The Marriage Covenant - Part 3

Foundation Stone Two - The Body as a Temple

Please note: Some of the following is necessarily sexually explicit, but it is with a very good purpose. Those who understand the correlation between a woman’s body and the Tabernacle of God, will be enabled to discern that both are to be viewed as holy in the eyes of man. The debasing of the woman’s body into a symbol of lust is a tragic result of the activity of Satan and the fruit of sin. God would have us to restore a sense of holiness to the realm of sexuality.

A second foundation to be laid in order to answer many of the questions pertaining to marriage, divorce, and remarriage, is that of observing how the Father has created the physical human body after the pattern found in the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon.

That God has designed the human body and the Tabernacle and Temple as types and anti-types of one another is plainly stated in Scriptures.

I Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God...

II Corinthians 6:16
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Ephesians 2:19-22
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Yahshua Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

I Peter 2:5
You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house...

These Scriptures are but a sampling of the many that bring forth the concept of mankind having been designed to be a sanctuary, a tabernacle, and a holy dwelling place for the Spirit of God. We should therefore expect that what Yahweh has shown forth in the design of the Tabernacle and Temple will find correspondence with the physical bodies of men and women.

One evident parallel is that both the Tabernacle and Temple contained three distinct and clearly defined sections. There was the Outer Court, the Inner Court or Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies or Most Holy Place. These three sections find perfect correspondence to man as he is also a tri-part being consisting of body, soul and spirit.

I Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Yahshua Christ.

It is to be noted that the Tabernacle of Moses, which was the original sanctuary of Israel, and in some ways a better pattern of man (for it was mobile, rather than fixed in one place), was covered in skins. This is a feature that was lacking in the Temple of Solomon.

Exodus 36:19
And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins* dyed red, and a covering of porpoise skins above.

* (some translations say “badger’s skins”)

The Tabernacle in the Wilderness was a structure of poles covered with skins in the same way the human body is a structure of bones covered with skin. Inside and outside the Tabernacle were various vessels and implements that find correspondence with the organs of man. There was the Bronze Laver, or Bronze Sea, located outside for the purpose of cleansing. There was the altar for sacrifices, also in the Outer Court. In the Holy Place was the Table of Showbread and the Golden Candlestick, the latter of which was at times moved into the Holy of Holies. In the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant, and there was a curtain to divide between each of the sections. The curtain concealing the entrance to the Holy of Holies was described in this way.

Exodus 26:31-33
"And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen... and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies.”

It is particularly upon this point that I would like to focus, as much can be gleaned concerning the marriage covenant, virginity, and sexual fidelity as the type of the veil of the Tabernacle and the anti-type of the virgin hymen are observed together.

The anatomical description given to the female hymen from days of antiquity is “the veil of the temple.” The Greeks related this description of the female hymen to the rites of the goddess Aphrodite, whose temple contained a veil like curtain to mark the entrance to the inner sanctum. Aphrodite was considered the goddess of love and sexual intimacy. The veil in front of the inner sanctum of Aphrodite’s temple was called “the hymen.” The Greek word hymen literally means “veil,” though it can be more scientifically rendered as “membrane,” and often is.

The veil is an emblem well known to people throughout the world in association with brides, particularly virgin brides, though many do not know the origin of the association. To the Greeks, the word Hymen (veil) was closely linked to marriage and weddings. Aside from the association found in the temple of Aphrodite, the Greeks also recognized Hymen as the name of one of their gods.

Hymen, also rendered as Hymenaeus, or Hymenaios, was depicted as a youthful and beautiful young man who carried a torch and a veil. Various tales were related to him, such as one that described him rescuing a group of young maidens from a band of pirates. Having delivered them from being ravished by these evil men, the maidens all honored Hymen on their wedding days, and their Wedding songs became known as Hymeneal songs, from which we get our present day term “hymnal.” That the church has continued the use of the term hymnal is not altogether inappropriate, for the church has been espoused to Christ as a pure virgin (II Corinthians 11:2), and she does stand in anticipation of her marriage union with Christ.

The names of the gods were often given to individuals, a practice that continues to this day, though often in ignorance. In Scriptures we find saints who bore the names of the Greek gods Apollos and Hermes. There is even one named who bore the name of the god Hymen.

I Timothy 1:20
Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered over to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

I am demonstrating the relationship between the word hymen and the veil to encourage understanding of the points which will follow. Although the Greeks, and many other cultures, were quite vain in their worship of strange gods and goddesses, there were elements of truth mixed in with their myths and fables. The Greeks, as did other cultures before them, recognized that the female hymen, that thin veil of flesh, a living membrane that covers the entrance to the vagina, served as a type and shadow of the veil of the temple. The human body was designed to be the temple, or tabernacle, of God, and no matter how much Satan and fallen mankind has corrupted this knowledge, the basic fact remains as ordained by the One true God, Yahweh.

It is this association of the hymen being the veil of the human temple that has given rise to the prominence of veils as part of a virgin bride’s dress. The veil worn by a bride is a testimony of her virginity. Even as a virgin’s wedding gown is typically white, to denote purity, the wedding veil provides testimony to the bride’s chastity. During the wedding ceremony the bridegroom removes the bridal veil, as testimony that his bride has remained pure and that he is given the honor of being the first to enter into sexual union with her.

In the Old Testament, the intact hymen provided evidence of a woman’s virginity. When a virgin has sexual intercourse for the first time, the hymen is torn, and bleeding results. On her wedding night, the bride would carry a piece of cloth with her to catch the blood that flowed when her hymen was thus torn. The cloth would then be given to the woman’s father to be kept as proof that she was a virgin when she wed.

Deuteronomy 22:13-21
"If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then turns against her, and charges her with shameful deeds and publicly defames her, and says,' I took this woman, but when I came near her, I did not find her a virgin,' then the girl's father and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence  of the girl's virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. And the girl's father shall say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man for a wife, but he turned against her; and behold, he has charged her with shameful deeds, saying, "I did not find your daughter a virgin." But this is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city. So the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him, and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give it to the girl's father, because he publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. And she shall remain his wife; he cannot divorce her all his days. But if this charge is true, that the girl was not found a virgin, then they shall bring out the girl to the doorway of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed an act of folly in Israel, by playing the harlot in her father's house; thus you shall purge the evil from among you.

Note what a serious matter this was. There is no other law found in the Old Testament whereby a man entered upon such dire consequences for making a false accusation than in this matter of a woman’s virginity. To falsely accuse a woman who had kept herself pure, would result in a fine of a hundred shekels of silver. This was a large sum of money. Yet if the woman was proven to have played the harlot before she was married, she would be taken out and stoned.

People of God, consider how far the church has fallen in esteeming as holy those things that Yahweh says are holy! We live in the midst of a perverse generation, one which calls evil good, and good evil. A man or a woman who has reached adulthood as a virgin in many nations today is considered an object of pity. Youth are carelessly casting away that which God has determined should be guarded with the greatest care, and preserved until marriage. A Father in ancient times would jealously guard his daughter’s purity. It would be a great disgrace to discover that she had “played the harlot.”

If we were to use the same language that the Holy Spirit inspired the prophets and holy men of old to use in writing the Scriptures, would we not have to confess that the streets of our towns and cities, and the very pews of the churches, are filled with whores? Indeed, churches are filled with people who are continually practicing whoredom without repentance.

The use of  insulting words such as whore and harlot were employed intentionally by the writers of Scripture. The Spirit was thereby signifying that a tremendous stigma was attached to a woman who allowed men other than her husband to enter into her body, treating that which was designed by Yahweh to be holy as a common and unholy thing. Would not Yahweh be provoked unto great wrath for a man to enter into the Holy of Holies in the Temple as if it were a common thing? Such a man would surely die.

Hebrews 9:6-7
Now when these things have been thus prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship, but into the second (the Holy of Holies) only the high priest enters...

Even the High Priest was not permitted to pass beyond the veil except at the prescribed time. If he entered at the wrong time, he would die.

Leviticus 16:2
And Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die.”

In a parallel to this, man is not to enter into sexual union with woman, except at the prescribed time.

Leviticus 20:18
If there is a man who lies with a menstruous woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow, and she has exposed the flow of her blood; thus both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

A woman’s flow of menstrual blood had to have ceased for seven days before a man could enter into union with her. Seven days was the time of her purification.

Leviticus 15:19
“When a woman has a discharge, if her discharge in her body is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days.”

