067 - THE INFLUENCE OF MARRIAGE IN TERMS OF PURITY OR DEFILEMENT OF HEARTS and THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN IT

THE INFLUENCE OF MARRIAGE IN TERMS OF PURITY OR DEFILEMENT OF HEARTS and THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN IT

 

·        "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” (Rev 17.1,2).

·        “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. " (Rev 17.5)

·        "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." (Rev 17.6).

·        “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies." (Rev 18.3).

 

This is a well-known passage of Revelation and that generates a lot of controversy about the identity of the Great Babylon. However, there are things here that we can learn about marriage. Note, first, that we are dealing with a woman who was married (she has daughters) and, as the identity of the woman is a "mystery", therefore the wedding of the woman initially was done in Christ (see Col 1.26,27).

However, Babylon the Great will improve so much in the art of prostitution that will convince the kings of the earth to fornicate with her, and will seduce all people to inebriate with her wine (carnal pleasures) of prostitution. Notice that the people not only will drink, but they’ll intoxicate, i.e., this will take account of their consciousness and hearts (see Hosea 4.11). This will infect them in such a way that this simply make them accept their character to be transformed. This will mad and lead them to think and feel exactly the way that best suited her.

This is not a mere trade agreement, but something that made the kings of the earth one flesh with the Great Harlot:

 

·        "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.  What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh." (1 Cor 6.15-16).

 

Think: what is prostitution?

According to the dictionary, prostitution is "put forth, exposing, submit to the sight; disclose, publish; put to the sale, marketing with eloquence".

Here we can see that one of the goals of prostitution is to awaken desires, lead individuals to feel and think about something that they were not interested or even wanted to. This goes against the wish of the virtuous woman:

 

·        "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please." (Song 2.7)

·        "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.” (Song 3.5)

·        "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please." (Song 8.4)

 

The prostitution comes to awaken desires before the moment determined by the Creator. And whereas who does this is full of impure desires, this ends up contaminating the victims (Prov 2.16-20; 5.3-5).

 It isn’t in vain that the woman riding the beast is recognized as the Great Babylon. Babylon was the first organized system by the man who appeared on earth, whose goal was to attract the attention of all men to herself in order to, together, achieve the heaven for their efforts (Gen 11.4). It was a direct perversion of the commandment of the Eternal described in Genesis 1.28. 

The truth is that no unit outside of Christ is beneficial. On the contrary: it is crime of formation of gang. It is hence that arise the wars, for example, between the Christian sects.

And this is exactly what the great Babylon will do: she will intoxicate herself with the blood of the saints and witnesses of Jesus, i.e., she will make of the life of them her source of pleasure and means to reach the Paradise of them here on earth. Her pleasure in rejoice through the life of those who belong to Jesus will be so intense that will take away their conscience.

And she won't stay with this only for herself. She will be able to infect the whole earth (see Rev 9.21) with their abominations, prostitutions and sorceries (Rev 18.23). And so intense will be her wine that, do not import the intensity of the scourges that the Eternal will allow, all whose names are not written in the book of life make out blindly with her and vehemently refuse to abandon the practices taught by her. 

Here we can confirm what was said by the author of Proverbs:

 

·        "Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands." (Proverbs 14.1).

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Notice how the woman can influence her home in a fantastic mode (verse nothing speaks about the husband). It is up to her to decide whether to accept the husband be her head or if she is going to bring down her house with her own hands. It is true that the covenant of man to woman is unilateral (as it is the covenant of Christ with the Church), that is, the woman (and the Church) do not have the right to claim anything, but only accept the terms of the covenant. However, it is up to the woman (and the Church) decide whether she will receive the covenant that it was proposed to her or if she’ll reject.

It is the woman who decides whether she wants receive within herself the wisdom of Christ through the husband or if she wants to isolate herself of the true wisdom (Prov 18.1,2), trying to keep the husband together only by virtue of her seduction. If she cultivates the pleasures of the husband, the only thing that she will be able to reap for her home is corruption (Gal 6.7-9) and betrayal (when a woman more pleasurable appear, she will be attracted by her).

And that the influence of the woman in home is extremely strong, just to see what the apostle Paul said:

 

·        "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet." (Romans 1.25-27).

 

When individuals read this passage, adhere only to homosexuality. However, what was that led men to homosexuality? The fact of their women changed the natural use into contrary to nature.

I have seen many preachers saying that "between four walls, between husband and wife, everything is permitted".

This is not true!!! See what the author of Hebrews says:

 

·        "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." (Heb 13.4).

 

The Holy Scripture is clear about the difference between pure relationship that must exist between husband and wife, and the dirty relationship between a man and a prostitute.

 

·        "Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women." (Ezek 23.44).

 

The purity at home (both spiritual and sexual) is something essential:

 

·        "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, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (1Cor 6.9,10). 

