should never be too busy to love and we should never be too busy to listen to others. Love is patient and love is willing to go the extra mile. He makes the point that others will know us by our love and cites John 13:35, "By this shall all men know you are my disciples, if they have love one to another." We have to recognise that Jesus himself requires us to come to a place where our love for others is so visible and so tangible that they will see that we are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must declare war on complacency. I certainly found myself confronted with the fact that I was highly complacent about walking in love and the love of God.

I had an excellent knowledge of the Word of God. I had experiences in many areas with God and yet I realised that I knew very little about the true love of God as distinct from my worldly western perspective of love, which is incredibly shallow. The more you come to understand God's agape love and to actually apply it in practice, the more you come to realise that the way we understand love in the West is absolutely feeble compared to the love of God. So, we dare not be complacent. We must be consistent in our love to others. We should not be unpredictable. We should not be blown by winds of change and situation.

We must forget the past, not only what we are ashamed of, but also what we are proud of and always . A very important point, he makes the point that if we dwell in the past, if we are looking at our past achievement, it will cloud our judgement with regards to the future. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus and we have to keep pressing forward.

Love with Intensity

Love is not something that is lukewarm and insipid. It can be seen in Revelation what the Lord Jesus has to say about people who are lukewarm. Love must be intense, it must be impassioned. I am not talking about lust; I am talking about the love of God, which is intense. God's loving you grows as you love others. You cannot sit back and grow love. You have to actually exercise and walk in love and apply love in order to have it manifest in your life.

Love is a Decision

Love is not some warm fuzzy feeling that you have one day and do not have the next day. You cannot fall in and out of love, and you cannot stop loving people, except as a consequence of extreme treachery as we taught previously in the passage on divorce. 1 Corinthians 13 says that love never dies. It never ends. It never goes away. God's love is enduring. It can only be terminated if it is utterly destroyed by persistent and treachery, unfaithfulness and fornication on the part of the one party, the object of the love. Love is a decision. It is not something that is emotional or something that comes or goes. Once you have declared your love, you have decided to love. We have to realise that we do not have an option, we have to love as Jesus loved. Therefore, anything that stands in the way needs to be resistant and overcome.

Creflo Dollar makes a statement that love is a force and as I have sought to put some of these teachings into practice, and admittedly in a very basic way, and I have come to experience the flow of that force, the realisation that when we come close to the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the father, and we experience that sensation like electricity, it is His love flowing into us. It is possible, if any individual who will love and seek to love as Jesus loved, for that powerful energy of love that force of love to flow through one. It is something that goes out of us independent of the object that is receiving that love. If a put a barrier and they would not receive that one thing but it is not something that is turned on and off by emotion. The lack of love can stop you receiving results from God. Satan can hinder your faith by taking your ability to love. You are a liar if you say you love God but do not love others. You can prevent God's blessings from manifesting in your life because of your own willingness to love.

Perfect love drives out fear

It is important to note that in the context of marriage, perfect love drives out fear. In other words, if a man loves his wife perfectly with the love of God, she will not have fear. So, one has to draw the conclusion from that, if your wife has fear, you are not loving her perfectly. And that love is not conditional on her behaviour; it is an unconditional Christ-like love. It is important that we understand, in the context of marriage, that one of the key requirements for the husband is to love his wife as Christ so loved the Church. I continue to see in the context of marriage just how profound and important this is. There is not an enormous amount of other specific instruction to the husband other than to love his wife the way Jesus did.

We have seen the parallels but here we have an express instruction to the husband to love as Jesus loved. 1 John 4:8, "God is love." John 14, 15, "If you love me, keep My Commandments." We have spoken about this previously. You cannot say that you love someone, and you cannot say that you love God if you are not obedient. A wife who says she loves her husband but does her own thing cannot be walking in true agape love; she is in rebellion. An individual who says that they love God, but then does not apply the Word of God in their lives, a man who does not seek to love and to honour his wife as the weaker vessel, is in breach of the Commandment. Therefore, he cannot claim to love God fully, and a wife who is not in submission to her husband, cannot claim to love God.

When one encounters, or too frequently women, who seek divorce because they say that the husband is impeding in their walk with God that the inference is, they are closer to God than their husband is that may be the case, but divorce is not the answer. They have to draw closer to their husband in order to encourage their husband to draw closer to God. A man will experience great difficulty in submitting to God and drawing close to God if his wife is in total rebellion against him. Conversely, a wife will have great difficulty in submitting to her husband if her husband is in total rebellion against God. Again, this is the concept of the double-edged sword we have spoken about previously.

Loving God

So, we have to learn to love God before we can love others. When we know what to do but procrastinate, that puts us in a questionable position in terms of our love of God. If we allow our love for others to get before our love for God, we are in a questionable again. Procrastination is disobedience and partial obedience is disobedience. Disobedience is lack of love towards God. We have to come to a place where we understand profoundly. We cannot claim to love God if we are not obeying His Commandments, if we not putting into practice the revelation that we have of His words, or if we are not doing the things that He has called us to do. Something that has become profoundly clear to me in this context is that we are so wrapped up in the things and the cares of this world, what we will eat, drink, what car we will drive, what house we will have, how we will pay the debts at the end of the month, etc., that generally speaking, very few Christians indeed really, in any material way, obey God in terms of their calling.

As I was working through this, I was led to produce a list of outstanding activities. Some of these were things that I was called to do a year, two, three years ago, some even longer, and which because of opposition, tiredness, preoccupation with work, other issues, family matters and so forth, have just never been completed. Projects that I’d started are not being finished. Many months of work which, if I had done them diligently, a bit at a time, day by day, from the point at which the Lord called me do them, would have been executed and completed months or years ago and yet all were standing incomplete. It is a devastating indictment, but certainly was for me. I think that without trying to point fingers at anyone, if you examine yourself carefully, if you examine all the things that you have thought or said that God has called you to do in the last few years, you will find that you are quite likely in a similar position. If that is the case, we cannot be surprised if there is a lack of love in our own homes. We cannot be surprised if there is a lack of obedience and submission from our wives. If we are not doing what God called us to do, what on Earth do we expect to happen?

One of the things that struck me forcibly there is that I have certainly encountered a doctrine which says that if a man is not basically providing adequately for his family, etc., then he has not got his priorities right. The inference is comment which tends to be made that people are so spiritual that they are no earthly use. I do not think that is the case. Until we get to a place where we are so absolutely consumed with our love of God, that nothing else gets in the way; that doing God's will is all that matters, it does not matter how little sleep we have, how little money we have, how much we are inconvenienced, we will first and foremost do what God has called us to do each day, until we come to that place we cannot say that we love God and we cannot expect to walk in the fullness of his blessings, in the fullness of his anointing, and we need to understand that as long as we say once I am financially well-off, once I have paid for the house, once I have paid for the car, once I have completed this project, once I have done this report for the boss, whatever the case may be.

Once I have done anything that is not the first thing that God wants you to do, the Devil will make sure that you never complete those tasks in order to ensure that you never get to do what God wants done. If you at least do what God wants done, God is able to provide, He is able to bless you, even though the Devil may be running riot in other areas of your life. Once you are in disobedience to God, once you are no longer in the Will of God, then Satan will take your part. Love is not an option. We are not truly in covenant with God if we do not obey God, but we are His friends if we keep His Commandments. So, we have a choice: Do we put God first in our lives, do we do what He has called us to do no matter what the cost, or do we actually put God after some other stuff, in which case, we are not truly in covenant with Him. We are in breach of our covenant with Him and we are not His friends. We cannot say that we love Him. It is quite devastating when you actually think about it.

The bottom line is we must obey God at any cost. At the same time, 1 John 4:20, "If you do not love your brother whom you see daily, and you say you love me (God) whom you have not seen, you are a liar." References made to love that endures and covers with silence, he who loveth God loveth his brother also, to the degree you love others who love God. Matthew 25:40, "In as much as you have and to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." We have to understand we cannot lose our tempers and get offended with our brothers, sisters, Christ, our family members and other people around us without in a sense, doing that to Jesus. So, if we are behaving like that, we have to understand that we cannot claim to be walking in the love of God. We have to love the whole body of Christ.

The thing that struck me there - that means we love the denominations in the groups that we do not understand, or we do not agree with. The fact that they have elements of doctrine which to us are highly offensive, is not the issue. If they claim the name of Christ, if they declare Jesus Christ the Saviour, even if all sorts of other elements of doctrine are wrong, they are part of His body. So, it does not matter whether they are Anglican, Presbyterian, Calvinists, Roman Catholic, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), any other fringe group, charismatic group, whimsical group or unknown group, if they confess Jesus Christ is Lord, that as part of the body of Christ, we have to love them, not judge them, not condemn them, not take offensive positions towards them, we are told to love them. If we do not love them, then how can we say that we love Jesus? They are part of His body. It is not for us to decide who is part of the body and who is not part of the body.

We need to straighten out the relationships we have with the people we see every day. We have to forgive those who have wronged us. If I do not walk in love, I am nobody in Heaven's sight and we need to understand that. At the same time, if we allow our love for somebody else whether it be a wife or a husband or anybody else to become more important than love and obedience to God, we are making a major mistake. We cannot walk in true agape godly love towards our wives if we do not first walk in godly agape love towards God. Conversely, if we are not walking in godly love towards our wives, we cannot be walking in love towards God. Again, we see the double-edged sword. Marriage is a mirror of our relationship with God. In the case of love, our relationships with everybody we encounter are a mirror of our relationship with God. We need to seek to be anointed to love, and we need to seek to be rooted and grounded in love. Love is the absolute foundation of God and of Christian service. If you are not rooted in love, we should not expect miracles. We need to understand and we need to see the Bible as a revelation of God's love. It is important that we understand that there is no power in the spiritual sense without love.

Compassion

The book shows very clearly that in Jesus' life, prayer produced compassion for the people. It was the compassion to heal and the compassion for the condition of the people which produced the power for the miracles that Jesus performed. Firstly, we must be in a vertical love relationship with the Father and with Jesus. Secondly, we must be in a horizontal love relationship with the people around us, with our spouses, our children, our families, and with the world at large. But we have to act as a conduit for God's love, which means we have to tap into God first. We need to tap into His love and then His love can flow through us to others. If we are so busy running around looking after our own interests, lusting after the latest car, and worrying about the home loan repayments, and doing all sorts of other unscriptural things, instead of concentrating all our attention on the Lord God, then God can do very little in our lives. His power cannot work with people who are not connected to Him and to His love.

It is important to recognise that love is about giving, whereas lust takes as much as it can without giving anything in return. We will never see the power of healing operate in our ministries until we first see Jesus. Creflo Dollar says that when he first understood Jesus' compassion, only then did he see Jesus. We need to seek to understand Jesus compassion as a vital necessity in our Christian walk. In Jesus' life, again, first is prayer from which flowed compassion, from which flowed the powerful for miracles. First vertical love between Jesus and the Father and then the horizontal love from Jesus to the people. Our motivation for displaying God's power must be sincere compassion to see others saved, delivered, and healed, rather than for Earth's praise and recognition, or our own satisfaction. We have to seek God's heart for the people around and we have to seek His compassion. We need to ask ourselves what can I do for you? We have to stop looking at ourselves. We need to focus on others and what we can do for them. The love of God is about serving others, it is about loving others. It is not about self, it is about dying to self, it is about crucifying self.

Galatians 6:2 tells us to "Bear one another’s burdens." Your thinking should be "I love others with the love of God, I want so much for their lives to be changed. I want so much for their bodies to be healed. Oh, God, help me to help them." In particular, in the context of this teaching series on marriage, I would urge everybody to see the massive hurt and destruction in marriage and in relationships between men and women, and in terms of sexuality, family life, children, men and women whose lives are in shambles ,in terms of adultery and fornication, broken hearts and broken relationships. We need to see this absolutely heart. We need to seek God's compassion to see marriages healed, not just our own marriages, but those of all that we know and of all those in the world. Not just marriages healed, but this functional sexuality healed, this functional children’s relationships healed, this function of personality heal. The more I pray and write and teach on the subject of marriage, the more I come to understand the absolutely appalling, abominable state that marriage is in the Sight of God. We are so far removed from what God intended to be Heaven on Earth and we are so unaware of the fact of what marriage could be, relative to what marriage is today.

I would urge everybody who listens to this tape to seek God, that you may know His heart and experience His compassion from those, for those who are hurting through marriage and related issues that have been addressed in this teaching series. We have to seek God's love to begin operating in our own lives before we can be of any use to others. But at the same time, we have to put the needs of others first in our prayers. We need to stop asking for ourselves and start asking for others. If we do not have love, we are nothing. The Word of God says 'a useless nobody' in Corinthians. We need to love unconditionally.

Galatians 5:5-6, "For we, through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love." That is a critical passage of Scripture that is something that opened my eyes. "Faith works by love." Our faith will not work if our love is not working. Love is damaged by offence, unforgiveness, and disobedience. Then we cannot expect answers to our prayers. So, one of the critical things we need to understand is if we are not walking in the fullness and blessings of God, we have a revelation that by Jesus’ stripes we are healed, yet we are not healed if we have a revelation that our God will supply all our needs according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus, and we are living in lack and in poverty. If we are under constant attack, if we are suffering constant destruction and loss in our lives, we have to understand that if we are not walking in the love of God, we perhaps do not need to look any further for the problem.

Faith and Love

Faith works by love and if we are not walking in love, faith is not going to work. We must meditate on the word day and night. We must allow God to handle our circumstances. We can do nothing in our own strength. It is not by might, it is not by power, it is by the Spirit of the living God that we are delivered from our circumstances. We dare not lean to our own understanding. We dare not look to the things that are seen. We have to look to the things that we do not see. We have to seek to look and see what the Father is doing.  As we have seen, we cannot see Jesus until we understand his compassion. Love is vital. If we are to accomplish anything for God with God, if we are not to be found to be goats and sheep on the Day of Judgement with tears and not wheat, or are foolish virgins or workers of iniquity, or people to him, the Lord Jesus Christ says,"Depart from me, I never knew you." We have to walk in love.

If we do not like our harvest, we need to change the seed. If we are not walking in the streets of love, then we need to start loving. If we are not walking in the streets of love, we should not be surprised that we are in ill-health and lack, and so forth. We have to understand without love, our faith will not work, not in terms of prosperity or anything else. If we are not walking in love, then when God blesses us, our pride and our arrogance will take over and we will lose everything that He gives us. When love is truly operating, only then will the power flow. Only when we love God and love one another, and only when we keep God's Commandments will God bring us to the harvest of our dreams and desires. If not, our dreams and desires will not be of God and they will not be pleasing to God, and they will not be suitable in terms of our calling. We do not want to receive, or we should not want to receive many of the things that we believe God, which will take us away from serving Him.

Satan attacks our love with anger, thus destroying our faith. It does not mean anything to come to Church all the time if you are not willing to work out misunderstandings, mend broken relationships and love, even when it is difficult to do so. True Christianity is walking in love to the point that every time others are around us, they are somehow positively affected by our genuine love. As stated before, love is a force, it is something tangible. It is something that we can experience. Rick Joyner in the book, 'The Final Quest' describes an incident in which he encounters a man where, when this man hugs him and embraces him, the love that flows out of him is such powerful raw energy, that when he releases Joyner, Joyner feels absolutely drunk with the power of that love.

Until we can walk in a place where we can hug somebody, and the love of God flows into them that when we release them, they have been healed, touched, or changed, we can do nothing. It is only when we get to the place where the love of God is flowing out of us so strongly that there is an aura, a love shield around us, which heals people without us even touching them, that we will come to the place where we are doing the works that Jesus did, and greater works than He did.

We are commanded to love our enemies. God's love is unconditional. He gives His blessings to the good and the bad. He gives reign to the just and the unjust. God's love endures. Even when we distance ourselves from the sinning brother in Christ, we must never stop loving them. We are not to reject them, we are not to condemn them, we are just to put space between us and them in terms of Matthew 18, in order to provide them with an indication of our disapproval and to bring them to a place of true repentance. Romans 2:4, "The goodness of God leads us to repentance," i.e. love brings about change. Goodness of God brings about repentance. Therefore it is our goodness to others that will bring about repentance. For the husband, if your wife is not the wife you would like her to be, it is the goodness of God flowing through you that will bring her to repentance. Wife, if your husband is not the husband you would like him to be, it is the goodness of God flowing through you that will bring him to repentance.

Patience

Romans 5:3, tribulation, work of patience. Work means that it employs, it uses patience to pull you through tribulation. We need to seek patience. That is one of the tributes of love and one of the fruits of the Spirit. We need to love others when we first meet them before we know anything about them. We need to love them when they may suffer, or when we discover that they have doctrines of beliefs that we do not approve of, or like, or agree with. And we need to love them when they have straightened out the other side. We have got to stop only loving people when they please us, when it suits us. We have to love them all the time because that is what Jesus has commanded us to do.

Recognise that envy stops promotion. We must rejoice when others get blessed. Love is never jealous. Love is not proud. We must give God the glory. Proverbs 6:16-17 tells us clearly that God hates the proud look. God has a problem with people who are always boasting about their accomplishments. Give God the glory, otherwise we make ourselves our own idols. It is suggested that wherever you see the spirit of I, you see the spirit of Satan. We have to recognise that most of the time where we use that word'I' in our writings and in our speech, we are glorifying ourselves unnecessarily. We have grown up in the society which idolises 'me,' 'I,' 'self', which puts I first. That has come from the god of this world. Jesus did not spend all the time talking about himself. He spends time talking about the Father. He spends time talking about the Kingdom. There are times when the word 'I' is necessary to identify the speaker and what's going on, but since I have read that, I have come to realise that there are far fewer instances where I is really necessary.

Perhaps ‘I’ is not necessary at all. We should brag on God. We should acknowledge God in all the good he has done to us, not just when we feel that it is not embarrassing to acknowledge God. We need to understand we do not do anything without the help of the master. It is all God. God is a good God and His handiwork is worthy to be displayed. We must acknowledge Him in all things. We must restrain our nerves. Speaking without restraint is pride, it implies that we are saying, regardless of what the Word of God says, I am going to say and do what I want to do this time. We are refusing to comply with God if we do not restrain our nerves. Perhaps we should rather just say, thank God I am saved, and keeping quiet is the suggestion made in the book. Love enables us to shut our mouths, turn our heads, and bless those who curse us. We need to recognise that rudeness is not boldness, and boldness is not rudeness. We need to have manners. We need to understand that love is not rude or unmannerly. Men should seek to be a perfect gentleman.

Love is not self-seeking. Real love always gives. God loves us so much that He gave. Love and giving go hand-in-hand. Give that it costs. This point keeps coming up. We have to lay down our lives. We have to give that it costs. We have got to stop counting the cost of serving God. We have got to serve Him unreservedly. We have got to let go of everything that is standing in the way of us going all the way of running the race to the end.

Love is not touchy, it is not fretful, it is not resentful. If we are letting any of those things enter our lives, we need to grow up. Love lets go. Love does not take account of the evil done to it. It does not pay attention to a suffered wrong. We are not to love based on how we feel. We love others because God first loved us. It is a Commandment. Romans 8:39 "What can separate us from the love of God." Nothing. Love covers with silence. 1 Corinthians 13:6, "Love rejoices not in iniquity." If we become aware of somebody's problems, we must help that person to get back on their feet, not condemn them. We should confess our faults one to another, that we may be healed. We must confess our struggles to a trusted friend. It is not for them to be talebearers and take that information elsewhere.

Weaknesses and strengths

A vital point in understanding our relationship with God. God's system is an exchange of weaknesses and strengths, until we eliminate our weaknesses. That is what covenant is about. And if we are to walk His covenant, brothers and sisters in Christ, that is what it is about. Marriage is about an exchange of weaknesses and strengths, until we eliminate the weaknesses. So, it is not for a wife to look down on her husband's weaknesses. She is there precisely to compensate for his weaknesses. It is no good looking for a wife or a husband who is a carbon copy of ourselves. We need to have a wife or a husband who is materially different, who fills the gaps in our ministry, who fills the gaps in our personality, who fills the gaps in our secular gifts, etc. We have to walk in love in order for people to trust us and we need to cover others with love. 1 Corinthians 13:6-7 out of the Amplified, "It (love) does not rejoice at injustice, and unrighteousness, but rejoices when evil and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person. Its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything without weakening."

In the book, Creflo Dollar reports an incident where he went to see a minister who was in jail, and had fallen in a serious fashion, and just citing an example which moved me greatly. He writes as follows: "Then I sat down with him to make a covenant, an agreement with him. I grabbed his face and I said, 'I promise to love you forever and if you die, I will see to it that your wife is taken care of and that your children get a first-class education. I will not leave you no matter what you do. I love you unconditionally.'"This certainly seemed to make a critical example of how Christian love should seek to restore a fallen brother or sister. It is also a critical example of how husbands should love their wives, and wives should love their husbands. We have to get away from the mindset which says "Because I do not like what you are doing, I do not love you anymore." God does not treat us that way. He may distance himself, He may create space in order to discipline us. He may regretfully permit Satan to take us apart financially, health wise, and in other ways, to bring us to repentance to discipline us, but He never stops loving us. The minute we come to Him, He is there for us. We have to understand this, and we have to put it into practice in our lives.

The Word of God says the gifts and calling are without repentance. In other words, God does not change His mind. Once He has called us, He has called us. In the context of earlier comments, it is vital that we understand that once we have been called to do something, God is not going to release us from that calling. We are going to be judged on what we did not do, that we should have done and what we did, that we should not have done. The Lord may call somebody else to fill in the gap of our disobedience, but we will still be accountable for all the souls that were not touched by our failure to do what He called us to do.

Love covers sin

Cover sin with love in silence. Proverbs 10:12 says "Love covers all transgressions." 1 Peter 4:8 says, "Love covers a multitude of sins." This is referring to sin which has been confessed to us. If somebody confesses sin to us, it is not under any circumstances to be shared with anybody else. And if somebody else seeks to share sin that has been confessed to them, we should stop them immediately. Otherwise, we become party to their sin of talebearing. We should not be concerned about what others think. If we associate with a known sinner, the question we have to address is "Are you without sin?" The answer that every one of us has to give to that is 'no.' Only Jesus is without sin.

We are not to gossip about the sin of others. We should be prudent, without testimony and share only what is necessary for them to know to avoid it being taken out of context and misuse, which results in the person who misuses that testimony to be sinning. This is something we really need to grasp which has become very apparent to me in recent weeks. Love sees the consequences of sin on the person that is sinning, where his pride causes us to be offended by what that sin does to us. So much of what causes people to go around being offended are actions by others which prejudice ourselves, yet the reality is if we do not respond, if we do not react, if we are not offended, then everything to do with that sin rests on the hands of the party who is sinning. Sin against us may be inconvenient, it may be unpleasant, it may be downright painful if they are killing us, but at the end of the day from an eternal perspective, they are the ones being judged.

So, as one comes to understand this and one comes to understand that if one's enemy is beating one to a pulp or about to smash one's head in with a truncheon, as in the example of the young Russian man in the teaching on 'Loving the Way Jesus Loves,'we have to realise that the old woman who is going to be hit was certainly going to suffer pain. She was quite possibly going to be killed, but at the end of the day that is all carnal, fleshly. Yes, it is unpleasant, but it was the young man who was sinning. He would have borne the consequences of every single Christian that he had beaten up for eternity, if he had not come to repentance. If that woman had not loved him enough to say, "Father forgive him, he does not know what he is doing", to mobilise the love of God for that young man to turn from his wicked ways. We have to see that when people are sinning against us, it is only our flesh that rises up. If our flesh is dead, if it is crucified with Christ, then what they say about us and what they do to us is of absolutely no material interest and consequence to us, except that the love of Christ requires that we intercede for them, we petition for them, we pray for them, and we love them that by chance they may turn .

Unconfessed sin

Unconfessed sin is not covered by the Blood of Jesus. It is not covered by Jesus' sacrifice. Proverbs 28:13 says, "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." We must confess our sins, we must repent, we must turn around, we must go to the foot of the cross with a humble spirit and a contrite heart. We must ask for, and receive forgiveness, according to Scripture. The Word of God says that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins. So, we can come boldly to the Throne of Grace once we have truly recognised our sin and confessed it. At the same time, we must not violate the law of love and our love must be a love that forgets.

The Father says that when He forgives our sins, He takes our sins as far as the east is from the west, when they are covered by the blood of the lamb, He washes us white as snow. We must be the same. We must forget the sins of others against us. The Word of God says "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully abuse you and persecute you that you may be the children of your Father, which is in Heaven for He make up His son to rise in the evil and the good and send a throne on the just and the unjust."