The Temple and the Tabernacle also had to be ritually purified before the priests could perform service therein. Are not these things intended to be a profound parable of one another? We observe that there were specific laws pertaining to the purification of a woman before a man could “go in to her” even as there are laws governing the purification of the Tabernacle and the vessels used before the Priests could “go in” and perform their priestly duties.

Yahweh has covered the entire Tabernacle and Temple with holiness. They are sacred, and to be kept pure and undefiled from the pollution of the world. In the same way, Yahweh determined that the body of the woman should be holy. It was to be guarded diligently to maintain purity. Regarding both the Tabernacle of Yahweh, and a man’s wife, there was to be no “intercourse” with the world. In a marriage union, the Husband is the High Priest and the Wife is the Tabernacle. NO ONE CAN ENTER THE HOLY OF HOLIES EXCEPT THE HIGH PRIEST.

Before passing on to other matters, I want to share further of the parable demonstrated in the body of the virgin bride. In the design of God, the virgin bride has kept her hymen intact until her wedding night. At that time her husband, High Priest, is to enter in even as Christ entered that Tabernacle in the heavens at His crucifixion.

Hebrews 9:11-12
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered  through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all...

At the crucifixion of Christ, as He yielded up His Spirit, we read that the veil of the Temple in Jerusalem was torn in two.

Mark 15:38
Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

This is a great mystery. Those who are “in Christ” can now enter in through the veil freely. There is no longer any restriction. By Christ yielding up His Spirit, His Spirit was enabled to be imparted to mankind. We receive the seed of Christ even as a woman receives the seed of man. Both are attended with the rending of a veil. Once the veil is rent, then there is free (unrestricted) access from that moment forward.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We can enter “boldly,” that is to say, without fear. What is this place spoken of by the apostle in Hebrews? Where does one “obtain mercy” except at the Mercy Seat, which was located above the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies?

The first time a virgin has sexual relations there is some pain involved. Even so, Christ endured pain, and his mother (the VIRGIN Mary) who witnessed His crucifixion, had a sword pierce her own heart. Yet after the first experience of entry, there is a new freedom. Indeed, there is a great joy and pleasure upon entry from that time forward.

Hebrews 12:2
Fixing our eyes on Yahshua, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross...*

* See end note.

There are great mysteries surrounding the sexual union of a man and a woman. I must leave many of them for your own contemplation. People of God, seeing that Yahweh has designed the union of the man and woman to demonstrate such profound and holy matters, should not the union be treated with the greatest reverence and regard? Should we not seek to keep the union of a man and woman inviolate? What are we truly testifying if we act promiscuously, going outside of the marriage covenant to have sexual relations? It is nothing other than a picture of idolatry.

Deuteronomy 13:6-9
"If your brother, your mother's son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods...' you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. But you shall surely kill him...”

Yahweh would abide no other gods in his presence. He would not permit His people to worship any beside Him. In the same way, the union of a man and woman is to be inviolable. There is to be no breach of the covenant. A man and woman thus joined in a marriage covenant, are to have intercourse with no others as long as they shall live.

Leviticus 20:10
If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

The physical transgression of adultery is a symbol of the spiritual transgression of idolatry. The punishment for both is the same. The testimony of the man and woman has not changed in this age of grace. Adultery is still adultery. The woman’s body is yet a holy Tabernacle reserved only for one to enter into.

Consider that when a man goes into his virgin bride that a blood covenant is cut. We observed previously that the man’s reproductive organ is the one marked by God as the covenant organ. The sign of circumcision is found there. It is the same for the woman. Even as a man experiences a tearing of the flesh and a flow of blood during circumcision, so too is the virgin’s flesh torn resulting in a flow of blood when she has her first sexual experience.

The covenant organ of the man literally carries the blood of the woman into the inner chamber. In this way, as High Priest, he is reenacting the work of Christ who as High Priest entered in through the veil and placed His own blood upon the mercy seat. The man and wife are “one flesh,” and woman was formed from a remnant taken from man’s body, therefore the man is bringing his OWN blood into the place God has called holy.

In the act of first sexual union, a blood covenant is cut. It is a covenant that cannot be broken. The life is in the blood, and the covenant is in force as long as there is life present in those so joined.

Do you see, that what Yahweh has designed is far greater than some earthly contract? Marriage is far more than a compact to establish a relationship of mutual benefit that can be ended when either party determines that the benefit has ended. Marriage is a sacred and holy covenant. It is a covenant in blood. The union of the man and woman is Most Holy.

Many more parallels could be cited, for Yahweh with great skill, wisdom, and purpose has designed the physical human body to give testimony of the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Was not the Temple located on the Temple Mound? Even so the entrance to the woman’s holy place is through the pubic mound.

Did not the male Priest bring the grain offering into the Temple and Tabernacle? Even so man brings his “seed” into the tabernacle of the woman’s body.

Did not the Priest present free will offerings, as well as mandatory offerings in the Temple? Even so, the man may go into his wife of his free will, but he must also make himself available to the needs of his wife, whether it be his desire to do so, or not.

I Corinthians 7:4-5
The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

People of God, let me conclude this portion of teaching by leaving your attention upon the thought of the great holiness Yahweh attaches to these matters. The innermost chamber of the Temple and Tabernacle that man could enter into was called The Most Holy Place, and The Holy of Holies. Similarly, the innermost chamber of the woman that man can enter into is to be viewed with the same sanctity. It is Most Holy!

No one who has a remnant of the Holy Spirit of God can treat as common that which Yahweh has called the holiest of all. May we weep and grieve over the tremendous uncleanness of the people of God today! We have treated as common that which is most holy. May Yahweh grant His people repentance, and establish them in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

End Note: Some may find it objectionable to speak of the work of Christ in terms of sexual union. Do not the objections arise because the people of God have had their thoughts altered to view sex as something common, or even unholy? It is specifically with the goal in mind that the church should begin to see sexual union as MOST HOLY that I am bold enough to make these comparisons. My desire is not to bring Christ down, but rather to raise man up to a place where he esteems as holy that which God calls holy.

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The Marriage Covenant - Part 2

Foundation Stone One - Covenant

As I set forth to present this teaching on the sanctity of the marriage covenant, I have chosen to approach the task by laying a foundation before addressing more specific issues. The first foundation stone to be laid is that of Covenant.

Yahweh is a covenant-keeping God. Moses wrote:

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that Yahweh your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.

King David declared the following:

I Kings 8:23
And he said, "O Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, who is keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart.”

The nature of Yahweh is faithfulness. As the apostle Paul also declared:

II Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.

When Yahweh says something, the matter is certain.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.

In saying that God will not repent, Moses is declaring that Yahweh will not renege on a promise. Whenever a man ‘renegotiates’ a contract, he is reneging on a deal. Such a man has lied. He has broken faith. His own personal interests have led him to defraud and act treacherously toward another person to whom he has given his word.

In sports we see this happen all the time. Whenever a professional athlete has a good season, it is almost automatic that he will seek to renegotiate his contract. Although he has made a legally binding promise for services, the athlete will either directly, or through an agent, seek to alter the terms of the contract in his/her favor.

The history of America’s broken treaties with the native Indian nations is one of deplorable treachery. Whenever it seemed desirable in the light of self-interest to breach a treaty, it was simply set aside, and a new treaty drawn up, which would also later be broken.

When I was in my early twenties, and just entering into marriage, I was self-employed, having started a company called Handyman Painting and Home Repair. I was a very conscientious worker, seeking to perform skillful work at a fair price. I often had a couple other men working with me, and I had to estimate time and labor on every job I took. Very often I bid low on a job as I sought to provide a fair and reasonable price to those for whom I was working.

On many jobs I found I had bid too low. After paying for materials, labor, and other expenses, I at times did not make any money. The thought suggested itself in my mind at times to seek to renegotiate with the person who had hired me, but I never entertained the thought. I remembered the following words of the Psalmist, as he answered the question “Who will dwell in Your Tabernacle and dwell on Your holy hill?” The answer is supplied, “He who swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psalms 15:4).

I knew it was better for me to receive financial injury myself, than to fail to honor my word. The unfaithfulness that  is commonplace to man is foreign to the nature of Yahweh. Yahweh does not merely sign a contract with man when He gives His word on a matter. He seals it with an everlasting covenant that cannot be broken. What God has declared, He will perform.

Ezekiel 17:24
“I am Yahweh; I have spoken, and I will perform it."

From mankind’s inception, God determined to fashion a creature in His own image, after His own likeness. Mankind was designed to be a perfect reflection of the nature and character of Elohim. Satan has succeeded in marring the image of man, and bringing forth his own perverse image in the heart of mankind. When Adam fell, we were all in Adam, for we were his seed. Consequently we also fell and became subject to the beast nature.

