SONG OF SONGS-- INSTRUCTIONS ON SEX IN MARRIAGE #7 - LOVE REFUSED

 

Love Refused 

A Problem Solved

Continuing with Dillow's book A DREAM OF LOVE REFUSED - A PROBLEM (Reflection #9, Song 5:2-8) Let's review the first part of the book for a moment. From 1:1 to 5:1, Shulamith's reflections deal with the wedding day and the wedding night. These chapters portray the ideal - the beauties of youthful and romantic love. Now, in the second major section of the book, a series of seven reflections portray the reality of married love. There are problems and adjustments that must be made if two people are to learn to live together in a vital marriage. The Bible is quite realistic, it doesn't leave us with an idealized picture of them living happily ever after. There were two major problems that affected the early years of this marriage. The first concerned some problems related to sex. Solomon's job apparently kept him away from Shulamith more than she liked, and he was in the habit of approaching her sexually late at night after she was already in bed. She, in turn, continually displayed a lack of interest in sex and often rejected his advances. The second problem surfaces in chapter six. Shulamith is a country girl at heart. She longs for the freedom of the country. Even though she loves Solomon, she would still like to visit her country home in the Lebanon mountains. The first part of this section of the book (5:2-8:4) reveals how they resolved their sexual differences. The second part gives the solution to the longing of Shulamith's heart, a vacation to the Lebanon mountains (8:5-13). The first part of this section consists of five reflections. It begins with "A Dream of Love Refused" (5:2-8) and ends with "The Dance of the Mahanaim" (6:136-8:4). It can be diagrammatically set forth like this: From "A Dream of Love's Refusal" to "The Dance of the Mahanaim" (Song 5:2-8:4) THE PROBLEM: LOVE REFUSED THE SOLUTION: ASSUMING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY A Dream of Love Refused A Change of Attitude A Thoughtful of Interlude A Change of Action My Beloved and Friend The Return Solomon Shulamith in the Garden The Dance Mahanaim "I have taken off my dress, how can I put it on? (5:3) Concerning: thinking about sex Concerning: her husband's availability. What kind of beloved is your beloved? Where has your beloved gone? "You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling" (6:4) "Come back come back, O Shulammite" (6:13a) 5:2 8 9 16 6:1 3 4 10 11 13a 13b 8:4 The section begins with her passive apathy toward her husband's late-night advances and ends (after a decisive change of attitude, 5:9-6:3) with her active aggressiveness in initiating sexual play(6:13b-5:4). The problem is sexual adjustment and many pertinent applications are suggested by this chapter to twentieth century marriage. This song opens with Shulamith in a semi-conscious dream state. She is troubled and restless; her "heart is awake." Sometimes a restless dream of an unpleasant event reflects a degree of inner distress concerning the event. Many have found themselves dreaming about things that upset them during the day or about a particularly disturbing problem they are faring. The poet may have included the dream as a way of telling his readers that the problem troubling Shulamith is very upsetting to her. Insofar as the dream seems to contain a scene in which she is being punished (beaten by the palace guards) perhaps we are to assume she was feeling guilt over ignoring Solomon's sexual interest. COMMENTARY 5:2 SHULAMITH: I was asleep, but my heart was awake. To sleep while the heart is awake is to dream. The Hebrew text reads more literally, "I sleep and my heart keeps on waking." It was a restless and dream-filled night for Shulamith. She evidently tossed throughout the night in a restless sleep, stirring oft-times in a troublesome dream. This section of the Song reveals two possible causes for her restless night. First of all, she and the king have had difficulties resolving some sexual problems (5:2,3). Secondly, she seems to have developed a longing for life in the country once again, and she has had trouble fully adjusting to palace life (6:12,13; 7:12). The sexual problems are the focus of attention in the dream. A person only keeps on dreaming and has a restless night if there is a recurrent problem underlying the dream. In this case she seems to be upset with herself for her refusal of Solomon's late-night approach to sex. He had approached her after she was already in bed, and she had refused him; apparently she feels guilty about it. In the fantasy of her dreams, she imagines that she refused him, and after he left she could never find him. 5:2 SHULAMITH: A voice! My beloved was knocking: Open to me, my sister, my darling, My dove, my perfect one! For my head is drenched with dew, My locks with the damp of the night During some months in Palestine, dew falls so copiously that it saturates the clothes like rain (Judges 5:38). Solomon, apparently at an affair of state, comes to her bedroom in the dream and asks to make love. We know it is late at night because the dew has already begun to fall. It could be that in the dream she is thinking of herself as back at her country home. This at least makes the reference to dew and the opening in the window (5:4) easier to explain. But dreams are very subtle, and not too much should be made of this. As she dreams the scene shifts back to the streets of Jerusalem - an impossibility, of course, in real life. Now she gives two reasons why she is not interested in making love. 5:3 SHULAMITH: I have taken off my dress, How can I put it on again? If this seems like a strange reason to you for not making love, it seems strange to me also. She says she would have to put her robe on, get up and walk to the door, and open it. In