We must do right even when someone else is doing me wrong. We have to understand that just because somebody is sinning against us does not give us an excuse to sin in return. We would be judged for our sin whether that sin was in response to somebody else's sin or not. If somebody starts striking me and beating me up and I retaliate by striking him and beating him up, he is sinning against me and I am sinning against him. I am sinning against the Word of God. The Word of God tells me to love him, to bless him, to pray for him; not to retaliate. We must learn from that old woman in Russia who on her knees, raised her hands to Heaven and said, "Father, forgive this young man. He does not know what he is doing." And that young man had the capacity to maim her for life, to kill her, and to inflict terrible pain and suffering on her. And yet, she just raised her hands and asked the Father to forgive him. She did not think of herself. She did not ask for protection. And that love activated the faith that was necessary for her to go unscathed, for an Angel to intervene and grab that young man's hand.

But even if he had beaten her, she was storing up treasure in Heaven while he was storing that wrath of judgement for himself. She had the understanding of the Love of God to realise that his need was far greater than hers that no matter how much he hurt her, he needed forgiveness, he needed Jesus Christ for protection and her healing was provided for. Her salvation was already bought at the Cross and he was headed for Hell. That is the way we should love our enemies. That is the way we should love those who do wrong to us.

If we have problems letting go, we need to take it to God. We must not retaliate. We must love, we must give, and we must forgive. We must let go of past offenses. We must forget. We must give the hurts to God in prayer and let them go. By holding onto past offences, we establish our own righteousness and thereby we forfeit the righteousness God has given us through Jesus Christ. That is a starting statement, but it is so true. If we hold onto past offences, if we continue to talk about the wrong others have done to us, we are setting ourselves up as more righteous than they, and we are rejecting the righteousness of Christ. The Word of God says our own righteousness is as filthy rags.

Forgiveness

Mark 11:22-26, "Have faith, what thinks whatever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them and when you stand praying, forgive." Unforgiveness hinders spiritual growth. It stops us from operating or receiving the end of our faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:16, Romans 1:17, "The just shall live by faith." If we do not forgive, we cannot walk by faith and therefore we are not just. Our confessions of faith are useless and nothing more than idle words, without forgiveness and without love. Matthew 18:35 says, "We will be handed to the tormented, if we do not forgive."

If someone does us harm, we must forgive. We must realise that our spiritual circumstances are as a result of our failure to forgive and our failure to walk in love. We need to be able to say 'bless you' in the midst of persecution. All of these principles apply just as much if not more so, to family love. We need to love our relatives, our parents, brothers and sisters, our uncles and aunts, our cousins, our children or grandchildren, where they are spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. True love does not give up on people just because they are irritating or make mistakes. Such an incredibly important truth in marriage, a wonderfully important truth, a terribly important truth; we are not to give up on people just because they irritate us or make mistakes. Marriage is for life. We have to love unconditionally. We have to walk and work through all that is wrong, in order to come to a place where marriages are healed. It is only as I have said in previous teachings, in extreme cases of total persistent unrepented treachery and betrayal that the Father will permit us to divorce. That is not because He is unjust, it is not because He is cruel, it is because there is no reason to divorce.

If there is still a flicker of goodwill on either side, that marriage can be healed. But we have to seek God first, we need to seek His love, and we need to walk in His love. We need to understand that love is willing to change. Change is the evidence of love to change, to line up with what God wants with what His words says. We have to change in our own lives in order to reap change in the lives of those around us. We have to do it first ourselves. We cannot expect a wife or a husband to be the people we want them to be until we are prepared to change to be the people, they want us to be, or they need us to be, or God wants us to be. First and foremost, we must seek to change to be the people that God wants us to be. And as we change to be the people God wants us to be, we will become the people that our spouses need us to be. The fear of God is to be willing to align ourselves with His word, no matter what the cost. The fear of God is to obey Him. Psalm 55:19, "God shall afflict those who do not change because they do not fear God."

Factors of love

Love is not rude. We need to watch our tone of voice at all times. Love is not selfish. Love does not insist on its own rights or its own way. Love is more concerned about how one can meet the needs of another and how one would like one's own needs met. Again, a major, major problem in the Western World; we are so focused and so conditioned to having our own needs met at the expense of others, no matter what the cost to others, no matter how we sacrifice our service to God. God's love is about meeting the needs of others with no concern about our own needs, trusting God to meet our needs. Love is not easily provoked. It is extremely important in marriage. We are so prone, certainly speaking for myself, to be provoked. Yes, a disobedient wife who is contentious and fault-finding will bring the sensation of rottenness in the bones that we have spoken about in previous teachings. Yes, it is irritating. Yes, it is uncomfortable. That does not mean that we should be provoked by it. An enormous challenge.

Again, we see the concept of a double-edged sword in so much of what is being taught in this series. The wife needs to understand that her husband is not perfect, and therefore if she does things which produce that sensation of rottenness in his bones, he is going to respond in all likelihood calmly and in a way that Christ would not respond. Conversely, the husband needs to understand that even if his wife does produce that sensation, he is called not to react.

So, as both parties seek to put these principles into practice, the marriage will improve. We must take our eyes off our own agendas and desires in order to serve God and to serve our families. We must think no evil. We must not be quick to take offence. We must not be touchy or fretful or resentful. Loveless homes give rise to a loveless society. Again, we see the absolute centrality of this series of teachings on marriage in terms of the state of the world today. Until Christian marriages are filled with love, until marriage works the way God intends it to work, we cannot expect the world to come right. The world is a reflection of the loveless relationships that characterise so many Christian marriages, which in term characterise the loveless relationship between the Church and the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to see the state of the world as a direct axiomatic reflection of the absolutely appalling state of the Church today.

Love disciplines. We do not really love our children if we do not take the time to correct them. Children should show respect. Creflo Dollar goes as far as saying that they should use terms of respect like 'yes mom, no mom, yes sir, no sir.' I am not sure that I find direct Scripture for that but at the same time, we do find Scripture saying that a wife should call her husband 'lord' and we certainly find instances of children in Scripture calling their fathers 'lord.' So, we need to revisit a lot of what we believe in that area.

Our children are the way they are because of us. We have touched on this in a variety of ways in previous teachings, but we have to understand if our children are a mess, it is because we have been instrumental in bringing them to that place. We cannot accept a situation where we deny our parental responsibility for what happens to our children. Most children rebel because they want to get their parent's attention. Children desire to be loved and appreciated and for that matter, so do wives, so do husbands. Our children are mirror images of us. We must pray for our children daily.

The Father's love. God loves us with unconditional everlasting love. Ephesians 3:19,"Know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that he might be filled with all the fullness of God." Love is the avenue to being filled with everything God has to offer. We need to pray regularly "Lord, open my eyes to see Jesus in Your Word and to see Your love in your word. Open the eyes of our heart to see Jesus and to see His compassion and to know You." Until we have a revelation of the importance of love and the greatness of God's love for us, we will not be able to experience the fullness of God. But we must understand God's love is tough; it is marked by discipline. The true proof of love is a person's honesty. In other words, they love you enough to tell you when you are wrong. If someone says they love you and then they go on and do the wrong thing, then they are lying. any disciplines those who loves. Therefore we must repent and change our hearts, our minds, and our direction. God's love is unconditional and everlasting and it is the ultimate source of power.

Love conquers all. God is love but a love relationship only works when both parties are involved and put forth the effort to maintain it. We see a profound truth. God never stops loving us. If we are not experiencing His love, it is because there is a problem on our side to a point. The point has been made previously in the context of marriage. In a mysterious sense, through man's sexuality, it seems to me that he cannot stop loving his wife. He may behave in ways that are contrary. He may behave in all sorts of unacceptable ways, but a born again man, I do not believe, can actually stop loving his wife until she has betrayed him to such a point that the love that he has for her has been utterly destroyed. However, her conduct can stop her receiving that love and it can produce manifestations in the husband which look as though love has died on his side. We have to get close to God to experience His love. A wife has to get close to her husband in order to experience His love. It is possible for any of us to refuse to receive the love of God, and it is possible for any wife to refuse to receive the love of her husband.

God always loves us, so if we do not experience His love it is because we not putting in the effort to love Him and receive His love. God's love is mature. It does not exhibit childish characteristics, such as jealousy, envy, and selfishness. We need to understand children do not know any better, adults are without excuse. We cannot afford to continue with temper tantrums and outbursts against family members and friends, or people who hurt us. Only a child will hold a grudge or disrespect another person. Jesus said in Scripture that there would be many who would come in His name and prophesy in His name and cast out Demons in His name, and yet He would say to them "Depart from me you workers of iniquity; I never knew you."

We have to ask ourselves the question today "Does God know you? Does God know me?" Or are we so far removed in our knowledge of God, from His love, His compassion and His selflessness that the little accomplishments that we claim for ourselves, in terms of ministry and deliverance which have been accomplished by the power and the authority of the name of Jesus Christ, and not through anything to do with our own inability, that have been accomplished through the gifts and the calling that we have been given even though we have turned aside into strife and love lessness, does Jesus Christ know you?

God should be the first and the last person we talk to each day. We must put relationship before service. If we do not spend enough time with God, our batteries will run flat and we run on our own power instead of His power. Obedience and not service determines how much we love God. We must listen to God. The book closes with a series of helpful prayers and confessions. I would like to read some of these prayers and confessions.

Prayers and confessions

"Father, please forgive me for not loving as I should. Your Word says that I am made in Your image. Therefore, it is my desire to love as You do. Right now, I tap into the anointing to change which is made available to me through Your love. I pray that the atmosphere of my life, my home, my Church, and my place of work will change as a result of Your love demonstrated through me, that it begins today in Jesus’ name I pray, amen."

Confession: "In the name of Jesus, I decide right now to accept my responsibility in this walk of love. I love You Lord and the evidence of my love is the love I show to others. I receive Your power, Your anointing and all that comes as a result of my obedience to walk in love. I will even demonstrate love to my enemies. I open myself up to this level. Change me, rearrange me, and make me new again. I thank You Father that I will not miss the very best that You have for me. I would not just wear a Christian label, but I will live as a Christian as well. I believe that I receive right now the faith to walk in love, in Jesus’ name."

To minister godly love, prayer: "Father, in the name of Jesus, I declare the love of God over my life as I receive His corrections, His discipline, and His instruction. I choose no longer to function as an average Christian, but I choose to excel in love. I commit my ways to You Lord God, and You will be exceedingly, abundantly above all I can ever ask or think, in Jesus’ name."

Confession: "Greater is He who is in me, even he who is in the world. I challenge myself to make an eternal mark in the lives of people. I challenge myself to walk in a greater degree of love. I challenge myself to move instantly when I hear the voice of the Holy Ghost. I make a decision now to be prepared to do every good work. I am anointed and appointed and I will edify the Body of Christ. I will do the work of the ministry. I declare in the name of Jesus, I will not dwell in the land of complacency. I will come out of my comfort zone, I prescient to reach the price of the high calling, which is in the anointed one who is in me. I walk in the favour of God and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, I am the servant of Almighty God, in Jesus’ name."

To increase in maturity, prayer: "In the name of Jesus, I decide today not to act as a child any longer. I choose to be spiritually mature. I choose to put away childish things. I choose to practice the love or walk of God in order for God to train me. I declare my desire to be an overcomer. I declare that by faith I have overcome my past and I will not be defeated by unforgiveness, envy, jealousy or resentment. Thank You Father for the power You have made available to me through Jesus Christ, amen."

Confession: "In the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Ghost, I will give God the glory for every good thing that happens in my life. I will not be a useless nobody. I am more than a conqueror and my faith is rising, my joy is rising, and in the mighty name of Jesus, I am walking in love, in Jesus’ name."

Commitment to spend time with God, prayer: "Father, in the name of Jesus, I make a quality decision to develop and diligently cultivate an individual love relationship with You. I will not allow my good works alone to communicate my love to You. I will seek the needful thing, which is the Word of God. I will not only be a hero of the word, but a doer also, because I love You. I commit to spending more time with You so that I may know Your voice and do what you instruct me to do, in Jesus’ name."

Confession: "I declare now that I will spend time with the Father in prayer and in study of the Word of God. I will practice the presence of God, because I love Him. I hear His voice and obey His word, because I love Him, because I practice His presence. I will continually grow in my love for Him and for others, in Jesus’ name."

Father, I ask that anything that I have said in this teaching that is not of You that You will blow it away and it will find no roots in the hearts of the hearers. I ask You Father that that which is of You, that which is according to Your Word and according to Your Spirit, will find root in the hearers' hearts and produce abundant fruit, in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.

03_17 The Scriptural Response to a Rebellious or Treacherous Wife

James Robertson -- 18 November 2000

This is teaching number 17 in the series on marriage. 'Responding to rebelliousness or treachery on the part of one's wife.' This teaching was given on the November 18, 2000.

To recap on the teaching thus far, we have covered a wide variety of areas, but there are a couple of particular conclusions which are very relevant to the subject of today's teaching. Firstly, God intended marriage to work. Secondly, the Church today knows almost nothing about God's form of marriage and how He intended marriage to work. Thirdly, it is possible for the wife to tear down or build up the house, the family's house or the husband's house. The wife is required by Scripture to submit in everything to her husband, even if her husband is unjust and ungodly, in the same way that Jesus submitted to those who crucified him unjustly. Fifthly, the husband is the head of the family and it is his responsibility to seek to become like Jesus and to love like Jesus loved.

Sixthly, divorce is a matter of last resort and is only permitted in the case of persistent and unrepentant treachery, pornea, spiritually or sexually. And a wife who is in strife and disagreement with her husband causes a sensation likened to rottenness in his bones and can destroy her husband financially by insisting on going her own way and dividing her husband's house. These broad conclusions give rise to a dilemma. If divorce is only applicable as a matter of last resort after persistent unrepentant treachery, and if a wife can destroy her husband's house by continuous wilful disagreement, what remedies does the husband have to manage this situation, in other words to discipline his wife and bring his wife back into agreement and harmony with him if in fact, discipline is the right word.

Before answering this question, I will address in summary some of the other conclusions reached during this teaching in order to put the overall context of this teaching or put this teaching in the right context. Because it is certainly a particularly difficult subject, and it is a subject which on the face of it, if it is not resolved, leaves us with many of the factors which give rise to divorce or putting away in the Church today undealt with in the series.

One Flesh Bond

To recap, the strength of the One Flesh Bond was discussed at some length. Genesis 2:24 together with Matthew 19:5-6, Mark 10:8, and Ephesians 5:30-32, based on the original language clearly demonstrate that the One Flesh Bond is an unbreakable spiritual bond. Now the Scriptures taken together with Genesis 2:24 clearly indicates that the marriage covenant is cut when a man takes a woman's virginity, and that multiple One Flesh Bonds can be performed and give rise to the spiritual states known as adultery and fornication, which are amongst the most appalling forms of spiritual carnage that are possible. Conversely, we have also seen that as a man and woman give themselves to one another in sexual lovemaking to the fullest extent possible, the One Flesh Bond becomes massively strong and the spirits of the husband and wife become knit together, so that they are truly one, and can communicate spirit to spirit over great distances as though they were speaking face-to-face in the same room.

When this has been reached, their prayers become extremely powerful. However, very few people reach this level of the One Flesh Bond. In fact, it is probably almost unknown in the current age. If a husband and wife are in constant strife and have erected emotional and spiritual barriers which inhibit their giving and lovemaking, the One Flesh Bond will remain weak and undeveloped and their marriage will remain vulnerable. This is another reason why rebellion in strife on the part of the wife is so immensely destructive within a marriage.

If the One Flesh Bond does not reach its full potential, the spiritual force holding the marriage together in adversity is seriously weakened. This makes it much easier for a man and a woman to contemplate divorce. We saw in a number of teachings, the emphasis on submission in everything. We considered Ephesians 5:24 which states"Therefore, just as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything." Wives are told to submit to their husbands in everything, not just that which they approve of, not just that which they enjoy, not just that which is lawful, and not just that which is scriptural, but they are enjoined to submit in absolutely everything.

1 Peter 3:1-2 take this further, "Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the Word, they, without a Word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear."The word 'likewise' here refers back to the previous chapter which tells us to submit to unjust masters and rulers, in the same way that Jesus submitted to those who unjustly crucified Him, who knew no sin, and who could have called legions of Angels to deliver Him. In other words, this confirms Ephesians 5:24, wives are to submit no matter how unjust or ungodly their husbands are.

This revelation provides a whole new dimension to why woman should not marry a man who is an unbeliever. It is also apparent that if a wife will truly submit in everything in submission to Scripture, God will intervene supernaturally to protect the wife whose husband goes too far provided she walks in faith. We therefore saw that submission is amazingly powerful. We just do not understand that power in this age. We have to learn to submit like Jesus submitted.

Harmony

We then discussed on a number of occasions the importance of harmony. We became increasingly aware of the deep need for husband and wife to be in perfect unity and harmony. The Lord showed us that the husband was like the organ in a group of musical instruments and the wife was like a stringed instrument, which had to be tuned to the same key as the organ so that all musicians play it in harmony. Harmony is beyond agreement. Harmony is the full power of marriage through the One Flesh Bond. Once a really strong One Flesh Bond is in place, and husband and wife are in full agreement and in harmony, their prayers are amongst the sweetest incense that the Father can receive. Their prayers are full of authority because there is complete agreement. Once their spirits are truly one, and are in perfect unity and harmony, amazing spiritual power is unleashed.

This is one of the reasons Satan is so intent on destroying marriage. It is also apparent that when the husband and wife are in this level of harmony, and they are also through the husband in harmony with the Lord Jesus Christ, they are walking in unity with Jesus, they are seeing what Jesus sees, they are doing what Jesus would have them do, they are hearing Jesus speak and they are able to be Jesus' instruments in the Earth. At this point that family unit becomes a formidable force for the Kingdom of God.

A few Scriptures which address this point with regards to why harmony is important. Matthew 12:25, "Every city or house divided against itself will not stand." Luke 11:17, "A house divided against a house falls." Amos 3:3, "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" Matthew 18:19, "If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven." 1 Peter 3:7, "Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honour to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered."It cannot be stressed enough, if a husband and wife are not in agreement, or a house which is divided, and it cannot stand, their prayers will be hindered and not answered. Their lives will be immaterial and spiritual terms will be a total mess. If there is so much teaching about wives having their own identity, etc., it goes against the grain of this principle.

Other teaching uses 1 Peter 3:7 to make it the responsibility of the husband to come into agreement with his wife. That is not what this verse says. It says that because they are weak, husbands should be patient, tolerant, loving, etc., and accept that their wives may not immediately see things the way the husband does. Like Jesus treats us, the husband is to gently guide and lead his wife. If he does not, their prayers will be hindered. There cannot be a godly marriage where the husband is in submission to the wife. He will then expect Jesus to submit to him. At the same time, where the husband is in submission to the wife and agreement with her, whether it is a Christian marriage or a pagan marriage, the house will not be divided and they will walk in agreement. The Jezebel principality that operates over marriage around the world today has exploited that to good effect. There are many, many men who have been forced by circumstances to come into agreement with their wives as the only means in which they can avoid hindering. But as they have come into agreement with their wives, they have inevitably created a distance between themselves and the Lord Jesus Christ. The ultimate objective is for the husband and wife to be in such perfect unity that their spirits harmonise at all times. They are not only singing from the same song book but they are also singing in the same key and they sing in perfect harmony.

Mirror relationships

We also saw that the relationship between the husband and wife was a mirror of the relationship between the husband and the Lord Jesus Christ. It became apparent that as the husband is head of the wife, and Jesus is head of the husband, and Father is head of Jesus, the relationship between the husband and the wife is often, although not always, the mirror of the relationship between the husband and the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, we saw that if the wife is not giving first priority to the things the husband considers most important and is in fact leaving them frequently to the last minute, or they are not doing them at all, it is probably because the husband is cheating his calling in the same way. If the wife is always arguing and insists on holding onto opposing views, that is probably because the husband is always arguing with Jesus and holding onto views which are contrary to Scripture. He may not consciously be arguing with Jesus, he may be arguing with Jesus in the form of arguing with other servants of God around matters of doctrine, and holding onto doctrines which are contrary to the Word of God, but he is still nevertheless opposing Jesus and opposing the Word of God because Jesus is the Word.

If the wife is not submitting to her husband, it is probably because the husband is not submitting to Jesus. If the wife's service and commitment to her husband is shabby, then it is probably because the husband's own service and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ is shabby. Refer to the Book of Malachi for more on the topic of poor service to God and second-rate shabby offerings. If the wife is giving love and submission unwillingly and grudgingly, and is making false accusations against the husband, then it is probable that the husband is giving love and submission unwillingly and grudgingly to Jesus and Yahweh, and is making false accusations against Him through false doctrines, etc. If the wife is constantly finding fault with her husband, then it is likely that the husband is constantly finding fault with God. Again, not necessarily through direct statements addressed personally to God, but through the attitude to Scripture, through the application of Scripture and through statements with regards to the Word of God perhaps not working in his life.

If the wife is slow to repent when she is in error, it is probably because the husband is slow to repent to Jesus when he is in error. If the wife is not making love to the husband in a pleasing and fulfilling manner, it is probably because the husband is not praising and worshipping Jesus in a manner that is pleasing to Jesus and so forth. The bottom line is husband, if you do not like something about the way your wife treats you, it is probably a reflection of the manner in which you are treating Jesus. What you are sowing, you are reaping.

This is actually grace from God, because it provides the husband with a more tangible indicator of his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ from which he can learn, make adjustments and see if the adjustments are taking effect. The relationship between the father and the children is a similar mirror of the relationship between the Father and God the Father, Yahweh, and the relationship between the children and the mother, is a similar mirror of her relationship with her husband. All of these spiritual mirrors are grace from God to assist us to draw closer to Him. This revelation provides a startling indication as to why it is generally unacceptable in the Sight of God for men to divorce his wife because of her unacceptable conduct. If Yahweh were to apply the same standards that the world applies, Jesus would reject us very easily indeed.

If the husband uses these mirrors as an indication and takes action to correct his behaviour towards Jesus, but the wife persists in her conduct because she does not want to change behaviour learnt over time, then a situation of division may arise which requires further action. This is the subject of this teaching. Then, and only then is she truly in rebellion and betraying her husband spiritually. In other words, if the husband has looked closely at everything that is wrong in his life and has really gone before the Throne of God and confessed that there are problems, and sought God urgently by prayer and fasting in whatever manner, to get to the bottom of the problems, and really sought to change his heart, if his wife continues in her old behaviour and does not respond to the change in behaviour of her husband, then we are getting to a place where the wife can truly be viewed as being in rebellion.

There is absolutely no basis on which a husband can justifiably persist in being angry with his wife or being unhappy with his wife, if the reality is that her conduct is a harvest which she is reaping as a consequence of what he is sowing towards God. And having made that point, it is important that we understand and see very clearly that the spiritual mirrors that are just been referred to, indicate that the Church currently is in a shocking state in terms of its relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, as measured by the 60% plus level of divorce in the Body of Christ. If God were to treat the Church the way the Church is treating marriage at the moment, the vast majority of the Body of Christ will find itself cast into the pit for eternity and not ruling and reigning as so many seem to think will be the case.

Covering

We also looked at the subject of covering, and the impact on the husband of his wife's sin. From a scriptural point of view, a wife is under a husband's covering in the same way that the husband is under Jesus' covering. I have shown, during the teachings, that the covering can be seen as a sort of rigid umbrella. As long as one is under the umbrella, i.e., under the covering, nothing can harm you. Once you step out from under the umbrella by sinning, all the forces of hell rain down upon you and Satan will attack anyway that he can. The same applies to a wife. As long as she is in complete submission to her husband, nothing can touch her. All attacks will be directed first at the husband because he is the covering. So if he sins, but she remains in submission, he will bear the full brunt of his sin.

However, if the wife is in rebellion, not only will her sin attract attack, which will come primarily on the husband, but a proportion will rain down on her directly in so far as she has stepped out from under her husband's covering. The Lord showed me two elderly woman of similar age whose husbands have known each other since childhood, who had been in similar professional occupations, and who had lived in the same town most of their lives. One woman had been willing and cheerfully in submission to her husband throughout his life, and he had lived to a ripe old age. She was still sprightly and full of life. The other had insisted on doing things her way and had not been in anything near full submission. Her husband had died at a much earlier age and in poor health. She herself was bent over and stooped under the weight of the sin she had brought down on herself by continuously stepping out from under her husband's covering and undermining her husband. The contrast was startling.