This lowly, corrupt beast nature is revealed in the curse placed upon the serpent. “On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat.” There is a great parable in these words. “On your belly” signifies that the beast nature is driven by its appetites. It is always selfish, seeking to satisfy the desires of the flesh. Eating dust is a symbol of craving fleshly things, for the flesh of man was formed of the dust of the earth. Paul uses this same imagery to describe Christians who crave evil things.

Philippians 3:18-19
For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly...

When Adam submitted himself in obedience to the beast, he took on the beast nature. As the apostle Paul declares, “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey?” (Romans 6:16). Mankind fell into slavery to a lower, bestial nature when Adam transgressed in the Garden of Eden. The character of God was no longer present in man. Man became “formless and void” in a perfect parallel to the earth from which his body was fashioned. Man was formless in that He lacked the image of God. He was void in that he was devoid of the Spirit, for which he had been created to be a temple.

Due to sin, whenever God wanted to demonstrate to mankind that a promise was given that could not be broken, He presented it in the form of a covenant. Mankind was prone to lying, deception, selfishness, and unfaithfulness. Therefore, Yahweh instituted the covenant that man might have a way of binding himself, and being held in perfect accountability, to an agreement with another party. The only way out of this type of compact was through death.

With God, such covenants are not necessary, for His nature is faithfulness. Yet fallen man is unfaithful. The covenant was given to testify with great certainty that when man gave his word it could never be altered, renegotiated, or broken. The consequences of breaking covenant was death.

There were certain symbols and elements that were used to establish a covenant. Their presence holds great meaning. We read of one such covenant that God made with His friend, Abraham. The context of the passage is a discussion between Yahweh and Abraham in which Abraham asks for an heir. Yahweh promises Abraham that he will have a son from his own loins, and that he will become a great nation and possess the land in which Abraham was sojourning.

Genesis 15:8-18
And [Abraham] said, "O Yahweh God, how may I know that I shall possess it?" So He said to him, "Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon." Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him... And it came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. On that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram.

It is important here to note that Yahweh chose specific items to denote the covenant that was made. These same elements appear in other covenants that Yahweh has made. These symbols are also found throughout God’s creation wherever a covenant is present. At times these symbols will be hidden from our eyes, but they are present nevertheless. As we will see, the elements of the blood covenant are present whenever a man goes into his virgin bride for the first time.

What are the identifiable elements in the covenant Yahweh made with Abrham? There is flesh, represented in the beasts. There is a division of the flesh, even as the animals were cut into two halves. There is blood, which is always the consequence of the flesh being cut. And there is a passing between the pieces of flesh in the path of blood.

Henry Stanley, who spoke the famous words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume,” wrote of the prominence of the blood covenant rite in his travels through Africa. One way in which the blood covenant was practiced in Africa is observed in the illustration above. Animals were cut in two and the halves laid opposite one another. The blood would run down between the pieces. The two men who were making covenant would then each walk barefoot through the blood between the pieces.

It was understood by the covenanting parties that “life is in the blood.” By walking in the blood of these animals they were effectually pledging their lives to one another. In addition, there were often terrible imprecations spoken, indicating what would happen if the covenant was not upheld. We witness this terrible aspect of the covenant in Yahweh’s compact with Abraham. Although no threatening words were uttered by God, we read of Abraham’s sense of great terror. “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him...”

A covenant was the most solemn agreement that could be made. It was literally a death pledge. Traditional marriage vows end with the words, “until death do us part.” This is because a marriage is more than a contract, or a partnership. A marriage is more than a social arrangement of mutual benefit. From the very beginning, Yahweh ordained  the union of a man and woman to be a covenant unto death.

It will be demonstrated conclusively in this series of teachings that the marriage union is most certainly a blood covenant. One of the major subjects of covenants found throughout Scriptures is the promise of sons, or of godly offspring. This was the context of Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham. Abraham had remained without a son for many years as his wife Sarah was barren. Abraham desired greatly to see fruit come forth from his loins, and to be a father. Yahweh promised Abraham that he would indeed be the father of many nations, and that one nation in particular would be set aside as holy unto God.

This promised son, and the nation to arise from him, was to be the fruit of the union of Abraham and his wife Sarah. All the other nations that arose from Abraham’s loins came either through Sarah’s Egyptian servant Hagar, or through Abraham’s second wife Keturah, whom he married after Sarah had died.

Yahweh has created man in his image and likeness. One of Yahweh’s great desires is to have sons in His own image, and He has placed this desire in the heart of man. What Yahweh had actually promised Abraham was that he would father sons who would be holy unto Yahweh.

When two men enter into a blood covenant of friendship, they literally are pledging themselves in every area of their lives to one another. Yahweh literally pledged to Abraham that He would undertake for him to raise up a godly seed. Abraham had no power to accomplish this by any power of his own. Therefore Yahweh walked between the pieces alone. He promised to accomplish all, for man cannot in his own strength raise up a seed that will be “holy unto Yahweh.”

I have been greatly blessed in my study on the Blood Covenant to come across a book written in 1885 by H. Clay Trumbull D.D.. The book is titled Blood Covenant: A Primitive Rite, and its Bearing on Scripture. It is filled with historical examples of the blood covenant through the ages to the present time. Trumbull gives one particular mention of the blood covenant from the Egyptian religions that pre-dated Abraham. He writes of a quotation found in the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

The Ritual goes on to say: "The blood is that which proceeds from the member of the Sun, after he goes along cutting himself”; the covenant blood which unites the soul and the god is drawn from the flesh of Ra, when he has cut himself in the rite of that covenant. By this covenant-cutting, the deceased becomes one with the covenanting gods. Again, the departed soul, speaking as Osiris, - or as the Osirian, which every mummy represents, says: "I am the soul in his two halves." Once more there follows the explanation: "The soul in his two halves is the soul of the Sun [of Ra], and the soul of Osiris [of the deceased]." Here is substantially the proverb of friendship cited by Aristotle, "One soul in two bodies," at least two thousand years before the days of the Greek philosopher.

As this Egyptian writing pre-dates Abraham, and is from the very region in which he was living, I believe it is helpful in discerning some of the symbols of the covenant ritual. I have never heard the elements of the covenant taught upon with any authority, and I have depended upon the Spirit to direct me in making investigation of this very profound matter.

I had wondered at the meaning of the animals being split in twain, and laid opposite one another with the blood flowing between them. My attention was caught by the words of the ancient Egyptians, “I am the soul in two halves.” The two halves thus mentioned were the Egyptian god, and the deceased man.

Consider that just prior to Yahweh appearing between the pieces as a smoking oven and a flaming torch, Abraham fell into “a deep sleep.” Sleep is often used as a synonym for death in Scriptures. Thus we have an image of Abraham in death, and God walking between the pieces enacting the covenant. It was appropriate for Abraham to be symbolically “dead,” for he had nothing to contribute to the covenant. He could not promise to perform anything. God would undertake both Abraham’s part, and His own.

We read of a smoking oven and a flaming torch passing between the pieces, and these things most assuredly symbolized God, for He was the One enacting the covenant. Yahweh had to pass between the pieces down the bloody path. The smoking oven, if I have not missed my guess, represented Yahweh, for He is described elsewhere as “a consuming fire.” The flaming torch, would then have likely represented Yahshua. He is the light of the world, and He did truly walk the path of blood as He carried His cross to Golgotha’s hill.

Yahweh was in effect promising that Abraham would have a godly seed, and a holy nation would arise from this seed. Abraham could not perform his own part in this matter, so Yahweh undertook for him. Yahweh would have His own Son to be born of the family of Abraham, and His Son would fulfill the covenant. Christ would insure that a Godly seed, and a holy nation, would arise in the earth.

Later on, we find Yahweh once again speaking to Abraham of this covenant, and the promise of a Godly heritage. Yahweh required Abraham, and his offspring to receive a sign of the covenant. Since the covenant was focused upon a godly seed, it is appropriate that the sign of the covenant should be made in the procreative organ of the man. Yahweh required that Abraham and his sons be circumcised.

The timing of this was very important. Abraham’s first son Ishmael had already been born. He was thirteen years old, but he was not the promised seed from which a holy nation would come. When Abraham had relations with Hagar, he was not yet circumcised.