effect, she's saying something like, "Oh Solomon, can't it wait? Can't you see that I'm tired and in bed?" Then she gives her second excuse. This time she gets religious about it. I have washed my feet, How can I dirty them again? The soiling of the feet was counted as a symbol of moral contamination from the petty transgressions of everyday life (John 13:10). They would often wash their feet ceremonially at night to symbolize their need for daily cleansing from sin, just as Jesus illustrated to His disciples (John 13:10).1 She is saying, "If I get up to let you in to make love, I'll get my feet dirty walking across the floor. Then 1 would have to wash them again before I could go back to bed." Now both of these statements are obviously excuses! "I'll have to put my bathrobe on, and I'll get my feet dirty!" What she's trying to convey to her late-night lover is that she's tired, already in bed, and just not in the mood. The dew suggests it's pretty late at night, about the time of the conclusion of "The Late Show" on TV. Shulamith now awakens thoroughly and finally begins to respond to Solomon's interests. 5:4 SHULAMITH: My beloved extended his hand through the opening, And my feelings were aroused for him. It was the ancient custom to secure the door of a house by a cross bar or by a bolt, which at night was fastened with a little button or pin.2 In the upperpart of the door, there was a round hole through which any person from the outside might thrust his arm and remove the bar, unless the hole was sealed up. As Shulamith saw Solomon's hand, she realized his desire for her, and she had guilt feelings about her lack of availability. Then she decided Solomon didn't have such a bad idea after all, and "her feelings were aroused for Him." 5:5 SHULAMITH: I arose to open to my beloved; And my hand dripped with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, On the handles of the bolt. In the fantasy of the dream, she associates her husband's approaches toward her sexually with scented lotions. In their culture, a lover would leave this fragrant myrrh at the door as a sign he had been there.3 5:6 SHULAMITH: I opened to my beloved But my beloved had turned away and had gone! My heart went out to him... but 1 did not find him; I called him, but he did not answer me. In her dream she is grieved to see Solomon has left. He had come to make love (an inappropriate time, his fault); she refused him (her fault), and now he has left with wounded pride. There is nothing more deflating to a persons ego than to have one's mate continually reject his or her sexual advances. Her discovery that her husband has left compounds her guilt, and she now imagines that as she searches for him, the watchmen punish her. 5:7 SHULAMITH: The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, They struck me and wounded me; The guardsmen of the wails took away my shawl from me. As Shulamith dreams, she fancies herself out in the sheets of Jerusalem searching for Solomon after refusing him. Obviously, the watchmen would not in reality lay a hand on Solomon's queen, but this is a dream. The fact that the guards beat her may indicate she is plagued with guilt because of her rejection of Solomon. 5:8 SHULAMITH: I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, As to what to tell him: For I am lovesick. The exact chronology of this dream sequence is difficult to follow. There seems to be no definite agreement among commentators as to when the dream ends and reality resumes. It appears to me, however, that due to the shift in tone and personal address in 5:8, the dream is over and a new scene is introduced. The chorus and the Shulamite girl have a conversation pinpointing the implications of the dream and some keys to solving their problems. Others say the dream continues all the way to 6:3. It makes little difference, however, to our understanding of the main thrust of the poet's message. Thus, 5:8 could either be viewed as the conclusion of the dream (inserted by the poet to make a transition to the next scene), or as the introductory verse to the following scene. She addresses the imaginary, non-existent chorus, instructing them to help her locate Solomon and tell him she is "lovesick." This is the same word used in 2:5, and it carries the notion of being highly aroused sexually. The dream has now ended, but the powerful feeling of repentance and separation the dream left behind causes Shulamith to awaken, observe that Solomon is not beside her, and seek the aid of the chorus in finding him. The effects of the dream were so strong she remembers it as an actual experience. Apparently, the dream has set her desires in motion, for she awakens "lovesick." The chorus is to tell Solomon that Shulamith deeply desires to make love with him. This would obviously be inappropriate if the daughters of Jerusalem really existed. In this case, this literary device enables Shulamith to express herself when no one is there. As she awakes, she realizes her husband is away on affairs of state (Song 6:2-3). This causes her to reflect on the understanding she had before she married Solomon. She had counted the cost before they were married and had anticipated that separation could be a problem; she was not caught by surprise. Instead of reacting with bitterness or resentment, she designed a creative alternative that would meet her needs as well as Solomon's within the framework of life they had chosen. That alternative partly involved periodic vacations in the country (7:11). It seems apparent there is an intentional contrast with the dream of 3:1-4. In both dreams, Shulamith seeks her husband (3:3; 5:7). The first dream is just before the wedding night, and the second dream is just after it. In the first, she seeks her husband and finds him. In Chapter 5:2-8, she searches only to be beaten by the