The Lord also showed me that a woman who has reached adulthood without marrying, and particularly one who has started her own career, lived on her own, and had her own job before marrying, establishes a sort of proxy self-covering for herself, as an offshoot from her father's covering. If this proxy covering is not renounced, torn down and actively replaced by her husband's covering at the time of marriage, she will experience immense difficulty in accepting her husband's covering and submitting to him. Where a woman has been married and divorces and remarries, she will still be walking technically under her ex-husband's covering unless she renounces this covering and accepts the covering of her new husband. This is assuming that a divorce was sanctioned by God, which is the case with a relatively limited number of divorces. Because of the power of the One Flesh Bond which makes the wife bone of the husband's bone, and flesh of his flesh, she is able to cause a sensation of rottenness in his bones as we have seen previously. Proverbs 12:4 states, "An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones."

Love like Jesus loves

We also saw in Proverbs 14:1, "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." The imagery is powerful. A wife is being given enormous potential for good or bad in her husband's house. Again, this poses a dilemma. What does a God-fearing man do when his wife repeatedly conducts herself in a manner that causes her to be to him as rottenness is in his bones, and which pulls his house down? Particularly if he is seeking to love her unconditionally like Jesus loves, and he cannot bear the thought of divorcing her, but he cannot see any other way. This teaching develops a scriptural approach to this problem. The power of love and the short circle of fear.

As we gained understanding in these areas, I became increasingly conscious of the need to love like Jesus loved. We had a series of teachings in terms of which we first saw the basic scriptural basis, in terms of which love was so important. We then went through a teaching of asking ourselves whether we love the way Jesus loved. Then subsequently in the preceding teaching, we explored through the book, 'Lord, teach me how to love', what some of the steps were that were required for us to love like Jesus loves, to walk in the love of God, to walk in forgiveness, etc. I certainly was immensely challenged by the subject of the teaching and I believe that many other Christians who are sincere about serving God would have been similarly challenged.

So, out of that flows the love which takes 1 Corinthians 13 and Galatians 5 literally. Just to read those scriptures verbatim, 1 Corinthians 13 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away." 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 and what we saw there is that love never fails. Love never dies. Love never comes to an end. Love is eternal. At the end of the age, prophecies will cease, tongues will cease, knowledge will vanish away. We will reside in heaven for eternity with the Father, and with Jesus, and love will continue in that time. Everything else would have passed away. Heaven and Earth would have passed away, but love alone will continue. Therefore the seeds of love that we sow in our lives now have immense bearing on our future lives. And by the same token, they have immense bearing on our present lives.

Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, gladness, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, benevolence, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, self restraint, continence. Against such things there is no law." Taking those two passages of Scripture together, we see an immensely challenging, but immensely important statement of the love that we should have for one another, for neighbours and for God, and also in our marriages.

I share that as I applied those principles and opened my heart. I began to experience a physically tangible flow of love. Joyner in his book, 'The Final Quest' which reports a series of visions in which he was transported into the third Heaven describes this far better than I can. Describing the love that he experienced from a particular person, he reports "Opening his arms, he gave me a great hug and kissed my forehead like a father. Love poured over me and through me until I felt that it would overload my nervous system. When he finally released me, I was staggering as if I were drunk, but it was a wonderful feeling. It was love like I had never felt it before. I began to realise that love like this is available to each of us and is particularly available to husband and wife in marriage."

This is the love that husbands are commanded in Scripture to give their wives. But to experience this love, we must love unconditionally. We must take down all our defences and we must give, expecting nothing in return. Then we will experience this love flowing out of us to our wives, our children and those around us and they will experience it flowing from us to the extent that they are willing to receive.

A wife who has her own defences up, who is not in submission to her husband, who is betraying, criticising, finding fault with, or attacking her husband, will have great difficulty receiving such love. In the same way that when our lives are wrong with God, we cannot experience His love towards us even though it is there and ever present. I also came to understand that this form of love is power. This is the power whereby Jesus raised the dead, healed the sick and so forth. It is the Love of God and the Power of God. Until we come to walk in this love, we are powerless and useless to God and our spouses and our children. This is an immensely sobering realisation as very few people on Earth today even consider that such love can exist, let alone walk in it. At the same time, I discovered that love has some of the characteristics of an electric current. That is why we sometimes experience tingling and similar sensations under the anointing. It flows to those who will receive it. But if a man's wife is in bondage to fear, doubt, and unbelief, and this triggers rebellion and lack of submission in her, this connects her to Satan's negative power. This is not a power source. It is a power drain.

So, when a man is starting to walk in this kind of love, and his wife suddenly opens her heart to fear or rebellion, he is connected directly to the power of God, which is love, and she is connected directly to the power-hungry world of Satan's sphere, which is never satisfied. This produces an outcome like a short-circuit in the electricity. If a massive electric potential is suddenly directly connected to Earth with no resistance, massive electric currents flow until the conductor burns out or the power source is exhausted. In this case, God's love is never exhausted. So the conductor, the husband, suffers massive spiritual overload and finds himself completely spiritually debilitated. Because he is one with Christ and is starting to tap into the love power of God, and his wife is walking in fear and is tapping into the negative drain of Satan's power, and something has to give. Either one, the husband puts up a barrier between himself and Jesus Christ and stops tapping into the love power of God, two, the husband puts up a barrier between himself and his wife to prevent her short-circuiting his love to fear, or thirdly, the wife changes her behaviour, resists fear, submits to her husband and receives his love and loves him in return.

Clearly, the first option is unthinkable. To do this, the man would be making an idol of his wife and putting her before his love for Jesus. Equally clearly the third option is the option to be preferred. However, sadly, the wife does not always see things this way. If she is in bondage to fear and is believing Satan's lie, she cannot necessarily take the spiritual measures necessary to resist Satan and accept her husband's love in humble submission. In such a case, the husband is left with no choice but to adopt the second option, i.e., to put in place a protective barrier to prevent his wife's fear, doubt, and unbelief from short-circuiting his love. In doing this, he must act in love in order that he can come to the place with perfect love and cast out all fear. Incidentally, a similar thing happens in our relationship with Jesus and the Father. If we tap into fear, He cannot pour His love into us because we would be destroyed by the raw spiritual power flowing through us. We have to resist the devil, and in particular, resist fear and seek His love by faith.

If we do not, and we get into increasing sin, there comes a time when our disloyalty creates a distance or a separation, in which Jesus is forced to take his hand off us and permit us to go the way we have chosen. At this time, he cannot pay attention to certain of our prayers. Many people have described this as a brass ceiling experience. But note that in a court of law, a prayer is the request or application of the applicant in a court action. If the applicant is legally disqualified, then the court pays no attention to the prayer. At this point, Satan has effectively got to use all our sin and to attack us in any way he chooses. It is important to note that Yahweh does not command or force our love or submission to Him or to Jesus. He gives us a free choice.

By the same token, a husband cannot command or force or bribe his wife to love him or submit to him. It is a free choice on her part. The husband thus finds himself in a very difficult position. The spiritual short-circuit is the fundamental driver behind God's spiritual definition of treachery, fornication or pornea, which is the ultimate scriptural basis for divorce. Note, in particular that if the wife has joined herself to another man, then whatever love flows from the husband will be short-circuited through the wife into that other men and so on, indefinitely, debilitating spiritual drain. This is why it is absolutely critical to understand that adultery and fornication are not conceptual meaningless legal terms. They are disastrous and debilitating spiritual states, which can only be dealt with according to the Word of God and by the mercy and the Grace of God.

Returning for a moment to the point of divorce, the point where the disloyalty, treachery and the resulting spiritual short-circuit had become so entrenched and so persistent, and a wife shows no signs of repenting, is the point at which the husband may divorce her.  No earlier than that. If a husband is required to do as Jesus does, everything in his power through prayer and supplication, through laying down his life in prayer and fasting and in whatever way the Holy Spirit leads him to seek his wife's deliverance, that she may come into a place where she can willingly submit to him according to the Word of God. It is only when the husband has done all that there is for him to do, all that God requires him to do, and the wife has still steadfastly refused to come into harmony, agreement and submission, then, and only then will the Father permit divorce.

Treachery

So, we again find ourselves through the gap in our understanding between the point at which the husband first becomes aware of the short-circuit or treachery and the point at which his wife's persistent treachery warrants divorce in the Sight of God.

Responding to a wife's treachery: We know that God's way is profitable and easy, but it requires personal self discipline and voluntary sacrifice. On the other hand, rebellion is an insistence on seeing God's way of being burdensome, unprofitable, and personally prejudicial. This results in refusal to discipline oneself and to give the required sacrifices of service, love, praise, and worship. Rebellion favours self-service, self-love, self-righteousness and general idolatry of self. Rebellion stems from pride from 'I', from Satan. Godly love is something that is given freely, so is godly submission. If a wife refuses to love her husband in terms of 1 Corinthians 13, believes the best, etc., he can do nothing about it in his own strength. Love cannot be demanded or commanded. It cannot be earned. Love is something that is given. It is a free will, a conscious act of the will. It is a decision, it is a choice. It is not something that is bought. It is not something that is demanded.

As much as the husband's spirit is grieved and hurt, there is nothing he can do to obtain loyalty, love and submission that the wife chooses not to give as a freewill offering. The more the husband shouts, castigates, and upbraids the wife in response to her treachery, the more fear will grab her and entrench the lies that she believes about it. This is profoundly challenging in terms of the Scriptures regarding rottenness in the bones and so forth. If the husband seeks to walk in love and put God first in his life, the more the love of God flows free into his wife, the more debilitating any active treachery on her part will be. He in turn is required not to revile her. Refer to 1 Peter 2. In considering this situation, we must note that nowhere in Scripture do we find any verses that expressly command or even permit a husband to discipline a rebellious wife, though one might argue from the Scriptures relating to the chastening of the Lord that there is some basis.

Deuteronomy 11:2, "Know today that I do not speak with your children, who have not known and who have not seen the chastening of the Lord your God, His greatness and His mighty hand and His outstretched arm." Job 5:17, "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty." Proverbs 3:11,"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction." Hebrews 12:4-9 "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.' If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?"

However, all of these relate to Yahweh, the Father treating us as children and not to Jesus disciplining his bride. So the Scripture is applied to a father and his children, not a husband and his wife. This does indicate that either Yahweh, or Jesus will discipline the wife since Yahweh disciplines us on behalf of his son Jesus.  And presumably Jesus will discipline our wives on our behalf. Yahweh uses Satan as the advisory, or destroyer to discipline us as is clearly shown by judging experience. This is the bottom line of the answer I got to my prayer about how to respond to a treacherous wife when a husband has done all he knows to do to get his own life right with God. The answer was simply hand her over to Satan that she may learn to submit. Understanding the scriptural basis of this instruction, in terms of the preceding discussion, it is apparent that a time will come where the husband is no longer able to bear these attacks by his wife, or the spiritual drain that results. This assumes that the husband has laid down his life in prayer and fasting, and in seeking Yahweh for guidance in judgement of his own sin, and the sin of his house. Also, that he has accepted his accountability before God for the sin of his house and has responsibly sought to deal with every area of sin in his life, and the life of his family that the Holy Spirit has convicted him of.

Once he has done these things, and only once he has done them to Yahweh's satisfaction, will be husband find himself in a position to take the next step, which is to withdraw his covering and hand his wife over to Satan to be disciplined for her own sin. The husband remains accountable to Yahweh for his sin and the broader sin of his house and must realise that when he takes this step, he must expect any areas of his life where he has been less diligent in attending to correcting his own sin to come under a harsh spotlight before the judgment seat.

1 Corinthians 5:4-7 provides the scriptural basis for this action. "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my Spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us."

We see a number of points here. Firstly, this is for the destruction of the flesh and we are told elsewhere in Scripture that we should be crucified with Christ that we should put our flesh to death daily. So, this is simply a measure to open the door for Satan to more directly deal with the carnal aspects of the wife's conduct, which are leading to the sin that is being dealt with. We also see that it is for a season. It is not something that is permanent. We are not taking some vicious action to destroy the party concerned. Divorce is a far greater violence. We read in Malachi that putting away unjustly is an act of treachery and act of violence. Handling a rebellious wife over to Satan is an act of mercy and grace, to provide her with an opportunity to reassess the position to carry the consequences of her own sin and to provide her with a basis to turn around and repent and come alongside her husband as Scripture requires.

The passage quoted relates to a particular instance of sexual sin which is not relevant to this teaching, but it does confirm a scriptural principle which is clearly evident in the passages regarding the chastening of the Lord cited previously and particularly in Job’s experience. From consideration of this, it became clear that once the husband has done all that he can do, by which I mean repented prayer, fasting, humbling himself before Almighty God, repenting and making right, explicitly acknowledging his covering before God, including explicitly praying to extend his covering over his wife, accepting responsibility for her sins, seeing his relationship with Jesus and Yahweh mirrored in his wife and children respectively, and diligently seeking to walk in 1 Corinthians 13 love, then and only then, and preferably at the leading of the Spirit of God, may he take action against his wife. Such action will comprise the husband withdraws his covering over his wife in respect of all sin where she is not in submission to him, and is in rebellion against him. The husband asks the Father in the name of Jesus to judge his wife severely and correct her harshly that they may come into unity before God.

At the same time, the husband must continue to seek God's judgements in his own life. Three, the husband hands his wife over to Satan that she may learn to submit, cease to fear, and cease to rebel. Four, the husband increases his intercession and prayer for his wife's deliverance and wages whatever spiritual warfare the Spirit of God leads him to wage. Five, the husband erects a spiritual barrier to prevent the short-circuiting of his love. In other words, he does not stop loving her, but he does stop pouring his love out to her. In this mode, he should refrain from sexual intercourse unless his wife expressly comes to him for lovemaking. He should refrain from other acts of love, hugs, kisses, etc. towards his wife unless she expressly comes to him for them with a submissive attitude.

He should refrain from any other overt gestures of love that he has been making in an effort to win her affection. The husband is not told anywhere in Scripture to court his wife to win her affection. Both are commanded by Scripture to love, and the giving and receiving of love are required to be unconditional. It is therefore no onus on the husband to make any overt gestures to win her love, or to reassure her. In fact, the history of seeking to earn his wife's love may be at the heart of the problem. The husband is not to be unpleasant to his wife in any way. He is not to sulk, or any other way punish her by his behaviour other than to send her a clear message that her behaviour is not acceptable and that he is obliged to take measures to safeguard his family spiritually, and also in love, to bring about correction in her life through the mechanisms provided in Scripture.

Six, at the same time, the husband should spell out to his wife that she is now accountable before God for her conduct in the areas stated, and that he is no longer going to express continuous concern regarding unscriptural conduct. This assumes that he has taken all reasonable measures to ensure before taking this step that his wife understands what behaviour is unacceptable, and what the scriptural basis is for his stating that this behaviour is unacceptable.

This series of teaching tapes address most of the factors which would need to be dealt with before reaching this point. In fact, I would go so far to say it would be highly desirable for a husband and wife together to listen to all the tapes in this series up to and including this tape, before the husband takes the serious step of withdrawing his covering and handing his wife over to Satan for a season that has been discussed in this teaching.

Repentance from the wife

Once this has been put in place and the wife has been handed over to Satan, the husband must be sensitive to discern the point at which his wife is ready to repent and turn around. Whether that happens after a few hours, a few days or weeks can only be determined by the Spirit of God. If he is truly walking in love, the husband should be constantly on the lookout for indications of heartfelt desire for change and he should not hesitate to intervene where it appears certain that this is in place. Since the husband is responsible for teaching his wife, he must then guide her to deal with whatever issues may be required and lead her gently to making the necessary confessions of his sin, repenting and receiving forgiveness from himself, praying the necessary prayers of confession, repentance, and receiving forgiveness to the Father. This is not a time for ‘I told you so’, it is a time for rejoicing that repentance and healing of the marriage relationship.

2 Corinthians 2:1-11 provides the scriptural basis for such restoration. "But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you. But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices."

At this point, the husband should, in the presence of his wife, expressly pray to extend his covering over his wife once more to accept responsibility for her sin, to release all barriers he has erected and most importantly, instruct Satan to desist from taking any further action against his wife independently of the husband. her life is extremely serious and is a step down the road which may ultimately lead to divorce and potentially to loss of salvation. She should therefore reverently fear the recurrence of such a situation and should seek God and the guidance of her husband with renewed vigour in order to come into agreement and harmony with him. Note to this action, which in terms of the current Church paradigm would be viewed as very harsh as to the contrary in the act of mercy. It is far better than an offender is handed over for disciplining and that they should be divorced, which implies that they are beyond redemption.

This is an immensely challenging subject. However, it is critical in this age, with over two-thirds of all marriages ending in divorce, or putting away, with reports of being more divorces in the Church than outside the Church. Furthermore, with increasing indications that great Spiritual tribulation is already upon many in the Church and that great physical tribulation in the form of a possible Third World War with major persecution is not far away. It is vital that all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, sanctify themselves and set themselves apart for His service. This requires that those whose marriages are not all they could be, take all necessary measures to seek Yahweh to restore and heal their marriage. The principle set out in this teaching and those that are presented in the tape series which preceded it, are vital to accomplishing the subject.

Finally, God the Father and Yahweh intends marriage to be the most wonderful experience on Earth. He literally intends it to be Heaven on Earth in terms of the magnitude of love, the magnitude of spiritual power, unity, and so forth. I would really like to challenge all of you who listened to this tape to set aside all your ideas you have of marriage which do not fit the description and dare to believe that your marriage can be Heaven on Earth.

In closing, I should just note, as mentioned in one or two previous teachings, the word Yahweh, is used in this teaching to reflect the fact that the correct translation of the Hebrew word translated, the LORD, in the King James version, and many others is in fact, Yahweh. Yahweh is the proper name for our God and occurs 6828 times in the Old Testament. states Lord, the divine name, Yahweh, appears only in the Bible. Its precise meaning is much debated. God chose it as His personal name by which He related specifically to His chosen or covenant people. By way of analogy, my proper name is James, and I have the designation of husband to my wife. It would not be indicative of a meaningful marriage relationship with my wife if you constantly refer to me as husband rather than James. In the same way, it is not indicative of a meaningful relationship with our God to refer to Him as Lord, rather than Yahweh when He has given us His name to use and He uses it throughout Scripture.

Following the name of Jesus, I pray that if there is anything that I have uttered in this teaching that is not of You and not according to Your Word that You will blow it away and it will find no root in the hearers. Likewise, I pray in the name of Jesus that everything that has been spoken that is according to Your Will and according to Your Word will find root in the hearts of the hearers and it will bear abundant fruit, in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, king of kings and Lord of Lords, Saviour of the world. Amen.

03_18 Is Polygamy Scriptural?

James Robertson -- 1 April 2000

In the marriage series, entitled 'Is Polygamy Scriptural.' The original teaching was recorded on April 1, 2000, but is a logical continuation of the series. This particular teaching recognises that earlier tapes in the series have raised the point that since marriage is the taking of a woman's virginity, it is technically possible for a man to marry more than one woman. Previous teachings have also addressed the point that it appears to be God's own heart that men, in this age, should provide a covering to more than one woman. It is being indicated that this is a necessary consequence of the excess of women over men in the Church and that excess was in fact foretold in Scripture in Isaiah 4:1 and is widely evident. This particular teaching is in response to arguments advanced to suggest that monogamy is in fact a Christian doctrine. It seeks to address some of the arguments presented based on a television programme.

Polygamy

This is a question of whether polygamy is scriptural. This is first of the two-part series. Recently a Christian television programme was broadcast on the subject of, "Is Polygamy Scriptural" and viewers comments were invited. The following Sunday the same programme broadcast viewers' comments, one of which supported the view that Scripture permitted a man to have more than one wife and one opposed it. The commentary on the viewers' comments offered an interpretation to support the view that Scripture did not permit a man to have more than one wife.

This document analyses the arguments presented in favour of, and against the thesis that Scripture prohibits a man from having more than one wife.

The teaching is based on the document of the same name which contains more supporting information and is available on request. The following is a summary of the programme and what followed. In the body of the television programme, reference was made to the fact that the new constitution of the Republic of South Africa permits polygamy. Interviews were conducted with two family units. One comprising a man with three wives, and another with two wives. Both interviewees expressed themselves in favour of this lifestyle and stated that one wife would not be able to conduct all the business of the family in support of the husband. Both of these men professed to be Christian and one stated that his conduct was permitted by Scripture.

The programme included a discussion panel, one member of which was a lady theology professor who argued in favour of men having more than one wife, on the basis that there are more women than men in society. The Church representative who argued against a man having more than one wife based his argument on Matthew 19:5-6, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

He stated that since the Scripture referred to two, it could obviously not mean three. Other than this, there was almost no reference to Scripture in the programme even that claimed to be a Christian programme. The programmed closed without a definitive conclusion, although most viewers probably concluded that the programme had demonstrated that it was a good thing for man to have more than one wife, other than from consideration of the Scripture referred to. In the viewers' comments part of the programme the following week, only two views were broadcast. The first was from a woman objecting to the apparent conclusion that it was acceptable for a man to have more than one wife, and the second, from a man who presented a number of Scriptures and arguments to the effect that he claimed that Scripture clearly permitted a man to have more than one wife, that 'the doctrine of enforced monogamy' was keeping millions of people out of the kingdom of God and was a stumbling block to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

He went on to assert that 'enforced monogamy' was a 'doctrine of demons' and 'heresy of the worst kind.' The commentary on the viewer's contributions offered a number of Scriptures and an interpretation based on which it was concluded that those who argued that Scripture permitted a man to have more than one wife, were clearly mistaken, and that their arguments were 'difficult to back up.'

The conclusion of this commentary was that Scripture did not permit a man to have more than one wife, and that by implication the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa was contrary to the Word of God on this issue, and furthermore the people interviewed on the programme the previous week were living in sin. This is a far-reaching conclusion which seems worthy of careful consideration before it is expected.

You may ask why you should read this discourse and why you should concern yourself with whether a Scripture permits a man to have more than one wife versus the claim that Scripture prohibits a man from having more than one wife. In the first instance, the conclusions reached on the programme effectively passed a judgement on the people interviewed the previous week, and then the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. By extension it passed a judgment on the lifestyle common to millions of South Africans and others around the world. If this judgement is correct, then millions and possibly billions of people are potentially facing eternal hellfire in the Day of Judgement and need to be warned. However, if the protagonists in Scripture permitting a man to have more than one wife are to be believed, there is another group of people who could be facing judgment.

As with previous discussions in this series, it is apparent that there can only be one correct interpretation and those with advanced view alternative school of thought may potentially face serious consequences on the Day of Judgement. From a scriptural perspective this discussion is important for a wide variety of reasons. 1 John 5:3 states,"For this is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments. And His Commandments are not burdensome." Surely if we love God, we will not seek to alter His word. Proverbs 30:5-6 states, "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar." Surely no one would want to add to the Word of God and find themselves rebuked on the Day of Judgement.

Revelation 21:8 states, "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." If by adding to the Word of God one is found a liar, then one is condemned to a part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. And therefore one should certainly not want to add to the Word of God.

Marriage – a prophetic statement

From a different perspective, the October 1999 issue of Joy magazine contains an article entitled 'Wow! So that's how Jesus loves me!' written by John and Helen Gardiner. This article presents a powerful argument in support of marriage being a prophetic statement concerning the relationship between the Church and the Lord Jesus Christ. It also provides a powerful argument as to why Satan is seeking to destroy marriage. This provides another more positive reason why the analysis presented in this document is important. The document on which this teaching is based contains a verbatim transcript of the programme and commentary. I am quoting from the programme all names have been removed. The objective is to analyse the content and not the people who were responsible for delivering the content. In this way it is hoped to avoid a situation in which anyone speaks against the Lord's anointed.

In opening the programme, the commentator stated "Polygamy, the practice of having two or more wives or husbands at the same time was dismissed by most Christians as unbiblical. Previous South African government went so far as to outlaw the practice until the constitution was amended in 1994. But long before 1994, many African independent Churches endorsed polygamy and held and blessed wedding ceremonies of a bigamist or polygamous nature, much to the dismay of Christians who felt that this practice was not in line with the Word of God and despite the fact these marriages were not legally recognised. Constitutional law now makes provision for polygamy on the basis that it is part of customary law but the disagreement amongst Christians is still as strong as it ever was. In trying to get to grips with the issue of multiple marriage partners, we have in the studio two Christian leaders and a theologian with an unconventional view point."

In the introduction, it was stated that the lady theology professor had written extensively on the subject of polygamy and maintains that polygamy was a worthwhile alternative to the ever-increasing rate of divorce. It was stated that the second panellist was adamant that polygamy was not in line with the teachings of the Bible, and therefore could not be an option for God-fearing Christians and it was also stated that the third panellist had said that there was no Scripture that blatantly prohibited polygamy, and that as an African traditional practice, it should be accepted as part of inculturation in the Church.