Genesis 17:24-26
Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

The circumcision of the male sexual organ is literally a cutting away, and removal, of the flesh. It represented that man’s fleshly strength would not be utilized to fulfill the promise of a godly heritage. “The flesh profits nothing.” The flesh of man could not produce righteous and holy seed. God would bring forth this seed, and He would insure that Abraham would have the offspring his heart desired, an offspring that could forever stand in the presence of a holy God.

It was immediately after Abraham was circumcised that Yahweh again appeared to him and informed him that the next year when God visited him, he would have a son through Sarah. Thus, Isaac was born AFTER the covenant of circumcision was made between Abraham and God.

Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham was not one of Law, for the Law would not be given for another 430 years (Galatians 3:17). It was a covenant of promise. Yahweh was saying He would accomplish what had been promised, and Abraham’s part was to believe God.

Galatians 3:17-18
What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

This covenant of circumcision involved some of the same symbols as the earlier covenant. There was flesh that was cut, and there was blood. There was also symbolized the impotence of man to accomplish the purposes of God. The removal of the foreskin of the male sex organ was a testimony that man’s flesh must be removed out of the way in order for God to accomplish His promise. Man could not contribute anything from his flesh. His part was to look to Yahweh in faith.

Abraham had sought to accomplish the promise of God, and obtain a hope of a godly heritage, by having relations with his wife’s handmaiden Hagar. Yahweh rejected this “fruit” for the same reason that He had rejected Cain’s offering. It was the fruit of man’s own fleshly efforts. It was not an offering of faith. Man must be brought to realize his impotence to produce anything from his own fleshly strength that will merit God’s regard.

Returning once again to the early covenant where the animals were cut in two and the blood flowed between them, the Scriptures declare that “the soul (nephesh) is in the blood.” What did these severed pieces of flesh and the blood signify but “the soul in two halves.” There was the blood, containing the soul of the creature, and there were the two halves. Yahweh was symbolically testifying that the soul of Abraham and the soul of God would become as one. They would stand together to see the promise completed. Yahweh would accomplish it, and Abraham would believe.

All blood covenants have this in common; they represent the union of two souls into one.

In the introduction to this series, I mentioned that the physical consummation of the marriage union contains all the elements of a blood covenant. Even as the male sex organ is sanctified as the chosen instrument of God’s covenant with man, so the female sex organ is chosen as the covenant organ between man and woman. Even as the flesh of man is torn, resulting in a flow of blood, so the virgin hymen is torn as the woman has intercourse for the first time with her husband, resulting in bleeding.

What is the object of the covenant thus enacted between the man and the woman? It is to produce offspring in the image of the man, even as Yahweh’s covenant was to produce offspring in the image of God. Both actions are the same, for man has been created in the image and likeness of God. Male and female He created them.

Let us refer back to the words of the prophet Malachi to discern the intent of the marriage union.

Malachi 2:14-15
Yahweh has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring?

The prophet is saying that the purpose of the marriage union is to seek a godly offspring. Yet in the pursuit of a godly offspring, the men of Israel were acting treacherously against their covenant wives. Their actions were ungodly. How then could they expect that the fruit of their ungodliness would result in godly offspring. The prophet declares flatly, “Not one who has done so has a remnant of the Spirit.” Is this not an indictment against many in the church today who are acting with treachery toward their covenant wives?

We see then, that the focus of these blood covenants is the production of godly offspring. Yahweh desires sons in His image and likeness. Similarly, those who are of the faith and heart of Abraham seek for the same. Yahweh enters into covenant with man to undertake for him, and man enters into a covenant with woman to undertake for her.

Examine the Scriptures and you will see that those women whom God esteemed as godly all sought desperately to raise up offspring. Many accounts of barren women in great travail are brought before our eyes in the Scriptures. Eve was grieved when Cain slew righteous Abel. She therefore rejoiced when Yahweh gave her another son, Seth, who would carry on a righteous lineage.

Sarah was barren until her old age, and rejoiced greatly when Yahweh opened her womb. Her delight leaps forth from the pages of Scripture.

Genesis 21:6-7
And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me." And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

Rachel, the favorite wife of Jacob remained barren while her sister bore many children. She cried out in her desperate desire for children. Her complaint even arose before her husband.

Genesis 30:1-2
Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die." Then Jacob's anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

See Rachel’s desperate desire to raise up godly offspring. She said, “Give me children, or else I die!” What a reproach this is to Christian women today who have used contraceptives and birth control, who have elected to have surgery, in order that they might have the pleasure of sexual intercourse without raising up children. The ungodly influence of the world has affected the thoughts of the people of God. They say “Let me have one or two children, and that is enough.” They think of the expense and the responsibility of a larger family, and wanting to maintain their freedoms and a high standard of living, they cast away the most precious gift Yahweh has given to mankind, the ability to raise up a godly offspring. Many even kill the baby while it is developing in the womb, an act of the most profound horror and selfishness.

Jacob undertook for his wife Rachel to provide the children she desired, but her womb remained barren. Finally, God heard her plea of desperation and opened her womb. She gave birth to Joseph, and later to Benjamin. It is perhaps no coincidence that Jacob’s godliest son arose from the most desperate cry for children.

Later we read of Hannah, who was also barren. She pled with God for a son in such agony of spirit that when the High Priest Eli observed her, he thought she was drunk.

I Samuel 1:10-16
And [Hannah], greatly distressed, prayed to Yahweh and wept bitterly. And she made a vow and said, "O Yahweh of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thy maidservant and remember me, and not forget Thy maidservant, but wilt give Thy maidservant a son, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head." Now it came about, as she continued praying before Yahweh, that Eli was watching her mouth. As for Hannah , she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. Then Eli said to her, "How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you." But Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before Yahweh. Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman; for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.”

People of God, can you see that this is the purpose of the marriage union of the man and woman? From the beginning of creation, when God created them male and female, He spoke to them the command to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” If we bear the image of God, we will also desire to raise up a godly heritage to His name.

Not all are married, and not all are able to have children, but Yahweh will allow them to have many sons and daughters as they give themselves to disciple others. They will be given spiritual children in an everlasting kingdom. Yet, whenever we consider the purpose of the marriage union, this idea of raising up godly offspring should not be far from our thoughts. It is a righteous aspiration, one that arises from God’s own heart.

If there is one foundational motive in Yahweh’s heart as pertains to man, it is to have sons in His image and likeness. In pursuit of this He has bound Himself with a covenant of blood, a promise that cannot be broken, as demonstrated to His friend Abraham. All about this matter is holy and sacred. All has been spoken from the lips of God with perfect faithfulness. He has said it. He will perform it.

As we consider the marriage union of the man and woman, we are to understand that they become partakers with Yahweh in this same holy and sacred pursuit. The union of the man and woman is sacred and holy. They are brought together in a lifelong, inviolable covenant, to accomplish in their bodies the will and command of the Father.

Giving birth is but the beginning. All the energy and focus of the husband and wife should be turned toward training up a godly generation. When their children are themselves adults and married, the parents’ task is not over. One brother in Christ recently lamented to me, “It is no wonder that the children are perishing and families are overcome with evil. The older generation who should be giving themselves sacrificially as prayer warriors and seeking to promote a continued godly heritage in their children and grandchildren; these ones are spending their time on the golf courses, at the clubs, watching endless hours of television, and living at ease. It is no wonder that this generation is falling into apostasy.”

From the oldest to the youngest, Christians have departed from the will of God. We must return and rebuild the ancient ruins. We must re-establish the age-old foundations. We must repair the breaches and restore the streets in which to dwell (Isaiah 58:12).

Returning to an understanding of covenant, and the purpose of God in creating man and woman is a step in this direction. If we truly have set our hearts to raise up a godly offspring, will we seek to accomplish this high purpose through actions of unfaithfulness, treachery, and selfishness? Let us not be deceived. He who practices righteousness is righteous. May Yahweh give His people great grace, allowing them to repent and return to the narrow way.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

The Marriage Covenant - Part 1

Foreword

A word of explanation is necessary at the start of this book. In this work you will find this writer using names in reference to God the Father and God the Son that are more faithful to their Hebrew original than the names and titles generally in use by the church today. The name Yah, or Yahweh, will be found in reference to God the Father, and the name Yahshua will be utilized when speaking of the Son.

This usage is not intended to be divisive, nor does it serve as a renunciation of the usage of titles such as Lord or God. Neither is it a condemnation of those who choose to call the Son of God Jesus. My intent as a teacher of the Bible is simply to illumine and instruct. There is great meaning in the Hebrew names of the Father and the Son, and these names are directly related to one another, as well as bearing many significant relationships to other historic figures from the Bible, some of whom serves as types and shadows of the Son of God.

