The Prophetic Word - Days 119 thru 124: A More Perfect Union

The Prophetic Word

Day 119: How to have a more perfect union.

In preparation for our discussion over the next five days, please carefully read and meditate on these scriptures:

“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.”

I Corinthians 6:15-20 NKJV

“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.”

I Corinthians 7:4 NKJV

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior 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 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.”

Ephesians 5:22-32 NKJV

Psalm 45 (all)

Currently, half of all marriages in the United States will end in divorce. As well, we know that many Christians will either depart from the Faith or grow cold in terms of their relationship with the Lord.

Now, could there be a common denominator connecting these two tragic phenomena?

Over the next five days we will look into this.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 120: How ‘bout us?

“The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” 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.””

Matthew 19:3-6 NKJV

The year I married there was a popular song called “How ‘bout Us?” The chorus goes like this:

“Some people are made for each other

Some people can love one another for life, how 'bout us?

Some people can hold it together

Last through all kinds of weather, can we?”

Of course, my groom-to-be and I were starry-eyed and just knew that our marriage would make it; which it has for nearly 5 decades!

However, I can assure you that our “success” is not owed to any romantic notion we may have had; but rather, to the One Who instituted marriage in the first place.

“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to 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 a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

Genesis 2:21-25 NKJV

God never intended that marriage be entered into flippantly and dissolved so recklessly.

When two become one flesh, separation should be out of the question. Indeed, I believe that it is because so many people consider marriage as just some other kind of relationship, rather than a supernatural joining, that they so often end up casting it off.

[Please understand: Our purpose here is not to bring condemnation on those who have experienced divorce. Yes, God is able and willing to forgive and restore fallen souls! Rather, our purpose is to point out the reason for the ubiquity of divorce.]

In our preparation yesterday we pointed out the fact that approximately 50% of the marriages in the United States will end in divorce. Now, the “reasons” given for seeking a divorce may vary. But, the common denominator is that the marriage covenant was not held as sacred, as something that should never be breached or broken.

In our opening scripture we see Jesus’ answer concerning whether people could get divorced for just any reason (Matthew 19:3). After hearing Jesus’ response, the Pharisees then asked why Moses spoke of certificates of divorce. To which Jesus responds:

“He said to them, “Because your hearts were hard and stubborn Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.””

Matthew 19:8-9 AMP

[A woman seeking a divorce is not referenced because women could not initiate a divorce at that time.]

The men were instructed as to how to proceed with a divorce, limiting the grounds to indecency.

“"When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house,”

Deuteronomy 24:1 ESV

Because people are still subject to sinning, there needed to be provision to be separated from one who is not faithful.

However, it would appear that at the time of Christ, indecency had come to mean anything a man wanted it to mean. Jesus clarifies that it was only to mean sexual immorality. He further emphasizes that God never intended for marriage to be dissolved.

Knowing what being married really means—and living according to God’s standard—should put the question of divorce to rest.

We started the week off suggesting that there might be a shared cause between high divorce rates and people falling away from their faith. Is the shared cause unfaithfulness?

We’ll look into this further tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 121: God knows when you’ve lost that lovin’ feelin.’

“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”

Revelation 2:2-5 NKJV

Yesterday we employed a secular love song to begin our discussion. Once again we will turn to a secular love song; this time, one bemoaning passion having left a relationship.

In 1965 the Righteous Brothers recorded a song entitled, “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’.” Here are some of the lyrics:

“Now there's no welcome look in your eyes when I reach for you

And now you're starting to criticize little things I do

It makes me just feel like crying

'Cause baby, something beautiful's dyin'

You lost that lovin' feelin'

Whoa, that lovin' feelin'

You lost that lovin' feelin'

Now it's gone, gone, gone, whoa-oh”

We probably all know what this phenomenon looks like in a marital relationship. It’s sad, often being the first step toward unfaithfulness, and the destruction of a marriage.

God recognized when His people lost their love for Him.

“And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.”

Isaiah 29:13 NLT

And just as is often the case in marital relationships, the slipping of His people’s love, led to full-blown spiritual adultery:

““I thought to myself, ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’ I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land— the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me. But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel! You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband. I, the Lord, have spoken.””

Jeremiah 3:19-20 NLT

“They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the Lord”

Hosea 4:10 NLT

“And I will make the land desolate because my people have been unfaithful to me. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!””

Ezekiel 15:8 NLT

In the New Testament, James likens loving the things of this world to being an adulterer.

“You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.”

James 4:4-5 NLT

As well, James reminds the reader that the Lord is very passionate toward us and requires our undivided loyalty!

In our opening scripture we see that Jesus speaks to the church at Ephesus concerning their having lost their first love.

Indeed, all of the other good works they are doing, cannot make up for the fact that they don’t love Him as they once did.