 

Notice that between the unrighteous that shall not inherit the kingdom of the Eternal are the sodomites. Many people think that it is only homosexuals. However, see the dictionary and you will see that it is a relationship extremely unclean. And unfortunately, many women encourage their husband to relate with them in this way. 

Whereas, in Sacred Scripture, there is an order for man to be attracted by the caress of his woman, this idea is extremely dangerous: 

 

·        "Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love." (Prov 5.18.19).

 

How terrible it is when the caress of the wife induce the husband to distance himself from the Eternal’s plan. And it is no wonder: unfortunately, many preachers say that the woman has to be "companion, partner, an accomplice, lover, etc."

This is an absurd!!! One of the reasons for many marriages give wrong is the fact that the husband relate with his wife as if she was a prostitute (lover). In this case, there is no need to fear the adultery. After all, think: what is adultery? With regard to marriage, adultery is the change of the original plan of the Eternal. From the moment that the couple does not know the Eternal’s design for your home or knows, but they do not follow it, their home is already adulterated.

Consider the case of the Great Babylon: she is called an adulteress, but prostitute (although she had been married). Why? Simple: she won’t behave as wife. In theory, she will be married. In practice, she’ll see her husband only like a machine of pleasure. 

And the worst thing is that the merchants and the kings of the earth will crazily like of this type of relationship without compromise, but that brings many profits and control over the population.

It isn’t in vain that many seek the Creator as lovers: thinking only in blessings and pleasures that the presence of the Holy Spirit can give them (what people want is an ecstatic worship). After all, although the Great Babylon has not reached her apex, the mystery of iniquity has been operating since the time of Paul (2Thes 2.7).

 Babylon the Great is a married woman who has been false to her husband's bed, has abandoned the guide of her youth, and broken the covenant of the Eternal. She, by allowing the seed of all the kings of the earth enter within her, she will end up generating mixed  children (mixing the seed of the Creator with the seed of concepts and values of this world). 

Result: all individuals who will be seduced by her worship the Eternal in a mundane way.

Finally, through this passage we learn how serious is the role of women in home and how this may lose its real meaning if the woman did not receive in herself the wisdom of the Eternal. Hence the order given by Paul:

 

·        "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." (1Pet 3.7).

 

Note how is ordained for men cohabit with their wives with understanding (and not with emotion).  As, however, men can accomplish this, if the women would undermine the type and sense of the sexual relationship? Since it is the woman who awakens the desire in man, it's up to her awake the right desires.

You may think this an exaggeration. However, consider these passages:

 

·        "To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life." (Prov 2.16-19).

·        "And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life." (Provébios 7.7,10,21-23).

·        "Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart." (Hosea 4.11).

 

See how great influence has the woman on the heart of man? She is able to make him lose all feelings (Hosea 4.11; see also Ephesians 4.17-19), so that he did not come more to consider the paths of life (Prov 2.19).

On the other hand, the home in which the woman is virtuous, the husband meets the favor (grace) of the Eternal:

 

·        "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD." (Proverbs 18.22).

 

For you to understand how this works, just think: who was the father and the mother of Adam? This may seem like a silly question. However, do you remember what was the order of the Eternal?

 

·        "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (Genesis 2.24).

 

This order is of extreme importance, since:

 

·        "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" (1 Peter 1.18,19).

 

In other words, what the Eternal commanded the couple in Genesis 2.24 (and in Psalm 45.10) is that they leave the inheritance of sin that they have inherited from parents and receive the inheritance of purity and holiness of Christ.

However, the father of Adam was the Eternal (Lk 3.38). Then is it means that he had to leave the Eternal? 

This explains why the Eternal left Adam alone, so that he had occasion to sin: to marry, he should leave his carnal inheritance, as well as childish things (1 Corinthians 13.11) and live as someone mature, namely, as someone who knows how to find the Eternal, hear his voice, discern His will and do it.

And, to marry Adam and Eve, the Eternal was confirming that both were already mature enough to walk in righteousness and truth, even without hearing His voice for a few moments.

You may ask: "But Adam was created pure, without childhood or sinful inheritance (he was not generated from the carnal father and mother)". However, this serves to teach us that even Adam and Eve, who had no sin, had to abandon the carnal knowledge that they had of the Creator, what remains for us?

 

·        "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  (2Cor 5.16,17).

 

Whereas it is in marriage that the likeness of the Eternal is manifested, it is here that the wisdom of the Eternal hidden in mystery is revealed (1 Corinthians 2.7). After all, remember that home is the cell of Church (which is the mystery of Christ - Cl 1.26,27).

It isn’t in vain that the Eternal, in relation to the human being, preferred to divide their role to educate children in two: so that nobody would be able to serve as an instrument of the Eternal to bring a new life into the world, unless they submit to an alliance of blood.