The following are headlines from the programme. The second panellist stated that he really believed that polygamy should not be accepted as part of Christian teachings, and that people should be told that in the order of Creation, it was not the ideal. The first panellist stated that polygamy in a subject for discussion in the Church since the 500 years ago. The second panellist stated that he would still maintain that in the order of Creation, God created humans, male and female and did not create many Eves, and one Adam. The first panellist responded by asking about all the patriarchs who had more than one wife and then stated "Let's look at polygamy from a woman's point of view. The recent debate on polygamy started off with a question. What are we going to do with all the women who are single or divorced and who do not have access to regular relationships. They become mistresses or they become very lonely. What are we going to do with the 200 women to every 70 men we have?"

An interview was then shown with a polygamous family in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The first man interviewed stated "There is a provision that is there in the Bible that a man can marry as many women as he likes if he loves them. It is there in the Bible even though I cannot quote it now, but it is there." The second wife stated that she married her husband because she loved him, despite all the other unmarried men around, she loved him and therefore she married him. The third and youngest wife said that their family was as happy and united as any other family.

The interviewer asked the third panellist if he did not think that polygamy was degrading to women. He replied that what he thought was degrading to women was monogamy and suggested that divorce happens mostly in the monogamous marriages and not in polygamous marriages. The first panellist stated that most western men are polygamous either as serial polygamists who marry one woman and divorce her, marry the next, and divorce her and so forth, or have mistresses. The second panellist stated that in his opinion polygamy dehumanises people, and specifically women.

The second polygamist family was then interviewed. The husband in this marriage stated that polygamy was popular in his area because there was a lot of work to do in the homes. Instead of hiring a person, it was preferable to take additional wives. His first wife stated that with her husband's healing practise and Church duties, two wives were necessary, for example, to attend to patients in the middle of the night. Both his wives grew up in polygamous families. In response to this interview, the second panellist stated that people engage in polygamy because of human weakness of this permissiveness to which the third panellist responded that polygamy was not about debauchery, nor was it a question of people going head hunting for sex partners.

The interviewer asked the first panellist if they could reconcile polygamy with the Scriptures, referring specifically to the Scripture cited earlier in Genesis 2:24 relating to the One Flesh Bond. This panellist replied that by becoming one flesh was just a term for sexual intercourse. So man became one flesh with his own wife and became one flesh with his other wife. She further stated that we should not underestimate the power of women, or the ability of women for sisterhood in polygamous marriages. The interviewer concluded by thanking viewers for joining them and then quoted Ecclesiastes 4:12 "Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken." In the case of marriage, a cord of four strains be even stronger or does it break the balance. She asked the viewers' opinions and closed the programme.

The following Sunday, the contributions from viewers were broadcast. The following extract from the transcript of the programme said this. The first viewer who wrote in stated "Pardon the criticism, but anyway if it is to present unbiased and broadminded discussions of subjects to your direction as a religious programme is lost. Or I have misunderstood your intentions. Sociological arguments are bound for polygamy, but theology, even by a theologian seemed absent. Christianity embraces everything as acceptable for the so-called multi-culturalism. If not, then where must the line be drawn." In response the interviewer stated, "We did our best to present all sides of the story, but that does not mean that we agree or endorse them. As far as we are concerned, the Bible, God's word is the last word on the subject and if our programme got viewers reaching for their Bibles to see what God has to say on the matter, then we achieved our goal. If it didn’t, well, here are some of the Scriptures which we think should be considered very carefully before people start embracing polygamy.

Matthew 19:4-6 was displayed on the screen. "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?'" 1 Corinthians 7:2 was then displayed. "But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman have her own husband." This was followed by 1 Timothy 3:2 "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach."

The interviewer then reported with regards to a second viewer that he had some very different interpretations of Scripture on the subject of multiple marriage partners, claiming that while Scripture permitted a man to have more than one wife, it did not permit polygamy. The interviewer continued "So what's the difference you ask. The true definition of polygamy is that a man can have more than one wife and that a woman can have more than one husband." The viewer said that Scripture does not allow for this. He claims that a man can have more than one wife, but a woman who wants more than one husband can forget it. A video clip of this viewer was then played in which the following statements were made. The Scriptures permit a man to have more than one wife.

Deuteronomy 21:15 states "If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved,"clearly in this and dozens of other Scriptures God permits a man to have more than one wife. One of the implications of enforced monogamy millions of non-Christians cannot expect monogamy as being from God and reject Christ. Monogamy has destroyed the fabric of family life in many nations. Millions of men and women fail to live within the yoke of monogamy. The crucial scriptural importance of virginity is disregarded and now adultery is condemned.

Many Christian women cannot find husbands as prophesied in Isaiah 4:1. Enforced monogamy is a stumbling block to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is sending millions of souls to hell. 1 Timothy 4 prophesised that in these days many will give heed to doctrines of Demons and forbid people to marry. Surely, this relates to forbidding marriage to more than one wife. Clearly enforced monogamy is heresy of the worst crime. The interviewer responded to this clip with the following statement. That is quite a strong statement, but we believe that you have made some assumptions, which may be a little difficult to back up with scriptural proof. Scripture simply mentioning polygamy cannot automatically be assumed to justify polygamy.

Genesis 2:24 was displayed on screen. "For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh." While Genesis 2:24 was displayed, the interviewer stated "We must remember that the first union in the Bible between Adam and Eve reveals that the first marriage ordained by God was a monogamous one. Polygamy first appeared in the corrupt line of Cain where Lamech took two wives. Genesis 4:19 was then displayed on screen. "Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah."

Israel and Polygamy

The interviewer then stated under the judges and monarchy, the rule of man, not God, Israel shifted toward a looser form of polygamy, but it is clear that the most common form of marriage was monogamy and amongst the commoners no cases of polygamy are found in the books of Samuel or Kings. The following note was then displayed on screen, Ezekiel 16:1-63 relates an allegory of Israel as one bride of the one true God, and the interviewer stated the image of a monogamous marriage was in the minds of the prophets who represented Israel as the one wife chosen by the one God, and you can read up about this allegory in Ezekiel 16. Ephesians 5:23 was then displayed on the screen. "For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the Church;" and the interviewer stated this is parallel to the New Testament picture of the Church as the one bride of the one Lord Jesus. The interviewer continued Jewish writings over the time of the Talmudic period and the high regard held for monogamous marriages. This concluded the broadcast. Since we are concerned with what the Lord's view on this matter is, unless we must be determined strictly from the holy Scriptures, I will analyse the Scriptures used in the discussion in interviews first.

References in Scripture

The first thing that is striking about the debate is that while two of the delegates were ordained ministers and one was a professor of theology, very few Scriptures were cited by either side. In fact, from the discussion one could be forgiven for thinking that Scripture was almost entirely silent on what must surely be a key aspect of doctrine. There is an enormous difference between a man being permitted to have more than one wife and he is not being so permitted by Scripture, particularly when two families have been interviewed who could be living in serious sin, if the argument that polygamy is not permitted by Scripture is valid.

A number of references, direct and indirect, were made to Scripture. The second panellist held a clear cut view that Scripture only permits monogamy. No Scripture was offered to support this view, so it was a difficult statement to analyse effectively. The third panellist said that he saw absolutely no passage of biblical Scripture that says that polygamy was a sin. The second panellist continued to state that in the order of Creation, God had created humans, male and female and He did not create many Eves, and one Adam. Even this does not explicitly quote a Scripture which states that God only intended the man to have one wife but infers this from the story of Creation.

The 'order of Creation' argument immediately presents some difficulty. Since The Lord only created one man and one woman, it seems apparent that the first generation of children must have intermarried. In other words, brothers had to marry sisters. However, today it is illegal for a man to marry his sister. It is referred to as incest. Furthermore in Leviticus 20:17 this was explicitly forbidden. "If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his guilt." The Scripture leaves us with a number of imponderables regarding other aspects of the order of Creation argument. But it does seem to indicate that what the Lord permitted at the time of Creation changed subsequently.

Accordingly, since the Lord is absolutely explicit about prohibiting a man from marrying, or having sex with his sister, thus bringing an end to any dispensation that might have been flowing from Creation. At the very least we should conclude that He will do a similar thing if He changed the situation regarding a man having more than one wife. Deuteronomy 21:15 states "If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved."Exodus 21:10 states "If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marriage rights." This seems clear enough. A man is permitted to take another wife subject to certain conditions regarding the provision for the first wife. Appendix D of the document on which this teaching is based, lifts further Scriptures which support this view. Accordingly, even if the Lord did initially create man to have only one wife, He subsequently made provision for a man to have more than one wife. It therefore appears that the order of Creation argument is over Scripture.

A direct contradiction, the first man interviewed stated, there is a provision that is there in the Bible that a man can marry as many women as he likes if he loves them. It is there in the Bible, even though I cannot quote it now, but it is there. This presents a stark contrast in this brief space of time, viewers saw two men who both claimed to serve the same God and read the same Bible make directly contradictory statements about it. Clearly, there is a need for clarity.

In support argument against polygamy, the first interviewer quoted Genesis 2:24 as indicating monogamy because it refers to becoming one flesh. The first panellist responded that one flesh related to sexual intercourse and that accordingly, it is quite possible for a man to be one flesh with more than one woman. 1 Corinthians 6:16 states: "Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For the two, He says, shall become one flesh." From this it is quite clear that a man can become one flesh with more than one woman and a woman can become one flesh with more than one man. It is unclear what the point of the interviewer citing was. It does not immediately appear to say another about marriage and if it does, it will seem to suggest that a marriage has three strands, a man plus two wives is preferable and stronger than a marriage with one wife.

From the basic analysis of the discussion and interviews which included very few direct references to Scripture, and knowing the analysis, it is not possible to draw a definitive conclusion. However, it does appear that the Scripture cited in support of monogamy and does not stand much scrutiny, and that some Scriptures which seem to indicate that the Lord has explicitly provided for a man to have more than one wife as being identified. Furthermore, it seems notable that the extent at which those opposed to a man having more than one wife seemed to use terms like permissiveness and dehumanising, which is subjectively judgmental, and contrary to the evidence presented in the video footage is significant. Any doctrine of any import should be able to clearly and ambiguously stand on Scriptures which do not require explanation and excuses and should not require judgmental labels to back it up.

In the viewers' responses and the surrounding commentary, reference was made to the definition of polygamy. In order to further consider the subject of the television programme systematically, it is important that we define the meaning of the world polygamy. From reference to the Oxford dictionary we find polygamy: having more than one wife, or less, usually a husband, with one polyandry, polygamy in which woman has more than one husband. Polygamy in which man has more than one wife. From Scripture it is apparent that God created woman to marry only one man through the Creation of virginity of woman as discussed later. The woman who has sex more than one man is variously described in Scripture as an adulteress or a harlot. The question is purely whether a man can have more than one wife.

Deuteronomy 22:22 states, "If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so, you shall put away the evil from Israel." This is quite unambiguous, adultery involves a man, any man, marital state unspecified, lying with a very specific woman, or woman married to a husband and that penalty for adultery is death to both guilty parties. Roman 7:1-3 states, "Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man."

Adultery is clearly a woman who marries another man while her husband lives. Therefore the generic form of polygamy or 'many either sex' which includes polyandry and general fornication, is an abomination in the Sight of God. This is something which seems many spiritually sensitive Christians immediately discern, and therefore the use of the word polygamy should be avoided when discussing the subject. The form of marriage which the television debated effectively revolved around  was in fact polygyny, and not polygamy. Nevertheless, this is a Latin term which may have connotations other than the form of marriage ordained in Scripture. And therefore, it is proposed that for the balance of this document, the focus will be on defining scriptural marriage, rather than our examining words which do not occur in Scripture.

Viewers’ commentary

Let us now consider the viewers' commentary. The first viewer criticised the lack of theology and it did indeed seem remarkable that a TV programme which claimed to be presenting a Christian view on such an extremely important subject as marriage presented so little Scripture. This was rectified in the commentary that followed. The viewer whose commentary was broadcast concluded by stating, "Clearly, enforced monogamy is heresy of the worst kind. This was a strong statement against enforced monogamy. Does it have validity? If it does, then millions are indeed being kept from serving Satan and the Lord Jesus Christ, and millions of others are in sin and surely there is a responsibility on every person who call themselves by the name of Christ to carefully examine the fact."

The commentary on the programme on the second viewer's opinion can rest on a number of Scriptures. In addition, it was clearly stated that the Bible, God's Word, is the last word on the subject. The commentary also suggested that the second viewer's opinion was based on some assumptions which might be a little difficult to back up with scriptural proof, and then proceeded to offer further Scriptures. The Scriptures used in the commentary are analysed in the discussion that follows using the same techniques applied in previous teachings.

Matthew 19:4-6 was quoted, "And He answered and said to them, 'Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." It is argued that since the Scripture explicitly refers to two, it cannot refer to three or more. The Scripture indeed says that the two become one flesh, however, 1 Corinthians 6:16 cited previously clearly proves that a man can become one flesh with more than one woman, "Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For 'the two,' He says, 'shall become one flesh.'" If we consider the stated arithmetic, they are no longer two, but one flesh, we found something which, at first glance, is not immediately apparent, i.e., one plus one equals one. This is in stark contrast to conventional arithmetic which states that one plus one equals two. In other words, the Lord's arithmetic in this case is different than ours.

If we then apply some basic algebra to the notation to the formula, one plus one equals one, in Matthew 19:5-6, we can substitute one plus one in brackets for one unless we see that one plus one plus one equals one. In other words, if a man is one flesh with one woman, and he joins himself to another woman, he and his first woman become one flesh with the second woman by extension, one plus one, plus one plus one, plus one plus one equals one.  Therefore how many women he joins himself to, they are still one. In strict algebraic tense, we can state one plus one then equals one. That is, one man joined to one woman is still one flesh with all of them.

In other words, if by adding one to one, the answer is one, then no matter how many times you add one to one, the answer is still one. Clearly Matthew 19:4-6 is nothing about a man not having more than one wife, nor do any of the other Scriptures which refer to two become one including Genesis 2:24. 1 Corinthians 7:2 was cited as evidence that a man should have his own wife. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and let each woman have her own husband. Interpretation of the Scripture hinges on the words 'own wife' and 'each woman.' The Greek word translated his own in Strong's number 1438 'heautou' including all other cases for which Strong's definition is 'from a reflexive pronoun otherwise obsolete and the genitive case (dative case or accusative case) of G846; him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etc.:—alone, her (own, -self), (he) himself, his (own), itself, one (to) another, our (thine) own(-selves), + that she had, their (own, own selves), (of) them(-selves), they, thyself, you, your (own, own conceits, own selves, -selves).' It does not appear that this interpretation or the word itself provides much guidance on the subject of this teaching.

Wife

Word translated wife in the phrase is own wife is gynaíka, Strong's number 1135. On close investigation, it transpires of the Greek word for woman, wife and wives, singular and plural is always Strong's number 1135 guné, from which it would appear that gynaíka is a special cursive guné, and from none of these cases is there any indication of singular or plural. Strong's definition of 1135 guné is probably from the base of 1096 a woman, especially a wife, King James version, wife woman. Thayer's definition of 1135 guné: a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow; a wife; of a betrothed woman. With regard to the Greek word translated wife, wives, guné 1135 denotes a woman, married or unmarried, see woman, a wife in Matthew 1:20, 1 Corinthians 7:3-4, in 1 Timothy 3:11, woman the reference may be to the wives of deacons as the King James version takes it. With regard to the Greek word translated woman, there is no sacred reference for women since the same root is translated in both forms. Vines states: gune 1135, for which see also WIFE, is used of a 'woman'unmarried or married, e.g., Matthew 11:11, 14:21, Luke 4:26, of a 'widow' Romans 7:2; in the vocative case, used in addressing a 'woman,' it is a term not of reproof or severity, but of endearment or respect.

Appendix A in the reference document contains more comprehensive analysis of both guné Greek and the Hebrew word is ishshah for wife, wives, women and women from Vines Expository Dictionary. For consideration of these takes it is apparent that there is no absolutely no basis on which to interpret any Scripture with either the word ishshah, or the word guné as indicating singular or pleural, married or unmarried and there are other words in the context clearly make this visible.

Appendix B in the document lists many new testament Scriptures containing the Greek word guné as an indication of the extent to which the word is translated interchangeably, to signify a single woman or many women. To signify a woman or a wife, it seems clear that there is no basis to conclude that any Scripture containing the word guné can be used to determine if a man is permitted more than one wife, unless other words make this explicit. It therefore appears that the word translated ‘wife’ in 1 Corinthians 7:2 does not provide any basis for the argument presented in the commentary. In fact, it seems quite reasonable to conclude that 1 Corinthians 7:2 could be equally correctly translated"Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife." This applies to the word ‘wife’ singular in all other verses of Scripture and therefore does not signify monogamy. In other words, any passage of Scripture where the word ‘wife’ singular occurs could just as well be read as indicating wives plural unless there is a specific indication of one.

The word translated ‘every woman’ in 1 Corinthians 7:2 is the Greek word hékastos, Strong's number 1538 which is defined as each, every. In other words, it appears that the word ‘woman’ has been added by the translator to improve the English readability. In any event, the Greek word for ‘woman’ if it were present as demonstrated previously, can also be translated ‘women’ or ‘wives’, and therefore this phrase does not support the argument that Scripture prohibits a man from having more than one wife. 1 Timothy 3:2 cited as evidence the Church leader should only have one wife and therefore seemingly, by extension, that what was good for Church leaders should also be good for their flock. This verse, together with 1 Timothy 3:12 and Titus 1:6 seem to represent three of the key Scriptures on which the doctrine of enforced monogamy is based, and from it is argued that Jesus changed the Torah law.

Mia

1 Timothy 3:2 states, "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach." Verse 12 states, "Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well." Titus 1:6 states, "If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination." Seemingly, this is definitive. These passages clearly state that a bishop or overseer, the deacon and the elder must all be the husband of one wife. However, if we consider the Greek word translated one, we find that it is the word 'mia,' number 3391 which Strong defines as follows: irregular feminine of 1520; one or first:—a (certain), + agree, first, one, other.

There is certainly a great difference between one and first. If we apply the Latin interpretation, does that not mean that the bishop, deacon, or elder must be the husband of his first wife? In other words, he should not be divorced or have put away his wife. Does this not in turn suggest that he should have the love of God shed abroad in his heart to the extent that if necessary he can love even a difficult wife through times of difficulty and tension and bring her out in the other side? If such a man not be well suited to dealing with typical tensions and difficulties in the Body of Christ. Can this interpretation by confirmed?

Matthew 28:1 states, "Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb." Matthew 26:69"Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, 'You also were with Jesus of Galilee.'" Here we see another interpretation of mia as damsel. Could we read the passage in Timothy and Titus to say that a bishop, etc., should be the husband of a wife, in other words, they must be married. In other words, if a man does not know how to lead a family with at least one wife, he cannot lead a congregation. If we consider the case of the one interviewee, his wife assisted him in his healing ministry as a traditional healer and in his Church ministry.

Mark 12:42, "Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans." There are several passages when mia is translated ‘certain’ but ‘certain’ is not uniformly translated ‘one’. Luke 24:1 "Now on the first day of the week," John 21"On the first day of the week."  multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul, neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. In this case, mia was used to relate to a group of people who were one. So, it would appear that mia can also signify a group of people who are one heart. Presumably this could apply to a man with several wives who are of one heart with him. 1 Corinthians 16:2 says again "On the first day of the week." Titus 3:10, "Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition." Here we see two chapters further on in the same book of the Bible.  In Titus the translators have translated mia as ‘first’, not ‘one’. Cannot it be reasonably argued that the translators filtered the translation through the doctrine of monogamy that prevailed at the time they translated the Scriptures. A complete set of Scriptures containing the word mia or contained in appendix C of the document.

This interpretation of mia is supported by Vines with regard to first. Mia 3391, a dramatically feminine form of heiss one is translated first and certain occurrences of the phrase on the first day of the week. Also, in Titus 3:10, of the first admonition to hieratical man C1. Seemingly these words and these passages of Scripture cannot be used to construct a doctrine of enforced monogamy, not even for pastors. If we apply the information concerning guné to the Scriptures concerning one wife, we find the following to be possible. 1 Timothy 3:2 "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach." 1 Timothy 3:12, "Let deacons be the husbands of one wife." Titus 1:6, "If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife." It would seem reasonable to apply such an interpretation to a society where it was commonplace for a man to have more than one wife. More appropriate translation might then be still married to his first wives if the intention is not that the bishop, deacon, or elder should be married and have at least one wife.

As best as I can determine, there was virtually no such thing as an adult woman who is not married unless she was a widow. This seems to include those legitimately divorced or a harlot, it would appear that a 30-year-old virgin was unheard of. It seems that girls through puberty, at about 12 years old, at which time they were regarded as virgins, women ready for intercourse but not yet married. Subsequently, they were betrothed and thereafter married. Since a man was permitted to have more than one wife, there was absolutely no statistical reason for her not to marry, and since marriages were arranged by the parents, there was no emotional reason.

God’s intention

Genesis 2:24 was cited as indicated that the Lord intended a man to have only one wife at the time of Creation, and that therefore the perfect state for marriage was for a man to have only one wife. This argument has already been addressed to a point in previous discussion. However, the Genesis 2:24 argument falls into the same trap as 1 Corinthians 7:2. The word for ‘wife’ here is the Hebrew ishshah, which as in the Greek signifies one or many and so this verse could also rejoined to his wives. I have consulted Jewish scholars on the subject and they assured me there is no way the original Hebrew prescribes monogamy. Equally as with Matthew 19:4-6 above, which cites Genesis 2:24, the one plus one equals one argument applies to Genesis 2:24. The document also contains an appendix on virginity which convincingly demonstrates that the Lord intended man to be able to have more than one wife from Creation and before the Creation.

Reference was made to man having more than one wife for the first time in the correct line of Cain and the case of Lamech in Genesis 4:19. It seemed that this remark was intended to suggest that in some way Lamech is not a model for good Christians. Perhaps this is so, perhaps not. We are especially told not to judge others. Matthew 7:1-2 states, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

But if we take account of the viewer's position, it would seem that whether Lamech was righteous or not is not the point. If the viewer is correct and Scripture does not prevent a man having more than one wife, then there are millions, if not billions of people out there who are not living in accordance with this idea of as a result of an allegedly ungodly hurdle. This would appear to include Muslims and Jews who know that the Books of Moses permit a man to have more than one wife and that God never changes. The author has personally encountered a situation in Malawi where the Church allows a Muslim convert with four wives to keep all his wives, but prevents a Muslim convert with one wife, taking more than one wife. As a result, many do not accept Christ. It would seem best in the analysis thus far that this activity might be making the Word of God to no effect. If this is correct, it will appear possible that many millions of souls could indeed be burning in hell allegedly as a consequence of the doctrinal enforced monogamy.

It was further suggested in the commentary that there are no commoners in Samuel or Kings who have more than one wife. Implication seems to be that somehow commoners were more godly than royalty ,and that the fact that royalty in the books of Samuel and Kings clearly had more than one wife did not in any way signify that the Lord approved. However, 1 Samuel 1:1-2 states, "Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children." There is nothing to indicate that Elkanah was not a commoner. In fact, at the time of Elkanah, there was no such thing as royalty in Israel. It would seem that this argument is disproved in chapter 1 of Kings and Chronicles about the kings of Israel. So, it would seem reasonable not to expect to find many references in those books to commoners.

David

In this case, one could be hard pressed not to question the integrity and/or the scriptural knowledge who made that statement. On further inspection of the books of Samuel and Kings, we find a number of other instances of men with more than one wife. These include David. 1 Samuel 25:43 states, "David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives." At this point, before David became king, in fact while a fugitive, and therefore presumably a commoner by most people's definition, David had two wives in addition to his first wife.

2 Samuel 5:13 states, "And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also, more sons and daughters were born to David."This was shortly after his arrival in Jerusalem as king of the United Kingdom after he had reigned the kingdom of Judah for seven years and Hebron. David is repeatedly referred to as a man after God's own heart. Acts 13:22, 1 Samuel 13, 14, etc. In the case such as this one has to ask how any person who fears God can speak out against the man having more than one wife when David, a man with a significant number of wives and concubines, is referred to as a man after God's own heart.

It seems that God has said that it is His heart to have more than one wife, and yet the person who wrote the commentary speaks against it. Since Samuel was raised, let us consider also 2 Samuel 12:7-8 "Then Nathan said to David, 'You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!'" Here we see that God says that He gave David, Saul's wives, and yet the commentator says God has opposed to a man having more than one wife. Is this not blatant hypocrisy bordering on blasphemy?

