The Right Partnership For Love

What is the right partnership for love?

Every year in the United States and across the world, there is a holiday called Valentine's Day.  On Valentine's Day, couples give expressions of their love to each other.

When Valentine's Day started becoming popular around 1847 in America, the partners for love were pretty much limited to men and their wives, or men and the woman they were engaged to marry.  These were the candidates for gift exchanges, because only men and their own wives were considered to the right partnerships for love.

Today, things are very different.  The ever expanding Valentine's Day industry has sought out new markets for their products.  Valentine's Day gift exchanges have been expanded to include many other partnerships for love.  So there are now gifts for all kinds of partnerships for love.  These partnerships for love were first expanded to include partnerships between a man and a woman, that he is not married to, or even a man and a woman, who is married to another man.

Still the Valentine's Day industry has not wanted to leave any potential market unreached.  So it has been changing its offerings to accommodate new markets and new opportunities for growth.  So there are now gifts for all kinds of  partnerships including, but not limited to, partnerships composed of three or more partners, and partnerships composed of partners of the same sex.  There is probably some Valentine's Day company out there that caters those involved in partnerships with dead people, children, or animals.

More than that, many of these partnerships for love are endorsed by religious professionals.  Today, this has come to include marriage between a man and a woman, without any examination of their eligibility for marriage, and marriage between two people of the same sex.  Tomorrow, these religious professionals could expand performing marriage ceremonies to include the other partnerships previously mentioned.  After all, the marriage industry is also looking for new ways to grow as well.

Many lawyers support these new definitions of marriage as well.  After all, more marriages mean more divorces, and more lawsuits.  Expanding the definition of marriage to include more partnerships for love, means growing opportunities and profits for the divorce industry.

So is every partnership for love right ?  Or are some partnerships for love wrong?  If so, then which partnerships for love are right, and which are wrong?

These are not unanswerable questions.  The Book of Truth (The Bible) tells which partnerships for love are right, and which are wrong.

What is the right partnership for love?  The answer to this question is obvious, if you just look at the pattern that was set, when sexual love began.

The Father of Truth made people in only two sexes in the beginning, male and female, with no blurring of the lines, or confusion about which sex each person was (Genesis 1:27).   He made only one woman for the only man on Earth (Genesis 2:21-22).  This partnership of one man and one woman was the only partnership that He blessed (Genesis 5:2).

He made one woman for one man to form a partnership for love, so they could reproduce in order to fill the Earth with people (Genesis 1:28).  This partnership for love is formed by a man and a woman leaving the family they grew up in, marrying each other to start a new family, and then engaging in sex, without any sense of shame, so they can carry out their part of the mission to fill the Earth with people (Genesis 2:23-25).  A man and his wife are to engage in sex, after forming a partnership for love, so that the woman can become pregnant to produce more people to live on the Earth (Genesis 4:1-2).

So the right partnership for love is a man married to a woman.  This partnership makes it possible for children to be born, so that the Earth can be populated with people.  This partnership makes it possible to create stable families, with both a father and a mother.  This partnership makes it possible for children to learn how to form the right partnership for love, when they are ready for love.

The Father of Truth is very serious about forming only the right partnership for love.

A man and the wife of someone else do not form the right partnership for love, and the penalty is death if they engage in sex (Leviticus 20:10).

A man and his stepmother do not form the right partnership for love, and the penalty is death if they engage in sex (Leviticus 20:11).  A man and his daughter-in-law do not form the right partnership for love, and the penalty is death if they engage in sex (Leviticus 20:12).  A man, his wife, and his mother-in-law do not form the right partnership for love, and the penalty is death if they engage in sex (Leviticus 20:14).

A man and another man do not form the right partnership for love, and the penalty is death if they engage in sex (Leviticus 20:13).  A man and an animal do not form the right partnership for love, and the penalty is death if they engage in sex (Leviticus 20:15).  A woman and an animal do not form the right partnership for love, and the penalty is death if they engage in sex (Leviticus 20:16).

So whenever people form a wrong partnership for love, they are worthy of death, if they engage in sex (Romans 1:26-32).  Whenever people form a wrong partnership for love, they are fornicators, if they engage in sex (1 Corinthians 7:2).  [Fornication comes from the same Greek root word as porn and means ANY sex other than between a husband and his wife. If it had been assigned the "p" sound, instead of the "f" sound, when the original sound was split into two sounds, then the word would be "pornication". ]

Whenever people form a wrong partnership for love, they will not become part of the kingdom of the Father of Truth, if they engage in sex (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  Whenever people form a wrong partnership for love, they will suffer the wrath of the Father of Truth, if they engage in sex (Colossians 3:5-6).  Whenever people form a wrong partnership for love, they will fall under the judgment of the Father of Truth, if they engage in sex (Hebrews 13:4).

So people must be careful to be sure that they only form the right partnership for love, before they engage in sex.  This can require more thought than most people think.  It often takes looking beyond the surface to see if people are forming the right partnership for love.

Sometimes, it is easy to identify a right partnership for love.  If a man is getting married, for the first time, to woman who is a virgin, then they are obviously forming the right partnership for love.

Sometimes, it is easy to identify a wrong partnership for love.  If someone forms a partnership with someone else of the same sex, then they are obviously forming the wrong partnership for love.

There can be no doubt about that is a wrong partnership for love, when you considered what has happened to those, who have lived like they were married in Sodom, throughout the world and across the ages.  As already shown, the penalty concerning this wrong partnership, that was first written in the Original Covenant (Tanakh aka The Old Testament), did not change under the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament).  The penalty for forming this wrong partnership, and then engaging in sex, has always been death, because the commandments of the unchanging law have never changed.

The wages of sin are still death (Romans 6:23).  The Father of Truth will pay those in this wrong partnership for love what they have earned (Galatians 6:7-8).  The Father of Truth has not changed - and neither has His definition of the right partnership for love (James 1:17).  Transgression of the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) is still sin (1 John 3:4).

Since the judgment of the Father of Truth for forming this wrong partnership has plainly been written in the Book of Truth, then it is not judging anyone to warn them about what those judgments are.  Those deceivers who say otherwise, are twisting what the Book of Truth says, by using verses that have been taken out of context.  Those who form this wrong partnership for love will not be acquitted by claiming "My DNA made me do it", any more than someone who kidnapped and tortured to death those in this wrong kind of partnership, would be acquitted by the same claim.  The worst kind of hatred that anyone can have towards those involved in this wrong partnership for love, is to not warn them of the judgment of the Father of Truth for this behavior.  The Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) just need to be careful when warning them, to treat them as respectful as the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) would do, if he was personally warning Ellen DeGeneres.

This change in America from only exchanging Valentine's Day gifts between men and their wives to exchanging these gifts for this obviously wrong partnership for love did not happen overnight.  In fact, it was the result of a subtle influence, that took more than a hundred years to move from treating this wrong partnership for love as a death penalty crime to religious professionals performing marriage ceremonies for it.  Wide spread acceptance of this wrong partnership for love as a right partnership of love is certain to bring about the death of America.  The only hope of saving America, by returning to treating wrong partnership for love as death penalty crime to bring it to an end, is many people recognizing that a time for civil disobedience has arrived, just like past generations did, when they brought an end to British tyranny and slavery.

So it is easy to recognize that the first scenario, a never before married man who marries a virgin, as a right partnership for love, and the second scenario, two people of the same sex marrying each other, as a wrong partnership for love.  However, there are other scenarios involving marriage between a man and a woman, where it is not as easy to determine what is a right partnership for love, and what is a wrong partnership for love.

