Avoid Prostitutes
And Adulteresses
Proverbs 23:26-28 reads,
23:26My
son, give me your heart;
And let your eyes keep in my ways.
23:27For
a prostitute is a deep pit;
And a wayward wife is a narrow well.
23:28Yes,
she lies in wait like a robber,
And increases the unfaithful among men.
Jeremiah 3:20 reads,
3:20Surely
as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt
treacherously with me, house of
The False Pen Of
The Scribes Has Worked Falsely
Jeremiah 8:4-12 reads,
8:4Moreover
you shall tell them, Thus says Yahweh: Shall men fall, and not rise up again?
Shall one turn away, and not return? 8:5Why
then is this people of
A Reason Yahweh
Allows A Person's Wife To Be Given To Another Man
It should be noted that not abiding by Yahweh's law can indeed result in a person's wife being given to another man. The failure to abide by Yahweh's law can be as a result of rejecting Yahweh's word. Or acting out of ignorance of Yahweh's word, such as when a person thinks that he is obeying Yahweh by following what he thinks is Yahweh's word, but is indeed a word polluted by false scribes! In other word, false scribes indeed falsify copies of Yahweh's written word, thereby causing those striving to follow Yahweh to act falsely rather than according to Yahweh's unadulterated word!
Seek Yahweh To
Ascertain Whether What Purports To Be His Word Is Really His Word
It therefore appears that one should not only rely on the record of copies of Yahweh's word as delivered by scribes, but should seek Yahweh to ascertain whether those copies are indeed in harmony with Yahweh's word. For Yahweh has clearly noted that false scribes do indeed alter copies of written records of his word, in order to lead astray those who rely on their copies.
Yahweh's Authority
To Men With Respect To Taking And Giving Wives
Jeremiah 29:4-6 reads,
29:4Thus
says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of
It is evident from Yahweh's own word that a man has capacity to take a wife for himself. A man also has capacity to take a wife for his son. A man also has capacity to give his daughter as wife to another man.
Jeremiah 29:21-23 reads,
29:21Thus
says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah,
and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my
name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon; and he shall kill them before your eyes; 29:22and of them shall be taken up a curse by
all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, Yahweh make you like
Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire; 29:23because they have worked folly in Israel,
and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken words
in my name falsely, which I didn’t command them; and I am he who knows, and
am witness, says Yahweh.
Even Betrothed But
Unmarried Women Commit Adultery
Ezekiel 16:32 reads,
16:32A
wife [Hebrew: "ishshah" = woman] who commits adultery! Who takes
strangers instead of her husband!
Any wife (woman), whether already married or just betrothed but not yet married, commits adultery when she sexually lies with a man not her husband.
Yahweh Allows
Priests To Take As Wives The Widows Of Fellow Priests
Ezekiel 44:21-22 reads,
44:21Neither
shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court. 44:22Neither shall they take for their wives a
widow, nor her who is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the
house of
Priests, excluding the high priest, are allowed to take as wives the widows of fellow priests.
A Priest Can
Defile Himself For His Unbetrothed Sister
Ezekiel 44:25 reads,
44:25They
shall go in to no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for
mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister who has had
no husband, they may defile themselves.
A sister who has had a husband includes a betrothed but not yet married woman, for a betrothed woman has a husband.
When Yahweh
Appoints A Prostitute To Become A Man's Wife He Should Take Her As His Wife
Hosea 1:1-3 reads,
1:1The
word of Yahweh that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son
of Joash, king of Israel. 1:2When
Yahweh spoke at the first by Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, "Go, take for
yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the
land commits great adultery against from Yahweh."
1:3So
he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived,
and bore him a son.
When Yahweh commands a man to take as wife a particular woman, even a prostitute, that man should indeed obey Yahweh and take that woman as his wife. For that is the woman that Yahweh has appointed for him, for Yahweh's own purposes.
The Dowry Jacob
Paid For His Wives
Hosea 12:12 reads,
12:12Jacob
fled into the country of
And
And for a wife he tended flocks and herds.
Some Virgins Mourn
For The Husbands Of Their Youth
Joel 1:8 reads,
1:8Mourn
like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth!
The only virgin who can mourn for the husband of her youth is a betrothed but yet to be married woman, whose husband dies prior to their marriage or sexual union! It should therefore be evident that a betrothed virgin indeed has a husband, the man she is to be married to. She is therefore his wife, even though sexual union between them has yet to take place.