night watchmen. In the dream of separation, we find Shulamith longing for her husband; in the dream of love refused, the emphasis is on taking her husband's sexual interest for granted. This contrast serves to heighten the import of her rejection. COMMENT These passages illustrate that sexual adjustment is not automatic. Too often young married couples think they will get married and fall into bed and immediately experience a beautiful sexual relationship. The Bible realistically portrays that such is not always the case. One study revealed that marriage failures due to sexual problems could be as high as 75 to 80 percent.4 Several common problems relating to sexual adjustment in marriage are suggested here. Rejection The following letter is written in jest, humorously exposing the issue of rejection. "To My Loving Wife" During the past year I have tried to make love to you 365 times. I have succeeded only 36 times; this is an average of once every 10 days. The following is a list of why I did not succeed more often. It will wake the children ....27 times It's too late .... ...........23 times It's too hot .... ............16 times It's too cold ................ 5 times It's too early ...............15 times Pretended to be asleep........46 times Windows open, neighbors will hear ..........9 times Backache ....................26 times Headache .............. ......18 times Toothache ....................13 times Giggles .......................6 times Not in the mood.............. 36 times Too full ... .........:.......10 times Baby is crying ...............17 times Watched late TV show .........17 times I watched late TV show .......15 times Mud Pack .....................11 times Company in next room .........11 times You had to go to the bathroom ...........19 times TOTAL ........................329 times During the 36 times I did succeed, the activity was not entirely satisfactory due to the following: 1. Six times you chewed gum during the whole time. 2. Seven times you watched TV the whole time. 3. Sixteen times you told me to hurry up and get it over with. 4. Six times I tried to wake you to tell you we were through. 5. One time I was afraid I had hurt you for I felt you move. Honey, it's no wonder I'm so irritable! YOUR LOVING HUSBAND This letter reveals that "rejection" can be both physical and psychological. It is just as much rejection of your mate to seem passively uninvolved as it is to actively reject. I read of one lady who gives her husband a check list of things she wants done around the house every Saturday morning. If he does everything on the list, he gets a "reward" Saturday night. Talk about rejection! That is psychological rejection. Note the command of Scripture: The husband should fulfil his married duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control (1 Cor.7:305). The Word here is quite strong. It is sin to reject your mate's sexual interests (actively or passively). This may seem harsh, but extensive counselling in numerous situations have borne this out in my experience. I have heard some of the most involved and sincere reasons for rejecting one's mate physically, but when we eventually got to the root of it, there was generally a problem of selfishness and sin somewhere. This passage gives only three conditions lawful under God for a married couple to abstain from regular sexual relations. (1) When there has been mutual consent (2) When it is only for a short period of time, and (3) When the purpose is to devote oneself to prayer. In the above letter, numerous excuses were offered for rejection, but prayer wasn't on the list. I don't know of anyone who has offered that reason to his mate! In this passage, Shulamith rejects her husband but the reverse situation is also common. The notion that men are always the ones interested in sex and women don't have a great need is not well-supported by recent studies. Miles, in a survey of 150 Christian couples, asked, "How often would you like to have intercourse and orgasms if you could have this experience every time you really wanted to?" The husbands replied they would like it every 2.7 days (average), and the wives every 3.2 days.5 Thus, there is virtually no difference revealed in this particular study. In fact, up until the modern era, it was women who were considered to have the greater sexual appetites.6 It is interesting that throughout the Song of Solomon and in 1 Cor.7 there seems to be an underlying assumption that there is no real difference in the sexual needs or drives between men and women. As far as the Bible speaks to the issue, a woman's need is viewed as equal with a man's. There are significant differences in psychological outlook, timing, and other factors, but the capacity and desire for sex is equal. Shulamith's rejection of solomon raises the question of "normal" frequency. One woman sputtered with defiant frustration to a counsellor, "Why my husband is so oversexed he would insist on making love to me at least twice a month if I'd let him." The couples Miles interviewed revealed they enjoyed intercourse to orgasm an average of 3.3 times per week. However, these statistics are really quite meaningless to a specific couple's situation. The issue is what is appropriate for your unique relationship and not some "national average." Based on 1 Cor. 7:3-5, Shirley Rice gives these dangers of rejecting your mate's sexual initiatives. (1) Your fellowship with the Lord is in jeopardy because it is a sin to violate a command of Scripture. (2) You relationship with your mate can be damaged or ruined. (3) You will perhaps tempt your mate to adultery through the resulting anger and frustration.8 One reason so many men appear to be obsessed with sex is because they get so little of it from their wives. If a man has not eaten in five days, every time he passes the