For instance, a surviving spouse will often form a new partnership for love, after their spouse has died.  There will always be other people who think that this is a wrong partnership for love.  So there is controversy over surviving spouses marrying again to form a new partnership for love, especially, when the new partnership for love is formed soon after the death of their spouse.

The Book of Truth settles this controversy rather clearly.

Marriage is until one of spouse parts from the other spouse through death.  When this happens, the surviving spouse is free to form a new partnership for love, as long as it is a right partnership for love, because they are no longer bound to their spouse, by the old partnership for love (Romans 7:2-3).

It is not good for anyone to be alone without a partnership for love (Genesis 2:18).  This is why the Father of Truth made a woman from the only man on Earth, so the man would have someone to form the right partnership of love with (Genesis 2:20-22).  Two people in a right partnership for love, is still better than one person going through life alone (Ecclesiastes 4:8-12).  In fact, widows below sixty years of age are actually commanded to form a new partnership for love (1 Timothy 5:9-14).  There is no reason for a surviving spouse to walk the rest of their road alone.

Also, there is no minimal waiting period for the surviving spouse to form a new partnership for love after their spouse has died.  For example, Abigail married David on the very day that her first husband, Nabal, died (1 Samuel 25:38-42).

So it does not take a lot of effort to determine a right partnership for love, after one of the spouses dies.  However, it takes a lot more effort to identify a right partnership for love, when divorce is in the mix.

Not every divorce is legitimate according to Book of Truth.  Just because a woman is divorced from her first husband and marries a second husband, does not make the second partnership for love automatically a right partnership for love.  In fact, the woman and her second husband may be in a wrong partnership for love.  When a woman has two men that have been her husband, who are both alive at the same time, then whether the partnership for love is right, or wrong depends up the answer to this question:  Whose wife is she?

The answer to this question, depends upon whether or not the divorce was legitimate.

There are two causes for which a divorce may be legitimately granted.  The first one is really pretty straight forward.

If the wife was also involved in a wrong partnership for love with someone other than her husband, then her husband can legitimately divorce her, and end their partnership for love (Matthew 5:31-32).

A legitimate divorce, can only come from a voluntary action of the individual, where they release their claim on their spouse, while a government mandated decree of divorce, against their will, is never a legitimate divorce (Mark 6:16-18).

If a legitimate divorce occurs, then the woman can form a new partnership for love with another man (Deuteronomy 24:1-2).  If the woman forms a new partnership for love with another man, then she can never form another partnership for love with her former husband, because that would also be a wrong partnership for love (Deuteronomy 24:3-4).

The second one is a bit more involved.  Whereas the first cause is a woman forming a partnership for love with someone other than her husband, the second cause concerns one spouse who is worshiping the Father of Truth, while the other one is not.  This has nothing to do with inter-racial marriage.

The Children of Truth are not to marry anyone, who does not love the Father of Truth, because their unbelieving spouse will seek to turn them from following Him (Deuteronomy 7:3-4).  They are not to do this, because there can be no agreement between them and their unbelieving spouse about these matters (2 Corinthians 6:14-16).

If one spouse seeks to draw the other one away from following the Father of Truth to worship anything else, then they are worthy of death (Deuteronomy 13:6-10).  Therefore, it can also be a wrong partnership for love, when a Child of Truth marries one of the Children of Lies (Ezra 9:12-14).

So if an unbelieving spouse seeks to draw a Child of Truth away from the Father of Truth, then the Child of Truth must divorce the unbelieving spouse, because it is a wrong partnership for love (Ezra 10:2-4).  The Children of Truth must never put their spouse above the Kingdom of the Father of Truth (Luke 18:28-30). 

The Children of Truth must be willing to leave their spouse, if their spouse is keeping them from obeying the Man of Truth (Matthew 19:28-29).  The Children of Truth must be willing to obey the Man of Truth, even if it means losing their spouse (Mark 10:28-30).  The Children of Truth must love the Man of Truth more than they love their spouse (Luke 14:25-27).

Still, if a Child of Truth is married to an unbelieving spouse, they must never divorce their unbelieving spouse, if their unbelieving spouse is willing to let them continue to remain in the House of Truth (1 Corinthians 7:12-14).

So the Children of Truth must seek to bring their unbelieving spouses into the House of Truth, instead of seeking a divorce from them (1 Corinthians 7:16).  They must demonstrate the right partnership for love between the Man of Truth and the Children of Truth to their unbelieving spouses (Ephesians 5:31-33).

The wives among the Children of Truth can still give live in obedience to their unbelieving husband, as long as they are not being asked to be disobedient to the Man of Truth (Ephesians 5:22-24).  They can bring their unbelieving husbands into the House of Truth, with even saying a word, through a quiet and obedient attitude (1 Peter 3:1-6).

The husbands among the Children of Truth can still demonstrate the love of the Man of Truth to their unbelieving wives (Ephesians 5:25-28).  The husbands among the Children of Truth can still treat their unbelieving wives with great respect, so that they might come into the House of Truth (1 Peter 3:7).

However, if their unbelieving spouse divorces them, despite all of these efforts, then the divorce is legitimate, and they can form a new partnership for love (1 Corinthians 7:15).

So the divorce is legitimate, if the unbelieving spouse forced the Child of Truth to choose between them and remaining in the House of Truth, or the unbelieving spouse left them for refusing to leave the House of Truth.

So when the Children of Truth find themselves free to form a new partnership for love, rather through death of their spouse, or a legitimate divorce, they still have to be sure to only marry another one of the Children of Truth, who is legitimately available, so they can form a right partnership for love (1 Corinthians 7:39).

So divorce for any other cause, other than marital infidelity, or divorce from an unbelieving spouse caused by remaining in the House of Truth, is not legitimate.

Anyone who marries someone besides their spouse, without a legitimate divorce, is in an adulterous relationship - a definitely wrong partnership for love (Matthew 19:3-9). 

A husband who divorces his wife, for any other cause, and marries another woman is in a wrong partnership for love (Mark 10:11).  A wife who divorces her husband, for any other cause, and marries another man is in a wrong partnership for love (Mark 10:12).  Anyone who marries anyone, who was divorced for any other cause, is in a wrong partnership for love (Luke 16:18).

So the Children of Truth must never divorce each other, when they are in a right partnership for love, and if they do, then they must certainly not marry someone else (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).

Even when the Children of Truth have a legitimate cause for divorce, they should still treat divorce as the nuclear option.  Divorce can lead to such misery to their children, that their children may blame the bully across the street for their misery, instead of the rebellion of their parents against the commandments of the Father of Truth.

Divorce is not their only option, no matter what they have done.  They can even recover from one of them behaving like the unfaithful wife with the help of the Father of Truth.  In fact, the Children of Truth will never resort to divorce, if they both learn how to form a love triangle with the Man of Truth.  When they learn how to become intimate with the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost), then they will find something that is better than sex.  They will be in the ultimate right partnership for love.

However, before anyone can get in the right partnership for love, they must first get out of any wrong partnership for love that they are in.  A marriage that is a wrong partnership for love, due to an illegitimate divorce, is not the unrepentable sin. 

Whether the marriage is a wrong partnership for love because an unbelieving spouse is trying to move the Child of Truth out of the House of Truth, or because the marriage is really an adulterous relationship caused by one of the spouses having an illegitimate divorce, there is a way out of a wrong partnership for love. 