Since Kings was also raised, let us consider 1 Kings 15:5, "Because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of his life except in the matter of Uriah, the Hittite. It seems hard to conceive how anyone who reads that verse can ever again speak against the man having more than one wife. Is there not a possibility that if one speaks against a man whom God refers to as a man after His own heart, may cause one to face the most fearful judgment?

Monogamy

Similarly, Abraham is referred to as the Friend of God. James 2:23 and he had more than one wife. Moses is referred to as the man of God, Ezra 3:2, Joshua 14:6, etc., and had more than one wife. It increasingly would seem that no person who fears God can claim that it is against the will of God for a man to have more than one wife.

It was stated in the commentary under the Judges and Monarchy the rule of man not God Israel shifted towards the lesser form of polygamy. But it is clear that the most common form of marriage was monogamy and amongst the commoners, no cases of polygamy were found in the books of Samuel or Kings. I have been unable to locate any Scripture which indicates that the most common form of marriage was monogamy. As best as I can determine, Scripture is entirely silent and the commentator seems to be adding to the Word of God.

Reference was made to Ezekiel 16, indicating monogamy as the ideal as seen by the prophets. On closer inspection we see that this passage refers only to the unfaithfulness of Judah. Ezekiel 23 takes the metaphor further and describes God as also being married to Samaria Israel as well. In other words, God himself describes Himself as married to two women. Again, one is forced to question the integrity and/or the scriptural knowledge of someone who could cause such a statement to be broadcast on national television. Reference was made to Ephesians 5:23 as a parallel to the verses in Ezekiel as an indication that it is God's will for a man to have only one wife. On closer inspection however it turns out that the whole of Ephesians 5:23-33 turns on guné. In other words, these verses could just as well refer to wives, as wife.

Seemingly, Ephesians 5:22-33 could be translated "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wives, as also Christ is head of the Church; and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore, just as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wives loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the Church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wives, and the two shall become one flesh.'" Take account of the discussion of the one plus one equals one previously. "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wives as himself, and let the wives see that they respect their husband."

In the passage that I have just read, I have replaced the word 'wife' singular with the word 'wives' plural in all instances and the passage still makes perfect sense and is absolutely plausible and is technically correct from a translation point of view. Furthermore, it seems that Ephesians 5 argument ignores the parallel that the bride singular which is the Church comprises many bodies. 1 Corinthians 12:12 states, "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ." This is supported by other Scriptures "We who are many are one body." In the same way we could see that many wives are all one flesh or one body with the husband.

Ephesians 5:31-32 seemingly makes this absolutely clear. “For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. It certainly seems clear that there is a direct parallel between the Body of Christ comprising many bodies and the man being one flesh with a number of wives. Furthermore, Revelation clearly refers to seven Churches. It certainly seems that God has provided a perfect pattern of the Bride of Christ in marriage between a man and his wives. It would seem irrational and illogical to argue that the many people who have a Church are one body that the Genesis 2:24 and Ephesians 5:23 dictates monogamy. It would certainly seem possible that this could cause a person who considers himself to be logical, to stumble over any doctrine which states that the Scripture prevents a man having more than one wife.

It was stated that during the Talmudic period, monogamy was highly regarded. This is an interesting statement since Jesus condemned, described in Pharisees, the Talmudic law made the Word of God of no effect, Matthew 23 and elsewhere. In addition, it appears that many Jews know that the Bible permits a man to have more than one wife. For example, the Living Torah, a footnote to Exodus 21:10 states 'another wife.'Polygamy was permitted by Torah law. It was only forbidden later by a ban pronounced by all European rabbis under the leadership of Rabbenu Gershom (circa 965-1029).

Apart from the fact that this text uses the term polygamy to describe polygyny (a man having more than one wife) a widespread semantic error referred to in more detail previously, it makes it quite clear that scriptural marriage in which a man can have more than one wife, was still practised by the Jews until about 1,000 years after the death of Jesus Christ. Maurice Lamm, in his book, 'The Jewish Way in Love and Marriage,'published by Jonathan David Publishers, Inc, Middle Village, New York in 1980 reports that this ban was renewed for all Jews by Israel's Chief Rabbi when it expired in 1950. Known as the 'Cherem de Rabbenu Gershom,' it is in force regardless of the wishes of the husband, or the consent of the wife.

From considering other sources regarding the systematic distancing of the Gentile Church, from the Jewish roots of Christianity, as a consequence of Roman influence as early as 300 AD resulting in steadily increasing persecution of Jews, it appears that the Rabbinical decree was as a consequence of increasing persecution by the Roman Church seeking to enforce the proclamation by Justinian enforcing monogamy about three hundred years earlier.

From conversations with a few Jews on this matter it appears that the rabbinical decree is widely known, as is the fact that monogamy is a Roman heresy instituted by the Christian Church. It seems that in at least some Jewish quarters, this is taken as a further indication that Jesus Christ could not possibly be the Messiah. This, in turn, must surely be a contributor to the difficulty that most Jews have in accepting conversion to Christianity.

Other documents indicate that monogamy was outlawed in the Christian religion by the emperor Justinian in the sixth century, apparently after he married a reformed prostitute. Taking account of this information, one is obliged to ask why, if the Bible has always prescribed monogamy, it was necessary for the Jews and the Christians to outlaw it?

Accordingly, it would seem that the Talmudic argument also does not provide a basis to establish that Scripture prevents a man from having more than one wife, nor does it prescribe enforced monogamy. On the basis of the above information it would appear that the arguments presented in the commentary include a number of Scripture references which either indicate that the person writing the commentary was either not very knowledgeable of Scripture, or was being deliberately misleading. Other arguments appear to be irrational and still others seem to reflect an inadequate knowledge of the Greek or Hebrew sources.

Accordingly, it seems necessary to conclude that the commentator failed to prove, in any material form, that Scripture prescribes 'enforced monogamy' or prohibits a man having more than one wife.

Let us now consider the opinions expressed by the viewer, as reported previously. The viewer stated: "Deuteronomy 21:15 states: 'If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved....' Clearly in this, and dozens of other Scriptures, God permits a man to have more than one wife!" Is this the case? Exodus 21:10 states: "If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marriage rights." This seems clear enough. A man is permitted to take another wife subject to certain conditions.

Appendix D in the document lists further Scriptures which support this view. If one is seeking to be even handed in considering both cases, one has to ask why the person who prepared the television commentary did not address these Scriptures. The viewer stated: "Millions of non-Christians cannot accept monogamy as being from God and reject Christ." On the face of it this may be rather difficult to prove. However, the author has encountered a situation in Malawi where it was reported that Moslem men who were on the point of making a decision for Christ, decided not to accept Jesus Christ as Lord when they realized that they would not be permitted to take further wives if they did. If this is extrapolated across the many parts of the world where men have had more than one wife throughout history, it is not difficult to conclude that this statement could be correct.

The viewer stated: "Monogamy has destroyed the fabric of family life in many nations."Again this statement initially appears difficult to prove. However, if we consider the example in Malawi, by implication, those men who converted to Christianity without the traditional number of wives would not have taken further wives, and this could conceivably have resulted in an imbalance. One of the panel members on the original television programme asserted that there were more women than men in society, and that enforced monogamy and forced many women to go without husbands. It is alleged that many of these women then turn to prostitution or have 'affairs' with married men, breaking up their marriages. There are also reports of missionaries informing new converts that they must get rid of all but their first wife with resultant heartbreak and social dislocation.

If these reports are correct, which I have not been able to validate in any meaningful way, it appears possible that enforced monogamy could indeed be contributing to the break-down of family life. Conceivably this could then be contributing to the spread of AIDS in Africa.

The viewer stated: "Millions of men and women fail to live within the yoke of monogamy." Casual inspection of the newspapers, television, soap operas, magazines and the like confirm that many men and women have sexual relationships with more than one partner. The furore during 1999 with regards to the sexual relationship of a powerful world leader with one of his female aids, also supports this view.

On the face of it there can be little doubt that a large proportion of men have sexual relations with more than one woman during their lives, which implies that they have a desire for more than one wife. The high divorce rate inside and outside the Church, reportedly in excess of 60%, indicates a form of serial polygamy which must also support this conclusion. The viewer stated: "The crucial scriptural importance of virginity is disregarded and adultery is condoned."

In the commentary on the viewer's opinion, all that was said ignored the issue of virginity. Deuteronomy 22:13-21 states: "If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her, and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, 'I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,' then the father and mother of the young woman shall take and bring out the evidence of the young woman's virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. And the young woman's father shall say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man as wife, and he detests her; now he has charged her with shameful conduct, saying, 'I found your daughter was not a virgin,' and yet these are the evidences of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.

Then the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him; and they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name on a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife; he cannot divorce her all his days. But if the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house; so you shall put away the evil from among you."

This passage of Scripture clearly identifies that a woman must be a virgin when she gets married. If she is not she is a harlot and is to be put to death. If she is not put to death, then it does not mean that she will not have a part in the lake of fire and brimstone, as will any other man who has sex with her. Appendix F in the document offers a detailed analysis of this and related Scriptures and reveals that the act of a man penetrating a virgin, thereby causing the flow of blood from her hymen, is the actual act of cutting the marriage covenant. A woman can only cut covenant once and therefore she can only marry once.

Virginity

Virginity is a female attribute and is associated with a physical piece of flesh. It can only be taken once, and it can be taken by a man who already has a wife. Once a woman has lost her virginity, she cannot marry another man unless she is a widow or divorced for pornea (fornication - both spiritual and physical). Scripture is quite clear. Therefore it is quite clear that The Lord created man and woman from the outset for a man to have more than one wife. This Scripture taken on its own, clearly demonstrates that a woman cannot have more than one husband, unless the first husband dies, or the woman is divorced for scripturally acceptable conditions relating to pornea or treachery on the part of the husband, as laid down in Matthew 5, Matthew 19, and elsewhere.

It therefore seems clear that virginity is a spiritual safety seal. A man having sex with a virgin marries her, and a man having sex with a woman who is not a virgin, commits adultery in almost all cases. It also seems apparent that man has no corresponding safety seal and that a man is therefore capable of consummating marriage with many virgins. Since the woman is no longer free to marry after she has lost her virginity, by extension, God created man to be able to have more than one wife from before the fall of Adam and Eve!

In considering the subject of adultery, consider 1 Corinthians 6:9: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind."Surely any doctrine which is causing people to become unwitting adulterers or adulteresses or fornicators is to be avoided at all costs.

More women than men in the world

The viewer stated: "Many Christian women cannot find husbands; as prophesied in Isaiah 4:1. Isaiah 4:1-3 states: "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, 'We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach.' In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped. And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy-- everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem."

The 'Branch' referred to in the second verse is widely accepted as the Messiah, Jesus Christ and the rest of Isaiah 4 must surely refer to His coming. The use of Jerusalem here, in Revelation and elsewhere is widely regarded as referring to the spiritual Church or true Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, which endures to the end. The implication of Isaiah 4:1 is therefore that at the end of the age, arguably the present age, there will be seven times more women in the Body of Christ than men, and those women will be desperate for Godly husbands!

A casual inspection of most of the Christian congregations around the country will reveal that there are considerably more women than men. In some cases one can count as many as ten women to one man! Many of those women are desperately seeking a mature Christian husband without success. Many others are trapped in marriages to unbelieving husbands, some of whom abuse them terribly. Others are trapped in situations where unscrupulous men take advantage of them and then dump them.

It does indeed seem reasonable to conclude that The Lord desires all those women who have chosen Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour to have Christian husbands. We serve a compassionate God, not a legalistic demonic god who condemns his followers to hell on earth. That is the god of this world, not the God who is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ! The reality is that over 60% of the Church is divorced and remarried - that makes them polygamists in the true sense of the word and then the commentator speaks against polygamy and polygyny. Surely that is gross hypocrisy.

Enforced monogamy

The viewer stated: "Enforced monogamy is a stumbling block to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is sending millions of souls to hell!" As with a number of the earlier opinions, this is difficult to prove definitively. However, if many people are rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the grounds of not being able to accept enforced monogamy and if the disregard for virginity which is highlighted above is real, which it is, then it seems reasonable to conclude that there are indeed many souls in hell who might otherwise have been in heaven.

Given that Jesus said in Luke 15:7: "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance." If the doctrine of enforced monogamy is not scriptural, which this analysis seems convincingly to demonstrate and if it is keeping even one soul out of Heaven, then surely any person who loves the Lord Jesus Christ should have no difficulty in accepting that a man may have more than one wife.

The viewer stated: "1 Timothy 4 prophesies that in these days many will give heed to doctrines of demons and forbid people to marry. Surely this relates to forbidding marriage to more than one wife." 1 Timothy 4:1-3 states: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth."

Based on the analysis thus far it certainly seems that enforced monogamy is not scriptural. It would also appear that the person who prepared the commentary was either extremely ignorant of Scripture or was speaking lies in hypocrisy. Certainly they were forbidding people to marry. It would therefore appear that the viewer's claim regarding this prophesy was confirmed through the commentary.

The viewer concluded: "Clearly, enforced monogamy is heresy of the worst kind!" From consideration of the discussion thus far it certainly seems that the doctrine of enforced monogamy is, indeed, heresy. If it is indeed committing the number of souls to hell that has been suggested, which appears likely to be the case, then it would appear that we must conclude that enforced monogamy is indeed heresy of the worst kind!

In conclusion, a reasonably comprehensive analysis of the scriptural case for, and against polygamy, and enforced monogamy in contrast to a man being permitted to have more than one wife (polygyny), has been presented. It is concluded that there is overwhelming scriptural evidence to support the view that it is indeed scriptural, and in fact probably God's own heart and plan, that a man should have more than one wife.

It is further concluded that there is considerable evidence to suggest that millions, if not billions, of people are being kept out of the Kingdom of God, or at the very least consigned to a part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. Consequently it is concluded that the doctrine of enforced monogamy is, indeed, heresy of the worst kind!

At the end of the day, every person has a constitutional right to an informed decision. They also have a scriptural right not to be lied to about something as fundamental as marriage. Equally, those who are deceived and propagate this heresy have a right to be afforded the opportunity to repent, before they find themselves before the Judgment Seat of Christ with the eternal damnation of millions of souls charged to their account. It seems that everyone who hears this teaching has an awesome responsibility to publish these truths!

In considering this teaching in the context of the marriage series, what is vital to recognise is that as we come to terms with the fundamental scriptural principles concerning virginity, the One Flesh Bond, in the manner in which God intend marriage to work, we cannot avoid confronting the issue of the heresy of monogamy. The heresy of monogamy is indeed one of the fundamental roots behind so much of the destruction in marriage. The reality is that many men who have taken the virginity of more than one woman are therefore, in principle, married to them. Equally the reality is that many men today practice serial polygamy or polygyny. These issues have to be confronted. Given that we also establish that godly Christian women have a need, a requirement, and a right to the covering of a godly man, irrespective of whether that man is already married or not, we see the opportunity for massive confrontation of paradise between the pagan western teachings of marriage practiced by the Church over the last 1700 years or so, versus God's plan for marriage.

In particular, we must note that covenant is an exchange of strength and weakness where the one party gives their strength to cover the other party's weakness. Marriage is about covenant. Covenant is about exchange of strength and weakness. Women who are weak and need the strength of a man, need to be afforded that opportunity. Conversely, one woman in a monogamous situation cannot necessarily cover all the weaknesses of her husband. There are different areas of gifting and different areas of secular skills that are required in order to do this. The reality is that in this age, if we truly care about the Word of God, if we truly fear the judgments of God, we must evaluate and return to the truths of Scripture no matter what it costs.

Father in the name of Jesus, I ask that if there is anything that I have uttered in this teaching that is contrary to Your Word that You will blow it away and that it will find no root in the hearers. But Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask that everything that has been spoken according to Your Word will find root in the hearers and it grow abundantly to produce much fruit in Jesus’ name. May The Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in Jesus name. Amen.

03_19 Facilitating Change in Marriage

This is tape number 19 in volume 1 of the series on marriage. It is entitled 'Facilitating Change Towards Harmony, Faithfulness, Fear, Self and Other Factors.' In preparing this series of teachings on marriage which have covered a wide variety of topics, a number of factors have come to attention.

1: If husband and wife are not in agreement and in harmony, their house is divided and will fall.

2: In addition, their prayers will be hindered and they are likely to suffer continuous financial loss.

3: It was God's design for women to marry shortly after they reach puberty, age 12 and a half to 14, at which stage they were able to easily adapt to and submit to husbands who typically would be at least seven years older than them.

4: Women who marry at a later age, or who are independent into their twenties or who are widowed or divorced have great difficulty in submitting to their husbands and coming into complete agreement and harmony.

5: Modern Church doctrine with regards to marriage is so far removed from Scripture that both husbands and wives need to make major adjustments in order to align themselves with the Word of God and put these teachings into practice.

6: Both men and women have great difficulty making these adjustment.

7: Love, that is God's agape love is critical to marriage working and God's love does not demand, command, coerce obedience and submission. It seeks to show the loved one what is best for them in terms of the love of God, and to teach them but it then affords the loved one the space to make their own decisions and their own mistakes, and loves them through their mistakes, even though they may not be able to agree with them through the process of the mistakes. This is particularly the case where the loved one goes against the will and the word of God.

8: These principles apply equally to the husband in his relationship with Jesus as the head of the husband and to the wife in her relationship with her husband as her head. In many respects, they also apply to children with regard to their relationship with parents.

9: Various teachings have been presented in the series which deal with aspects of headship and the scriptural requirement for a wife to submit to her husband in everything, no matter how unjust he is.

10: Other teachings establish that Scripture only permits divorce under the most extreme circumstances of spiritual or sexual unfaithfulness or treachery.

11: It was also established that measures were necessary to respond to persistent unrepented treachery and rebellion on the part of a wife, and the scriptural basis whereby such a wife might be handed over to Satan for correction has been established as a mechanism which is to be applied, probably on more than one occasion before a husband can consider divorcing his wife. All of these teachings have however still left a gap in understanding of how to resolve issues of difference between husband and wife.

Leading wives into harmony and agreement

This particular teaching today seeks to address this gap from the perspective of how does the husband, as the head of the wife, lovingly lead his wife into harmony and agreement with her without resorting to shouting, threatening, cajoling, pleading, begging, forcing, beating, bribing and the other mechanisms which the world tends to use to resolve disputes, and also without repeatedly handing his wife over to Satan. The following represents the first revelation received on the subject. It appears that further revelation and experience will be required before this teaching is fully complete.

Let us consider some of the steps in change. In the process of change, it is not just a question of 'Lord change me,' which is a vital prayer. We must actively choose to change and actively put into practice those things that the Holy Spirit teaches us. This is not a case of striving in our own strength, but of choosing to align our world with His world and choosing to be led by Him. Change is a continuous process of seeking to become more like Jesus. The basic steps in change are firstly to recognise that change is necessary, to recognise that the particular area of one's life that needs to be changed is not as Yahweh would have it, and to recognise that this requires action by oneself.

Secondly, one must decide to change. In other words, to pray and declare one's willingness to change and confess over one's life, the intention to change and the outcome of the change. Thirdly, one should prepare to change in terms of praying for guidance, by reading books, listening to tapes, watching videos, and so forth as the Lord leads. Change is not an overnight process in almost all significant cases of seeking to become more like Jesus and certainly in the area of this present teaching on marriage. My own experience indicates that a lengthy process of change of self and one's spouse is required in order to move towards the vision that is portrayed in this series of teachings.

Consider Romans 12:1-3, " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."

In marriage, the wife must listen to her husband and seek his guidance and in turn, the husband must listen to Jesus and seek his guidance. Fourthly, we must change. And change involves training, practice, returning to the Scriptures and notes that lead to the decision to change until the change becomes entrenched. If different physical or mental behaviour is required, you need to discipline your body to behave in the new profession.

Adverse experiences

Consider 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore, I run thus, not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight, not as one who beats the air, but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." Fifthly, it is vital to recognise that we all make mistakes; you will fall. Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," James 3:2, "For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body." We see the absolute necessity of controlling one's tongue and the thoughts that underlie that.

We need to respond to adverse experiences by seeking clarification and increased understanding from the Word of God through prayer and where available, wise counsel, and recognising that the Holy Spirit is the teacher. But above all, we must, where we fall, where we stumble, where we make a mistake, where we sin, we must cry out to Jesus to save us. We cannot deliver ourselves in our own strength. We cannot rectify the mistakes we have made in our own strength. We cannot change ourselves in our own strength. Jesus is the healer, Jesus is the head, Jesus is the one who will change us. We have to cry out to Him. We have to repent with a broken spirit and a contrite heart. We need to truly turn away when we discover that we have made a mistake and say, "Lord, I ask You to forgive me. I ask You to put me back on the right path." That is the only way to do it, but you need to make conscious decisions every step of the way.

Recognise also that Jesus and the Holy Spirit of the teacher. Matthew 23:8-10, "But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren." Christ refers to the anointing, the Holy Spirit. "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in Heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ." In addition, where necessary you need to discipline the flesh through fasting, prayer and so forth, and tear down vain imaginations. 2 Corinthians 10:3-7, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s."

Become more like Jesus

The implication of this last verse is that if we look at outward appearances, you are not Christ. We need to tear down these vain imaginations. In volume 2 of this series on marriage there is a tape on tearing down vain imaginations and dealing with this sort of thing. In fact, many of the points that have been raised already in this teaching are addressed as detailed teachings in the second series. At the end of the day, our objective in change must be to become more like Jesus. Consider Ephesians 4:11-15,"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ."

Experience in the management of change in the world indicates that it takes time and diligence to bring about an entrenched change. The same applies in matters of the spirit until our spirits, our flesh and our minds are trained in a particular area to a point where the behaviour becomes a conditioned reflex, such as with touch typing or riding a horse. It is easy for us to backslide away from the new conduct. Even then if we do not exercise our new skills and walk in them, we will lose them over time. This has great applicability in the area of marriage. It will take time, patience, commitment, and diligence over time for a woman who is adult at the time of marriage to conform to her husband in all things, and therefore to submit to him in all things. In the same way, it will take a man his entire life, to seek to conform to Jesus therefore to become the husband his wife truly needs him to be and that God truly desires him to be.

Deliverance

Lest us consider a few specific factors. In many cases deliverance from Demonic oppression, cutting off with curses and other actions to deal with a wide range of Demonic and Satanic factors which can oppress our flesh will be required as we seek to change and to be conformed. A subsequent teaching on the subject in Volume 2 will, God-willing, will be included. Consider 1 John 4:1-3, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God." Verse 2, "By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is not of God." This is an important test if one is hearing voices or having dreams and is not sure whether the messages coming from the Lord or some other source.

Mark 16:16-17, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out Demons; they will speak with new tongues." Clearly if we are told we will cast out Demons, then we can have Demons. There is no indication that Jesus cast Demons out of unbelievers, most if not all, those who Jesus ministered deliverance to were Jews, and Jesus came and said when he came that he came to the last sheep of the house of Israel. In any event, those who came to him for Ministry or believed that there was something about Jesus that would set them free.

Prayer in the Holy Spirit or tongues is also an important aspect of waging spiritual warfare which is largely about bringing about change in ourselves to conform to Christ. Consider Ephesians 6:18, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." This passage deals with spiritual warfare and the reference here is praying in the Spirit in tongues. 1 Corinthians 14:2, "For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands Him; however, in the Spirit he speaks mysteries." So we see here that by praying in tongues we pray to God. Elsewhere in Scripture it says if we pray the perfect Will of God, the Devil cannot hear or can hear, but he cannot understand what we are praying and therefore we can pray secrets and mysteries to God, which He is able to answer even if we do not know what to pray.

Jude 1:20, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit." Again, we see that praying in the Holy Spirit, praying in tongues builds this up in the most holy place. It is a vital component of bringing about change, perhaps one of the most important components in bringing about change in one's life is to pray constantly in the Holy Spirit and in tongues. And if you have not received the baptism of The Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, I would encourage you to seek that anointing. There will, God-willing, be a whole tape on this subject in the Volume 2 of this series.

In the same way, God-willing, in the second volume there will be a tape on tearing down vain imaginations, one on disciplining the flesh and one on controlling our tongues, as well as a variety of other topics relating to bringing about change. It is one thing to realise that one needs to change, it's another thing to actually do what is necessary for that change to come into place. And I am not talking here about doing it in the carnal striving sense, but I am talking about doing it in the spiritual sense. That is what spiritual warfare is about: Praying and seeking God, fasting and praying to bring about change.