refrigerator food is all he can think about. Like food, sex isn't the most important thing in life, but if you are not totally available, it can become an obsession to your husband. (The modern science fact is that men have about 10 TIMES more the sexual hormone than women. Surveys show that men think about sex about every one minute, while women about twice a day. One woman was given by mistake the male sex hormone that put her on the level of sexuality as the average man. She exclaimed, "How do men manage to function in the work-a-day world of women around them, having been given the male sex hormone by mistake, I could only think of sex, sex, sex, all day long!" - Keith Hunt) The reason for Shulamith's lack of sexual interest is simply that she was tired and already in bed. In a recent survey by Christian Family Life, 10 percent of the women indicated their number one sexual problem was tiredness.9 It is quite likely a much higher percentage would have listed tiredness had the question included the first, second, and third major problems. There are times a wife will be exhausted because of sick children, etc., and will perhaps be unable to climax. But as one loving wife put it, "she can still glory in pleasing her husband." If you are too tired to make love, there is nothing at all wrong with occasionally saying, "Honey, I just don't think I can climax tonight, but I'd love to make you happy." Then take him in your arms, give yourself to him, and whisper in his ear that you love him and are thrilled you can give him pleasure. Furthermore, he should not be made to feel selfish if he makes such a request. You are not being "used" when you respond in this way (unless he makes a regular habit of it). You are showing your self-giving love. Can't you just enjoy being in his arms? There is no rule that a wife must reach orgasm every time. The central issue in sexual love is not having an orgasm; rather it is sharing mutual love. Obviously, this kind of response would be a normal response in a vital and healthy marriage. However, if there are complex communication barriers, this response could seem foreign. The Problem of Late-Night Sex Solomon's late-night approach leaves much to be desired. Likewise, the late-night approach of many twentieth century husbands could stand some variation. Consider the following situation. Typical Elmer, the average American husband, comes home from work just about the same way he left that morning - sparkling conversation, amorous embrace and all. He enters, nods briefly to the kids, grunts to his wife, ask if there was anything in the mail and then lets his mind be stimulated by blankly staring at the six o'clock news. "Shhhh," his wife says to the children, "don't make any noise. Daddy is trying to watch TV." At exactly the right time, his wife tiptoes into the TV room and says, "Dear, dinner is ready." (Elmer gets very upset when his dinner isn't ready on time.) He shares the latest moves in the office games, and she describes the latest neighborhood gossip and the children's misbehaviors, Wow! Exciting evening! Elmer burps his way through dinner and then leaves his wife to clean up the kitchen, diaper the kids, do the laundry, vacuum the house, write letters to his parents, and she falls asleep totally exhausted about nine-thirty. In the meantime, Elmer dozes off in front of "Tuesday Night at the Movies." Suddenly, about 1:00 AM the "Star-Spangled Banner" jolts Elmer awake. He turns off the TV set, runs for his trusty javelin, dons his Roman toga, puts on a crown of ivy leaves, crashes into the bedroom and shouts, "Let the games begin." Elmer wants "play-time" before he goes "nite-nite" And of course she's supposed to be aroused and excited. Being very considerate, Elmer may even give her sixty seconds before "favoring" her with his "let's get down to business" virility. Good old hard-working Elmer just cant understand why his wife isn't passionately responding to his every initiative! And even if she submits to her 1:00 A.M. husband with his spur-of-the-moment big ideas, she isn't likely to throw herself into it with the greatest of ardor.10 Elmer is typical of many men who never seem to give their wives any attention until they want sex late at night. They demonstrate absolutely no involvement in their wives' problems or in their lives except when they are physically aroused. Page Williams cites a humorous conversation he had with a little boy. He had asked the little lad what his dad did for a living, and the boy replied, "He watches." Williams asked, "You mean he is a night watchman?" "Oh, no," the little boy exclaimed, "He just watches." "Well, what does he watch?" Williams asked. "I don't know if I can tell you everything," he continued "I can name a few things." "Well, tell me," Williams replied. "He watches TV, he watches Mom do the housework he watches for the paperboy, he watches the weather, and I think he watches girls, too," he said, with an impish grin on his face. "He watches the stock market, football games, all the sports, he watches mother spank us, and he watches us do our homework. He watches us leave to go to church and PTA and shopping. He watches my brother mow the lawn, and he watches me rake. He watches my sister clean up the dirty dishes, and he watches me play with my dog. He watches Mom pay the bills. He watches me a lot - but mainly he just watches," said the little fellow, with a note of sadness in his voice. If you are a "typical Elmer" or a "watcher" don't expect much of a response sexually from your wife. (YES, IT IS TIME MEN GOT A LIFE, AS THEY SAY, AND GOT TO KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS A MAN TO BE IN THE HOME, AND SEXUALLY WITH THEIR WIVES. THERE ARE BOOKS UPON BOOKS TODAY ON THE NITTY-GRITTY OF BEING A REAL MAN - A MAN OF GOD, BOTH IN THE PHYSICAL REALM AND