The Child of Truth must get a divorce to end the wrong partnership for love (Ezra 10:10-12).  The Child of Truth must do this, if they do to not want to suffer from the wrath of the Father of Truth, for continuing in a wrong partnership for love (Ezra 10:13-14).  The Child of Truth must do this as quickly as they can (Ezra 10:15-17).  The Child of Truth must recognized that as long as they are in a wrong partnership for love, then they are living in sin (Ezra 10:18-19).  The Child of Truth must end this wrong partnership for love, even if they have had children from this wrong partnership for love (Ezra 10:44).

As discussed before, a divorce to end a wrong partnership for love, now makes the Child of Truth able to form a right partnership for love with another available Child of Truth.

Yet, no matter even if people are in the ultimate right partnership for love, it is only a temporary partnership for love that ends, when this life ends (Matthew 22:24-30).  Those who come into the House of Truth will have no need for marriage in the next life, because they will already be in final and unending right partnership for love (Luke 20:34-36).  This right partnership for love started when they came into the House of Truth, by submitting to the Man of Truth in obedience, because they believed that His Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth!

Love Triangle

When is a love triangle a good thing?

A love triangle is when two people are in love with the same third person.  It is a common situation in soap operas, other dramas, and comedies.

A love triangle almost never ends well.  Sooner or later, someone gets hurt.  In most cases, the third person ends up forced to choose one of the people over the other one.  In some cases, the two people find out about each other, and work together to get revenge on the third person.  A love triangle is almost never a good thing.

An example of a famous love triangle in real life, was that of Jacob (Ya'acob), Rachel (Raquel), and Leah.  Jacob wanted to marry Rachel, but was tricked into marrying her sister Leah instead (Genesis 29:20-25).  None the less, Rachel still wanted Jacob, and Jacob still wanted her, so he married her also (Genesis 29:26-30).

This did not work out well at all.

Leah felt unloved, even though she gave Jacob four sons (Genesis 29:31-35).  Rachel became jealous of the attention that Jacob gave to the sons of Leah, so she began to blame Jacob for her lack of children, who protested, that he had done his part, and was obviously not the problem (Genesis 30:1-2).  So she had her maid marry Jacob, to produce children on her behalf, who gave Jacob two more sons (Genesis 30:3-8).  Leah, thought two can play at this game, so she also had her maid marry Jacob, to produce children on her behalf, who gave Jacob two more sons (Genesis 30:9-13).

Soon afterwards, Rachel sold her night with Jacob to Leah, for some mandrakes (which were believed to make a woman more fertile) that her oldest son had found (Genesis 30:14-15).  This lead to Leah giving Jacob another son (Genesis 30:17-18).  Then Leah gave Jacob another son and a daughter (Genesis 30:19-21).

Finally Rachel, gave Jacob a son, and stopped feeling ashamed about not giving Jacob sons, like her sister Leah had (Genesis 30:22-24).  Years later, Rachel gave Jacob one more son, but died in child birth (Genesis 35:16-20).

This love triangle turned out like most love triangles.  Most love triangles end up creating life long heartache, that ends in tragedy.  However, there is one case, where a love triangle is a good thing.

You see, my wife and I are both in love with the same man.  In fact, we both love this man, more than we love each other.  Our being in love with this man, has only made our marriage stronger.  Our marriage has endured trials, that would have shattered most couples, because of this love triangle.

Really, it is a double strength triangle.  There is love flowing in both directions on each side.  We are in love with each other, and this other man is in love with both of us.  This only strengthens the bond between us, because the more we become in love with this man, the more we become in love with each other.  It is only because we are in love with this man, that we have chosen the path of true love.

If this man, was just an ordinary man, then our love triangle would be sick and twisted.  However, when you are in love with this man, you do not behave like you were married in Sodom, while claiming, "My DNA made me do it".  Instead, when you are in love with this man, he gives you something, that is better than sex.

This is because, the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) is no ordinary man.  He can love many people perfectly, at the same time.  He is the very definition of love.  In fact, as a couple becomes more in love with the Man of Truth, they begin to become more in love with each other.  Every couple needs to be in this love triangle!

The Man of Truth has shown that he is in love with us.  This man is so in love with us, that he both died and rose again, so that nothing could separate us from his love (Romans 8:34-35).  This man is so in love with us, that he gave himself over to crucifixion, to die in our place (Galatians 2:20).  This man is so in love with us, that he died that most horrible of all deaths, so we could be made clean enough, to be with him (Ephesians 5:25-27).  This man is so in love with us, that he washed away our filth, with his own blood, so that we could reign with him forever (Revelation 1:5-6).

How we show, that we are also in love with the Man of Truth, is also different than, how we show that we are in love with any other person.  When we are in love with this man, we keep his commandments (John 14:15).  When we are in love with this man, we keep his commandments, so that he will show himself to us (John 14:21).  When we are in love with this man, we keep his commandments, so that we can live in his love, and be filled with joy (John 15:10-11).  When we are in love with this man, we keep his commandments, so that we can be his friends (John 15:14-15).

When you are in love with the Man of Truth, you will learn to love other people as he does.  When you are in love with this man, you love other people, as much as you love yourself (John 13:34-35).  When you are in love with this man, you love other people so much, that you will lay down your life for them (John 15:12-13).  When you are in love with this man, you keep his commandments, so that you can love other people, as much as he does (John 15:17).

When you are in love with the Man of Truth, you learn how to love your spouse.

When a man is in love with the Man of Truth, he does not seek after a divorce.  When a man is in love with this man, he does not divorce his wife, for any reason other than sexual sin (Matthew 5:31-32).  When a man is in love with this man, he does not seek to separate from his wife, whom the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) has joined to him (Matthew 19:3-6).  When a man is in love with this man, he does not have a hard heart, that seeks after a divorce, unless his wife is committing sexual sin against him (Matthew 19:7-9).  When a man is in love with this man, he does not commit adultery against his wife, by divorcing her, and marrying another woman (Mark 10:11).  When a man is in love with this man, he does cause another man to commit adultery, by marrying his wife, after he divorced her (Luke 16:18).

When a woman is in love with the Man of Truth, she does not seek after a divorce.  When woman is in love with this man, she does not commit adultery against her husband, by divorcing him, and marrying another man (Mark 10:12).  When woman is in love with this man, she does not marry another man, unless her husband has died (Romans 7:2-3).  When woman is in love with this man, she will only marry a man, who is also in love with man, if her husband has died, so she can be part of a love triangle (1 Corinthians 7:39).

When a couple is in love with the Man of Truth, they do not use the nuclear option to create a confusing situation, where people are asking, "Whose wife is she?".  When a couple is in love with this man, they do not divorce each other, but rather reconcile with each other, to keep their love triangle (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).

When a man or woman is in love with the Man of Truth, but their spouse is not, they still do not seek after a divorce.  When they are in love with this man, they do not seek after a divorce, just because their spouse is not in love with this man also (1 Corinthians 7:12-13).  When they are in love with this man, they remain in their marriage, so they can cause their children to fall in love with this man, and perhaps, cause their spouse to fall in love with this man as well, so that they can have a love triangle (1 Corinthians 7:14-16).