For example, Joshua, the Israelite leader who led the people of God across the Jordan and into battle to take possession of the land of Canaan bears the same name as the Messiah. They both were called Yahshua. The Son of God also began His ministry at the Jordan River as He was baptized by John. Both men labored to establish a kingdom dedicated to Yahweh, the first external and natural, the latter internal and spiritual.

Yah is the name used in reference to the Father on forty-nine separate occasions in the Old Testament. Most Christians have utilized this name of God without knowing that they were doing so. Whenever the word hallelujah is uttered, the speaker is literally exclaiming “Praise Yah,” for this is the meaning of the Hebrew word from which it is derived. The longer name Yahweh is found an additional 6,828 times.

The name of the Son is likewise significant, for Yahshua is understood to mean “Yah’s Salvation.” The Gospel writer indicates that this is the meaning of the name given to the Savior at His birth.

Matthew 1:21
“And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Yahshua, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.”

It has been the practice of this writer for many years to use these names, which more clearly represent their Hebrew originals. It is my hope that their employment in this book might aid the reader by bringing forth light on relationships that are obscured, as well as promoting an increased intimacy with God the Father by calling Him by His memorial name, instead of a title which men have substituted.

INTRODUCTION

The outward life of Christians is a testimony to their inner spiritual life. Those who are righteous will manifest this righteousness in their life as it is observed before the world. Those who are unrighteous will likewise provide an outward testimony of their spiritual condition.

As one observes the church at large today, it is evident that the spiritual life of the body of Christ is at a very low state. Churches are increasingly enticing people into their embrace with entertainment, sports, music, feasting, and dynamic speakers. Church calendars would put to shame many a civic organization as they offer everything from ocean cruises to pilates work-out groups. Churches have leagues for golf, bowling,  baseball, and basketball. They offer trips to the mall and outlet shops, as well as in-house banquets and concerts.

The message of the ministers is one of “Be fulfilled; Live your best life now; Don’t worry, be happy!” The message of self-denial, of the disciple’s cross, of being a bond-servant of Christ, has been replaced with a message of personal fulfillment and pleasure. The apostle Paul prophesied that this would be the condition of the church in the last days before the return of Christ.

II Timothy 3:1-5
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.

II Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.

This tragic condition of apostasy will appear on the earth, and be observed among the church, before the return of Christ.

II Thessalonians 2:3
Let no one in any way deceive you, for [the appearing of Christ] will not come unless the apostasy comes first...

What Paul described in II Timothy is this condition of apostasy. The word apostasy means “a divorcement from the truth.” Those who have fallen from truth have done so because they love their own lives. They want to fulfill their own soul’s desires, rather than to love God above all other things. The result is that they turn away from sound doctrine. Indeed, they will not even endure it. Instead, they have heaped to themselves teachers to proclaim the things their souls crave. They have embraced myths and fables.

This great fall of Christendom has certainly impacted the doctrines surrounding the sanctity and holiness of the marriage covenant. You will have noted earlier that I highlighted the word “treacherous” in Paul’s words to Timothy. This English word appears elsewhere in Scripture.

Malachi 2:14-16
Yahweh has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then, to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. “For I hate divorce,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says Yahweh of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously."

You will not find anyone in the churches today who will admit that Paul’s words concerning the state of the church applies to them. No one will say, “Yes, I love pleasure more than God. Yes, I am a lover of money, arrogant, and unholy.” Yet these same people have shopped around until they have found ministers who will proclaim the things they want to hear. Prosperity preachers are abundant in this hour. Why? Because men love money, and pleasure, and material possessions.

Neither will a man confess today, “Yes, Paul has described me perfectly when he said the church in the last days will be filled with ‘treacherous’ men.” Yet this very word describes one who breaks a covenant. To break faith is an act of treason. To divorce the wife of one’s youth is a treacherous act, and it happens with great regularity among Christians today.

Malachi stands as the oracle of God when he writes, “‘I hate divorce,’ says Yahweh God, ‘and he who covers his garment with wrong.’”

In Matthew 22:1-14 Christ speaks a parable of His return and the marriage supper of the Lamb. He speaks of a great king that is giving a marriage supper for his son. He describes guests who have been gathered together from throughout the earth. When the King came in to look over his dinner guests, he found one without a proper wedding garment. The garment that all must be arrayed with is the garment of righteousness. They must clothe themselves with righteousness and “put on Christ.”

Ephesians 4:24
Put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Romans 13:14
Put on the Lord Yahshua the Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Many will appear at the marriage supper of the Lamb without having a proper wedding garment. These will be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 22:13). Many are called, but few are chosen.

People of God, let no man deceive you. The one who practices righteousness is righteous. If you have been seeking the desires of your own soul, and have found comfort in hearing ministers proclaim the things you wanted to hear, you stand in a place of great peril today. The Son of God is very soon to return, and He will recompense every man and woman according to that which they have done.

Great error has gone forth concerning the doctrines of marriage and divorce. Every Christian who fears God should study this topic with great diligence. They must rightly divide the word of God, not searching for something to support the conclusions they desire to arrive at. This life on earth is very fleeting. The pleasure of the moment will soon give way to the judgments of the ages to come. Many will experience weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth as they are cast out from the presence of the Lamb and are denied entry to the marriage supper.

The Spirit of Christ has been directing me to a study of a number of foundational subjects that are critical in understanding the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. These topics include understanding covenants. The Hebrew word for covenant literally means “a cut where blood flows.” A blood covenant is enacted whenever a man goes into his virgin bride. He literally enters between the divided pieces of flesh, as God did when He enacted His covenant with Abraham. There is much that is profound in this teaching, and those who understand it will never be able to treat virginity as a common thing. Those who love God and understand covenant will prize virginity, and desire to remain pure until they establish a life-long covenant with the one with whom God has chosen for them to become “one flesh.”

Another related subject is that spoken of in the words, “the life is in the blood.” The word rendered as life is the Hebrew word nephesh and the Greek word psuche. Both are words that are equally rendered as soul. Yahweh has declared that the soul of all living things is in the blood.

Other than through the process of our conception and birth, there is no other time ordained of God that mankind passes blood from one person to another than in the act of sexual intercourse. God has given mankind strict prohibitions against partaking of blood, or eating blood. Only in the intimacy between husband and wife is blood transferred from one to another. In this way the soul of the man and the woman become mingled. There are tremendous and terrible ramifications when mankind is promiscuous. As the apostle Paul declared:

I Corinthians 6:18-19
Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body , but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Consider what Paul is saying here. The body is intended to be a temple where the soul of man communes with the Spirit of God. There are to be no other entities encroaching upon this holy sanctuary. When a man marries a woman they become one flesh. This is a union set apart as holy by God. The man and his wife are considered as ONE, and the temple of the body remains pure.

When a man (or woman) has sexual relations with others that are not their spouse, they sin against their own body. They are treating the temple of God as an unholy thing. They are allowing access of foreign souls into their bodies, thereby defiling the temple of God.

Every disease that resides in another person’s blood is transmitted through sexual intimacy to their sexual partners. This is how HIV, herpes, and other sexually transmitted diseases that are blood-borne gain access into the body of another. This transfer provides evidence that there is a blood transfer. Diseases are in the blood, and so is the soul (nephesh). The souls of other people gain entrance into our own body through the act of sexual intercourse.

For those who have not studied this matter, it is no doubt a mystery. Yet it has great bearing upon the marriage covenant and reveals the great need to remain sexually pure.

A further related subject is that of the Hebrew wedding customs as revealed in Scriptures. The betrothal period, the absence of the bridegroom for a period of time, his sudden and unannounced return, and his examination of his bride on the wedding night to determine whether she has kept herself pure and chaste, all reveal precious truths about our relationship to Christ as well as Yahweh’s intended relationship between a husband and wife.

Some will immediately recognize that they have already failed in these areas. Questions will arise concerning what must be done to make things right before God and man. By the grace of God, these things, and others will be examined in this series of teachings.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Valentine's Day - Babylons Romantic Deception

Joseph Herrin (02-07-08)

NOTICE!: It was necessary in declaring the truth of the origin of Valentine’s Day, and the symbols associated with it, to include some material of a sexually graphic nature. The intent of this writer is not to be controversial, nor to stir up impure thoughts of a sexual nature, but rather to expose the deceptions of the enemy in order to lead the Elect of God to separate themselves from all that is impure.

