Shalom dear doves,
 
 

One BIG sign that we are near the end of this age concerns marriage
and the 'christian' perversion of  'The Exception' that proves 'The
Rule'.

Jesus implied that when He returned, their would be little faithfulness:

Lu 18:8  ... when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

So ... one BIG sign that we are near the end of this age before Jesus
returns is a lack of faithfulness ... including the lack of
faithfulness, to our Lord, concerning marriage.
 
 

Along side that, we are told there would also be ...

Mt 24:10-13  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one
another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall
rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the
love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end,
the same shall be saved.

And ...

2Ti 3:1-7 ... in the last days, perilous times shall come. For men
shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without
natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers
of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are
they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with
sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to
come to the knowledge of the truth.
 
 

In the New Testament, we are given only one 'exception case'
concerning our Lord's will for marriage, and this 'case' happened at
His own birth.  But this 'case' is the 'exception that proves the
rule.'  You might be familiar with the story, but you may have never
yet realized that this was ALSO the God given example of 'the
exception that proved the rule' for God's will for marriage.
 
 

Now here is the rule:

Mt 19:4-6
And he answered and said unto them,

   Have ye not read,
   that he which made them at the beginning
   made them male and female,

And said,

   For this cause
   shall a man leave father and mother,
   and shall cleave to his wife:
   and they twain shall be one flesh?

   Wherefore they are no more twain,
   but one flesh.

   What therefore God hath joined together,
   let not man put asunder.
 
 

Now here is the exception 'clause' and 'example case':

Mt 19:9
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.
 
 

Now the exception 'example case' ...

Mt 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise:
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,
before they came together,
she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then Joseph her husband,
being a just man,
and not willing to make her a publick example,
was minded to put her away privily.

But while he thought on these things,
behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,
saying,

   Joseph, thou son of David,
   fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
   for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

   And she shall bring forth a son,
   and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
   for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying,

   Behold,
   a virgin shall be with child,
   and shall bring forth a son,
   and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
   which being interpreted is,
   God with us.

Then Joseph
being raised from sleep
did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him,
and took unto him his wife:

And knew her not
till she had brought forth her firstborn son:

and he called his name JESUS.
 
 

Note that Joseph, was 'espoused' to Mary, but this was still 'before
they came together'.

Note also that Joseph was judged by God as being 'just' or righteous:

  'Then Joseph her husband,
   being a just man,
   and not willing to make her a publick example,
   was minded to put her away privily.'
 
 

But as it turned out, Joseph was informed that the baby that Mary was
carrying while they were 'espoused', (or as we would say, 'engaged'),
was NOT from another man ... Most amazingly, Joseph was informed in a
dream by an angel of the Lord that ... 'that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost.'

So Joseph ...

'did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him,
and took unto him his wife:

And knew her not
till she had brought forth her firstborn son:

and he called his name JESUS.'
 
 

In the Bible, the faithful loving heart of God is that marriage is for
life, separated only by death, and not by divorce for any cause, once
a couple have consummated a 'lawful marriage'.

Ro 7:1-3
Know ye not, brethren,
(for I speak to them that know the law,)
how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

For the woman which hath an husband
is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth;
but if the husband be dead,
she is loosed from the law of her husband.

So then if,
while her husband liveth,
she be married to another man,
she shall be called an adulteress:

but if her husband be dead,
she is free from that law;
so that she is no adulteress,
though she be married to another man.

Eph 5:25
Husbands,
love your wives,
even as Christ also loved the church,
and gave himself for it

Col 3:19
Husbands,
love your wives,
and be not bitter against them.

Mt 18:35
So likewise
shall my heavenly Father do also unto you,
if ye
from your hearts
forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

1Jo 3:15
Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer:
and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Pr 6:32
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding:
he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
 
 

But a MOST important consequence, of a lack of true-Christ-like-love
from husbands, for their God given wives of their youth, is the
devastation this brings to the example of Christ's love for His Church
in the Gospel:  He has promised to never leave or forsake those who
'receive/take Him'.

Now if 'christian husbands' can divorce their wives, before they die,
that implies that Christ can 'divorce' us before 'we die' ... Even
worse,  according to Romans 7, Christ death for all of us, and for all
our sins, ... was in vain, if He didn't have to die to break the power
 of the law on us.
 
 

Note that it was only a short time, from when the 'church' started to
pervert the will of Christ for husbands to love their wives for life,
that the 'church' started to embrace even more perverse relationships.
 Now 'the church' finds that it is being labeled a 'hate crime' to
speak against these       corruptions of God's will.

I wonder, if we might yet go back to where we 'got off the tract' ... ?

Might we then be restored to being useful 'salt and light' ?

Is it too late for any of this to be realized?

2Ch 7:14
If my people,
which are called by my name,
shall humble themselves,
and pray,
and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.
 
 

May God grant us, each one, true Godly sorrow that will lead us into
repentance that does not need to be repented of.
 
 

Shalom shalom,

David
--
dwzavitz@gmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/dwzavitz