When a couple are in love with the Man of Truth, it shows up in the bedroom.  When a couple is in love with this man, they do not deny each other sex, when one of them is in need of sex (1 Corinthians 7:2-4).  When a couple is in love with this man, they do not abstain from sex with each other, in order to spend more time with the Father of Truth, unless they both agree, and then they resume having sex with each other (1 Corinthians 7:5).  When a couple is in love with this man, they care about pleasing each other (1 Corinthians 7:33-34).  When a couple is in love with this man, they put the needs of each other first, above even the needs of their parents, so they can join their bodies together (Ephesians 5:31).

When a couple is in love with the Man of Truth, they keep their marriage in the order, that he established.  When a couple is in love with this man, the man is submitted to this man, and his wife is submitted to him (1 Corinthians 11:3). [The Greek words translated as "man" and "woman" in this passage, are the same Greek words translated as "husband" and "wife" in other passages, and that would really be a better translation in this passage.]  When a couple is in love with this man, the man loves his wife as himself, and the woman always shows respect to her husband (Ephesians 5:33).

When a couple is in love with the Man of Truth, they show that their marriage, is in the order, that he established, by paying attention to what is on their heads, when they pray.  When a couple is in love with this man, the man, the husband does not pray with his head covered, because that shows disrespect to this man, and the woman does not pray with her head uncovered, because that shows disrespect to her husband (1 Corinthians 11:4-7).  When a couple is in love with this man, the woman either wears a veil, or long hair that serves as a veil, when she prays, and the man does not wear long hair, that serves as a veil, when he prays (1 Corinthians 11:13-15).  

When a woman is in love with the Man of Truth, she submits to the desires of her husband.  When a woman is in love with this man, she recognizes, that her husband has authority over her, in every area of life (Ephesians 5:22-24).  When a woman is in love with this man, she does whatever her husband asks her to do (Colossians 3:17-18).  When a woman is in love with this man, she loves and obeys her husband (Titus 2:4-5).  When a woman is in love with this man, she will even obey her husband, who is not in love with this man, so that he might fall in love with this man, without her saying a word about this man, so they can be in a love triangle (1 Peter 3:1-2).  When a woman is in love with this man, she will beautify herself with a submissive spirit to her husband, instead of hairstyles, clothing, and jewelry, even to the point of calling her husband, "Lord". (1 Peter 3:3-6).

When a man is in love with the Man of Truth, he takes care of his wife.  When a man is in love with this man, he will give his life, to take care of his wife (Ephesians 5:25-27).  When a man is in love with this man, he will take care of the body of his wife, just like he takes care of his own body (Ephesians 5:28-30).  When a man is in love with this man, he will love his wife, and not be bitter against her (Colossians 3:19).  When a man is in love with this man, he will honor and guard his wife, because she is his partner, in carrying out his mission in life (1 Peter 3:7).

Of course, you cannot be part of a love triangle like this, until you fall in love with the Man of Truth.  You must come into the House of Truth, through a supernatural birth, to fall in love with this man (John 3:3-8).  You will not fall in love with this man, until you realized, that His Father loved you so much, that He gave this man, His only begotten Son, to die a horrible death in your place, so you could come into the House of Truth (John 3:14-17).  You will come into the House of Truth, and fall in love with this man, so much that you surrender control of your life to this man, when you believe, that his Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).  After you and your spouse have both come into the House of Truth, then you will both be in love with this man, forming your own love triangle (Galatians 3:26-28).

Come into the House of Truth!

The Bully Across The Street

What is the heaviest thing that anyone can carry?

When I was six years old a bully lived across the street from us in Hazelwood, Missouri - a suburb of Saint Louis.  This bully relied on nobody fighting back.  He came over and hit me which was a mistake for him.  I hit him back hard as my dad had taught me which caught him off guard.   Then I also pushed him and he fell into our garbage can in a sitting position and could not get out.  So I pushed over the trash can and rolled it down the street with him in it.  It finally crashed into something and he got loose.  Then he went home crying to his mother.

His father came over after work and threatened me in front of my dad which was an even bigger mistake.  My dad went over to his house to tell him to keep his son out of our yard.  Then their dad did something really stupid - he tried to hit my dad to intimidate him.  The kids across the street were bullies because the apples had not fallen far from the tree.

My dad was not near as large as their dad but he could lick his weight in wild cats.  My dad had no tolerance for bullies and dealt with them the only way he knew how. When it was all said and done my dad came home and their dad went out for medical treatment.

That night my dad told my mom to go to the bus stop with me for the next few days just in case the bully thought about starting trouble.

The next morning my mom did not want the neighbors to see her until she looked her best so she sent me to the bus stop alone.  This time the bully was there with his two older brothers and they decided to take revenge.  The bully did not dare face me alone after his last encounter. So like the coward that he was he had his two older brothers each grab one of my arms while he proceeded to hit me in the stomach several times until the bus came around the corner.  I then threw up before getting on the bus.

When I got on the bus the bully sat between his two older brothers for protection.  I don't remember ever seeing him without one of his older brothers nearby after that.   After all, bullies are really just cowards.

When my father got home he heard from a neighbor about the entire incident and he was furious.  My mother and him got into a big fight because she had not went down to the bus stop with me like he had told her to do.

A few days later my mother pulled me out of class and before I knew it I was on my way to Arkansas.    I arrived at the farm in Arkansas where my Uncle Ken and my maternal grandparents lived. Soon my parents were divorced and I felt like it was all my fault.  I was angry at myself for not being tougher and allowing the family of bullies to beat me up.   But I was even more angry at that family of bullies.  It seemed to me that they had destroyed my family and that they needed to pay for doing so.

This was one wound that time could not heal for the pain of growing up divorced was a constant reminder.

While my father sent the money that the court had ordered in the divorce decree it was never enough to meet our needs.  My brothers and I worked hard just to help provide things like food and clothing while other kids were playing.  In so many ways much of our childhood was stolen from us.

My mother worked as a nurse, sometimes two shifts, for weeks at a time.  She would also work at a restaurant.  In many ways I had lost my mother as well as my father in the divorce.

Life was so incredibly hard at times that we just broke down and cried until we could cry no more.

The guilt I felt for letting myself getting beat up by the bully across the street was probably the only thing that was greater than the anger that I felt against the bully across the street for destroying my family and making us all so miserable.

Then things took some more turns for the worst.  My mother sued my father over missed child support payments that my stepmother had swore to him that she had sent but had really not sent.  My mother got some sort of protective order against him and he could not come into the state of Arkansas.  So I did not see him for three years.

During that time my grandfather died.  This was almost for me as bad as the divorce.  Once again, it seemed that my entire world was destroyed.  I just wanted to die sometimes but other times I only wanted to live so I could get revenge.  My anger at the bully across the street had grown into hatred.

I never forgot about the bully across the street who I blamed for destroying my family.  His name was etched in my mind because I planned to hunt down his entire family of bullies and turn his mother into a childless widow one day.  As far as I was concerned they were monsters that needed killing.

When I graduated high school I still remembered the bully that had lived across the street in Hazelwood.  I still hated him and wanted him to pay for what he had done to my family.  However I was too busy working sixty hour weeks while taking Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas to do much about it at that time.  Still he was at the top of my list of people that just needed killing.

The family of bullies across the street could not have known about my plans but if they had known them then still would have had nothing to worry about as long as my grandmothers kept praying.  Their prayers kept me from ever having the means and opportunity for revenge.

The thing is that I was terribly conflicted inside.  I really did not want to kill anyone because I had gone to church enough to know that killing people was wrong and I wanted to do what was right.  I knew that the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) wanted me to forgive him for what he had done to me.  I wanted to forgive the bully across the street in Hazelwood because a grudge is just too heavy to carry.   I knew that I needed to change but I just could not do it. 