Spiritual change

If you are not in the personal discipline of fasting on a fairly regular basis, again, I would encourage you to do that, everything that is necessary in the Scripture to bring the flesh into subjection, to discipline it is vital. If you are to come to a place where the underlying principles contained in this series of teachings become real in your life, or if you are currently in conduct and behaviour which, through the process of these teachings you have now realised is unscriptural and ungodly and you have to change, it is going to take effort to unlearn behaviour that you may have learnt over decades of your life. And that is the basis of this teaching, to lay a foundation for that, and to lay a foundation for Volume 2 of this series which God-willing, will be a comprehensive compendium of teachings on the subject of bringing about spiritual change in one's life.

The following are a variety of points that have been recorded as I was preparing this teaching. A key point in any form of change, and certainly it is applied comprehensively in the world, and it applies equally to bringing about change in one's life and in one's family, the Word of God says in Habakkuk 2:2, "Then the Lord answered me and said: 'Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.'" In every area of our lives where we see the need for change, it is highly desirable to write down the vision of where you want to be, what God has shown you, or what you should be seeking to become. Then put it in a place where you can refer to it and make sure that you do refer to it on a regular basis.

It occurred to me that in marriage it would be useful for a husband to clearly define his vision of where his house, i.e., his spiritual house and his physical house, i.e., his family are going, in that order, that the wife and the other family members may know where the husband is taking them, and where the Father is taking them. This vision is not necessary complex and should not be carnal, but it might state we will serve the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our soul and with all our strength. We will do all that He calls us to do, no matter what the cost. We will place His word first in our lives. We will seek His assistance to utterly destroy anything in our lives that becomes an ideal. We will ask Him to judge us severely and correct us harshly that we may serve Him more perfectly and be found faithful on the Day of Judgement.

Those are a few points that I believe are really important. Further components might include specific areas of the Ministry and calling that has been given to the husband, his wife, and his family. It is possible that the vision might include career, business, and other worldly goals, but it is increasingly becoming apparent to me that this is likely to be counter-productive and not in the Will of God. The moment that we reach a point where we start to focus on the things of this world, we become distracted from the things of God. It does not matter what occupation or career God has given us, the minute we cease through God that occupational or career is making. In other words we cease through God that is a means of God providing finances and accommodation and clothing, etc., for us in order that we may do what He has called us to do, we start to wander from the narrow way and to drift away from God.

It does not matter if one is called to be President of a nation, or President of a multibillion-dollar corporation, God has only put us there for His purpose. Accordingly, if we fail to accomplish the things that He has put us there to do, whether it is to re-establish the Word of God in schools, to use our position for world evangelism to generate large sums of money for the work of the ministry, the minute that career or occupation occupies our time, to even the slightest extent at the expense of the Lord's work, that occupation has become an idol. We should pray for the Lord to utterly destroy it even if that leaves us destitute and living in the ghetto, remembering always that the Word of God says that the righteous will never beg bread.

Difficulty changing

Recognise too, that most people have great difficulty changing. In the secular world, most people have great difficulty changing their behaviour in response to changes in environmental and business conditions. In any business process improvement, information system, or strategy implementation project, the management of change is critical. Many projects fail without effective change management. This includes communicating to start, preparing them for change, training them in the new ways and generally facilitating and easing the change process. It is important to recognise that it is the head that is responsible for thought, reasoning, etc. The behaviour of the body will only change if the head gives different instructions, or if the body is trained to respond differently to instructions. In other words, the behaviour of the body is corrected by training. If the body refuses to accept instructions from the head, the body becomes dysfunctional. In natural terms, a person whose body does not respond to instructions from the head is a paraplegic or is otherwise physically dysfunctional.

Training the body

By the same token, when the Body of Christ of the Church does not respond to instructions from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Church and thus the world, becomes increasingly dysfunctional. The process will seriously hurt the Lord Jesus Christ. In the same way, the wife who refuses to submit to her husband seriously hurts her husband spiritually and emotionally and the marriage becomes dysfunctional. As with learning to type or learning any skill, it takes time to train the body to do new things, particularly when these new things require dexterity, which is contrary to previously learned movements.

For example, when one has been writing with the pen or pencil and one starts to learn how to type, it is necessary to spend a considerable amount of time doing routine exercises and drills in a formal training environment before one is able to type with any confidence without looking at the keyboard. It takes considerably more time before one is able to touch type without looking at the keyboard and at an acceptable speed, until one has learned to type words and not letters, one cannot type with any facility. Once one has learned to type a reasonable vocabulary, and one's hands and fingers have become comfortable with the keyboard, it is possible to type with increasing speed. A new typist might only be able to type at about 20 words a minute, whereas a well-trained and well-practiced typist may type at 60 words or as much as 90 words in it.

In order to touch type at 20 words a minute, the trainee typist must spend time daily practising basic finger exercise, three letter sequences and then short words, but the hands must be willing to struggle to do what the head tells them. They may even experience cramp and discomfort but the head will require them to keep going if the head is serious about learning to type. At the same time, a person can be really good at typing but not be able to ride a horse. This does not in any way reflect on who they are. If they need or desire to ride a horse, they must also go for lessons. Again, they will first attend beginners classes, then intermediate, and finally advanced classes. In the process, they will almost certainly fall from a horse in a number of occasions and may also injure themselves. However, if they are serious about learning to ride, they will pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start all over again, so to speak. Over time, they will develop skills as a horse rider and if they exercise sufficiently and make the effort they can become extremely proficient. Horse riding is a learned skill.

In both cases, in order to develop a high level of proficiency whether as a typist or a horse rider, a lengthy period of training is required. This training develops muscles, reflexes, knowledge, experience and general skills and confidence, in both the physical and intellectual realms, until one is able to execute the new skills without conscious thought. A typist who types at 90 words a minute does not consciously think of what the fingers are doing or where the letters are on the keyboard, or even how to spell the word. They simply type the word as a learned pattern of coordinated muscle and finger movements. They do not even need to look at the screen or keyboard in order to type accurately. In fact, a typist at this level of performance, types without conscious thought as a purely reflex action.

In the same way, the horse rider eventually sits upon the horse without any conscious thought concerning the muscular and other body reflexes that are necessary to direct the horse and remain seated, even when galloping and jumping over a rough terrain. These two examples serve to give a clearer perspective in the natural realm of the process that is required for us to change and learn new skills. Taking account of these examples which clearly indicate the amount of time and effort that is required for the human body to learn new physical skills, it is apparent that human beings will take time to learn new spiritual skill as well.

Stages of development

Scripture refers to three stages of development in our spiritual walk: Children, young men and fathers, mature men. In 1 John 2:12-15 we read, "I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

We must therefore expect that as we grow in Christ, we will undergo similar spiritual experiences to growing up from childhood, to young men, to fully grown mature adult men as an analogy. Or in the example of the beginner typist, the intermediate and the advanced typist; same with the horse rider. The same applies in marriage. As we develop the necessary disciplines and skills, whether it is the wife in submitting to her husband, whether it is the husband in drawing close to Christ and serving him, whether it is any prospect of walking in the Spirit, whether it is a revelation of judgement, whether it is a revelation of some aspect of marriage, whether it is a revelation of the importance of giving and loving, sexual lovemaking within a marriage is a critical component of building a strong house and building an enduring and lasting marriage. All of these require change to a great or lesser extent. All of them require learning. All of them require new skills and many of these aspects will be touched on in Volume 2 of this series, in terms of developing the skills that are necessary to come into the place where God desires us to be with a marriage which truly is Heaven on Earth.

Adaptation in change in marriage applies to the spiritual interpersonal and physical dimensions. At first marriage, spouses should have no experience of making love, and significant effort is required to become proficient in the art of making love. Many people in the Body of Christ would have that statement as carnal, but I would ask you to consider the teachings thus far and realise that sexual lovemaking in marriage is the most intensely spiritual experience available to man in a relationship between husband and wife, as distinct from a relationship between God and man. I would submit to you that if you are not willing to consider the spiritual dimension of your marriage, you will have great difficulty in fully comprehending and experiencing the spiritual dimension of your marriage to the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we address the spiritual realm, in the first instance, the training is undertaken by the Holy Spirit. However, Scripture also tells us that we are led by the Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of the Father. Therefore we see that we are taught by the Holy Spirit and led and directed by the Spirit of the Father. In other words, Jesus personally does not train nor discipline His bride. His Father and the Holy Spirit train and discipline His bride. By the parallel of Ephesians 5:29-31 which we have used repeatedly, we deduce that it is not for the husband directly to train and discipline his wife. However, he is required to teach his wife at home. Consider 1 Corinthians 14:35, "And if they (women) want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in Church."

Bear in mind that in the typing and horse-riding examples, a third party gives instructions to the head, which in turn gives instruction to the body. We thus see in the spiritual sense that Jesus, the head of the man takes instruction from his Father with regards to instructing his body, the Church. In an ideal Christian society, the Church would be effectively be all men in the Body of Christ, all of whom, or nearly all of whom would be married. Since we have seen from Scripture that all women are intended to be married, all women would fall under the headship of their husbands. So again, we see that there is a serious anomaly in the Body of Christ today where a very, very substantial number of Christian women are either unmarried or married to unbelievers, whereas it was in fact the Father's intention that all Christian women should be married to believers.

In all things remember that Jesus came that we should have life and have life more abundantly. John 10:10-11, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 'I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.'"Jesus is the word. John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."Also, all good things come from the Father of lights above.

James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."Therefore whatever the Word of God, i.e. Jesus says about marriage, be it submission or anything else, it is for the best. It is good and it is provided that we may have abundant life. This is really important in considering many of the issues of doctrine that have been raised in this series. We need to understand that no matter how much our current understanding and our current societal pressures may say to us, that what has been taught here regarding virginity, adultery, divorce, and so on and so forth, is onerous and unachievable; that is not the case. That is a life from The Pit of hell.

The fullness of love and blessings of God

If it is in the Word of God, it is because that is what God, in His love for us, has appointed and ordained, and it is right and fitting that we should seek to apply those Scriptures in our lives. If we do, our lives will be blessed, and we will experience the fullness of the love and the blessings of God. It is only by putting the Word of God first that we will come into a place where we can experience Heaven on Earth in our marriages.

Remember also that Jesus is humble, meek and gentle, and the husband should in turn be humble, meek and gentle with his wife. Taking account of the Scriptures addressed previously regarding rottenness in the bones and the wife tearing down her house, this requirement presents considerable challenges to the husband. If we recognise that our own godly and rebellious conduct is the same to Jesus, it should become easier for a man to walk in meekness and gentleness towards his wife. The process of change includes the following: One needs to introduce concepts a step at a time. Start at the beginning and systematically go on until you get to the end. The person must choose to or want to learn. There must be an incentive or a motivation to change. Love, not fear, must be used to encourage people to change. Love Jesus to become different in order to please the object of that love. Men love Jesus and Yahweh, women love their husband and Jesus, children love their mother and father in Jesus. Only love will produce change, not fear and not force.

Love

Extreme force will produce change, but that change will be grudging and will not be permanent. The object of the forceful violence will revert to their previous behaviour once the force is removed. Change must be voluntary. Perfect love casts out fear, John 4:18 and is patient, kind, long-suffering, as we have seen. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 in the Amplified Bible provides an interesting framework for considering the preceding statements.

Verse 1, "If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of Angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." We see here the amplification of love reads reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us. This reinforces the point that love is a choice. It is a reason to choose. It is intentional, and it is inspired by God's love for, and in us. The challenge to each one of us, and particularly to husbands, is to tap into God's love in us and to release this to our wives in bringing about change as we are led by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 2, "And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose) and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody)." We see here that it does not matter if a husband has great revelation of Scripture. If he cannot communicate that knowledge to his wife with the love of God, and through the love of God, she will not be able to receive that knowledge, and she will not be able to change. It does not matter how much he shouts, lectures, or otherwise carries on; without love you will produce no change. To the country, he will instil fear, resistance and rebelliousness, in a wife who is not herself, sanctified and walking in love in submission. We thus see that the world, that is Satan's way, produces strife, division, hurt, and general distraction, and does not move the marriage or marital house forward towards unity, or bring in line with the Word and Will of God.

Verse 3, "Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing." We see here that it does not matter how well the husband provides for his wife and how many sacrifices he makes to protect her and his children, if he does not walk in love, he gains nothing.

Verse 4, "Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious, nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily." We see here that love is patient and that love endures long. In other words, the husband never gives up trying to resolve issues with his wife. We also see that love is kind. In other words, the husband should never lose his temper or become angry. We further see that love is never envious or jealous, presumably on a competitive or covetous manner. Numbers 5:12-31 clearly indicates that if a woman commits adultery and is unfaithful to her husband, a spirit of jealousy will come upon him. Further, the husband is not to be boastful, vain, glorious and not to conduct himself haughtily. Presumably this includes pride in his achievements, pride in his knowledge of the Word of God, and pride in his ability to be led by the Spirit of God.

By the same token, the wife must also be patient and kind in her love and should never be envious or jealous towards her husband. This has a particular bearing on her tendency in the world and in the Church today to women to want to have their own identity, and their own career, and not just to go forward on the basis that they are part of their husband's house. Recently, a press report to high-profile divorce, cited a woman as stating that she was tired of being under her husband and she wanted to be her own woman and have her own identity. This is clearly unscriptural, and as we have seen in previous teachings, that woman is not in any way inferior in the sight of God because she is under her husband's covering. That is the way she was created to be.

Verse 5, "It (love) is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]."

Pride and bad manners are also not the way of love. 1 Corinthians 13 certainly gives a very strong indication that pride, and aggressive unmannerly conduct do not go together with love. Again, we see that the modern preoccupation with rights and getting one's own way is contrary to the way of God's love. Love is concerned with responsibility and accountability of oneself and with the damage that other's action will do to them. It is important to recognise that when somebody sins against one, as much as their sin may be damaging towards us, viewed from the perspective of the coming judgement, their sin is only damaging to themselves. Remember at all times that those who crucified Jesus were sinning. Jesus had committed no wrong. They had no basis to torture Him and to humiliate and treat Him the way they did, and certainly they had no basis to crucify Him. Recognise also that even if they had a basis to put Him to death, they did not have a basis to ridicule Him and treat Him the way they did. But in all of that where Jesus was without sin and the guilt was entirely on those who were abusing and hurting Him. Jesus, at no point reviled them, at no point spoke back to them, but He just loved them and in the end He said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

Becoming more like Christ

It is incumbent on each and every one of us who seek to become more like Christ to come to a place where it does not matter what people you trust say about us, that we do not respond other than in love. is called to account for our own sin. Accordingly, when a wife sins against her husband, love requires that he gently draws her attention to the fact that she is sinning against him or against God, or against a third party and that because he loves her, he is concerned for her eternal welfare.  Therefore, he encourages her to repent and turnaround from that sin.

In the second volume of this series, God-willing, there will be a tape dealing with issues of judgement in this life in order to give a greater understanding of what is being taught here. The reality is that we are judged in this life for our sins depending on how we choose to live our lives, depending on how we pray.  We will find ourselves on the Day of Judgement either facing a situation in which our works are found to have been fruitless, and they will be consumed by fire and we may find ourselves carefully saved, or in extreme cases we may find that we have lost our salvation through repeatedly crucifying again the Lord of Glory through our wilful sin. We must see sinful behaviour on the part of others as being sin that is prejudicial to them as much as their sin may actually be hurtful to our flesh.

If the husband becomes preoccupied with the hurt that his flesh, his carnal nature and his pride are experiencing and starts to rant and rave, then he is not walking in love. The same applies to a wife. Furthermore, while he is behaving in this way, his wife will be unable to receive correction as previously indicated. Change cannot be produced by force or fear. Furthermore, where the husband finds his wife's behaviour and comments irritating, upsetting or hurtful, he is still not to be touchy, fretful, or resentful, or to change his behaviour as a consequence of the ungodly behaviour. In the same way, the wife is not to change her behaviour if the husband behaves in an ungodly way. This verse of Scripture contains a principle which is almost universally disregarded in the world today. There is an almost universal tendency if someone does something toward one that is hurtful or offensive, we respond by seeking to be more hurtful and more offensive.

Loves behaves in exactly the opposite fashion. From careful consideration of this point, it is apparent that love is capable of producing a very different outcome in situations of strife and disagreement. It is also apparent that for as long as we walk in the flesh, we will have great difficulty in obeying this Commandment. Verse 6, "It (love) does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail." This verse contains a strong counterpoint to the previous verses. The implication of not rejoicing at injustice and unrighteousness but rejoicing when right and truth prevail is what love does not tolerate, injustice and unrighteousness, but seeks to bring correction patiently, lovingly, and gently without compromising.

Husbands and wives

In my own experience this has been an area of love where I have consistently failed dismally. I found it extremely difficult to bring correction in response to injustice and unrighteousness without becoming irritated and with the party conducting themselves in such a fashion. It has been my observation that many other people seem also to have this difficulty. And yet once we express irritation, which is an indication of pride and intolerance, we greatly diminish the possibility of that person being corrected and accepting that correction. Thus, we find ourselves if we are not careful, creating situations in which our own failure to honour the preceding verses interferes with our capability to act as God would have us act.

Given that a key function of the husband is to teach and instruct his wife, it is necessary that he should be able to address issues of injustice and unrighteousness in her. If he is unable to bring correction gently and loving, and out of concern for the spiritual damage that she is doing to herself, as a consequence of his failure to walk in love, he will sin in response to her sin. His house will remain divided because he has failed to assist her to change her position through love. It is quite possible for a marriage to remain deadlocked, and in sin and division for years if these issues are not resolved.

Similarly, the wife should not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness in her husband's conduct, but if she becomes offended and does not walk in love, she will not be able to express to her husband her concern that he is sinning. In so far as a wife in her capacity as helper appears to have a spiritual responsibility to act as a watchman for her husband, it is vital that when a wife discerns unjust or unrighteous behaviour on the part of the husband, love requires that she gently communicates her concern to him. However, once that concern has been communicated, Ezekiel 33:1-6 clearly indicates that the responsibility for the sin will then rest with her husband.

At this point, it is not for the wife to endeavour to correct her husband by arguing or striving with him. She should bring the matter to the Lord in prayer, in the process committing herself to the Lord to submit to her husband, irrespective of his wrong conduct, but requesting the Lord to take the necessary measures to turn her husband from his sin. This prayer might go so far as to ask the Lord to bring the people that the Lord wants in her husband's life, into her husband's life, and to take the people that the Lord does not want in his life, out of his life. She might also pray for the Lord to open doors that the Lord wants opened in her husband's life and close the doors that the Lord wants closed in her husband's life. In seeking the Lord's guidance, she should not seek to dictate to him or to pronounce judgement on her husband. She should rather ask the Lord to guide her husband into the correct path and confess that it is possible that she might be mistaken and if the husband is committing an action which is absolutely clearly in Scripture.

Verse 7, "Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]." Here we see again that love endures no matter what happens. And it believes the best of every person. The world teaches us to be suspicious of people's motives and to constantly expect the worst. The Word of God is . Accordingly, if we encounter behaviour from somebody which initially looks suspicious or devious, we should believe the best of them. In other words, we should accept the possibility that there is a misunderstanding. Whether they are deceived in some other area, or they have some hurt or something that is causing them to behave in that fashion, we should not assume that there is some or ungodly or evil motive. If that is the case, the Lord will reveal it in due season. We are told to believe the best of every person. Not just the people we like, not just the people we are married to, but every person whether they are believers or unbelievers.

In the context of marriage, this means that both spouses should never give up on each other and should never cease to believe the best of their partner. It is not for spouses to judge one another, to condemn one another, or to write one another off in any fashion. It does not matter how frustrated and despondent either partner may be with the other. Love bears up under anything and everything.

Removing covering

The only deviation from this is the point at which the one spouse has gone so far away from the Word of God, and the Will of God, and has finally been rejected by God that the Lord might at that point, end the marriage and bring about a divorce situation. But even then it is not for the spouse that is in right standing with God and that God tells to divorce to judge or condemn the other.

At the same time, as presented in previous teachings, certain situations may arise where a wife persists in refusing to submit in criticising and attacking her husband, or otherwise acting in a damaging and unacceptable fashion. As we have seen in a previous teaching, it is possible for a wife to pull her house down and to cause a sensation comparable to rottenness in the bones of her husband. If the husband has taken all reasonable measures scripturally and in the Sight of God, he is then in a position to take the measure of withdrawing his covering and handing his wife over to Satan for disciplining that was taught in a previous teaching. However, the husband should ensure that he has made a significant effort before God to work in 1 Corinthians 13, love, as discussed here before he takes such a step.

I am profoundly convinced that if her husband truly starts to walk in love, as dealt with in the preceding teachings on love, the need to discipline a wife by withdrawing covering and handing her over to Satan will be dramatically reduced. At the same time, the Lord has also shown me that there is a further intermediate step. It is possible for a husband who is at his wits' end and who truly believes he is doing right by his wife, to appeal to the Lord to judge both of them, and the matter in question immediately, and correct whichever is at fault. There would seem to be no reason why a wife cannot pray similarly.

Prayers

However, any person who chooses to pray in this fashion must be willing to take the consequences. A suitable prayer would be: "Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus, I do not know what more to do about the situation. I truly believe that I am doing and saying what You have told me to do and say, but I accept that I could be mistaken. I am really concerned about (name of your spouse) and I truly believe that they are sinning. I ask You Father therefore to judge (the name of your spouse) severely and correct them harshly that they may serve You more perfectly. I ask You also to judge me severely and correct me harshly that I may serve You more perfectly. I ask that You will do this in a fashion that whichever of us is judged will have no doubt that they have been judged in order that we may resolve this matter in the near future. Father I ask You that in this matter Your will and not our will be done, in Jesus’ name."

This is an extremely important prayer as an intermediate step in dealing with a situation in which husband and wife cannot agree in one spouse or bad for that matter, feel that there is no more that can be done about the situation. I must stress here that you must then be alert for the indications of judgement. If one spouse suddenly has taken ill or experiences all sorts of hindrances and difficulties in their work or domestic situation, while the other spouse experiences favour and reflow of the spirit, then that would be a fairly clear indication that the one has been judged. This is not an occasion for gloating on the part of one who has been found to be correct in that situation. It is again a case for the one who prayed that prayer in love to go this spouse and say, "I prayed this prayer, and this is what has happened and I would ask you to repent and come into agreement with me, and to resolve this issue so that we can go forward together."Clearly, with what I have just said, a wife does not want to pray that sort of prayer in a hurry. It is for her husband and for Jesus to discipline her husband, but she can certainly pray to the Lord for Him to discipline her husband.

At the same time, if somebody prays such a prayer and finds that they are taken ill and that they experienced difficulties or whatever, they must have the integrity before God to recognise that in fact they were in error, that they have been judged to repent and turn around, and to repent to their spouse and confess their sin.

It must be stressed that as best I understand the Scriptures, it is only possible for a husband to withdraw his covering and hand a wife over to Satan for correction, it is not possible for a wife to hand her husband over. Only Jesus can do this. It does however seem possible that if a wife appeals to Jesus to intervene when her husband is dealing unrighteously towards her, that Jesus will hand her husband over for correction, if necessary. We must however, recognise that handing over to Satan is not a trivial matter. It is only to be adopted when all other avenues have failed and it is the last resort prior to divorce. I am profoundly convinced that if the principles taught in this series and the second volume are applied, this can be avoided in nearly all instances.

Making love

Verse 8, "Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth]." Love never fails. This is an enormously important truth when discussing the subject of marriage. We have seen in the preceding paragraphs as well as in the previous teachings on love, 'Do you love like Jesus loves and learning to love,' that love is fundamentally important to serving God and therefore in making marriage work. We have also seen that God's form of marriage is very different from what is generally believed and talked in the Church today. And particularly, we have seen that it is possible for any believing man to marry any believing woman, and for the marriage to succeed provided they apply the principles contained in the Word of God. We have seen that sexual intercourse within marriage is in fact 'the act' of marriage. In addition, we have seen that the One Flesh Bond is a direct consequence of sexual lovemaking in marriage, and that the intensity and frequency of lovemaking within marriage, in fact builds, or makes love.

From consideration of the analysis of 1 Corinthians 13, it is also apparent that in marriage in which both the husband and the wife consistently and diligently adhere to the guidelines contained in this passage of Scripture discussed above, will succeed. In fact, I would suggest that a marriage in which the husband and wife consistently love each other according to 1 Corinthians 13, and give themselves sexually to one another without reserve, with the wife desiring her husband and making love to him as Scripture requires, refer Genesis 3:16, and submitting to her husband in love, will be guaranteed to succeed and be unbreakable and be a truly wonderful marriage. This form of love must be contrasted with the lustful love applied by the world. This worldly love is dependent on the appearance, attractiveness or sex appeal, as it is called, of the object of affection, as well as on the conduct of the object of affection. This worldly love has no scriptural basis and is really only lust and covetousness. It has no prospect of success in a long-term relationship.