Some Men Deal
Treacherously Against The Wives Of Their Youth
Malachi 2:13-16 reads,
2:13This
again you do: you cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping, and with
sighing, because he doesn’t regard the offering any more, neither receives it
with good will at your hand. 2:14Yet
you say, ‘Why?’ Because Yahweh has been witness between you and the wife of
your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your
companion, and the wife of your covenant. 2:15Did
he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? Why one? He sought
a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal
treacherously against the wife of his youth. 2:16For
I hate putting away," says Yahweh, the God of
Yahweh Does Not
Accept The Offerings Of Those Who Are Treacherous To The Wives Of Their Youth
It is evident that Yahweh does not accept the offerings of those who are treacherous to the wives of their youth. Men should therefore be faithful to both Yahweh and to their wives, not dealing with them treacherously.
Some Dealt
Treacherously With The Betrothed Wives Of Their Youth
Taking Malachi 2:13-16 together with Joel 1:8, it is indeed evident that some of these priests whose offerings Yahweh did not regard were those who dealt treacherously with the betrothed wives of their youth, prior to their marriages to them!
It should also be noted that the betrothal covenant or agreement is made without any sexual union taking place, this being an agreement between the man and the woman, together with her father if he is still alive. One should therefore not insist that the covenant must have been ratified by sexual union, for it is indeed evident from scriptures examined above that a woman becomes a man's wife at betrothal, prior to sexual union.
Joseph And Mary
Were Husband And Wife Prior To Sexual
Matthew 1:18-25 reads,
1:18Now
the birth of Jesus Christ was like this; because when his mother, Mary, had
been engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by
the Holy Spirit. 1:19Joseph, her
husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example,
intended to put her away secretly. 1:20But
when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to
him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to
yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Spirit. 1:21She shall bring
forth a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his
people from their sins."
1:22Now
all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord
through the prophet, saying,
1:23"Behold,
the virgin shall be with child,
And shall bring forth a son.
They shall call his name Immanuel;"
Which is, being interpreted, "God with us."
1:24Joseph
arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took
his wife to himself; 1:25and didn’t
know her sexually until she had brought forth her firstborn son. He
named him Jesus.
It should be noted that the message of Joseph and Mary being husband and wife from the time of their engagement but prior to their sexual union is consistent with what has already been seen. For so it was with Jacob and Rachel, and with Samson and the daughter of the Timnite, as well as with other principles already looked at.
The Righteous
Action Joseph Contemplated Was Founded In The Law
It should also be noted that the righteous action that Joseph was considering, of putting his wife away from himself, was founded on Deuteronomy 24:1. For just as a man can put away his married wife upon finding some uncleanness in her so also can a man put away his betrothed but unmarried wife upon finding some uncleanness in her. And as was earlier shown a woman's pregnancy by a man not her husband is sufficient evidence of uncleanness on her part.
Yah'shuah's Words
Against Adultery Apply To Any Wife, Whether Married Or Betrothed But Not
Married
Matthew 5:31-32 reads,
5:31"It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put away his wife, let
him give her a writing of divorce,’ 5:32but I tell you that whoever who puts away his wife, except
for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever
marries her when she is put away commits adultery.
Yah'shuah's words apply with respect to any wife, whether married or not, meaning betrothed but not yet married.
Is It Lawful For A
Man To Divorce His Betrothed Wife For Any Reason?
Matthew 19:3-9 reads,
19:3Pharisees
came to him, testing him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to
divorce his wife for any reason?"
19:4He
answered, "Haven’t you read that he who made them
from the beginning made them male and female, 19:5and said, ‘For this
cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall join to his wife; and
the two shall become one flesh?’ 19:6So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What
therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart."
19:7They
asked him, "Why then did Moses command us to give her a bill of
divorce, and divorce her?"
19:8He
said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness
of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it
has not been so. 19:9I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for sexual
immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when
she is put away commits adultery."
Do Not Sever A
Betrothal That Yahweh Has Joined Together
Yahweh forbids human beings from tearing apart whatever he has joined together, even a man and a woman that he has joined together as husband and wife.
Yah'shuah's words show that a man who takes as his wife a woman unlawfully put away from her husband indeed commits adultery. This implies that unlawful putting away does not succeed in releasing that woman being belonging to her husband, for unless Yahweh authorises a severance that he has effected that severance does not take place.
A Betrothed Woman
Who Puts Away Her Husband And Marries Another Commits Adultery
Mark 10:2-12 reads,
10:2Pharisees
came to him testing him, and asked him, "Is it lawful for a man to
divorce his wife?"
10:3He
answered, "What did Moses command you?"
10:4They
said, "Moses allowed a certificate of divorce to be written, and to
divorce her."