Then someone gave me a Good News translation of the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka New Testament) and I read it in one marathon sitting.  Later I read it more slowly again over a period of several days.  I almost never read a book twice because once is enough for me. However this book was different because this book was reading me back at the same time.

I could see myself as I really was in the pages of the Book of Truth (The Bible). I learned that in the eyes of the Father of Truth my hatred of the bully across the street was the same as murder (1 John 3:15).  I learned that He demanded that I turn completely from my hatred of the bully across the street if I wanted my sins to not be remembered (Acts 3:19).  I learned that I had serve the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) wholeheartedly everyday of my life and not just a few hours a week out of religious obligation (Revelation 3:14-16).

I had to quit carrying this grudge for it is the heaviest thing that anyone can carry.  If I did not forgive the bully across the street then the Father of Truth would not forgive me (Matthew 6:15).  The price of carrying a grudge is too high of a price to pay to ever be worth it.

The only trouble was that I did not know how to get the strength to let go of my hatred.  The churches I grew up in taught that a man could be forgiven for his sins but he could never be free from his sins.  I cried out for the Father of Truth to show me what to do.

Then I saw the Man of Truth do in the life of my cousin what I needed him to do in my life.  After verifying that this change was real and not just some act, I asked my cousin what happened to bring about this change in his life.

He said that he had given complete control of his life to the Man of Truth.  He told me that the only way to bring about this kind of change was for me to make the Man of Truth the Lord of my life by giving him control of every area of my life .  He told me that no one is strong enough to make these kind of changes on their own.  He told me, that it was not a matter of me being strong enough to change, but rather a matter of letting the Man of Truth change me, because he was strong enough to do so. 

A few days later I did the same thing that my cousin had done and I got the same results.  When I surrendered every bit of control of my life to the Man of Truth then my anger and hatred for the bully across the street came to an immediate end.  In fact, I wanted to hunt him down and tell him how he could also be saved from Hell but I did not know where he lived.

Then I started reading the Book of Truth every moment that I had an opportunity.  I was starved for the truth and I wanted to learn the truth about everything so I could grow in truth (1 Peter 2:2).  This time many more things in the Book of Truth made sense because I was being guided into all truth by the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13).  It was different once I had the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) living on the inside of me instead talking to me from the outside (Romans 8:9).

I learned the truth about my parents divorce.  It was learning the truth by continuing to read the Book of Truth that set me free from the pain caused by the divorce of my parents and the bully across the street (John 8:31-32).

The truth is that I was not responsible for my family being destroyed by divorce.  I was a six year old kid that did not have the training or strength to fight off another six year old kid along with his eight year old and ten year old brothers at the same time.  This lie that I was to blame had been told to me by a Spirit of Lies (devils aka demons aka gods aka unclean spirit) and I did not know any better than to just believe it.

I had also listened to their lies about the bully across the street in Hazelwood.  The truth is that the bully across the street was also just a six old kid.  He was not responsible for destroying my family with divorce.  That six year old kid did not mean to break my heart by taking my dad away from me, who was my entire world at the time.  That six year old kid was probably bullied all the time in his own house, considering that his dad and two older brothers were both bullies.  That six year old kid was undoubtedly acting the same way that he had seen his father act, when he hit me for no good reason, just as I was reacting to his actions in the same way that I had seen my father react to bullies.  He was not some monster that needed killing.  He was someone made in the image of the Father of Truth (Genesis 9:6).  The Man of Truth had died to save him from his sins just like me (Romans 5:8).

The truth is my parents were the responsible for their own actions and will have to answer to the Father of Truth for them (Romans 14:12).

My father, and the father of the kid across the street, should have worked out a peaceful solution instead of deciding to settle matters with their fists (Romans 12:18).  They should have showed me, and the kid across the street, how to live in peace with our neighbors, instead of starting some sort of blood feud like the Hatfields and McCoys (Hebrews 12:14).

My father could have given a soft answer and turned away the wrath of their father (Proverbs 15:1).  My father could have called the police, and let them handle it, instead of taking matters into his own hands, if their father hit him (Romans 13:3-5).  My father should not have lost his temper when he got home (Proverbs 29:22).  He should not have made my mother feel that she and her children were not safe in their own house (Ephesians 5:25).

My mother should not have put my father on edge all the time by nagging, and otherwise trying to manipulate him, to get her own way all the time (Proverbs 19:13).   My mother should have went down to the bus stop with me like my father said, because he was the head of the house (Ephesians 5:24).  She should have been less concerned with what the neighbors would think, and more concerned with obeying the Father of Truth (Proverbs 29:25). 

The truth is that they did not have any problems that they could not have worked out.  The Book of Truth said, that when they got divorced it was because they had dealt treacherously with each other (Jeremiah 3:20).  The Man of Truth said, that the only reason why my parents got a divorce instead of repenting and reconciling was the hardness of their hearts (Matthew 19:8).  Our lives had been made so hard because they had chose to live in rebellion to the commandments of the Father of Truth (Proverbs 13:15).

The truth is that my parents acted the way that they did for the same reasons that I acted the way that I had - they had never surrendered control of their lives to the Man of Truth.

My father got into some sort of stupid fight with some preacher before I was born, and decided to never go to church again.  He could not let go of his grudge, and it has cost him dearly.  He has suffered so many things that he could have avoided, if he had only surrendered to the Man of Truth, instead of being angry at all preachers, over what one preacher said or did.  I do not know what the fight was about, and he might not even remember, but the cost of keeping this grudge has been too high of a price to pay.

My mother went to church every Sunday morning but she did not base her decisions throughout the week on the teachings of the Man of Truth.  She called the Man of Truth her Lord, but she did not do the will of the Father of Truth (Matthew 7:21).  She called the Man of Truth her Lord, but she did not do what he said (Luke 6:46).  She believed in the Father of Truth, but so do the Spirits of Lies (James 2:19).

She might not have even known that she needed to submit to the Man of Truth in total surrender, if the religious professionals she asked to were like the ones who I asked.  They probably told her, that all she needed to do was admit that she was a sinner, and ask for forgiveness.  Asking the Man of Truth to fix your life without giving him complete control of your life, is like asking a mechanic to fix your car while you continue to drive it.

Since my parents, and the parents of the kid across the street in Hazelwood, had not surrendered control of their lives to the Man of Truth, then they could not have possibly raised us to walk in the ways of the Father of Truth.  Things would have been a lot different for all of us, if they had raised us up in the admonition of the Father of Truth (Ephesians 6:4).

 They could have taught us all of the time about how to live in line with the Word of Truth (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).  We would have not departed living in line with the Word of Truth, if they had done this (Proverbs 22:6).   

In the worst case, I and the kid across the street would have both gotten a whipping for fighting to drive this evil from our lives, and that would have been that (Proverbs 22:15).  The kid across the street and I might have even became best friends.

The Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan aka The Devil) was the one behind all the lies that caused so much misery, when we believed them (John 8:44). He came to steal the joy, that we could have known by living together in the House of Truth, to tempt me to kill the kid across the street, and to destroy my family (John 10:10).

The Father of Lies is the one who sent the Spirits of Lies to tempt me, the kid across the street, my parents, and his parents, into doing the wrong things (1 Corinthians 7:5).   He is the one who blinded all of us from seeing that we could been saved from all of this misery, by submitting to the Man of Truth in total surrender (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).  My parents, and the family of the kid across the street, were never the root cause of the misery that ensued (Ephesians 6:12).  