Again, the Lord knows better than we do that looking away from Him—in terms of our love and devotion—will result in our being unfaithful to Him.

Unfaithfulness ruins marriages. As well, unfaithfulness leads to spiritual adultery. So, how can we have a more perfect union in both cases?

We’ll look into this more tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 122: It’s always been about a marriage.

“Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised.”

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 NKJV

We have been discussing our relationship with the Lord in the same terms we use to reference marriage. Indeed, we have discussed that unfaithfulness in either, leads to great sorrow.

Now, we don’t employ marriage to reflect our relationship with the Lord arbitrarily. In fact, the Lord referenced His people as being married to Him repeatedly in the Old Testament. Here are a few examples:

“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord.”

Hosea 2:19-20 NKJV

“For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God.”

Isaiah 54:5-6 NKJV

“You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah [Married]; For the Lord delights in you, And your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, So shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So shall your God rejoice over you.”

Isaiah 62:4-5 NKJV

As well, Jesus explains the Kingdom of God in terms of marriage in the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-14), and in the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 23: 1-14).

Paul instructs concerning the Faith in terms of a marriage.

“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. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.”

Romans 7:2-4 NKJV

“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.”

II Corinthians 11:2 NKJV

“For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior 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 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.”

Ephesians 5:23-32 NKJV

Yes, Christian marriage reflects the relationship we have with the Lord. Tomorrow, we will bring out some other scriptures further illustrating this point.

For today we will leave you with our opening scripture.

The Song of Solomon is a wonderful love story. And, whereas it is referencing an actual human love story, it also illustrates the love the Lord has for us; and yes, the love we should have for Him.

Indeed, the story of God and His people, of Christ and His Church, has always been about a marriage.

We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 123: Made one; but which one?

“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

John 17:21 NKJV

Someone once said that marriage is about becoming one. But the question is, which one?

“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 to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Genesis 2:23-24 NKJV

Yes, woman was taken out of man and God’s design was for marriage to be the means through which they again become “one flesh.”

Now, marriage should not be a battle over which spouse is going to have their own way.

Rather, marriage is intended to be worked out from a perspective shared by the spouses: What is pleasing to the Lord? What is best for us?

Interestingly, Paul quotes from this passage in Genesis when explaining the seriousness of sexual immorality.

“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.”

I Corinthians 6:15-20 NKJV

We talked earlier this week about the two becoming one in marriage as pertains to the issue of divorce. But now look where Paul takes this discussion of men and women becoming one through the joining of their flesh. He is, as well, talking about our union with Christ!

Paul makes the point that we no longer should see ourselves as an autonomous being. Rather, we must recognize that we now belong to Christ, we have become one with Him.

Further in this discourse, Paul reflects back to the union of marriage, pointing out that spouses should—because they are now one flesh—surrender authority over their bodies to each other.

“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.”

I Corinthians 7:3-4 NKJV

How much more should our union with Christ make withholding anything from Him out of the question?

Our bodies, our lives, must now be totally surrendered to the Lord to be used according to His will and purposes.

“Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”

Romans 6:13 NLT

Paul makes clear that we have a new life; that is, my old life has been replaced with the life of Christ.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20 KJV

In our opening scripture we see that Jesus prayed to the Father that we be made one—not just with Him—but with each other. Therefore, as Christians, we must recognize that even as we are not autonomous from the Lord, we are not autonomous from each other.

Tomorrow we will bring all of this together concerning how we can have a more perfect union with our Lord.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 124: The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘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.””

Revelation 19:7-9 NKJV

““I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

Revelation 22:16-17 NKJV

Psalm 45 is a beautiful song of love in which the glory of the Messiah and His Bride are enumerated.

“Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women; At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. Listen, O daughter, Consider and incline your ear; Forget your own people also, and your father’s house; So the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, worship Him.”

Psalms 45:9-11 NKJV

In the above scripture we see reference to the Queen who will be given the honor to stand beside this wonderful King.

Earlier this week we discussed the fact that marriage is a reflection of the relationship between God and His people, Christ and His Church. Think of it! This wonderful Queen dressed in gold represents the faithful of God!

As we have said, unfaithfulness in marriage is actually an offense against the created order and can end in the loss of the marriage.

Unfaithfulness in our relationship with the Lord most certainly can lead to losing everything.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”

Matthew 16:24-27 NKJV

Marriage relationships thrive when spouses recognize the spiritual aspect of marriage: the two become one flesh.

Our relationship with our Lord thrives when we recognize that we have been made one with Him. And, as such, we belong to Him. His authority over EVERYTHING concerning our lives must be welcomed!

Our opening scriptures are two passages from the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. You see, we already know how things are going to end: Those who remain faithful to Him will be one with Him, ruling and reigning with Him forever!

But, make no mistake, part of our faithfulness to Him in the here and now is crying out for His Kingdom to come to earth as it is in Heaven.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!