10:5But
Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart, he wrote you this commandment.
10:6But from the beginning of the
creation, ‘God made them male and female. 10:7For
this cause will a man leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife, 10:8and the two will become one flesh,’ so that
they are no longer two, but one flesh. 10:9What
therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."
10:10In
the house, his disciples asked him again about the same matter. 10:11He said to them, "Whoever puts away his wife, and marries another,
commits adultery against her. 10:12If a woman herself puts away her husband, and marries
another, she commits adultery."
Luke 16:18 reads,
16:18Everyone who puts away his wife, and marries another, commits
adultery. He who marries one who is put away from a husband commits adultery.
Romans 7:1-3 reads,
7:1Or
don’t you know, brothers (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law
has dominion over a man for as long as he lives? 7:2For
the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives,
but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband. 7:3So then if, while the husband lives, she is
joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband
dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is
joined to another man.
It was Paul's understanding that a woman with a husband, irrespective of whether or not she was a betrothed but unmarried woman, was bound to her husband as long as he lived. That was why he, together with his audience, understood the law to mean that she committed adultery if she sexually joined herself to another man while her husband was still alive.
Paul's understanding on this matter is truly in harmony with the Law, and also with Yah'shuah's words earlier seen. Adultery is committed not only by a married woman, but also be a betrothed woman, for even a betrothed woman has a husband, just as a married woman has a husband!
Paul Made No
Distinction Between Married And Betrothed Wives
1 Corinthians 7:39 reads,
7:39A
wife is bound by law for as long as her husband lives; but if the
husband is dead, she is free to be married to whoever she desires, only in the
Lord.
Paul's words make no distinction between the married wife and the betrothed wife, suggesting that his understanding was that there is no distinction in the two.
The Only Virgin That
Can Be Presented To A Husband Is One Betrothed To Him
2 Corinthians 11:2 reads,
11:2For
I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I betrothed you to one
husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
It should be noted that it is only a betrothed woman who can be presented to her husband as a virgin. For a married woman presented to her husband cannot be a virgin, seeing that she is already married or has had sex with her husband. The only virgin that can be presented to her husband is one who is betrothed to him.
The Assembly Of
Believers Is Currently Betrothed To Yah'shuah
It should therefore be evident that the assembly of believers in Yah'shuah are indeed betrothed to Yah'shuah, the marriage of Yah'shuah to the assembly to take place at a time when the assembly is pure.
Christ Is The
Husband Of The Assembly
Ephesians 5:22-33 reads,
5:22Wives,
be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 5:23For
the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the
assembly, being himself the savior of the body. 5:24But
as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own
husbands in everything.
The Assembly Is To
Be Presented To Christ Holy And Without Blemish
5:25Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up
for it; 5:26that he might
sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, 5:27that he might present the assembly to
himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it
should be holy and without blemish. 5:28Even
so ought husbands also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who
loves his own wife loves himself. 5:29For
no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the
Lord also the assembly; 5:30because
we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones. 5:31"For this cause a man will leave his
father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one
flesh." 5:32This mystery is
great, but I speak in regard of Christ and of the assembly. 5:33Nevertheless each of you must also love his
own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
It should be noted that the assembly is currently betrothed to Christ, not yet having been married to Christ. For it has yet to be presented to Christ, the presentation occurring at a time when the assembly has no impurity but will be completely holy and pure.
Is The Assembly
Already One Flesh With Christ?
5:30 notes that the assembly members are already now members of Christ's body, of his flesh and bones. Might not this suggest that the assembly is already one flesh with her husband, Christ?
It should be recalled that Eve was made from Adam's rib, being Adam's flesh and bone. Nevertheless, just after she had been made she was not yet "one flesh" with Adam. For she became "one flesh" with him when Adam married her, that is had sex with her. It should therefore be understood that as Eve was Adam's flesh and bone prior to the consummation of their husband and wife relationship, so also is the assembly Christ's flesh and bone during this betrothal period, prior to the time it will be "one flesh" with Christ, at their time of marriage.
One Who Breaks A
Pledge Incurs Condemnation
1 Timothy 5:9-15 reads,
5:9Let
none be enrolled as a widow under sixty years old, having been the wife of one
man, 5:10well reported of for good
works; if she has brought up children, if she has used hospitality to
strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted,
if she has diligently followed every good work. 5:11But refuse younger widows, for when they have grown
wanton against Christ, they desire to marry; 5:12having
condemnation, because they have rejected their first pledge. 5:13Besides, they also learn to be idle, going
about from house to house. Not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies,
saying things which they ought not. 5:14I
desire therefore that the younger widows marry, bear children, rule the
household, and give no occasion to the adversary for reviling. 5:15For already some have turned aside after
Satan.