I have asked a few people, or couples, to share insights in this subject. If I have erred in this matter, the error is my own. I think it needful in this hour to show the saints clearly the polluted source from which the world offers to feed the children of God. It is my expectation that a day marked by a greater light and purity will arise when it is no longer needful to dwell upon matters that are disgraceful, but the present hour is very dark and the minds of many saints will only with the greatest proofs admit to the darkness of the world's ways, and even then some will not.

We should not be surprised to learn that many symbols and traditions that have been handed down to us from former generations have their origin in some idolatrous practice or obscene source. Much that mankind deems to be innocent and harmless today was birthed in the mind of the one who is the adversary of God, and the adversary of man. The Scriptures declare the following concerning Satan:

I John 5:19-21
The whole world lies in the power of the evil one... Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world...

In recent months the Spirit of Christ has led me to put together a number of presentations that focus upon the spirit of Babylon. Babylon throughout Scripture is a symbol for the kingdoms of men under the direction of Satan. Babylon was marked by its extreme idolatry, as the prophet Jeremiah declared. As the end of this age draws near we find that Satan is seeking to restore his dominion over all the kingdoms of the earth, in effect rebuilding Babylon.

We can discern Satan’s present activity as we observe the judgment Yahweh brought on the first construction of ancient Babel. This was the Babel of Nimrod and Semiramis. The practices of this ancient city were very profane, as the idolatrous religion that sprang up there was focused upon fertility rites that included orgies and prostitution.

An excellent, and well documented book, that explores the origin and dispersion of what became known as “The Mystery Religions” is The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop. In this book it is demonstrated that Nimrod and Semiramis became the original pattern for a myriad of religions that spread throughout the world when Yahweh confused the language of the people at Babel. These people took their idolatrous practices with them, using many different names for the deities they worshiped, although all can be traced back to Nimrod and Semiramis.

In this hour the Holy Spirit of Christ is proclaiming the following message:

Revelation 18:4-5
"Come out of [Babylon], my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”

Yahweh judged Babylon the first time by confusing the language of the people there and bringing division among them. He judged Babylon a second time when He brought all the prophecies of Jeremiah upon her, drying up her waters, and making her a waste place inhabited by the jackal and the hyena. Satan, however, is seeking to make the earth into Babylon once more. This is observed by the efforts to bring forth a one world government, as seen in the activity of the United Nations. It is seen in the ecumenical movement that is seeking to merge all the religions of the world together into one great amalgamation where the holy and profane are thrown together in an abominable mixture.

Babylon was the last place where the people of the world were united, and Satan is seeking to unite them once again under his dominion. The number three is symbolic of completion and fulness. There will be a third judgment of Babylon when the Lord returns, judges the world, and destroys this latest incarnation of Babylon.

Revelation 18:20
"Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her."

The whole world, including a carnal and sleeping church, lies in the power of the evil one. His power is deception. He has led even the saints of God to embrace and participate in festivals and holidays that were consecrated to idols, and which are filled with impure images and rites. He has hidden the understanding of these images and rites and has supplied false meanings for them in order to lead people to embrace that which is profane and vile. I have written about the particulars of Satan’s practices in the following writings.

Freemasonry, the Spirit of Babylon

http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Freemasonry_the_Spirit_of_Babylon.pdf

Removing the High Places

http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Removing%20the%20High%20Places%20article.pdf

I have deemed it profitable to add this latest writing in order to instruct the saints of Christ regarding one more idolatrous festival that the church participates in with all the fervor and zeal of the unregenerate world around them. Almost all Christians do so out of ignorance, but the Spirit is calling His children to separate themselves from all that is unholy and profane that He might not judge them along with Babylon. The practices and symbols spoken of here are disgraceful, and will certainly be shocking to some who will for the first time understand their origin. I am sharing these things in the spirit of the following command of Scripture:

Ephesians 5:11-15
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;  for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light... Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise...

These celebrations began in Babylon, and their symbols are directly related to the veneration of the sex act that was made the focus of idolatrous worship through Nimrod and his wife.

Valentine’s Day has been called many different things through the centuries, and even today it is called various names by the nations. The following information is taken from the website www.wikipedia.org

In France, a traditionally Catholic country, Valentine's Day is known simply as "Saint Valentin," and is celebrated in much the same way as other western countries.

In Denmark & Norway Valentine's Day (14 Feb) is known as Valentinsdag... people take time to eat a romantic dinner with their partner, to send a card to a secret love or give a red rose to their loved one. In Sweden it is called Alla hjärtans dag ("All Hearts' Day") and... its celebration is recognized and sales of cosmetics and flowers for this holiday are only bested by those for Mother's Day.

In Finland, Valentine's Day is called Ystävänpäivä which translates into "Friend's day..."

In Turkey, Valentine's Day is called Sevgililer Günü which translates into "Sweethearts' Day..."

According to Jewish tradition the 15th day of the month of Av - Tu B'Av (usually late August) is the festival of love. In ancient times girls would wear white dresses and dance in the vineyards, where the boys would be waiting for them (Judges 21:19-25). In modern Israeli culture this is a popular day to pronounce love, propose marriage and give gifts like cards or flowers...

Valentine's Day has emerged in Japan and Korea as a day on which women, and less commonly men, give candy, chocolate or flowers. It has become an obligation for many women to give chocolates to all male co-workers...

By a further marketing effort, a reciprocal day called White Day has emerged. On March 14, men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day. Originally, the return gift was supposed to be white chocolate or marshmallows; hence "White Day." However, lingerie and jewelry have become common gifts...

In Chinese culture, there is a counterpart to Valentine's Day, called "The Night of Sevens"; according to legend the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid meet in Heaven on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar...

In Persian culture (Iran) Sepandarmazgan is a day for love, which is on 29 Bahman in the Jalali solar calendar. The corresponding date in the Gregorian calendar is 17 February. Sepandarmazgan were held in the Great Persian Empire in the 20th century BC hundreds of years before its acknowledgment by western world.

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There are many sources that trace the observance of Valentine’s Day back to the Roman festival known as Lupercalia. This became such a debauched event that Pope Gelasius abolished it during his reign between 492-496 A.D.. Although the Lupercalia was a local event in the city of Rome, a wider festival was observed by the people of this time known as Juno Februa, or Juno the Purifier. Juno is a type of Semiramis. The month of February takes its name from this festival that celebrated purification and fertility.

The oldest documented celebration I have found on this date is that of Sepandarmazgan, which was celebrated as early as 2,000 B.C. in the Persian Empire. That it should be found there is to be expected, for Babylon lies in what is now the nation of Iraq, and Iran is its immediate neighbor to the East. The following quotes are taken from Iranian (Persian) websites.

Sepandarmaz is another name for mainyu (earth) meaning sacred, humble, and passionate. It is the symbol of love. It is humble, meaning it is modest toward the entire creation. These are the qualities attributed to Earth that spreads beneath our feet, thus the symbol of modesty and love. As human beings, there are creatures that we find unpleasant and repulsive even, but Earth is not like us. She embraces all creatures the same and loves them the same; like a mother who loves all her children alike, even when they are ugly. In our ancient culture, mother is symbolized by sepandarmaz or earth.

In the feast of Sepandarmazgan, Earth was worshiped and women venerated. On this day, Royal women and girls sat on the throne and men and boys had to obey them and bring them presents and gifts. In this way, men were reminded to acclaim and respect women.
[Source: http://www.tavoosmag.com]

In the mystery religions, the earth and celestial bodies were envisioned as deities. Nimrod, who also was known as Baal, was pictured in the Sun. Semiramis was at times pictured in the Earth, as well as the Moon, for both are linked to fertility. A woman’s menstrual cycles are based upon the phases of the Moon. The ancient Indo-European word menes denoted both Moon and Month, and serves as the basis for the words menses and menstrual. Thus, the moon became a symbol of fertility. Crops were planted according to the phases of the Moon, and people determined the best dates for conception by the same observances.

The earth also served as a symbol of fertility, and it is this relationship that has given rise to the name “Mother Earth.” Semiramis, therefore, being the origin of the goddess of fertility was associated with both the Earth and the Moon. Sepandarmazgan is a feast established for the worship of Mother Earth, whose bounty was entreated by bringing gifts to women. This is the origin of men presenting gifts to their female lovers on Valentine’s Day. Chocolates, roses, greeting cards, jewelry, and a variety of other gifts are all the modern enactment of this ancient idolatrous festival.

Doing a search on this ancient festival will lead one to discern its origins in the Zoroastrian religion, and its association with the god Ahura Mazda. Alexander Hislop reveals that both Zoroaster and Ahura Mazda are other identities of Nimrod. Understanding these things is reason enough for a Christian to choose to not have any participation in this festival. The Scriptures state:

II Corinthians 6:14-17
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."