THE SPIRITUAL REALM, AND BEING THE RIGHT KIND OF LEADER IN THE HOME. TIME MEN TO TURN OFF THE TV AND GET OFF YOUR BACK-SIDE AND PITCH IN WITH ALL THE DUTIES THAT MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN DEMAND - Keith Hunt) Solomon may not have been a "watcher," but he definitely needed some instruction on some appropriate times to approach his wife. I don't know if anyone has made a study of it, but my guess is that 90 percent or more of the times most couples make love are late at night after everything is done. They've eaten a full meal, cleaned up the kitchen, read the newspaper, helped the children with homework, discussed the family budget and stared blankly at the tube for three hours. Then they fall into bed for five or ten minutes of "ho-hum" sex followed immediately by snoring. After several years of this, sex "is just not that important to us." The vitality and spark of their sexual love is lost. A gynecologist in Houston counsels young brides, "Never under any circumstances make love to your husband after 7:00 at night" This is an exaggeration, but Solomon could have profited from this information. A late-night routine can kill sexual love. While many lovemaking experiences can "just happen," some of the most meaningful often are pre-planned. A phone call to your wife letting her know you love her and would like to set the evening aside for making love will go a long way toward getting her in the mood. A lingering good-bye kiss in the morning lets her know how much you'd rather stay home with her than go to work, and goes miles toward setting up an interesting evening. While it's true Solomon was inconsiderate in his approach, her reaction is inspiring. Instead of sitting around feeling resentful, accusing him of wanting to "use her," and turning off sexually, she begins to work on her attitudes and actions. In Song 5:9-6:3 we see a decisive change of attitude, and in Song 7:1-13 we see a decisive change of action. FOOTNOTES 1. Otto Zockler, "The Song of Song" (Lange's s Commentary, 12 Vols; Grand Rapids; Zondervan, 1960), V 103. 2.Ibid., V, 103. 3. S.Craig Glickman, " Song for Lovers" (Downers Grove: Inter- Verity, 1976), p. 63. 4. "Dallas Times Herald," Nov.12, 1973, p.6-B. 5. Herbert Miles, "Sexual Happiness, in Marriage" (Grand Rapids: Zondevan, 1967), p.137. 6 Professor N. Junks, "Sex and Love Today" (New York: Vala, 1970), p.125. 7. Miles, p.137. 8. Shirley Rice, "Physical Unity in Marriage" (Norfolk: Tabernacle Church of Norfolk, 7120 Granby St., Norfolk, Va. 23505, 19731, p.7-8. 9. Survey compiled by Christian Family Life, 9210 Markville, Dallas, Texas, 75231. 10. This illustration was adapted from a book by Lois Bird, Doubleday, Inc. Pub. 11. H. Page Williams, "Do Yourself A Favor, Love Your Wife" (Plainfield: Logos International, 1973), p.5. .......................... To be continued with "Solving Sexual Problems"

BOOK OF REVELATION #14 - CHAP. 21 and 22 - END

 

 

Chapter One hundred-forty-three:

The REVELATION of Jesus Christ #14

Chapters 21 and 22 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE The plan of salvation for human kind is OVER! It is all finally finished. Satan the Devil and all his host of demons are cast away. No sin, no evil, no wickedness, no impurity, no deception, no falsehoods, no death, will ever be. It is all finished and glorious eternity lies ahead for the Family of God and the righteous angels. John sees a NEW heaven and a NEW earth, and there is no more sea. And why should there be any more sea. Stop and think, what do we humans see inside the sea, just about nothing, unless you dive down into it with some fancy man-made under water suits to keep you alive. For most of us we would not really miss having the sea. And when we are all in the eternal Family of God, we would miss it even less. For now, in the present, God created THIS earth as it is to NEED the sea. But when this age of physical mankind is gone, then there really is no need for the sea. The NEW earth that the Lord will make, will not require the sea. So there just will not be one (verse 1). Here is what John sees: "And I John saw the HOLY CITY, NEW JERUSALEM, coming DOWN from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying: Behold the TABERNACLE OF GOD is WITH MEN, and HE will DWELL with THEM, and they shall be His people, and GOD HIMSELF shall be WITH THEM, and shall be their God." (verses 2,3). Now, how about that! You've probably been told all your life that it is YOU who will GO to be with God in heaven. The truth of the matter, from all the evidence of the WHOLE Bible is just the OPPOSITE! When anyone dies they go into the ground, they return to dust, for from dust they are made. It is true, the "spirit in man" goes to God in heaven (Eccl.12:7) but the spirit in man does not see, hear, talk, think, walk, play on a harp, or DO ANYTHING, by its self, without a body. This is proved very simply by human experience. If your physical eyes go blind, the "spirit in man" does not take over and see for you. The spirit in man is the CD, it records your personality and your character, but is not functional without the rest of you. God does take your DNA CD character/personality disc on your death, and does bring it up to heaven for the future RESURRECTION, when you will also have a NEW GLORIFIED "spirit" body, and so we are back in Paul's famous resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15. The truth is WE are NOT going to heaven, heaven and God ARE COMING TO US! How Satan has twisted things up-side-down and in-side-out through false Babylon Mystery religion dressed in the "Christian" cloak. The voice in heaven that John hears goes on to say: "And God shall wipe away ALL TEARS from their eyes; and there shall be NO MORE DEATH, neither SORROW, nor CRYING, neither shall there be ANY MORE PAIN: for the former things are passed away" (verse 4). What a GLORIOUS TIME, what a WONDERFUL eternity for us humans who were once subject to all the above. It is ALL FINALLY GONE! All that has been so many times our enemy, is vanquished, and destroyed, never to be again. The HE that sits on the throne says: "Behold I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW" And He tells John to "Write, for these words ARE TRUE and FAITHFUL" (verse 5). And He further said, "It IS DONE! I Am Alpha and Omega, the BEGINNING and the END (eternal). I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life FREELY. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my SON!" (verses 5-7). Do you REALLY UNDERSTAND that, do you really BELIEVE it? The purpose you were created for, that God created mankind, was not to make them into the "angel" kind - NO, it was to make them into the God kind! Into the very SONS and DAUGHTERS of God the Father. Popular Christianity talks about being sons and daughters of God, but with such phrases, do they REALLY understand what it means. If they do, they do not tell their audience. But the truth of it all IS found in your Bible. God the Father and Jesus your Elder Brother, WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS TRUTH! It's all over the New Testament Story. If you have not yet discovered it by reading the New Testament, then you can see it all expounded for you in my study called "A Christian's Destiny." The One sitting on the throne, goes on to say: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (verse 8). In other language from the New Testament, God is saying UNREPENTANT SINNERS shall be destroyed in the lake of fire, they shall not have eternal life. THE NEW JERUSALEM And there came one of the angels who had the seven vials of the seven last plagues, and said to John, "Come with me, and I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." John is carried away to a high mountain and is shown the HOLY JERUSALEM, DESCENDING OUT OF HEAVEN FROM GOD (verses 9 and 10). The Holy City with is PURE GLORIOUS SPENDER, is representative of the pure, clean, glorious righteousness, of the saints, who are the Lamb's wife, as we had seen back in chapter 19:7,8. The city has the glory of God, I guess so, for God has lived in it for .... the eternity past? We are not told. It has a clear as crystal, stone most precious, look. It has a wall, great and high, with TWELVE gates, and at the gates, twelve angels, and names on the gates, the names each of the TWELVE tribes of Israel. Three gates to each side, north, south, east, and west. The wall foundations were TWELVE, in each foundation, the name of one of the TWELVE apostles of the Lamb (verses 11-14). Does God use NUMBERS? I think He does! We have a study of God's use of numbers on this Website. I will add more to it when I can. Think about how important God's plan was to Him, for the TWELVE TRIBES of Israel (what He would do through them) and the TWELVE APOSTLES (the work through them also) - they will be imprinted on the Holy City for ALL eternity! The angel that talks with John, had a golden reed to measure the city, the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. The city lies FOUR SQUARE. The length and the breadth and the height are EQUAL. It is an astounding 1,500 miles. Each side then was 1,500 miles and the height was also 1,500 miles. An AMAZING CITY, but can we expect less from a God that is also AMAZING? No, we can not. It is fitting that our heavenly Father would have such a MAGNIFICENT CITY to live in, we should expect no less. The wall is 144 cubits, as man measure a cubit. We can not be exactly sure of that height, for cubits were different in different ages. No big deal, after being told the city is 1,500 miles in any direction, what's a wall height, we can wait to see that. John has to put what he sees in human terms so we can have some idea in our minds-eye. The wall was like jasper; the city like pure gold, like unto clear glass. The foundations of the wall filled or decorated with all kinds of precious stones. We are told what structure likeness were the TWELVE foundations. I leave that for the reader to look up, if they desire in a good Bible Dictionary. Needless to say it would be "out of this world" - the pun is of course quite real. The TWELVE GATES were twelve Pearls. Each gate one whole pearl: and the streets of the city - pure gold, again as transparent glass (verses 15-21). This is SOME CITY, the like of course has never been seen on earth before. It is the city headquarters of the Great Eternal God. This section of Revelation is to be taken literally, there is nothing wrong with God living in such a GLORIOUS CITY, and wanting to bring it to the NEW earth. Those who try to teach and say that God cannot be defined in such a natural way, as indeed having form and shape, a spirit body, who can live in a spirit city ... well are they going to be in for a shock, when they see their "spiritual NOTHING God" shows Himself to be SOMETHING, not NOTHING. Ah, yes, could it be anything else, the City has NO temple, FOR the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb (Jesus) ARE THE TEMPLE of the city! There was at one time a Temple in that City, for Moses was told to build the Tabernacle according to what was in heaven. But NOW, all has been completed for salvation, and the Temple of heaven is needed no more (verse 22). This heavenly city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the GLORY of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof (verse 23). Oh, I guess so, what more light could there be than God the Father and Jesus His Son, they are PERFECT GLORIOUS LIGHT! Verse 24 is very interesting. The nations (Greek can be "peoples") of them who are saved walk in the light of the city, and "kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it." It