However, unbelievers who apply the principles of 1 Corinthians 13 in their relationship, where the wife submits to, and desires the husband, and where there is an excellent sexual relationship, will have an excellent marriage. This is an important understanding, as these are fundamental principles of marriage, which God has planted in the heart of man. Sadly, there are probably as many, if not more, excellent marriages outside the Body of Christ as there are in it, and there are not many in either. Accordingly, for the Church to position itself as the world authority on marriage when there is more divorce in the Church and out of it is gross hypocrisy, it is vital that the Church diligently examine its doctrines concerning marriage and the Word of God and makes the adjustments that are necessary, many of which have been identified in this series of teachings. Provided we recognise these fundamental truths and adjust our beliefs and lifestyle to accord with them, we will see a dramatic turnaround in marriages within the Body of Christ.

Continuing with 1 Corinthians 13:9-13 we read, "For we know in part and we prophecy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now, we see in mirror dimly but then face-to-face now I know in part but then I shall know just I also in that. And now I abide, faith, hope, love is free, but the greatest of these is love." This passage reinforces the fact that our knowledge is fragmentary, incomplete and imperfect, and contains other warnings about the limited state of our knowledge and understanding in this life. Accordingly, we are well advised to reassess much of that which is believed and taught by the Church concerning marriage, and also to recognise that this passage of Scripture indicates a greater understanding will be given at the end.

The Church and marriage

Surely, the Church has become a man, and surely the Church is required to put away the childish things of its youth and its young adult years. It is time for the Church to return to the full truth of Scripture. It is time for the Church to stop making childish excuses as to why it ignores passages of Scripture. As I said before, out of a teaching of Creflo Dollar on faithfulness, when we stand before the judgement seat of Christ,'why' would be irrelevant. We will be judged according to the Word of God, not according to what a wife or a husband, or a son or a daughter, or mother or father, or an uncle or an aunt, or the pastor or the bishop, or the priest, or whoever did. We will be judged according to the Word of God and our excuses and our explanations will be irrelevant.

In this teaching, we continue to see that the subject of making marriage work the way God intended in immensely challenging. God-willing, the teachings that follow will provide further guidance on the issues raised in this teaching. The final tape in Volume 1 of this series will, God-willing, provide a summary of everything that has been taught so far. Thereafter, Volume 2 addresses in considerable detail the compendium of knowledge which is necessary for marriage to work in practice and in fact, it is also a compendium of useful references in terms of how one should draw closer to Christ in every area of one's life.

"Father in the name of Jesus, I ask that if there is anything that has been uttered in this tape that is contrary to Your Word or contrary to Your Will that You will blow it away and that it will find no root in the hearers. But I ask too Father, in the name of Jesus that that which is of You will find deep root in the hearts of the hearers and that it will grow and blossom and produce abundant fruit in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."

03_20 Closure - The Scriptural Definition of Marriage, Divorce and Adultery

Volume 1 of the series, 'Understanding God's Way in Marriage.' It is tape number 20, and Volume 1 deals with the scriptural definition of marriage, divorce and adultery. In this tape, I will seek just to provide a headline summing up of the set of tapes in Volume 1 and the messages, and then to give you an outline of Volume 2.

First teaching

I would encourage you, if you are listening to this tape out of sequence, to listen to the whole series of 40 tapes in sequence. I felt throughout this series, as the Lord has been leading me with the preparation of this series, that He has been putting together a particular message through the sequences of what is presented. But of course, by all means, if you want to depend on the series as you go, that is between you and the Lord. This series comprises over and above this tape, 19 tapes in Volume 1. The tape number 1 led a foundation in terms of the scriptural definition of marriage, divorce and adultery. It provided a fairly comprehensive vision from an article called 'Wow! So that's how Jesus loves me!' in terms of the prophetic significance of marriage, and why marriage was so important in this age and throughout the ages, and why Satan was so determined to destroy marriage. Throughout this series the foundation Scriptures have been Ephesians 5: 29-31, which clearly establish a very distinct and very close parallel between the relationship between the Church and Jesus Christ as the Body of Christ and the wife and the husband as the One Flesh body of the husband.

In Volume 1 we also considered a variety of Scriptures pertaining to judgement and the fact that adulterers would have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven. We therefore established that a detailed analysis of Scripture concerning marriage was by no means an incidental or trivial expectation of the life of any Christian. It was absolutely fundamental to understanding the relationship between Jesus Christ and his Church, and furthermore given that it was asserted that there were many, many things wrong with marriage, and that the fact that more than 60% of marriages in the world and in the Church end in divorce, and that currently statistics indicate that more managers in the Church end in divorce and in the world, was an indicator that the state of marriage in the Church, and in the world, was in a terrible shambles, and that the wrath of God was kindled against those who were not preaching the truth concerning marriage.  Therefore, the series of which this is the 20th tape was of great importance.

I should perhaps add that when I started this series, I was envisaging about five or six tapes, but every occasion as I completed a tape, as I completed a teaching, the Lord was giving me more messages and giving me the direction. Whereas a week or so ago, when I started preparing the previous message, message 19 in this series on'Facilitating Change,' I thought that was going to be the end of the series. By the time of recording this message, I realised that in fact, there will be a complete second volume of another 20 tapes, which will include a diverse range of subjects to assist believers and hopefully you, the listener, to put into practice the implications of these scriptural and doctrinal issues which have been discussed thus far.

Second teaching

In the second teaching, we discussed in some detail how Scripture defines marriage covenant. We discovered with absolute certainty, out of the Word of God, that sexual intercourse with a virgin is the actual act of marriage, that the bloodshed from the hymen of the virgin during sexual intercourse on the first time, is in fact the blood of the marriage covenant. We saw that there were very distinct criteria associated with any covenant, and that no covenant could be cut without the shedding of blood, and that the marriage covenant was particularly significant in the sexual organ of the women faithfully represented the two halves of a covenant animal as represented in the covenant cut between God and Abraham, and also the covenant described in Jeremiah. Therefore, we saw that while the structure and appearance of the sexual organs has no earthly apparent use in Heaven, it is of sublime significance and is intended to provide the husband with a reminder of the covenant that he has with his wife whenever he sees her naked and makes love to her.

We saw also that through this lovemaking and sex, it was an absolutely critical aspect of marriage by way of example. The only thing even in today's world, although in today's world even this has been lost, the only thing that is actually prohibited by Scripture in marriage is actual sexual intercourse and lovemaking and intimacy between a man and woman unless they are man and wife. From this we began to see that virginity is absolutely critical to understanding marriage and understanding the Word of God and the teachings that suggest that men and women should experiment before so-called marriage are absolutely false. We also saw that marriage is the act of sexual intercourse. Therefore, the talk of premarital sex is an absolute contradiction in terms, as well as being an abomination in the Sight of God. At the end of the day, it was apparent that there is much that needs to be rectified in terms of the teachings of the Church.

We have also seen in the series that wedding rings are a pagan symbol. They have no scriptural basis and no significance before God. Marriage vows have no scriptural significance and again, they have a pagan inheritance and we will hopefully, God-willing, discuss this in more detail in a teaching on the history of the Church in the second volume of this series. We have seen that marriage contracts, etc., also have no scriptural significance, but that is not to say that the vows and the marriage contract are not binding before God. It is just to say that they have no significance in defining marriage. Marriage is not a legal state; marriage is a spiritual state. In the same way, divorce and adultery are not legal states; they are spiritual states.

Third teaching

In the third teaching, we discussed at some length the One Flesh Bond and submission, and we saw in that series that the One Flesh Bond is a spiritual tie that is physically formed in the spirit realm between a man and a woman when they have sexual intercourse. We saw that every time and man or a woman had sexual intercourse with another partner, a One Flesh Bond flesh bond is formed, and that is an unbreakable bond with the result that people who have been promiscuous find themselves in a spiritual state, which could be likened to being in the midst of a spiritual spider's web. They have been pulled in every direction by the spirits of the people to whom they have joined themselves. We saw also that there is no scriptural basis for cutting off this bond, but that it can be cut off as an act of grace and an act of mercy by the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, under certain very specific circumstances.

We saw further that the extent to which a husband and wife gave themselves to one another in uninhibited lovemaking, without holding back, with a wife in submission and loving her husband and desiring her husband, that Scripture requires that this One Flesh Bond would become immensely strong over time. It would reach a point where there was, in modern worldly terms, telepathic spirit-to-spirit communication, where a man and wife, in principle are able to communicate between each other on a spirit-to-spirit basis even if they are halfway around the world, with almost no distance relative to if they were in the same room together.

We saw that submission was a critical part of the One Flesh Bond and we looked at a variety of Scriptures dealing with submission. In particular, we saw that Ephesians 5 says that the wife should submit to her husband in everything, not just when she feels like it, not just when her husband is behaving in accordance with the Word of God, but in everything. We saw also that 1 Peter 2 and 3 indicated that wives should submit to their husbands in the same way that Jesus Christ submitted to those who tortured Him and crucified Him without cause. In other words, a wife should submit to her husband even when her husband deals with her completely unrighteously and unjustly. We saw that Sarah was commended in 1 Peter 3 for calling her husband Lord, and for being a submissive wife.

We noted that in Genesis on two occasions, Sarah complied with her husband's request to lie first to Pharaoh and subsequently to Abimelech to the effect that she was Abraham's sister, and was taken into their respective harems, but was protected by God. In other words, Sarah was prepared to go into a situation where she could end up committing adultery at her husband's instruction. We saw through analysis of that, that such a woman who submits to her husband in everything, will be protected by the Angels of God, by the Spirit of God, and that God is well able to protect a woman who is in complete submission to His Word and therefore in complete submission to her husband. But we saw that even if that protection was not present for whatever reason, be it sin on the part of the wife, the blood for that sin will be on the hands of her husband, provided she submitted. And we discussed a variety of aspects of factors which have a bearing on that topic.

Fifth teaching

In the fifth teaching, we discussed love at some length from the perspective of a diversity of Scriptures which show the importance of love in serving God, and the importance of love in marriage that husbands are commanded to love their wives in the same way that the Lord Jesus Christ loves the Church. In other words, to lay down their lives no matter what the cost. This laid a foundation for the thread of love that has worked its way through this entire series of teachings up until now and which will continue into the following serious God-willing.

In the fifth teaching entitled 'The husband as covering,' the wife builds the house. We saw a picture of the husband as a massive umbrella covering his wife from the onslaught of Satan raining down upon her. And in the same way, we saw the Lord Jesus Christ as an umbrella covering the husband. So, the imagery was that as long as the husband was in submission to the Lord Jesus, and was under His covering, none of the attacks of the enemy that were raining down would actually touch the husband. They would be deflected by the Lord Jesus Christ. In the same way, the wife, under her husband's covering in complete submission, was protected by her husband to the extent that if the husband sins and steps out from under the covering of the Lord Jesus Christ, he will bear the brunt of the onslaught; whatever Demonic attacks will take place, will take place against the husband. Whatever killing, stealing, destroying in their lives as a result of their sin will come directly upon the husband, even if the sin is in the wife, but the husband is not doing anything to correct his wife. So, we saw that a wife who sins with her husband's knowledge and alongside her husband, as she brings down wrath upon the husband.

We saw further that a woman who actually steps out from under her husband's covering by sinning, by going against him, brings herself wrath under judgement under the onslaught of the devil. She would bear the brunt of the attack if she was in rebellion against her husband. But at the same time, her husband would be judged for the rebellion and the division in his house. And therefore we saw that submission was in fact not a weak thing; it was a very strong thing directed at bringing the house into unity and protecting the wife. We also talked briefly about an example of two elderly women in their early 80’s who had been married to men who had known each other from childhood. One woman had submitted to her husband willingly and joyfully throughout a long marriage. The woman had been very strong-willed and self-willed throughout her marriage. The other woman's husband died at an age of 10 years younger than the other. He was relatively poorly at the time of his death.

The wife who submitted throughout her life, her husband lived to his mid-90’s and was fit until shortly before his death. By the same token, the wife who had submitted all her life cheerfully, was strong and fit, and at the same age the woman who had been self-willed and strong-willed, was weighed down with the burden of her own sin and had dragged her husband's house down with it.

So, we saw an enormous spiritual significance associated with much of God's Word around the subject of marriage. In the same way, we found Proverbs 14:1 says that a foolish wife can tear her house down. We saw a variety of other Scriptures which speak of a shameful wife producing a sensation like rottenness in the bones of her husband because she is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. If she is divisive and contentious, it brings a very high level of spiritual discomfort in an unsanctified husband who is not walking in love, and is likely to produce wrath, anger and all sorts of ungodly behaviour. We saw further that Scripture says that it is better for a man to live in the corner of a rooftop, or in a wilderness, rather than in a house with a contentious and faultfinding wife. We saw there is enormous responsibility on a woman in terms of how her marriage situation develops.

We also saw the stark contrast of the wife in Proverbs 31; a woman who is diligent, entrepreneurial, supervises servants, engaged in commerce and agriculture produced her own goods, looked after her family, worked hard and brought about a situation in which her husband was honoured and respected amongst the elders of the city in which she lives. We saw that clearly showed us that submission in scriptural terms is not a wishy-washy oppressive misogynistic thing, in fact, it is an extremely powerful thing.

A wife is a partner with her husband, but at the end of the day we saw from the consideration of corporate life in business in the military and so forth, at the end of the day there has to be a single person at the home, be it a Chief Executive Officer, or be it an officer commanding. And the people under that commander are not necessarily any less competent or any weaker than the person in charge. They simply subordinate their will to the will of the person in charge an army that has more than one person giving final command cannot run; people will go in different directions. In the same way, a house divided against itself will fall. So, we saw the importance of the husband covering the wife and the wife submitting and bearing up and being a pillar in the house of the husband.

Sixth teaching

In the sixth teaching with regards to headship, we looked at the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church as a pattern for the relationship between husband and wife. As we have seen throughout this series, but we concentrated on in this particular teaching, the whole Bible speaks in one way or another of the relationship between believers and God the father, Yahweh and God the son, Jesus Christ, and conversely gives us a pattern for marriage. The fact that there is relatively little explicit guidance given with regards to marriage in the Scriptures is not because God forgot about it. It is because the entire book of the Bible is about marriage. It speaks to us from the birth of the creation of man, through to the Book of Revelation, which speaks to the marriage of the Bride of Christ with the Lord Jesus Christ. We saw that anything that spoke about our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ also had relevance to the relationship of a wife to her husband. Anything that spoke of the relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ to his Church, spoke of the relationship between the husband to his wife. Anything that spoke of the relationship of a believer to the Father, spoke again of this relationship.

We saw that the Word of God said that the Father is the head of Jesus, Jesus is the head of the husband, the husband is the head of the wife by extension, and since the wife is the head of the children in terms of educating the children and disciplining them and looking after them on a day-to-day basis, we saw that the relationship between the husband and Jesus Christ is mirrored in the relationship between the wife and the husband. We said that the Lord revealed to us that in instances where the wife was behaving in an unacceptable fashion to her husband, for example, she was not submitting, she was in rebellion and arguing with her husband, there was a strong possibility that the husband was not submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ and was arguing and rebelling against the Lord Jesus Christ, not necessarily consciously, but by doing things which are ungodly and unscriptural.

Therefore, we saw that a sensitive husband, if he looked at his wife's conduct and identified that conduct which was ungodly, unscriptural, and unacceptable would examine himself in the Word of God, examine himself before God and pray, and would seek to correct that behaviour which was being reflected in his wife. We saw the same principle applying between a woman and her children as an indication of the things that the children were doing towards her were probably indications of things that she was doing towards her husband. The things that the children were doing towards the father were probably a reflection of what the father was doing towards Father God. We saw immense revelation coming through this deepening understanding of the parallel. We also saw in various teachings that prayers and worship is a shadow and a type of sexual lovemaking in marriage. We saw that it is incumbent on the wife to seek to come into the husband's presence and to praise him. We saw that the book of particular insight in that and that many of the norms and teachings and values that are espoused today are contrary to this model.

Seventh teaching

In the seventh teaching, we examined in depth the scriptural definition of adultery. We saw categorically that adultery is sexual intercourse with any woman who is not either a virgin, nor a widow, nor divorced scripturally, in terms of a situation which God has permitted a divorce because her husband is beyond redemption. In the subsequent teaching on divorce, incidentally we saw that God from that divorce. So therefore, sexual intercourse with a divorced woman in many, many instances is likely to be adultery. We saw that all adulterers or no adulterers would have a part in the Kingdom of Heaven. We saw that all adulterers and fornicators would have a part in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.

Therefore we saw that adultery is not something to be taken lightly. We also saw that since marriage is sexual intercourse with a virgin and not a contract or a ceremony in Church, or before an officiating officer, an enormous percentage of the world is actually living in adultery. Statistics indicate that something of the order of 60% of women or more, say that they were not virgins on their wedding night, and a very large proportion of those have had sexual intercourse with more than two men. So any woman who has had a sexual intercourse with more than 2 men, unless she is a widow or was absolutely certain that God permitted to divorce and permitted to marry, both the woman and her husband, or the man she calls her husband, since in many cases it appears scripturally that man is in fact not her husband in the Sight of God are living in adultery.

We saw also that again, this is a spiritual state. It is not a legal definition, it is a spiritual state that the woman is joined to more than one man and because she is joined to more than one man, the men that are joined to her are joined to one another. So, adultery is a spiritual connection between two men through a woman who has had sex with both of them. It is an abomination in the Sight of God. We saw that there was a requirement for the Church to seriously re-examine itself in the Word of God according to the Word of God around this point.

Eighth teaching

In the eighth teaching, which was entitled time 'Tying up Some Loose Ends and Controversial Points,' we addressed a variety of other issues, a number relating to acceptable sexual practice, etc.  We found that a number of things which are regarded as being acceptable in the world today, were apparently not prohibited by Scripture. These addressed a variety of sexual practices which have some bearing on practice within marriage. We saw that homosexuality is an abomination in the Sight of God, because it results in two men being spiritually joined to each other. We saw that the Church is really not comprehending or teaching adequately what the consequences of homosexuality are.

We also saw that the Word of God, in no way prohibits a man from having more than one wife. And in fact, we saw very convincingly through the passages relating to King David and other passages of Scripture that in fact, it is God's own heart for a man to marry more than one woman and His intention.  Isaiah 4:1 shows us very clearly that in this age there will be many more women in the Body of Christ than men.  This is a tragedy.  It is an absolute abomination in the Sight of God the number of godly Christian women who are either without husbands, who are frantically seeking husbands, who are being used and abused, who have made married out the faith, or have fallen into harlotry, adultery and backslidden and turned away from the faith. Various other points were addressed in this particular teaching.

Ninth teaching

In the ninth teaching, we addressed the question of 'Do you Love like Jesus Loves?'This is a teaching that was actually preached at another Church, but which has slotted in very perfectly into this entire series in terms of better understanding the way Jesus sacrificed himself on the Cross. In that teaching, we saw an example in which an elderly woman in Russia was about to be beaten over the head by a young naval cadet who was the Head of the Communist Party at his naval academy and was also a KGB operative.  Because she completely submitted, and she did not count her life important, but kneeling before him with her hands appraised to God said, "Father forgive him because he does not know what he is doing," even though he was about to bring her down which could quite possibly have smashed her skull. And because of this woman's total trust in God and her total submission, an angelic hand reached out and grabbed this young man's wrist and he fled into the night in terror for what had happened to him.

Subsequently he jumped ship and swam five miles to shore in the middle of an enormous storm in the Pacific offshore of Vancouver in Canada, and eventually came to salvation, having been miraculously saved. We saw that if people will lay down their lives the way Jesus laid down his life, God will be able to touch people's lives in a way that cannot be done if we seek to save our lives. We saw the whole principle of laying down one's life very dramatically magnified in that teaching and it certainly just comes across again and again, if a wife will totally submit to her husband, she will have a profound influence on him.

Tenth teaching

In the tenth teaching, we discussed at length 'Scriptural Divorce versus Putting Away.'We saw that many of the Scriptures which in most translations of the Bible refer to divorce are in actual fact dealing with putting away, i.e., in other words, sending a wife away for no scriptural reason. As we explored deeper and deeper into what the Scriptures have to say about divorce, we came to understand that divorce is something which is intended by God to be very, very infrequent. It is only because of hardness of heart of either of the spouses which leads them into continual sin and unrepentant behaviour. We saw that it was not possible according to the Word of God for a woman to say that she no longer loves her husband or a man to say that he no longer loves his wife.

We saw that from 1 Corinthians 13:8 that love never fails. If you like, love never dies. We saw that even in that case, the Scriptures say that if a woman is unloved, that is no basis for divorce. We saw that if a man takes another wife, it is no basis for divorce. We examined a variety of other Scriptures which are very controversial in terms of current teaching, but which are there in Scripture and cannot be ignored.  This clearly showed us at the end of the day that there was virtually no basis on which a God-fearing man and woman in Christ could expect to be divorced with God's blessing, unless one of the partners had completely turned his or her back on God and turned to a point where they had committed an unpardonable sin, and had turned away from God.  Even then, it would require God's direct leading before that divorce was permitted.

Eleventh teaching

The eleventh teaching was summing up of the teachings thus far. To be quite honest, at that stage I thought it was actually the end of this series. But then, just after giving that message, the Lord started to take me into other areas, and we started to get into a process in our own lives of starting to apply some of these principles and starting to get into the practical aspects of application. The Lord also led me back to lessons, teachings and documents that I prepared previously, to integrate into this whole series. I began to see that this teaching was part of a much bigger picture that the Lord had than I had originally understood.

Twelfth teaching

So, tape 11 is basically a recap of the key points from tapes 1 to 10 with a fair amount of Scripture. Teaching number 12 was entitled 'The Scriptural Response to the Sexuality of Teenage Girls.' This tape addressed the fact that detailed analysis of Scripture and historical information indicated that the Lord intended girls to marry at about the age of puberty.  This is technically about the age of 12 and a half, and throughout history girls are married somewhere in the vicinity of that age through to about 15 years old. Marriages have been arranged by their parents and those marriages have worked. The point was made that it was relatively easy for a girl of 13 or 14 marrying a man in his early 20s to submit to him. Her personality, character and views were still flexible, and therefore it was much easier for her to adapt to, and conform to her husband, and therefore marriage in that situation had a much higher probability of success.

It was also pointed out that the current thinking on that subject is again a reflection of Satan's interference to prevent things which are actually of God from being applied in practice. That does not alter the fact that it is illegal in many countries for contractual marriage to take place with a woman of under the age of 16. At the same time, secular statistics indicate that of the order of 60% of young girls have had their first sexual experience before the age of 16. Therefore, in terms of what the Lord has shown us concerning virginity and marriage, those girls in fact have indeed got married before the age of 16. They were simply told by the world that they are not married, and they are just naughty girls that are having sex. Generally speaking, they end up marrying somebody other than their first sexual partner, which means that in terms of what we have seen in this series, they are committing adultery, and that the man who marries her is also committing adultery. We see continuously, throughout this series, that the spiritual horror and the total abomination that exists with regards to marriage in the world today.

Thirteenth teaching

The thirteenth teaching was on the scriptural relevance of 'Betrothal'. In that, we went into some of the Scriptures which deal with the subject of betrothal. We saw that betrothal equated to the bride being bought at a price. We saw that there were guidelines with regards to the bride price for virgins in Scripture. But we also saw that there was absolutely no scriptural basis for betrothal to necessarily precede marriage. Again, having said that, sexual intercourse with a virgin is the act of marriage and that accordingly any form of betrothal, etc., is nice to have, but it certainly does not create a marriage contract. We did see though that once a contract of betrothal had been put in place and a bride price had been paid, that a young girl had a special status due to the consummation of the marriage.

Fourteenth teaching

In the fourteenth teaching, which was entitled 'Price of Righteousness, Lessons from Judges 19 to 21, Rape, Vows, Oaths, etc.,' this was a tape that I recorded previously and draws some very challenging lessons with regards to how seriously the Lord views rape, vows and oaths. From that we saw that marriage vows are still binding. We saw that even if we take oaths foolishly, they are still binding. We saw that even if a woman says that she is a virgin and she is lying, the man who has sex with her will still be judged as an adulterer. We saw that if a woman truly believed that God had told her that she could get divorced and he had not, that was a lie, and she and the man who married her would both be guilty before God. We saw that even vows made under deliberate false pretence, as we saw the story of the Gibeonites who lied to Joshua, that they had come from a city far away, and in fact they had come from a city close by, Joshua and the leaders of Israel after they defeated and hundreds of years later when Saul broke the vow, God still held Israel accountable for breaking that vow. So we saw that our word is far more important in life and in marriage.