The thoughtful Christian should consider that the various festivals and holidays that the world celebrates all had an origin at some point, and many of them can be traced back directly to idolatrous worship. When we discern that an event has such an origin, we should separate ourselves from any association with that which was birthed in idolatry. Even more, many of these idolatrous celebrations were very obscene, having a focus upon the act of reproduction that was distorted into something contrary to Yahweh’s desire. Rather than sex being viewed as a sacred thing to be shared among a husband and wife in a relationship of fidelity, it became something promiscuous.

The symbol most widely associated with Valentine’s Day is the heart. As one looks at the shape of an actual human heart, they should wonder how it ever came to be depicted as it now is. Following is an image of an actual human heart, and the symbol now associated with it.

Below is an image created by tracing the outline of the actual human heart above.

Egyptian Ieb

The ancient Egyptians when wanting to symbolize the human organ had a much different image that they used. It is called the Ieb. This is a much better graphic as it reflects the valves and arteries of the heart. This image pre-dates the heart graphic that has become commonplace today. One must ask, “Where then did the shape we now draw as a heart originate?” Following is one account.

What the traditional "heart shape" actually depicts is a matter of some controversy. It only vaguely resembles the human heart. Some claim that it actually depicts the hearts of cattle, a more readily available sight to most people in past centuries than an actual human heart. However, while beef hearts are more similar to the iconic heart shape, the resemblance is still slight. The shape does resemble that of the three-chambered heart of the turtle, and that of the human male prostate gland, but it is very unlikely that the image was patterned after either of these organs.

There are many claims that the "heart" shape actually depict features of the human female, such as the female's pubic mound or vulva. A Sumerian cuneiform symbol for "woman" closely resembles the heart shape, and is believed to directly depict the pubic mound. Others maintain that the heart resembles the shape of the female breasts or the female buttocks, especially when bent over in readiness for copulation. Any of these origins would indicate that the heart was originally a symbol of fertility and sexuality, explaining its current association with love.

The heart shape may also represent a perfectly formed and spread labia.

The piercing of a heart or valentine with an arrow, an obvious phallic symbol, then becomes a straightforward representation of "act of love" — penile-vaginal penetration.
[Source: burningtaper.blogspot.com ]

I believe the actual origin of the heart symbol can be demonstrated convincingly as one considers the source from which it arises. We must keep in mind that Valentine’s Day is simply the modern form of the ancient festival that worshiped Semiramis as the goddess of fertility. Her festivals were known for their impure sexual practices, and the act of sexual intercourse was an integral part of it.

Before I go further to show what the heart symbol actually represents, I want to first look at a common way in which it is depicted at Valentine’s Day. It is very commonly shown in association with Cupid shooting an arrow into it. Following is one such illustration.

It is commonly understood that the arrow is a phallic symbol, that is, it is an image that represents the male sex organ. This symbolism is used even in the internationally recognized symbol for the male sex.

We can gain more understanding as we understand who Cupid is. Although Cupid is commonly depicted today as a winged baby, this is merely part of the deceit of Satan. He seeks to depict Cupid as something that is innocent, when historically he has been known as anything but innocent. Following are some common depictions.

The actual identity of Cupid reveals an image that is not innocent at all. The website Wikipedia states this of his identity. “In Roman mythology, Cupid (Latin cupido) is the god of erotic love and sex. He is equated with the Greek god Eros, and another one of his Latin names Amor...” We can understand the true nature of Cupid as we observe some of the English words that have been derived from his Roman, Greek and Latin names.

Concupisence: illicit sexual desire, unlawful desire
Cupidity: covetousness
Eroticism: an abnormal emphasis of sex and sexual relations
Erotogenic: producing sexual desires
Amorous: showing, or feeling sexual desire

The Greeks and Romans viewed Cupid/Eros after the image that these words depict. The following words are found under the Wikipedia listing for Eros: “In Greek mythology, Eros was the primordial god of lust, love, and intercourse; he was also worshiped as a fertility deity.” Following is a picture of a statue of Cupid/Eros found in the ruins of Pompeii. It is dated to the first century B.C..

It is evident that this is no cherubic baby. The citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were alike killed in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, were obsessed with sex. The paintings, sculpture, and other artwork found in these buried cities reveal the most explicit and excessive focus upon sex. That a judgment was brought upon these cities due to their sin is as likely as it was for the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah who ran to the same excesses.

Knowing then that it is Satan’s habit to depict that which is vile in an innocent form; knowing that Cupid is the god of illicit sexual desire, and understanding that the arrow is a symbol of the male sex organ, what is it that is actually being depicted in the symbols associated with Valentine’s day?

It is actually a depiction of the act of intercourse. We have seen that the arrow is an image of the male sex organ. What then is the heart shape an image of? The writer cited earlier listed a number of possibilities. The correct one, I believe, is that it depicts the female organ with the labia pulled back. This accounts for both the shape, and the red, or pink color.

Following is a depiction of the female organ taken from the cover of an online magazine. In the following images the color and arrow are added. I came across this image while researching the article “Another Gospel” back in 2002. The originator of this magazine was a friend of Jay Bakker, son of Jim Bakker. By following a link on the ministry site of Jay Bakker, I was led to this image at a time when I had just begun to consider the origin of the heart symbol. I was immediately struck by the profound resemblance of the female sexual organ with the labia pulled back, and that image we now refer to as a heart symbol.

It is evident that although the heart symbol is a poor match for the shape of the human heart, it is a perfect match for the shape of the female sex organ opened invitingly for the act of sex. However, there is more evidence that this symbol was used for thousands of years in this manner.

In the ancient city of Ephesus a marble paving stone was found that is described as being the world’s oldest surviving example of advertising. On this marble stone is a picture of a prostitute holding a sign with the name of a sex house in ancient Ephesus. Along with the prostitute is the depiction of a man’s footprint, believed by some to indicate the direction to the house. There is also found on this same stone what we refer to as the heart symbol. Following are a few pictures of this marble paving stone.

This paving stone can still be viewed as it was originally laid out on a sidewalk of ancient Ephesus. The Ephesus brothel and public latrine were both located a short distance away. That you might be incredulous to think that the Ephesians would have a depiction of the female sex organ on their street is understandable. Yet just outside the brothel on a public well was found a statue of the god Bes. It is pictured below.

The Ephesians openly flaunted their excessive focus on sexuality. It was a common thing to go to a brothel to engage in sexual activity. Many of the temples of the day employed prostitutes to engage with the devoted followers of various fertility gods and goddesses in sex rites. The statue of Bes pictured above is rather tame in comparison to much of the sexual paraphernalia and artwork found in the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

It was not just ancient peoples who understood the significance of what we now refer to as the heart symbol. The female sex organ is often associated with this shape today. One slang reference to the female sex organ is a cherry. The images shown below reveal their great similarity of form.

The website “answers at Yahoo.com” gives the following information regarding the symbolism of the cherry.

Certain fruits have strong fertility symbolism, and a deep red, ripe, juicy cherry is no exception. The cherry has come to represent chastity and purity as the fruit ripens on the tree. Once plucked, a cherry represents the loss of innocence and virtue. A cherry tasted is a virgin no more.

A cherry surrounded in flames speaks of unquenchable desire or passion.
[Source: answers at Yahoo.com]

Another common depiction of the heart symbol at Valentine’s Day includes a picture of a lock and a key. Following are some common depictions.

After recognizing that the heart is a symbol for the female sex organ, the lock and key then attain a greater meaning. Some have suggested that the key is another symbol for the male sex organ. The key also points to an unlocking of a female’s chastity so that she will become promiscuous with her male suitor. There were times when men so feared that their wives and daughters would engage in undesirable sexual conduct, that the women were forced to wear chastity belts.

The heart with a lock and key is simply another reference to the act of sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. Valentine’s Day originated as a debauched festival that led to a great lack of restraint among mankind, including a profusion of prostitution and orgies. Satan has simply attempted to deceive those who would object to such overt imagery today by masking them in ways that appear cute and innocent.

In a society where sexual fidelity is becoming hard to find, even among those in the church, is Valentine’s Day something that you want to participate in? And what of your children? Is it really an innocent thing when young boys and girls give one another cards and gifts on this day, and ask one another to “Be My Valentine”? Or is Satan setting our children up for a future life of sexual impurity? Will the childish request of today turn into the immoral proposition of the future? Is it proper to teach our children to flirt with the opposite sex in such a way? Do they need to be focused upon dating and sexual attraction while they are yet in elementary school? Consider the messages that children give to one another on pieces of heart shaped candy.