To relate with a virgin, the man is as offering his wife in sacrifice and she, accepting being sacrificed. To relate for the first time, the woman consents that her single life (her blood);   the man, in turn, offers to the Eternal this blood as in memorial to the blood which Christ shed for him on the cross.

Here is the reason for which only Adam and Eve had no mother. Although the Eternal does not need anybody who assist Him, being able to exercise perfectly the role of mother and father (as it did with Adam, Eve, and all the angels), He preferred to create and educate children through the union of two sinners (spreading their attributes between a man and a woman) in order to show to everybody the immense riches of His grace (Romans 5.17-20), especially when acting through the family.

Also, note that, although the Eternal has personally created Adam and Eve (and this is without sin), yet they fell in the faith. But, as though the Eternal married them in purity and holiness? Unfortunately, they, as well as millions of people, did not understand the real purpose of marriage.  The proof of this is that Adam did not think in any moment to defend his wife and soften her penalty. He didn’t see the importance of her in her life. Even before sin, there wasn’t love.

And that the purpose of marriage is distorted, see what many preachers say: "The woman was not taken from the head of Adam not to dominate over him; it wasn’t taken from the foot, not to be trodden down by him; but it was taken from the rib to go hand in hand with him". If husband and wife walk side by side, it is easy for the Ha-Satan come behind and knock down both. Remember that the man is head of woman (1 Cor 11.3) and that the body is not on the side of the head, but under the head supporting it.

Instead of Eva staying before Adam (such as the cherubim on the ark of the covenant) as a helpmeet to  prevent him from doing what is not good, she herself was toward what isn’t of any profit:

 

·        "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." (Gal 5.16,17).

 

It is true that it is in this position (the man before (opposite) of women) who both kiss, embrace and make out of the correct mode. However, it is in this position that one is opposed to another to prevent them from doing what they want, so that it is only done what Jesus wants (analyze Mat 18.18-20).

Many misunderstand what comes to be the role of submission of the woman. This is not to obey all orders and desires of the husband. On the contrary: it is to submit to the mistreatment of her husband while she waits patiently in Christ that He transforms his heart (1 Peter 3.3-6). I know that this may seem very hard, but it is so that the Church must stay before the Eternal: suffering for Christ (Phil 1.29; 1 Peter 2.18-24, 4.12-19) with fear, patience, faith and love along the enemies while He works their heart (Ps 23.5; Matt 5.44,45)? And the woman should be subject in everything to her husband as the Church ought to be subject to Christ (Eph 5.24)?

Unfortunately, the belief that has been disseminated is that the marriage was done to bring happiness. This is unfounded, for two reasons:

 

1.      As someone or something can bring happiness, if only Jesus is happiness? 

2.      How is it possible that something good appears in our life without that, first of all, this is manifested by Jesus through us (meditate on Ezek 28.13)? 

 

Even if someone wants to make us happy, they cannot, because someone can only give what they have. If someone is waiting to be happy through marriage, it is a sign that the same is not happy and is trusting that the other will make their life have meaning. Only when our cup is overflowing goodness and mercy of the Eternal in favor of our enemies in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalms 23.4-6) is that we are able to be a blessing in someone's life and, with this, gather all goodness and mercy of Christ who comes following us (Gal 6.7-9; Ps 23.6).

The wedding itself does not bring peace, but a sword (double fight - Mt 10.34): patience to stay next to the spouse while Jesus uses him to treat her heart and humility to accept being treated by Jesus through the spouse. However, if the couple does not give up one another, the heart of both will be treated and, then yes, free from the tyranny of sin, both can experience Jesus within themselves and, with it, the real peace, happiness and love.

The last blessing to Church is founded in a indissoluble union with Christ. It is a union that never throw us away from Christ, of what He did for us, as well as of the love by our neighbor which we ought to put into practice. The true unity in Christ is to able us to be better individuals (and not to keep us captives of the desires of our spouse, what, by and by, go undermining our strengths, time and resources that Jesus give us to fulfill successfully our mission).

The true unity doesn’t require of us effort to maintain it, inasmuch as what the Eternal joined, it is only possible to be severed in middle of excessive refractoriness and malign effort.

 

·        “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.” (Matt 19.4-6).

 

Thus, the fight to keep the marriage is symptom of a much more evil: absence of communion and subjection to Christ and His will:

 

·        “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1João 1.7).

 

When we walk in the Light of the World (John 8.12; 9.5) Christ’s life in us keep pure our mind and heart. This makes the communion something natural.

And then, what you choose: the wide and spacious path of spoiling and be spoiled by spouse in the hope of being favored in their carnal eyes (and with this reap corruption - see Gal 6.7-9) or the strait and narrow path of receiving on your body the marks of Christ (Gal 6.17) and does not retain the sword of the Spirit to pour the blood flesh which still insists on running in the life of your spouse (Jeremiah 48.10 - and with this reap everlasting life in the midst of the dead ones that roam without hope in this world in their trespasses and sins)?