The Man of Truth is preparing a place of all who will come into the House of Truth, including the kid across the street (John 14:2).  Today, I hope that the kid across the street has come into the House of Truth through the saving knowledge of the Man of Truth (1 Timothy 2:3-5).

If the kid across the street is reading this, then I hope that you will come into the House of Truth by submitting to the Man of Truth in total surrender, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-11).  I would love for you to once again live across the street, not in Hazelwood, but in the city that the Father of Truth is building for those who come into the House of Truth (Hebrews 11:10).

Come into the House of Truth!

The Nuclear Option

Why should divorce be the option of last resort?

On April 12, 1945 Franklin Delanor Roosevelt died, and Harry S. Truman became president of the U.S.  On this day, he learned for the first time of a new weapon, that was being developed.  It was almost two weeks later (April 25, 1945), that Truman learned, that this new weapon was an atomic bomb.  This was the first time, that he had heard of the nuclear option.

Truman was too busy finishing up World War II in Europe, to be too concerned with the nuclear option.  He declared victory over the axis powers in Europe on his 61st birthday (May 8, 1945).  While he was at the Potsdam Conference, he learned that the Trinity test (July 16, 1945) of the atomic bomb had been successful.  He hinted to Joseph Stalin, the leader of Russia, that the nuclear option was now available.  (Stalin however, knew about the nuclear option before Truman, due to the excellent spy network, that he had in the U.S.)

Soon Truman was faced with one of the most difficult decisions in history.

The U.S. had beaten the Japanese back to their home islands with only one half of the force that it had used in Europe and virtually no help from its mostly European allies.  This had been very costly in terms of American lives and resources.  Russia had agreed to invade Japan from the east while the US invaded from the west now that the war in Europe was over.  Japan had dwindling resources and no way to get new resources.  Japan was already defeated for all practical purposes.  Still the Japanese Emperor Hirohito refused to surrender and promised that the Japanese would continue to fight to the last man in order to maintain his position as Emperor.

Truman asked for his options from the military and diplomats.  He had three options.  First, he could continue to wage war as he had up to this point by continuing to heavily bomb Japanese cities with conventional bombs and then invading Japan with the help of Russia.  This option could cost as much as a million American lives as well as many millions of Japanese lives.  Second, Hirohito could remain as a figurehead Emperor.   The previous responses by Hirohito had made made it clear that this was option was very unlikely to work.  The third option was the nuclear option.

Truman wrote in his diary on July 25, 1945 while he agonized over his decision that he had been assured by his military advisers that the nuclear option would only be used against military targets.  Time was running out to avoid a costly invasion of Japan and Hirohito was still wavering on surrendering.  More than that Russia had lost many people when it invaded Germany and wanted to avoid invading Japan if at all possible.  Truman intimated this in a letter that he wrote on July 31, 1945.  It had became clear that the nuclear option was his only remaining option.

So on August 6, 1945 the nuclear option was used on Hiroshima, Japan where it instantly killed 80,000 people and caused another 40,000 people to die within a year.  Many of these people that suffered terribly were innocent children.  Three days later (August 9, 1945), the nuclear option was used again on Nagasaki, Japan where 70,000 people died from it.  On August 13, 1945 the U.S. conducted a conventional bombing campaign on Tokyo where Hirohito lived to let him know that he was not immune from the nuclear option.  The next day (August 14, 1945) Hirohito surrendered and World War II was over.

Truman has been criticized for using the nuclear option but the fact is that it undoubtedly saved lives.  The Japanese had already lost many more people through conventional bombing than when Truman exercised  the nuclear option.  In fact, Japan lost about 25,0000 more people in the conventional bombings of just two cities, Toyama and Tokyo, than when the nuclear option was used against Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Hirohito and his generals had not cared how many Japanese people died to defend their traditions that included worship of the Emperor.  The nuclear option is what caused Hirohito to finally admit defeat and sign a peace treaty on the USS Missouri.  This treaty included a provision where he admitted that he was not God.

The truth is that Japan had already lost the war months before the nuclear option was ever exercised.  Japan had months to surrender but Hirohito had refused time after time.  Hirohito could have sought peace and avoided compelling Truman to use the nuclear option.  It was the hardness of the heart of Hirohito that turned the nuclear option into the only option.

The nuclear option is so horrific that it has never been used since World War II.  The fact is the potential for damage is so large that everyone that has this option refuses to exercise it for fear of others using it on them.  Using the nuclear option is almost guaranteed to bring about mutually assured destruction. 

There is another nuclear option that is available to many people.  This nuclear option will also cause massive damage and takes generations for people to recover from.  This nuclear option brings death instantly on some levels while it slowly drains the life out of people on other levels.  This nuclear option brings terrible suffering to innocent children.  Like the case of Truman and Hirohito, this nuclear option can be avoided if both parties are willing to seek peace.  The use of this nuclear option is almost guaranteed to bring about mutually assured destruction.

This nuclear option is divorce.

The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) hates divorce because it only comes from someone dealing treacherously with their spouse (Malachi 2:16).

This treachery is often a man divorcing his wife when she gets older and is no longer in her prime (Malachi 2:15).  That man is dealing treacherously because he made a covenant to take of her as long as they both should live when she was young and is now breaking that covenant when she is no longer young (Malachi 2:14).

In the marriage covenant the man has promised to provide his wife with food, covering (clothing and shelter) and her marital right (sex) as much as she needed for as long as they both should live  (Exodus 21:10).  Even if his wife had been his slave before they married he was still dealing treacherously with her if he divorced her (Exodus 21:7-8).

Of course, the wife can also deal treacherously with her husband by departing from him through divorce just as surely as Israel dealt treacherously with the Father of Truth by departing from Him (Jeremiah 3:20).

Whoever does not provide their spouse with as much sex as their spouse needs for as long as they both should live to the best of their ability is dealing treacherously with their spouse (1 Corinthians 7:2-4).  A husband and wife can only refrain from sex for a short time by mutual consent to spend more time with the Father of Truth and then they must resume taking care of the sexual needs of each other (1 Corinthians 7:5).  Both husband and wife are to be concerned with taking care of the sexual needs of their spouse because that is part of the covenant they made when they were married (1 Corinthians 7:32-34).

It is not only the parents that suffer from divorce but also the children.  The children suffer terribly because a divorce always leaves them missing their parents and all the benefits that only parents working together can provide.

In a divorce the children usually depart with their mother.  That is why it was very grievous for Abraham to put Hagar out of his camp (Genesis 21:9-11).  That is why Ishmael left with his mother when Abraham put her away (Genesis 21:12-14).  That is why it was so hard for those men that had married idol worshipers from other nations to put away their wives that had refused to quit worshiping idols (Ezra 10:44).

In like manner, the land and the house that was on it stayed with the father.  This because the land belongs to the family of the father while the father is only in charge of its use until he dies.  That is why the Father of Truth said when someone sold the family land that they always had the right to buy it back when they were able (Leviticus 25:23-27).  That is why He said the family land must always go back to the family in the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:28).  That is why the He said when a man of Israel had only daughters then his daughters could only marry someone from their own tribe (Numbers 36:6-9).  That is why He said when a man died without any children then his wife had to marry one of his brothers and the first born child would be counted as belonging to her husband that had died (Deuteronomy 25:5-6).

So a divorce leaves the wife like a widow that has no husband and the children are like those that have no father.  This can be seen in the case of when the Father of Truth divorced the nation of Judah (Isaiah 50:1).  After the divorce Judah was like a widow and her children were like the fatherless (Lamentations 5:3).