I attended public grade school as a child. One of the annual events of school life was exchanging valentine’s cards with all the other members of the class I was in. Even as a young boy I found it exciting to receive Valentine’s cards from the girls in my class. We also got small cardboard boxes of heart shaped candy with messages on each one, similar to the image above. Boys and girls would huddle together and talk of giving a heart candy with a particular message on it to some member of the opposite sex.

As a Christian, we should understand the power of the thoughts we entertain. Every Valentine’s Day young children have their minds directed toward thoughts of sexuality in a context outside of Yahweh’s plan for them. They are directed to embrace a mindset of flirtation and sexual suggestion. These thoughts often take root during these annual events and begin to form channels for future thoughts toward the opposite sex. A very worldly mindset is embraced, where lust, or some romantic illusion, becomes the basis for contemplation of any relationship with the opposite sex. As children get older, these thoughts turn to action.

What many view as innocent suggestions, and harmless activity, such as that of exchanging Valentine’s Day cards in elementary school, is actually establishing patterns of thought that will impact the course of one’s life. Consider the message of the following cards.

Message: “Why beat around the bush at all, or be afraid to show it? When on someone love wants to call, why not let someone know it?”

The message and the imagery of naked children is far from innocent.

This Valentine’s card is typical of many of the works of Satan. He is a genius at suggestiveness. He often cloaks hidden messages in imagery. The very practices of the advertising world are the fruit of Satan’s fallen thinking. Ezekiel 28 speaks of Satan defiling his sanctuaries by the abundance of his trade. This is seen again in his leading the people of God to turn the Temple of God into a house of merchandise and money changers. Advertising is all about stirring up some desire in a person to make them covet the thing that is being sold. Stirring up the appetites of the flesh is one of the greatest areas of Satan’s work, and he is a master at it.

Many have heard of various forms of subliminal advertising. Images formed in the shape of a cloud, or the swirls of an ice cube, can all be used to evoke thoughts and emotions even when the conscious mind does not recognize what it is seeing. I have at times studied such marketing tricks, and the hand of Satan is clearly behind it all.

The card above with the boy at the pump and the girl holding the heart is an example of Satan’s usage of imagery to evoke emotions and thoughts that the person looking at it might not even consciously recognize. The heart, as we have shown, is a representation of the female sex organ. Notice that the pump associated with the boy is also an image of the male sex organ. Even the flow of water is symbolic.

Proverbs 5:15-18
Drink water from your own cistern and fresh water from your own well. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be yours alone and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth.

In this Proverb, a man’s seed is depicted as a spring of water. The reader is exhorted to share this spring only with the wife of his youth. The message of Valentine’s Day is to share this spring with whomever one is attracted to. Following is another Valentine’s Card with a not so subtle message.

The word “Swing” is emphasized. Swing has become a word used to denote an open sexual lifestyle that includes wife-swapping and other forms of immoral sexual conduct. The messages that are associated with Valentine’s Day are becoming increasingly more overt as Satan finds it less necessary to disguise an open invitation to sexual promiscuity. Society is becoming more accepting of immoral conduct. There is less censorship, and even at the highest levels of government arguments are heard repeatedly that a person’s private life has no bearing on his/her professional life.

I will show one more Valentine’s Day card to lead into another item that is greatly associated with this celebration, roses.

Florists around the world do a brisk business in flower sales at Valentine’s Day. Where did this tradition arise from? Roses were sacred to Venus, Diana, and Aphrodite, all of whom are various incarnations of Semiramis.

In searching for historical information on the artifacts associated with the various fertility goddesses, I came across a site posted by a pagan worshiper of Venus. Historical information was provided on the Veneralia, one of the chief festivals dedicated to the worship of Venus. The rose is mentioned frequently in association with Venus.

This pagan worshiper has made a room in her house into a shrine for Venus, which she describes in the following way:

I have a room at home which is specifically and only Venus's Temple. No one is even allowed in that room unless I know for sure that they will show respect for the Goddess (so basically all Pagans are welcome!). In her Temple I have many statues of Venus and her altar. Her altar is decorated with sea shells, rose quartz and rocks shaped like hearts, which I gathered on the beaches of Greece. I also have the altar decorated with fresh flowers (usually roses) which are sacred to her plus jewelry and other pretty trinkets which I find fitting for the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

It is no coincidence that the images associated with the worship of this pagan fertility goddess are the same images that are observed in profusion on Valentine’s Day. This day finds its origin in Babylon, in the veneration of Nimrod and Semiramis. Like Christmas and Easter, which still bear the distinct imprint of their pagan origins, so too does Valentine’s Day. Even as there is much that is debased and obscene in the idolatrous rites of Semiramis and Nimrod, so too do we find this same spirit associated with the observance of Valentine’s Day.

One of the people I asked to review this article commented with the following remarks.

A child that has been abused and beaten by his or her natural father has a very difficult time understanding or believing the love of Yahweh that is revealed in the relationship of father and child. 

Just so, the marital relationship has been trodden under foot. Even believers fail to recognize the spiritual significance of it and are thus unable to partake of what was meant as a gift to be treasured. As a living example to teach a message and a truth.

The language of symbols is a pure language - as long as the symbols remain untainted. When the symbols are corrupted the message does not come through clearly. It is garbled and misunderstood. That is why the Adversary will twist the meaning any way he can. His first appearance in scripture shows one method that he will use to blind humanity. Casting doubt on the expressed Word.

Gene 3:1 (KJS) Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

When Yahweh says, "Marriage [is] honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." Hebr 13:4 (KJS) - the enemy says, "Did God really mean that?" Then he will cast up before the mind all the filth that he has managed to wrap around it - centuries of pornography, bestiality, perversion, pagan rituals, fornications, adulteries and more. He will say, "how can something holy come out of what is unholy?" 

But the answer to that is - the Holy came first.

Yahweh will eventually open the eyes of His chosen ones to see and understand. 

Zeph 3:9 (KJS) For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent. 
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The point is well taken. Even as Satan has sought to distort mankind’s image of God as our Father by placing before our eyes a myriad of images and examples of distorted fatherhood, so too does he seek to distort mankind’s understanding of the marriage relationship. Generations have now been raised up with the television’s depiction of marriage. Over time the image in the minds of the young have become further confused in regard to what God has intended.

In a short span of time we have gone from the marriage relationship revealed in Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best to the wildly unfaithful relationships between men and women observed in such shows as Sex in the City. Our society has had pushed upon it by the great deceiver an image of the male/female relationship that is based completely upon selfishness. Men are seeking some never ending sexual fantasy that is seldom satisfied by one woman, and women are pursuing the man of their dreams through sensual dress and provocative language. All of these things are present in the rites and symbols of Valentine’s Day, but they have often gone unrecognized by a society who has lost the knowledge of Yahweh’s true desire for the lifelong unselfish union between a man and a woman, a relationship that basks in heartfelt communion while seeking the welfare of the other party.

Valentine’s Day not only is sowing confusion regarding male/female relationships, but it’s origin is in the idolatry of ancient Babylon. One brother who wrote a response to this article shared the following:

I do believe that this presentation is a word that the body of Christ would benefit from if we are ever going to move from mere babes and grow up into Him who is the Head, which is Christ. Most of us, including myself, do not fully realize how much the Babylonian system of worship is ingrained in our world and way of life, unless the Spirit reveals it to us...

If those with the light remain silent, then we are only companions to this delusion. We are not called to keep our light hidden. The Apostle Paul exhorts the saints in Philippians 2:15-16, "...so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..."

Joseph, my exhortation to you is to hold forth the word of truth regarding this teaching whether or not it brings reproach. If the bride is to become without spot or wrinkle then it is necessary that all the idols (including blatant and hidden ones) be cast down and thrown into the fire. Idols, albeit those associated with Christmas, Easter, or Valentine's Day, are still alive and well in this present evil age. And just like Israel of old, His saints today are still, knowingly or unknowingly, clinging to those things devoted to destruction.  It is high time for the bride of Christ to awake from her slumber and let the light of Christ shine on them. "Truly, these times of ignorance God has overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent." Joseph, you do well to admonish the saints in the words of the Apostle John, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols."
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Babylon was both a place of great idolatry and great immorality. Satan is working ceaselessly to re-establish Babylon upon the Earth and to destroy everything that God has called holy. The Spirit of Christ is calling out, “Come out of her My people, lest you participate in her sins and partake of her plagues.” May He have an obedient people.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

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Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063