Paul's words in 5:11-12 show that he understood that if a woman pledged herself wholly to Christ, not to be married, but later goes against that pledge, she brings condemnation to herself. For she breaks her solemn word to Christ by the rejection of that pledge. We should therefore strive to be faithful to our word, including in matters pertaining to marriage.
Yah'shuah Asserts
That Some Betrothed To Him In The Assembly Have Committed Adultery
Revelation 2:18-29 reads,
2:18"To the angel of the assembly in Thyatira write:
"The Son of God,
who has his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like burnished brass,
says these things:
2:19I know your works, your love, faith, service, patient
endurance, and that your last works are more than the first. 2:20But I have this
against you, that you tolerate your woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a
prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality,
and to eat things sacrificed to idols. 2:21I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her
sexual immorality. 2:22Behold, I will throw her into a bed, and those who commit
adultery with her into great oppression, unless they repent of her works. 2:23I will kill her children with Death, and all the assemblies
will know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts. I will give to each
one of you according to your deeds. 2:24But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as
don’t have this teaching, who don’t know what some call ‘the deep things of
Satan,’ to you I say, I don’t lay on you any other burden. 2:25Nevertheless that
which you have, hold firmly until I come. 2:26He who overcomes, and he who keeps my works to the end, to
him will I give authority over the nations. 2:27He will rule them with a rod of
iron, shattering them like clay pots; as I also have received of my Father: 2:28and I will give him
the morning star. 2:29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
assemblies.
It should be noted that some in the assembly in Thyatira, of those betrothed to Christ, were committing adultery, as Yah'shuah states in 2:22. It should therefore be clear that Yah'shuah's teaching here is consistent with the teaching found throughout all of Scripture, that even betrothed wives can and do commit adultery!
The Future
Marriage Of The Lamb To His Betrothed Bride
Revelation 19:6-9 reads,
19:6I
heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many
waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, "Hallelujah! For
the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns! 19:7Let
us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For
the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready." 19:8It was given to her that she would array
herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts
of the saints.
19:9He
said to me, "Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage
supper of the Lamb.’" He said to me, "These are true words of
God."
It should be noted that the marriage of the Lamb to his wife, the assembly, takes place in future. This clearly shows that his wife is currently his betrothed.
The
Revelation 21 reads,
21:1I
saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have
passed away, and the sea is no more. 21:2I
saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made
ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 21:3I
heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, God’s tent is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will
be with them as their God. 21:4He
will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will
there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed
away. 21:5He who sits on the throne
said, "Behold, I make all things new." He said, "Write, for
these words are faithful and true." 21:6He
said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and
the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water
of life. 21:7He who overcomes, I
will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son. 21:8But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners,
abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars,
their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second
death."
21:9One
of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last
plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you
the wife, the Lamb’s bride." 21:10He
carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and shown me the
holy city,
The
2 Corinthians 11 and Ephesians 5 make clear that the assembly of believers is the Lamb's bride. Also, Revelation 21 shows that the holy city, the New Jerusalem, is the Lamb's bride. It therefore indeed appears that the holy city, the New Jerusalem, is the assembly of believers! And at the time after the second death, when all impurities will have been cast into the lake of fire, the assembly of believers will indeed be holy and pure!
Drawing from the case of the assembly of believers' betrothal to Yah'shuah Christ the Lamb it is evident that a wife ought to be presented to her husband in holiness and purity, without any blemish or impurity. The assembly of believers has not yet attained to its required state of purity and righteousness. It is only when it has that it will be married by Yah'shuah.
The betrothal period therefore appears to be a time for preparation and cleansing, preparation for marriage in a cleansed state. The husband works to facilitate that the wife will indeed be ready in her required state, including virginity, at the time she is presented to him in marriage. It also appears to be a time when the husband makes whatever arrangements are necessary to facilitate his marriage to his wife.
John 14:2-3 reads,
14:2In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it weren’t so, I
would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. 14:3If I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where
I am, you may be there also.
It is therefore evident that Yah'shuah the husband is currently preparing the various mansions within his Father's house, prior to receiving those betrothed to him into those various mansions. It should therefore be clear that just as a wife should prepare herself to be presented to her husband as a virgin in holiness and purity, the husband should prepare himself by making ready the various provisions for his wife. Betrothal is therefore a time for preparation for married life.
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