So when there is a divorce after children have been born the mother now must try to provide the children for in the place of their father.  Worse yet women throughout the ages have only been able to earn about 60 percent of what men can earn.   This is why the Father of Truth required that women only had to give thirty shekels when they took on a vow while men had to give fifty shekels (Leviticus 27:2-4).

Her husband had to provide a house on the land of the family before they could marry just like the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) is preparing a place for his bride to live in (John 14:2-3).  So now with only sixty percent of the money that her husband made she has to provide everything that he had provided with one hundred percent of his money plus a house.

This almost always casts the children into poverty.  The children will not be identified with their father and his trade in the community (Matthew 13:55).  The children cannot learn the trade of their father so that they can go about his business when they are old enough (Luke 2:49).  The mother usually cannot make enough money by herself to lay up money for the children like can be done when her husband and her work together in raising the children (2 Corinthians 12:14).  The divorced woman and her children will be afflicted with poverty and in need of help as much as the widow and the fatherless (James 1:27).

The reality of a lack of money requires the divorce woman to spend much of her time working away from the children and that is what brings about the real fall out from divorce. Without a father to correct them it is as if the children were hated by their parents (Proverbs 29:15).  Without their mother around due to trying to provide for their physical needs the children are left to themselves and are bound to do things that will bring her shame (Proverbs 29:15).  Children without the chastening of a father are like those that are not part of the family of their father (Hebrews 12:7-9).

So for the children it is like someone used the nuclear option on their family when the parents get a divorce.  The children are suddenly without a father, a mother that cannot give them adequate attention, their home is gone and so is the money that they are used to having.  The children are damaged in every area of their lives when their parents get a divorce.  They are in lack of money, in lack of discipline, in lack of a deep family identity, in lack of the life skills that lead to success in every endeavor and will usually grow up unable to adequately provide those things for their own children.  This sets off a chain reaction of destruction that lasts for three or four generations.

The reason is that divorce is always born out of treachery and treachery is always sin.  This kind of sin will always bring destruction to the third and fourth generation (Numbers 14:18).

If you want to permanently damage your children, your grandchildren and your great grand children then one of the easiest ways to do so is to get a divorce.  That is one reason that divorce is the nuclear option.

Of course, divorce is not just devastating to the mother and the children. It is devastating to the father as well.  When there is a divorce the father has lost his wife and children.  The father is a often as devastated as Jacob (Ya'acob) was when he believed that he had lost Joseph (Youseph) (Genesis 37:33-35).  This is another reason that divorce is the nuclear option.  Divorce is almost guaranteed to bring about mutually assured destruction.

Since the Father of Truth hates divorce and it causes so much damage you might wonder why anyone would ever use the nuclear option.

To understand this we must first look at where formalized divorce began.  You might be surprised to learn that the Father of Truth is the one that set up formalized divorce.

In the divorce proceedings that He set up a man could initiate a divorce if he found uncleanness in his wife (Deuteronomy 24:1).  The woman then had to depart from his house and could marry another man since she was no longer his wife (Deuteronomy 24:2).  Once she married another man then her first husband could never remarry her because she was now defiled by another man (Deuteronomy 24:3-4).

Why would He set up the nuclear option like this?

The key to understanding that question is understanding the circumstances that justified using the nuclear option.  The uncleanness that allowed a man to initiate divorce was unfaithfulness in his wife.  This could be literal adultery that was physical unfaithfulness to him (Matthew 5:31-32).  This could be spiritual unfaithfulness to the Father of Truth like the foreign wives that worshiped idols in the days of Ezra (Ezra 10:2-3).

The fact is that the nuclear option was less damaging to the family than the other options.  If a woman was physically unfaithful to her husband then one of the other options was to make the sin public so that she and the other man would be stoned to death (Leviticus 20:10).  Of course, the problem is that his wife is the mother of his children and the other man might be the father of some more children.  So this option would actually cause more damage than using the nuclear option.  Joseph (Youseph) sought to divorce Mary (Mariam) quietly because he understood that using the nuclear option was the better option (Matthew 1:18-20).

Even when there is marital unfaithfulness there is a better option than the nuclear option if both parties are willing to take it.  That is the peace option of repentance and reconciliation.  The only reason that anyone ever takes the nuclear option instead of the peace option is because at least one of the parties involved has hardness of heart (Matthew 19:8).

The peace option can only be taken if the one committing adultery is willing to quit committing adultery and return to faithfulness like the Father of Truth tried to persuade the nation of Israel to do  (Jeremiah 3:6-7).  The peace option can only be taken if the one that was wronged is willing to forgive the one that committed adultery so that they can be forgiven of the adultery that they have committed against the Father of Truth (Matthew 6:14-15).

If the party that has committed adultery is unwilling to repent then the nuclear option becomes the only option like when the Father of Truth exercised it against the unrepentant nation of Israel (Jeremiah 3:8).

Of course in order to have the faith to exercise the peace option you must first come into the House of Truth to find real peace (Romans 5:1-2).  You come into the House of Truth when you surrender to the Man of Truth because you believe that the Father of Truth has raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth.

Whose Wife Is She?

Could you be committing adultery with your spouse?

I once heard a story about a man who was lost at sea.

He had inherited some land on a point with a magnificent view of the ocean that had a grand house with a tower in the center where one could see for miles in every direction.  The man fell in love with a beautiful woman and they were married.

Not long after their second child was born, the man went to sea on a merchant ship.  Tragically, a tremendous storm arose when the ship had been at sea for many days.  The storm blew the ship far off of its charted course and finally destroyed the ship.  Neither the ship nor anyone on the ship was found despite considerable search and rescue efforts.

After a number of years he was declared legally dead and his wife remarried.  She had two more children with her second husband and they all lived happily in the house that the man lost at sea had left her in his will.

Unexpectedly the man lost at sea was found living alone on a deserted island far from the area where the ship had been presumed to have gone down and was rescued.  The man then returned to his home town and returned to the house that he had inherited from his father.

When the man lost at sea arrived home he discovered that there was another man living in his house with the woman that he had married.  He demanded that this other man and his children leave his house so that he could resume his life with his wife and children.  The other man refused saying that the woman was his wife and the house belonged to her.

Soon the case went to court where the judge ruled very quickly that the house did indeed belong to the man lost at sea since his will was not in effect as long as he was alive.  The real question that remained was that of the woman.

Whose wife was she?

Even though the circumstances have usually been less dramatic than those of the man lost at sea this has been an age old question that has bothered people as long as women have been remarrying.

Fortunately, the Book of Truth (the Bible) gives the truthful answer to this question.  To find the answer we will begin by looking at similar case involving David.

King Saul (Shaul) had promised to give his daughter Merab to David to be his wife, but instead he gave her to another man, that she was in love with (1 Samuel 18:19).  So he gave his daughter Michal, who in love with David, to be his wife instead (1 Samuel 18:20-21).  Later, Michal helped David escape, when her father, King Saul, tried to kill him (1 Samuel 19:11-13).  When King Saul hunted David to kill him, he declared David legally dead, and he gave his daughter Michal to a second husband, named Paltiel (1 Samuel 25:44).

Whose wife was she?

After King Saul was dead, then David demanded his wife Michal be given back to him, since he was no longer as good as dead (2 Samuel 3:14).  The second husband, Paltiel, protested that Michal was his wife, but she was returned to David (2 Samuel 3:15-16).

