Great multitudes of people continued to follow after Jesus as he departed from Galilee and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan. As the multitudes gathered with Jesus, he healed them of all their sicknesses. Then came the Pharisees tempting Jesus again and said to him: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Jesus answered saying have you not read that he that made them at the beginning made them male and female and for this cause a man will leave his father and mother and will cling to his wife making them the two as one flesh? What God joins together no man or woman should pull apart.
The Pharisees (this group of people must have been extremely devious) then said Moses commanded us to draw up a writing of divorcement and just put her away. Why did Moses say this?
Jesus answered the Pharisees and said Moses told you that because of the hardness of your hearts, but from the beginning this was not the case. Whoever puts away his wife, except it be for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery and whoever marries her that is put away commits adultery.
The disciples spoke to Jesus saying if the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. I read this line to mean it is not a good thing to divorce a wife and marry another woman, and it is not a good thing to marry the woman who has been divorced by her husband, and visa versa.
There is an exception to this rule, which is in the case of fornication. I read this to mean for these people and all generations after these people there is a way out of marriage if a partner commits fornication. The innocent person who has been made free of the marriage has the right to remarry without committing sin. The fornicator of this marriage is not eligible to remarry. This exception only frees the innocent partner. The guilty partner, as to what these sayings mean, is now destined for life to remain alone or to re-marry the original woman (if she desires this). The same applies if the woman is the fornicator against her husband. This is the case if these people desire greater the prize of eternal life.
The book of laws and rules is just that – a book of instructions. Men and women always have the free will and a mind able to decide how they want to proceed in their lives.
Chances are there will be no great lightning bolts or a sudden boom of thunder if men and women choose the bliss for a season in this present life over bliss forevermore in heaven.
However, a stern “depart from me, I never knew you, you that worked iniquity,” will be the reply from Jesus on the great judgment day. From there, I believe is a separation from all those who decided to work toward an eternal bliss forevermore in heaven. The book of instruction I read says that place is in outer darkness, where the fire is quenched not, and where there will be gnashing upon each others teeth, wailing, screaming, and crying as the flames roll on and on forevermore.
Hell has enlarged itself and continues to do so because there are so many destined to go there. Remember the straight and narrow road I spoke of in another article. This road is one that will be traveled by very few people. There will be no long lines and crowds in heaven. And if this be the case for what seems to be a minor infraction to many people, where in this world will the true ungodly people be? In this same place!
I suppose readers know by now, I believe in a hell fire to be as real as heaven.
What if both partners commit fornication? In that case, I think they are both at liberty to divorce each other, but neither is at liberty to get married again. They must stay alone if they desire to receive an eternal life, because to marry another would cause the sin of adultery.
In the case where a woman marries a man who has been divorced because of an act or acts of fornication commits the sin of adultery or the other way around with a man marrying a woman who committed fornication and was divorced because of this, the spouse of that type of person now is guilty of adultery. I truly believe there is no sin in these cases if intimacy never takes place, however, that is not likely to be. It just would only make sense to speculate a man and woman in these situations could genuinely love each other and be the best of friends, and live together in the same household without intimacy and still be able to work out a salvation of eternal life. However, as Jesus spoke in those days, very few people will be able to accept these sayings.
These sayings are very difficult for most men and women to accept. Jesus said he knew this would be difficult for most men and women, but save those who can abide by these sayings. I take this to mean……this is how it is. If you desire to earn an eternal life, this is how it is. If you don’t care, and you cannot contain yourself, meaning you must have a woman or you must have a man intimately, then tough luck, you won’t be seeing God the Father in heaven after while. But for a season while you are alive, you will have your choice of living in bliss and intimacy. So really, it is just a matter of what is most important to each person. We cannot have it both ways. It is totally each person’s decision. Jesus does not make anyone do anything! If you will listen to him, and now the Holy Ghost he sent for our comfort and teaching, the Holy Ghost will gently guide men and women into all the truths of God, and even the deep, deep things of God the Holy Ghost can reveal. That is only though if you “desire” it to be so.
Jesus finishes this talk by saying there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, who were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it let him receive it. So again, here, Jesus is saying, if you are able to do as I have commanded you to do, press onward toward the greater prize and the higher calling, which is eternal life and eternal bliss that will last for much longer than a season of “so-called” bliss. As the ages roll on in heaven so will you be there also in perfect “bliss” forevermore.
At this point you might be thinking…..do you really believe all that? And I have to answer you saying: Yes, I do believe it. Without faith you cannot make even the first step toward knowing the things of God much less learning the deep, deep things of God and on into eternal life.
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© 2007 Connie Limon. All Rights Reserved
Written by: Connie Limon, Spiritual Teacher. Visit us at The Spiritual Guide, http://www.thespiritualguide.info for spiritual teachings and guidance based upon the King James Version Bible. Visit Camelot Articles at http://www.camelotarticles.com to submit your original articles for website promotion and back links.
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