Fifteenth teaching

In the fifteenth teaching which was entitled 'Marriage Matters for Men,' we went through a fairly detailed examination of the age at which men are intended to get married scripturally.  We concluded that there were no explicit guidelines and there were indications of men getting married possibly as early as 6 or 7 years old, but certainly typically from about 20 years old onwards. We concluded that the Lord has intended there to be at least a seven-year age gap between a man and a woman when they got married. In other words, the man should be seven years or more older than the woman. We also saw that some men only married at the age of 40, and that other men like Abraham took additional wives when they were in their 100s, but we also noted that as a consequence of sin, the vitality of men and the human race has declined steadily from creation.

We also saw the contextual traditional background to Jesus, the commencement of His ministry and the reported practice in Jesus day of sons going into their fathers' business when they reached puberty or adulthood, the in Jewish terms being coached in the father's business up until the point, where as a young adult in his early 20’s, he was able to play an active role in the conduct of the business, and at the age of 30 take over the running of the business. This meant that a father who had his first child at the age of about 20 or so, would then be 50 to 60 years old, and consequently the father was still in a position to mentor and guide the son while the son ran the family business, but the father was free to participate more in depth in the activities of the community to be an elder in the gate.

We saw also that this progressive generational handover of responsibility in marriage provided an environment in which people could go and mature in a systematic fashion. We saw a parallel in the area of marriage and that a young girl of 12 and a half, 13, 14 marrying a man of 20 and coming into his father's house, or father's domestic arrangement, if you like, in terms of a far more small holding, or whatever would be assisted by her husband's mother and grandmother in the process of learning how to be a wife and a mother and raising children, etc. So again, we saw the unscriptural nature of a situation in which a man and woman, both about 20-22 marry, leave and go out on their own and try and build a life together, in the process making many mistakes, and in the process of allowing the father's business many times to die. We also saw the responsibility for people to look after their aged parents and noted that this was also something which was not right in modern society.

We also noted that the Word of God says that a man shall leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife. There seemed to be some ambiguity in that relative to the example of Jesus ruling and reigning at the right hand of the Father. And we concluded that given that Genesis 2:24 has been shown in this series to be in actual fact a very spiritual passage, and not a carnal sexual passage in a sense that most people see it, that the leaving the father and mother may in fact refer to a spiritual separation in the sense of when a man joins himself to a wife, he creates his own house, which is distinct and separate from his father's house.

Sixteenth lesson

In the sixteenth lesson, we talked about 'Learning How to Love,' which was a summary of points out of a book called 'Lord, Teach Me How To Love,' by Creflo Dollar. We went through an enormous number of very challenging Scriptures. We saw that our obedience to God is a measure of our love for God. We saw that without love, faith will not work. We saw that with lack of love or prayers we saw, that we should not be talebearers. In fact, we saw an enormous amount of that love which I certainly found very challenging and I am sure most of my listeners found very challenging.

It became apparent building on the previous teachings on love that the world today really does not understand God's agape love as set out in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. They certainly do not put it into practice for the most part. It becomes increasingly clear to me that if we understand and apply by revelation of the Holy Spirit the principles of 1 Corinthians 13, many, many marriages will be turned around and a significant reduction in divorce will come about.

Seventeenth teaching

In the seventeenth teaching, we discussed the 'Scriptural Response to a Rebellious or a Treacherous Wife'. We noted that since we had seen very clearly in an earlier teaching that divorce is an absolute last resort, and it is only permitted in the event of total persistent unrepented treachery, which effectively means that the one party is headed for eternal damnation without further opportunity to repent. In other words, the magnitude of their sin, and the magnitude of their rebellion against God has reached a point where they can no longer be redeemed and be saved, where they have crucified the Son of God, the Lord of Glory, or committed the unpardonable sins of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, and so forth.

Accordingly, we saw there was a great deal more to the relationship between husband and wife than we tend to believe today. There is an enormous onus on a husband not just to walk out and abandon or click out his wife using the pretext that she is not in submission or whatever to him. Particularly under the new covenant where we have the Holy Spirit, we have various spiritual gifts to enable us to walk in forgiveness and healing. So we concluded that there was a gap in our understanding, and as I prayed into that and the Lord showed me the basis of the teaching which was given which was essentially that given the husband is the head of the wife, a point may arise where a wife repeatedly refuses to bear the husband if her husband has applied the lessons of learning how to love in the sixteenth teaching and is really seeking to walk in love. A point may arrive where God will permit that husband to hand his wife over to Satan for a season and withdraw his covering with respect to specific sin.

We saw that this is scriptural in 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, and we saw that this is an act which is designed to bring the flesh under control, and not something which is designed to be unpleasant and harsh in a vindictive sort of way. We understood that handing a person over to Satan means that Satan is able to attack those people more freely, particularly a wife who is stepping out from a husband's covering and bringing condemnation upon her husband as well. We saw that the person handing over a person to Satan, or man particularly, handing over his wife, it does not appear that a wife can handover her husband, although she might ask Jesus to hand over her husband. Most walk in love. They must constantly look for opportunities and signs of repentance and at the right moment they must intervene and the husband must re-extend his covering and tell Satan to take his hands off his wife.

However, this provides a very significant and very powerful spiritual means whereby a husband who is battling to deal with a wife who is not in submission, who is in rebellion, may use his authority to ask God to act in that. We also saw that this is necessary since there is no basis in Scripture for a man to believe he has any authority to discipline or punish his wife. He is told to teach her and he is told to love her. We saw from the analogy that it is the Father who chastens, chastises and corrects us, not Jesus. A  husband could expect Jesus and the Father to take action against his wife, but he could not take action against his wife himself and certainly a wife cannot take action against her husband. However, by a husband handing his wife over for correction, that is scriptural, and in fact it is merciful since it prevents that wife reaching a place of total rebellion where she falls away, or she falls into apostasy and possibly turns away from life to death, which is the extreme of what tends to happen today.

If we love somebody, we will speak truth to them and we will seek to correct them from their error, not in a harsh and judgemental and proud way, but in a loving way. Handing a person over to Satan for correction is in fact an act of love, mercy and grace in order that they may not be judged in the life to come.

Eighteenth teaching

In the eighteenth teaching, we went on to discuss the question of 'Is Polygamy Scriptural?' This was based on a TV programme which was aired in South Africa in November 1999.  It canvassed both points of view with a member of theology and a couple of ordained ministers and interviewed a number of families in Kwa-Zulu Natal, one with two wives and one with three wives.  It presented a very convincing case that polygyny, a man with more than one wife, worked.  The two people interviewed considered themselves to be Christians and working in the Church and considered that to be a godly form of marriage and a scriptural form of marriage.

The subsequent readers' discussion and commentary in the follow-up programme was summarised and various arguments for, and against the argument that polygamy was, or was not scriptural, were presented. It was noted that polygamy, per se, is a Latin word which means many either sex, in other words, many men and with many women, which is fornication in Scripture and is clearly an abomination but that polygyny, i.e., one man with more than one wife was scripturally permitted. A large number of different Scriptures were analysed to make this point.

The issue of the subject is not specifically a question of whether men should take more than one wife with living in monogamous societies and there is some stringent legal constraints in many western countries which prohibit a man from contracting marriage with more than one woman, although generally speaking there are a few or no legislative impediments to a man having sex with as many women as he likes and for that matter, cohabiting with a number of women as long as he does not purported any of them as his wife and he has a constant relationship.

The minute that he seeks to dwell exclusively with more than one woman and treat her as his wife, and declare her to be his wife, he then comes into legislative and legal problems which can result in severe legal penalties in certain countries. Again, the objective of this teaching is not to say that mentions necessarily takes one woman is married to more than one woman. He must accept responsibility for every woman whose virginity he has taken. If she goes on and marries somebody else, she may well be living in adultery.  In the teachings we have seen instances where God has retained the woman to the man who took her virginity 30 years after the event, and when the woman did not even know that this man had done it because it had been done under hypnosis. This is not being harsh, it is simply a reality that if we do not do what the Word of God tells us, there are eternal penalties.

The other aspect of polygamy that comes through in the teaching, is that there are many, many unmarried Christian women who cannot find Christian husbands, and that it is a shame that they are not able to find husbands. It is scriptural, and therefore there are responsibilities that Christian men have to face up to.  They will have to give account for them on the Day of Judgement. We also saw that Scripture talks about a Doctrine of Demons, which permits people to marry. There was a very robust conclusion in this teaching that monogamy, or enforced monogamy, or a doctrine which permits a man only to have one wife and not to have more than one wife, is in fact a Doctrine of Demons and heresy of the worst kind.  It is keeping many people out of the Kingdom of God, because it is a stumbling block to many people in African and Asian countries, to many Muslims, and many others who know either instinctively, or from the Word of God that the Scriptures do permit a man to have more than one wife.

We also saw that many men in the world were almost instinctively polygynous, and therefore we had the situation of many business executives having a wife and one or more mistresses but getting involved in fornication and harlotry because they were not permitted to have more than one wife.

Nineteenth teaching

In the nineteenth teaching which discussed the subject of 'Facilitating Change in Marriage,' we saw that as a consequence of the revelations contained in this series thus far, change was inevitably going to be required in most marriages. We also saw in terms of the overall vision of this series of teachings in terms of understanding God's way in marriage, that if we were to return to godly standards of marriage, if we were to experience Heaven on Earth as is indicated that marriage was intended by God to be, we will have to change. Husbands will have to make a concerted effort to change and become more like Jesus and to draw closer to Jesus that they can love their wives as Jesus loves the Church. Their wives will have to change, in many cases dramatically, in order to submit to their husbands.

We saw that a woman who is only married in her 20’s and 30’s, who has perhaps lived independently of her father's house, has had her own career, had her own accommodation in many instances, will have enormous difficulty submitting to her husband. We saw that there are certain measures that need to be taken in order for a woman to forsake the surrogate covering that she may have sought over herself in her single days. But the changes in behaviour and changes in thinking are certainly required in the vast majority of marriages if we are to turn the tide of 60 plus percent of all Christian marriages ending in divorce.

The thought was not unreasonable to expect this to take time. We saw that there was certainly a requirement to say, Lord change me, and that we also needed to recognise there was an earnest in each and every one of us to choose to change. Change is a choice; it is not something that can be forced. We saw that Scripture clearly shows us that you cannot bring about change, you cannot bring about submission and obedience by force, by anger, by rage, by demanding. It is something that is given freely and if it is not given freely, it cannot be demanded. We must love, and if we are not loved in return, that is between the object of affection and God. We see that very clearly in the Church where millions and millions of people did not know the love of God. They have never come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, but God does not deal with them harshly. He loves them because the Word of God says he loved us first and Jesus came to the cross to die for us.

We saw that by way of example, learning to touch type or learning to ride a horse, we went through three major phases of basic induction just learning the basic skills. Then practicing and developing those skills, and finally reaching an advanced level of confidence and ability to do these things as a conditioned reflex without having to think about them.  At this stage the skill becomes entrenched and does not necessarily fade away. We saw that this would take time, it would take passion, it would take love on both parts, and it would take both husband and wife, and it would take commitment. We saw also that this potentially applies to people's attitude to sexual lovemaking in a marriage if they are to experience the fullness of what God intended, and to experience the fullness of the One Flesh Bond.

Volume 2

That tape basically closed off the first volume of this series on scriptural marriage, understanding God's way in marriage, and laid a foundation for Volume 2 which deals largely with practical issues surrounding what is necessary to put God's form of marriage into practice in one's life. Volume 2 of this series which follows on from this, deals with a whole spectrum of topics which are necessary to understand how we can experience Heaven on Earth in marriage. This series, as currently outlined, the exact contents may change as the tapes are prepared and begins with a teaching entitled'Bringing Joy to Jesus,' which is really to understand more about what brings joy to Jesus, and also to lay a foundation that it brings joy to Jesus if a couple in a really wonderful and blessed marriage and that one of the things that is really close to God's heart is to see marriage restored to what He intended it to be.

The Call

The following lesson will be a summary of the key message from the book, 'The Call' by Rick Joyner, which is a series of visions which clearly paint a picture of coming judgement and the need for us to sort out our lives. It provides a very stark background to this whole teaching in the sense that there is enormous judgement and wrath stored up for the Church and the world today, because of the heresies that have been taught in the name of Jesus Christ with regards to marriage. The level of divorce, the level of fornication, etc., and the Church is an absolute abomination in the Sight of God, and judgement is about to be poured out on the Church. It is incumbent on everybody who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to turn away from their sin and seek the truth.

Facilitating change in marriage

The next teaching addresses further the subject of 'Facilitating Change in Marriage' and builds on the teaching in the tape 19 in Volume 1.  The next tape deals with the subject of faithfulness, based on the teaching by Creflo Dollar, which makes the point that when we come before the Judgement Seat of Christ, the reasons why we did not do what God called us to do, the reasons why we did not comply with the Word of God, and the reasons why we did not honour God's Commandments, will be irrelevant. We will be judged according to the Word of God and what we were called to do, and if we did it, we will be found to be faithful servants. If not, we will be found to be workers of inequity and cast into utter darkness. It is a very challenging tape. It is one of a series by Creflo Dollar which I would certainly encourage you to get and listen to it.

Before the judgement seat of Christ in this life

The next teaching is entitled 'Before the Judgement Seat of Christ in This Life,' and it explains on a scriptural basis how judgement comes upon a sinless life. It explains more about how Satan intervenes in our lives when we sin. It explains that Jesus is the advocate before the Judgement Throne of God, and Satan is the accuser. Whenever we sin, Satan is at liberty to come before the Throne of God with accusations and seek permission to attack us as we see described in the Book of Job. Jesus is the advocate. He may plead for grace or He may permit us to be re-judged, and in which case, Satan can come and kill, steal and destroy in our lives. We see also in that teaching that Job suffered the way he did because of fear and pride. That again, is one tape out of a series of ten produced by this ministry which goes in to great detail addressing issues as to why people are in lack and in poverty and illness, etc., because of their failure to deal with sin in their lives. The tape is included again just to provide a context for this whole teaching.

Praying mysteries in the Spirit

The next teaching is answers through prayer, 'Praying Mysteries in the Spirit,' which is a teaching by Creflo Dollar, again, part of a series which proves that the Scriptures clearly indicate that if we pray in the Holy Spirit, if we pray in tongues, if we pray mysteries and secrets, and the prayer is known only to the Holy Spirit and to God, God will answer those prayers if they are prayed in faith. We saw also that praying those prayers in the expectation that they will be answered is most holy faith. And that tape again, one of a very powerful series, until we realise the full power of prayer in the Holy Spirit, we will not be able to bring about the change that we need, because we will not know what to pray.

How to discipline your flesh, Renewing your mind and The power of the tongue

The next tape in the series, 'How to Discipline Your Flesh,' teaching from Kenneth Copeland deals with issues of disciplining of the flesh. The next tape, 'Renewing Your Mind' also by Kenneth Copeland and the next, 'The Power of the Tongue' by Kenneth Copeland, three very important teachings in terms of bringing your flesh into subjection, renewing your mind with the Word of God and bringing it into line with the Word of God, and disciplining and controlling your tongue. All three of these are vital steps in bringing us into a place where our marriages can be healed and restored.

Healing

The next tape in the series deals with the anointing and touching Lord's anointed and shows us that without the anointing we can accomplish nothing in our lives - the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Again, based on teachings from Creflo Dollar and Benny Hinn, they demonstrate the power of God as very few Christians experience it. As we draw closer to God, as we sanctify ourselves, as we deal with the sin in our lives, and as we seek to heal our marriages, we will see the anointing of God in our lives to heal our marriages, to heal our bodies, heal our minds, heal our businesses and so forth. We also see where one is confronted with teachings in this series that are controversial and finds people putting them into practice or advocating them and attacks them, one is touching the Lord's anointed and that carries serious penalties for eternity, if it is not repented off.

Demonic Oppression of the Flesh and Deliverance

The next tape in this series deals with the 'Demonic Oppression of the Flesh and Deliverance.' It is the introduction of the series by , which is a lengthy teaching of many tapes dealing with the subject of deliverance, an area which is known to very few Christians, but which is absolutely vital. Almost without exception, Christians today have some degree of Demonic oppression. In most cases fairly severe Demonic oppression, bloodline curses passed down through the generations because of sin in previous generations and some cases vows, and so forth, made by members of previous generations who got into witchcraft and Satanism and which bind even the present generation. Other sins of lust, lying, anger, jealousy and many other sins of the flesh are shown to be in significant measure as a consequence of Demonic oppression of the flesh.

These teachings address in great detail how this works and the extent to which, on one hand we need to recognise the sin, repent of it, and seek to resist it, and on the other hand, until we set free of the Demons that are oppressing us, our prospects of walking without that sin are relatively low.

Jezebel

The next teaching addresses the subject of the principality that seeks to destroy marriage, that is Jezebel. The Jezebel principality is an extremely harsh and severe principality. It is a principality behind feminism, women's liberation if you like. It is a principality which seeks to put men in submission to women. It has been dominating the Western Church and probably most of the Church, in fact, for much of the last 2000 years. It has its root in Jezebel and Ahab where the Jezebel wore the pants in that household and the Jezebel has the Jezebel principality of Jezebel Demons and had been dominating marriage. The whole Roman occultic pagan’s approach to marriage as it is practised in the Western Church today, lies a lot in Jezebel. The tendency to put the husband in a position where he has to win his wife's favour and submission is very much a Jezebel inspired doctrine. This teaching overviews what the Jezebel spirit is about, and what it is like, and discusses some issues with regards to dealing with it.

Cutting the marriage covenant

The next teaching, God willing, will be on 'Cutting The Marriage Covenant.' We have seen that there is not too much guidance with regards to marriage ceremonies, etc. The Scripture will address a variety of subjects in terms of how should we, in a godly fashion, prepare for marriage and how do we in fact go about cutting the marriage covenant, given that we have now discovered that cutting of the marriage covenant is the actual act of sexual intercourse with a virgin. There are very challenging aspects which need to be addressed if a young couple are to start marriage on the right footing.

Implementing change

The next teaching, God-willing, will address the subject of 'Implementing Change.' This will take the subject of change further. It will tie together the previous teachings, which represent a synthesis of what the Lord has been shown me over many years. As previously mentioned, in 1995, I cried out to the Lord concerning the level of divorce. Why was there so much divorce in the Church of Jesus Christ and by implication what should be done to stop it. It has taken from about March 1995, to November 2000 to come to a place where I have had sufficiently comprehensive pictures to be able to say that I begin to understand the answer to the question of why there is so much divorce, and that was dealt with fairly comprehensively in Volume 1 of this series and how to fix it.  This is dealt with fairly comprehensively in Volume 2 in this series.

In that process as I mentioned before, the Lord has taken me through a divorce in my own right and brought me into marriage with a divorced woman, and in the process taught me very many significant and hard lessons, lessons which in some cases we are still learning. And recently, as I fasted and prayed, seeking for my marriage to come into the place that I have described of being Heaven on Earth, the Lord has been dealing with us further on many things, showing us many areas of our lives, which need to change. Those form the basis of much of this teaching and will be addressed as I said, God-willing, to a greater extent in that tape.

Building the One Flesh Bond

Building the house or building the One Flesh Bond as we have seen, the house of the man is fundamentally a spiritual entity. It comes about as a result of cutting covenant with one or more women. Marriage is about the One Flesh Bond that comes into existence, in the same way that adultery is One Flesh Bonds with a woman with more than one man, and fornication is One Flesh Bonds with one man with many women, and each of those women with many men. Homosexuality is One Flesh Bond between two men. So, we see that the need for uninhibited giving and totally considerate and compassionate loving sexual intercourse between husband and wife, is an absolute necessity for building the house. This will be developed more in that teaching.

The next teaching addresses a short history of marriage from 4 BC to 2000 AD. It is a summary of some key aspects of history regarding marriage that the Lord has shown me.  These have a serious impact on understanding how the Church happens to be in its present situation, how it came to pass and again, hopefully giving us an insight to many people who have been misguided. For example, we will address, God-willing, the subject of the Jewish ban on polygyny in the 9th century, the Christian ban on polygyny in the 6th century by Justinian, and the introduction of ecclesiastical marriage not more than about 500 years ago (that is marriage by a priest or a pastor).

From that we will begin to see and address questions like if the Bible has ordained monogamy, and why was it necessary for the Christian Church and the Jewish faith to legislate against it? We will also look at marriage in the time of Christ in Rome, which is where the heresy of monogamy originates, about 100 BC. We will see that at about the time of Jesus, an emperor by the name of Caligula, who indulged in the most appalling, loose, sexual practices, murder and all sort of things, was alive and that in fact, the practices that the Pharisees were addressing their questions about to Jesus and when they spoke to him about marriage and divorce in Matthew 5, Matthew 19, and Mark 10, in fact, relates to the free putting away and the absolutely loose morals that were prevalent in Rome, and were filtering into the rest of the Roman empire at the time that Jesus walked here.

This teaching will provide a sharp and a harsh context as to why marriages are such a mess today. Satan has been attacking marriage for thousands of years and has very successfully confused and deluded the Church in the present age.

Responsibility of Christian men

The next teaching will address the responsibility of Christian men towards single Christian women. As previously mentioned, there are many more Christian women in the Body of Christ than men. This presents enormous problems since the Word of God makes it quite clear that every one woman is entitled to the covering of her husband. This teaching will address that subject and other matters that arise from that.

Reaching for the heights and pinnacles of marriage

The next teaching, 'Reaching for the Heights and Pinnacles of Marriage' will seek to tie together some of the key things regarding the statement that God has intended for marriage to be Heaven on Earth. Those will be developed in that teaching and will build on all the preceding teachings. And finally, the last tape in that series is a summing up, similar to this tape, of the first series.

Conclusion

With that, I pray that you found this first volume of teachings on understanding God's way in marriage, the scriptural definition of marriage, divorce and adultery, a blessing, and that it has helped you to understand why there is so much divorce in the Church and in the world today. I pray that it has helped you to see that the situation today is absolutely appalling and a total abomination in the Sight of God. I pray that it has helped you to see there is enormous adjustment required and that this is going to be an immense challenge to anybody who calls themselves by the name of Christ. I pray that you will be challenged and that you will not let this go. I have no doubt the Lord spoke to me very sharply a few weeks ago on the subject that I was not doing everything that I could do to spread this truth and to publish it and to make it known.

He said very clearly to me that if I did not take serious, considerate, deliberate and disciplined action to remedy the problem, that I would have the blood of millions of souls on my hands for failing to give His message to the world. I would encourage you that if you have listened to some, or all of these tapes, to understand that you cannot turn back the clock. You have heard the message, you are called to be a messenger and God, the Father is saying to you right now, "My son or my daughter go out and spread the words. Teach this truth, spread the Gospel that I have created marriage to be wonderful and that what is being done in the world today is an abomination."

My brothers and sisters in Christ, if you have listened to these messages, I have to say to you that if you do not act on this, the judgement of God will no doubt come in your life and I would really encourage you in love to pray about this. It is a wonderful revelation. It is a real blessing once you come to understand the fullness of what it is about.  I would ask you to seek God urgently, firstly in terms of what needs to be done to bring adjustment in your own marriage, and thereafter to share these truths with other people in the faith and even in the world. It is time, at the very least, that the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ actively and determinately seek to speak the word about virginity, and the fact that sexual intercourse with a virgin is the act of marriage. There is no such thing as premarital sex, and a man who takes the virginity of more than one woman is responsible for her for life before God. And if you get nothing else out of this series, I would pray that you realise the holiness and the sacredness of virginity and the absolutely appalling situation that we have today where even the Church does not recognise the sacredness and the sanctity of virginity.

"Father in the name of Jesus, I pray that You will pour out Your Spirit on the hearers of this message. I pray that You will touch them. I pray that You will convict them. I pray that You will open their eyes to see the truth and that You will lead them to do whatever You have called them to do. I thank You that it is not by might, it is not by power, it is by Your Spirit that they will be empowered to accomplish everything that You are calling them to do right now, in Jesus’ name. And Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that anything that I have uttered in this teaching that is not according to Your Word and Your Will that You will blow it away and that it will find no roots in the hearers. And at the same time Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that everything that has been uttered that is according to Your Word and according to Your Will, will find roots in the hearts of the hearers and will grow and produce much fruit, in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen."

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