David claimed Michal as his wife, and so did Paltiel.  In fact, Michal and Paltiel may have had children together, during the many years that King Sual tried to kill David.  David hid from King Saul, and may not have been heard from for years.  Paltiel and Michael may even have believed, that David was dead at times.  But in the end, he returned to claim his wife, like the man lost at sea.

Whose wife was she?

Michal was the wife of David, because David had not died, as King Saul may have made her believe (Romans 7:2).  So what about the entire time that she was married to Paltiel, while David was still alive?

Paltiel and her were committing adultery, the entire time they were married, since David was not dead (Romans 7:3).  Though Paltiel and Michal could have been sinning in ignorance, but they were still sinning, and had to take corrective action to make things right, when it was revealed, that they had been living in sin (Leviticus 4:27-28).

A woman is the wife of her husband, even when people do not know that she is married. 

Pharaoh suffered greatly for intending to make Sarai (Sarah) his wife, even though he was ignorant, that she was the wife of Abram (Abraham) (Genesis 12:17-19).

King Abimelech was as good as dead, when he took Sarah (Sarai) to marry her, even though he was ignorant, that she was the wife of Abraham (Abram) (Genesis 20:2-4).  King Abimelech would have died, if he had not taken corrective action, once he was no longer in ignorance (Genesis 20:5-7).

Even though Isaac (Yitzhak) had lied, about Rebecca (Rivkah) not being his wife, anyone who would have married her, would have been sinning (Genesis 26:9-10).

You might be thinking, how often does things like that happen?

The truth is not very often, but there is another far more common scenario, where the same question must be answered.

Whose wife is she?

One example of this is the case of Herodias.  Herodias had married Herod, after his brother Philip had previously married her (Mark 6:17).  Herodias had obtained a divorce from Philip under Roman law, but according to the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) it was not lawful, for Herod to marry her (Mark 6:18).  It was not lawful for Herod to marry her, because she was still the wife of his brother Philip, even though she had obtained government approval to divorce Philip, and marry Herod (Luke 3:19).

Herodias was still the wife of Philip, because Philip was still alive.  (He did not die, until about three years after Yochanon the Mikveh Man (John the Baptist) told Herod, that it was unlawful for him to marry her.)  If Philip had died, then she could have married Herod, because she was free to remarry (1 Corinthians 7:39).

In fact, if Philip had died without leaving any children, then Herod would have been required to have married her by the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) (Deuteronomy 25:5-6).  In fact, she would had to have kept marrying his brothers, when one of them died, as long as there were any to marry, until she left a child for each of brother, that she had married (Matthew 22:24-26).

Since Philip was still alive, then Herod could not marry her, for she was still the wife of his brother Philip (Leviticus 18:16).  In fact, they never had any children, because they were under the curse of the Father of Truth, as long as Herod remained married to Herodias, and his brother Philip was still alive (Leviticus 20:21).

So even though Herodias had obtained a government approved divorce, under the law of the land, she was still the wife of Philip.  This is because the government cannot annul any covenant, that the Father of Truth has set up including marriage (Mark 10:7-9).

You might be thinking, that you do not of anyone that has married the same woman as his brother, so how does this apply to most people?

The Pharisees (Parushim) asked the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) these same questions.  They want to know if divorce was legal for anyone (Mark 10:2).  They were directed to examine the law that the Father of Truth had given to Moses (Mark 10:3).  This law said that they could write a bill of divorce to end their marriage (Mark 10:4).  The Man of Truth told them that this law of divorce was included because they were hard-hearted but divorce was not the original intention of the Father of Truth (Mark 10:5-6).

In this law of divorce a man could divorce his wife by writing her a bill of divorce if he found uncleanness in her (Deuteronomy 24:1).  Once she was given a bill of divorce under those conditions then she was free to marry another man (Deuteronomy 24:2).

It was the phrase "uncleanness causes a wife to lose favor in the eyes of her husband" that was the real issue.  The majority of the Pharisees (Parashim) maintained that this phrase meant anything that displeased a man qualified so there was divorce for any cause.  In fact, because of this teaching that divorce was legitimate for any cause more than fifty percent of all marriages in Judaea ended in divorce at that time.

One bill of divorce found from that era lists carelessness in seasoning of the gravy as the uncleanness that caused the wife to lose favor in the eyes of her husband.  Also a woman could demand a divorce from her husband and the Pharisees would compel her husband to give it to her.  They would even write a bill of divorce on his behalf if he refused.

The Man of Truth said that this uncleanness was unfaithfulness that would cause a woman to give her body and affections to another man (Matthew 5:32). 

There was also another type of uncleanness that did not apply in the case of those that worshiped the Father of Truth and that was spiritual unfaithfulness to Him.  It was this type of uncleanness in their wives that turned the men of Israel from Him (Judges 3:5-7).  It was for this type of uncleanness that Ezra commanded that the men of Israel to divorce their foreign wives (Ezra 10:10-12).

What if the woman had been divorced under any other conditions or her husband had refused to give her a bill of divorce?  What if she married another man after receiving a divorce on illegitimate grounds?

Whoever married a woman that did not have a legitimate divorce was committing adultery with her because she was still the wife of her former husband (Matthew 19:9).  A woman that did not have a legitimate divorce was committing adultery when she remarried because she was still the wife of her former husband (Mark 10:10-12).  Anyone that is marries someone that has an illegitimate divorce or that marries again without a legitimate divorce is in an adulterous relationship because she is still the wife of her former husband (Luke 16:18).

Because a woman is still the wife of her husband unless he divorces her for unfaithfulness the Man of Truth has commanded that a wife to not depart from their husband (1 Corinthians 7:10).  If she does depart then she must not remarry because she is still his wife and will be committing adultery if she should remarry but the same thing applies to her husband (1 Corinthians 7:11).

In the case of a Child of Truth (one who obeys the Father of Truth because they love Him) that has married someone that has not came into the House of Truth then they are not to divorce their spouse (1 Corinthians 7:12-13).  They need to stay married for the sake of their children (1 Corinthians 7:14).  If their spouse then leaves them for following the Man of Truth then the divorce was over spiritual uncleanness and they are free to remarry because the spiritual uncleanness of the one that did not come into the House of Truth made the divorce legitimate (1 Corinthians 7:15).  The goal of the Child of Truth should never be to seek a divorce from their spouse but to bring their spouse into the House of Truth (1 Corinthians 7:16).

So what are you supposed to do if you realize that are married to the wife or husband of someone else?

First of all you must recognize that you will not be saved if you continue in this adulterous relationship (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  Your flesh will want the adulterous relationship to continue (Galatians 5:19).  Continuing in this adulterous relationship will bring the judgment of the Father of Truth upon you (Hebrews 13:4).

Secondly, you must recognize that you must repent from this sin. It is not enough for you to just confess that you have been committing adultery with the wife or husband of another person - you must take corrective action (Matthew 3:6-8).  You must end this adulterous relationship now that you are no longer ignorant that you have been sinning against the Father of Truth (Acts 17:30). 

Finally, realize that this sin is not unforgivable if you will repent.  The blood of the Man of Truth was shed to cleanse you from all sin when you repent including being married to another man's wife or another woman's husband (1 John 1:7).

The Man of Truth will give you the strength to repent if you will come into the House of Truth (Philippians 4:13).  You can come into the House of Truth by submitting to the Man of Truth in every area including this area because you believe that the Father of Truth raise him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth.