You may be wondering why I think the institution of marriage could possibly be connected to our salvation. It all lies in our understanding of the ancient covenant of marriage God established in the Bible and how it is the culmination of all the other covenants that He ordained. You see, our God is a god of order, and there is a very specific structure to His plan of redemption. Let me see if I can condense it in an easily understood sequence, so we can see the strategies of the Enemy to deconstruct God's objectives.
First of all, it's important to understand that when YHWH divided mankind in Deuteronomy 32:8 (after the rebellion of the Tower of Babel), He fixed the borders [territories] of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the LORD's portion is His people; Jacob [Israel] is the allotment of His inheritance. Through the ancient Israelites, God established covenants with His chosen people; mutual agreements defining an ongoing relationship between the parties, without end. He did that with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. Today, the people who follow Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer, share in the New Covenant, and when Jesus returns to redeem His people, we will enter into the Everlasting Covenant.
[NOTE: I highly recommend that you read Volume 1 of Lost in Translation by John Klein & Adam Spears. It shows the clear connection between the covenants God established with His chosen people and how we, as Christians, need to understand the implications of these covenants on the foundation of our faith. What it is not ... it is not an invitation to convert to Judaism or become a part of any "movement" to transform the Christian faith. It simply helps the reader of the Bible to, as the authors explain, "uncover the treasure of foundational truths that have been lost in translation". It also provides context and clarity to some passages that I now realize clouded our understanding of God's purpose in the written Word].
Now let me share this information with you that shows why Satan is trying so hard to destroy the foundational covenant of marriage. The Bible recognizes four main types of covenant: Service, Friendship, Inheritance, and Marriage, in that order. These covenants are progressive; each one involves a deeper, more intimate relationship than the one that went before. No "new" covenant replaces an old one; each one incorporates the provisions of the previous one and builds on it. Marriage is the culmination/conclusion of the three previous types of covenant mentioned above. That explains why the marriage relationship is central to everything God ordained. Throughout Scripture, God identifies Himself as the Bridegroom and those who enter into the three forms of covenant (Service, Friendship, and Inheritance) as His Bride.
It comes down to this: you can't know or understand Scripture unless you know covenant; and you can't understand covenant unless you know and understand the ancient Hebrew marriage ceremony -- and why Satan hates the possibility that we might come to this knowledge in this stage of God's redemptive plan for mankind. So, set aside any predilection of cynicism you might have and see if this doesn't make sense to you; see if you can't identify the process and journey we undergo in our walk with the Lord.
In ancient Hebrew culture, a wedding was part of a "process" involving commitment and covenant. This process is very long and happens over time, and this post is not dedicated to all the minutiae and details, but rather is written to give a short outline, and then show how Satan is determined to keep us from reaching its culmination. To begin, the prospective bridegroom came to his intended bride's house [with his father] and carrying the anticipated bride price. He knocked on the door. If the bride was willing to accept his proposal, the door would be opened -- the first major step toward making a marriage. [However, if she refused the invitation and refused to open the door, the groom turned around and left.] And here's an interesting fact -- at any time the bride could still back out, right up to the very instant of marriage consummation!
So, here, we see a picture of Jesus's invitation to each one of us ... Will you answer My knock at the door and enter into a process that will lead to our ultimate marriage? If we decide to open the door, He comes in, and the restoration process of our life begins. At that point we have salvation. But beyond that, He is asking us if we will enter into the covenant of betrothal with Him. Will we agree to see the process to the end? Remember, in ancient history, the intended bride could stop the whole process at any moment! Many Christians assume that salvation alone is all they need to become "one with Christ", forever united with Him as His Chosen Bride, dressed in white. But it isn't that simple. Salvation is just that ... salvation; the first important step. There is much more to the process!
The next step was for the Groom to go and prepare a home where he could live with his bride which was often an extension of his father's house. The father was the only one empowered to determine when the groom's bridal preparations were sufficient and complete. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone", comes to mind, doesn't it? As preparations by the groom were being finalized, the bride's family and friends would begin preparing for a feast. The signs that the groom was about to approach would being to spread, and the bride and bridesmaids would buy enough oil to keep their lamps lit for at least two weeks, as they watched for the groom's arrival. When they saw him coming for his bride, their lamps would show the way.
When the groom arrived, he would be accompanied by a crowd of groomsmen. Their job was to guard him and announce his coming by blowing trumpets. The bridesmaids would then whisk the bride away to the wedding site. They would light it up with their lamps and when all was ready the groom would take his bride's hand and lead her to the celebration. This was a special event for the bridal party alone. The wedding would be held on the next day, with guests and relatives coming from all over. And here's an important point to think about... remember what constitutes salvation, and at what stage that occurs in our journey to become the Bride of Christ. It's when we open the door and accept His invitation to become our Redeemer and we are ready to go forth in the rest of the process. Salvation means you will be invited to the wedding, but you can't be a guest and the Bride at the same time! Salvation leads to entry into the other three covenants (servanthood, friendship and inheritance) until we finally arrive at our destination, the Marriage Covenant.
NOTE: Remember which came first ... God's plan of redemption which includes our acceptance of salvation. We learn what it means to serve the Lord, become a devoted friend, and start earning our inheritance by expanding His kingdom on earth; Jesus pays the price; He returns to Heaven to prepare a place for us; at the Father's determined time, Jesus comes back for His Bride, takes us to the pre-wedding feast, and the invited guests celebrate with us at the Wedding. This glorious plan was already in place before God mirrored it in the Hebrew wedding ceremony -- so they would recognize it when God initiated the start of the plan through His covenants -- and with the hope that we would understand and recognize it, too, as we rediscovered the roots of our faith.
I hope you can now see why Satan has worked and schemed and strategized to deconstruct and tear apart the sacred covenant of marriage in our society. It is the final culmination of God's redemptive plan for us. The Enemy realizes that he missed the boat by not recognizing God's plan of Salvation, and thereby helped launch centuries of the Word, which has taught us [for those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to receive] the importance of entering into our servanthood, friendship, and inheritance covenants with the Lord. His last chance of destroying our culminating Marriage to the Lamb and Son of God, is fast approaching, and he is taking advantage of the Church's failure to protect this last binding covenant, the Marriage covenant.
We, as faithful Christians, have compromised with the sexual revolution of the 60's; the cultural revolutions of feminism and abortion; the definitions of family and marriage participants; the defamation and disparagement of a Godly marriage; and the acceptance of adultery, premarital sex, and cohabitation as the new normal in America. Satan's cultural ambassadors are desperately trying to render marriage meaningless, worthless, and insignificant.
But God's Truth is that marriage gives us meaning. It gives us purpose and it matters in the life of a nation. The gradual deconstruction of God's marriage covenant contributes to the destruction of our identity. When the understanding of what it means to become the Bride of Christ no long has any meaning or value, then so many of mankind will lose their way to the Everlasting Covenant. Perhaps that is why there will only be a remnant that reaches that exalted place of relationship with the Ancient of Days. It's time we stand and fight for Marriage ... God's definition of Marriage! Our nation, our families, and our eternal future depend on it!
Hosea 2:19 And I will betroth you to Me forever. I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.