would seem from this verse, that the sons of God will inhabit all over, this new earth, and will from time to time come with their glory (resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15) into the city. Not all of God's children will live inside the city. We get a small glimpse into that new age, by this verse. The whole universe is out there, trillions of light years in distance. God's children will explore it, maybe watch over it, keep it, and so be living in different parts of the universe, and certainly, in different parts of this earth. For as we have seen, God's people of various glory and positions of responsibility, shall come to the city and walk in its light. Eternity is not going to be "playing a harp and gazing on Jesus' face all the time." Eternity will be INTERESTING and FUN, and we just do not know a millionth of what it will all be, only this verses gives us a little clue. The GATES of this city will not be shut at all. There will be NO NIGHT there. And again we are told the peoples (God's children) will bring their glory and honor into it. We are told (telling us if we want to be there to come into this city) that no one can be there who is defiled, or works abominations, or is a liar, but only they whose names are written in the book of life (verses 26,27). We saw in the epistles of John who was a liar. He who says "I know Him, and KEEPETH NOT HIS COMMANDMENTS, is a liar, and the TRUTH is NOT in him" (1 John 2:4). Pretty simple indeed, the simplicity that is in Christ, is that simple, a child can understand it. It is not the PhDs of theology, it is not all those who are super good at English prose and write all those "Christian books" by the dozens out there. It is THOSE who KEEP the COMMANDMENTS of God, are yes, saved by grace, but still have the mind-set, the attitude, to OBEY God, who want to do His will, follow His way of life, and I will say it once more, for you Roman Catholic, and all you Protestant people in the world, serving God, includes the FOURTH commandment of the big Ten! CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO John sees a wonderful pure river, as clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, on either side of the river there was the tree of life. Trees that bare TWELVE fruits, and yielded her fruit by the month; and the leaves of the trees were for the healing of the peoples. This is I'm sure very real! Do you get the picture of the world that God lives in? It is not drab, just a kind of "nothing." It is in God's realm of living, just as diverse and interesting, just as much pleasing and fun, as ours is. Why our physical world and things in it, were created very much after the type of world God lives in. These trees represent "LIFE" and "HEALING" - they will always REMIND us through eternity what the Father did with physical human kind - He gave them LIFE and HEALING - salvation - GLORY as He has, but not as BRIGHT as He and Jesus His first born Son have (read carefully 1 Corinthians 15 - there will be different glory and brightness, as pleases the Father, when we are resurrected or changed from mortal to immortal). (verses 1-2). There will never be any more curse of any kind. The THRONE of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and God's children, shall serve Him. They SHALL SEE HIS FACE, and His name shall be in their foreheads (verse 3,4). We as His children shall always look up to the Father, He will always be the one we serve and respect, just as the Son Jesus does, did respect and follow when on earth and still respects and follows today and forever more. It will be a WONDERFUL FAMILY relationship for all eternity. And we are given the absolute PROMISE that when this time of Revelation 21 and 22 is here, we SHALL SEE THE FATHER'S FACE! This is not a God of NOTHINGNESS, as some deceived nutty minded "teachers of theology" preach. God the Father is a REAL PERSON, with FORM AND SHAPE, and one day His true faithful children WILL SEE HIS FACE. Moses asked God to show Himself to him, in the glory form. God replied to Moses, that he would show Himself, but Moses could only see God's back-parts, as no physical human man could look upon God and live. This HAPPENED, this took place my friends, it was a REALITY. When we are glorified we SHALL be able to look upon the face of God. Oh, what wonderful reality, you just have to read it and as a child, BELIEVE IT! Yes children can understand the clear things of God, the simple to understand things, are written just that simply, so children can read the Bible and understand some of the very basics of what the Father WANTS you to understand! Let the "wise" in their own minds, get confused, get mixed up, come up with all kinds of silly and crazy doctrines about the Bible and God, let them alone, they are BLIND LEADERS OF THE BLIND, as Jesus cried out to them in His time on earth. ONE DAY, if you are faithful to God, if you love Him with all your heart, mind, and life, if you will but DO HIS WILL, humble yourself, hunger and thirst for righteousness, YOU WILL SEE THE VERY FACE OF GOD. Do tears of joy fill your eyes as you read these words in this chapter? They do mine! Here we are, us physical weak in the flesh, sinners, saved only by the love and grace of God, through the love and service of Jesus the Christ, and we can be one day given the HONOR to look upon the very face of the MOST HOLY AND PERFECT ONE, the One we can even now call FATHER. This should make us willing to GIVE UP ANYTHING we need to give up, to be the true children of God. Jesus did say that to LOVE HIM, we must be willing to give up, if we have too, our mother, our father, our brothers, our sisters, our job, our friends, our .... WHATEVER, to serve Him in spirit and in truth. If we are willing to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, holy, acceptable unto Him (Romans 12:1) we shall LIVE WITH HIM AND SEE HIS FACE!! Also, do not miss it, we shall HAVE GOD'S VERY NAME in our foreheads, in our VERY BEING! There literally will be called Enoch God, Abraham God, Moses God, David God, Paul God, Peter God, John God and whatever our first name is now. We shall have God's name, it will be our sir-name. If you have not done so, please read my study "A Christian's Destiny" and learn the wonderful truth of why God created human beings. There will BE NO NIGHT THERE in that great heavenly city. No need for candles, neither the sun, FOR THE LORD GOD GIVES THE LIGHT, and we shall reign WITH Him for ever and ever (verses 3-5). The angel told John that all these things ARE FAITHFUL AND ARE TRUE. The Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to John to show him and us the things which "must shortly be." Obviously such phrases as "must shortly be" does not mean to God what to us in our time frame, means to us. As I've said, two thousand years to God, in the frame of eternity past and eternity future, is but the millionth of the blink of an eye, to try and put it in some kind of language that our minds can imperfectly recognize (verse 6). Jesus cries out to us of any age since this book was written down by John, "BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY: BLESSED IS HE THAT KEEPS THE SAYING OF THE PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK" (verse 7). There are SAYINGS, there are sentences, in this book, that we need to KEEP! Have you seen some of them? Let me give you one - Chapter 14:12. and we'll be given it again in a few verses from this one. When John heard all these things, his reaction was to fall down and worship at the angels' feet. He was told NOT to do so, because the angel was but a servant of the Lord, just as John was and all children of the Most High. John was to WORSHIP GOD! That is our calling also, it has never changed since man was upon this earth (verses 8,9). The angel said to John, "SEAL NOT THE SAYINGS OF THIS PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK: FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is holy, let him be holy stil." (verse10,11). The time is short brethren, the prophecy of this book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ CAN BE UNDERSTOOD. I understand it! And I have expounded its truth to YOU, SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT! When all these things come to pass, as they will, whoever is alive when they do, will have A VERY SHORT TIME, before Jesus comes in glory to reign on earth. He that is HOLY at that time, when this prophecy is taking place, had better continue to be HOLY. Jesus again cries out: "Behold, I COME QUICKLY; and my reward is with Me, to give every man according to as his work shall be. I Am the Alpha and Omega, the BEGINNING and the END, the FIRST and the LAST (the Eternal One). BLESSED ARE THEY WHICH DO HIS COMMANDMENTS, THAT THEY MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO THE TREE OF LIFE, AND MAY ENTER IN THROUGH THE GATES INTO THE CITY."               The ones who will not make it to enter the city, will be sinners who will not REPENT and the LIARS (verses 12-15 - my paraphrase). Jesus continues: "I Jesus have sent my angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the BRIGHT and MORNING STAR. The spirit and bride say, Come, and let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the WATER OF LIFE FREELY" (verses 16,17). Yes, salvation is yours my friend, it is FREE! You are saved by GRACE, but that does not mean, as Jesus has just stated, that you DO NOT have to keep God's commandments. The teaching that tells you that grace ABOLISHES the commandments of God, is a LIE, it is a cunning DECEPTION of Satan the Devil who would like to see YOU killed in the lake of fire which is the second death. Jesus continues: "For I testify unto every person that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall ADD unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. and if any person shall TAKE AWAY from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of LIFE, and out of the HOLY CITY, and from the things which are written in this book. HE that testifies to these things says, SURELY I COME QUICKLY" (verses 18-20). The above words are all the words that Jesus concluded with in this book of this prophecy. John after hearing them said: "AMEN - so be it. Even so come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (verses 20,21). It's impossible to get around it. The last words of Jesus in this book, at the time of the close of the first century A.D. when false teachers had already come into the Church of God, and were perverting the Gospel of Christ. They were turning the grace of God into a license to sin! They were already leaving the faith once delivered to the saints. They were already wanting to get away from being called or being associated with the Jews. Just about anything that was thought of as "Jewish" like the 7th day weekly Sabbath, and the Festivals of Leviticus 23, was being changed or "done away with" in the theology of these new false teachers. It was already under way to adopt Easter instead of Passover in the church at Rome. By the end of the second century A.D. Easter had come to stay. Sunday observance was being kept more and more in the Christian world, it would finally be officially law by the time of Constantine in 321 A.D. The observance of Christ-mass would soon be adopted by the growing powerful Roman church, and so faster and faster was the rise of MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT. And so it is that through that MOTHER of HARLOTS, Satan has DECEIVED THE WHOLE CHRISTIAN WORLD (and many other deceptions for the other parts of the world), only the very ELECT will not be deceived! WHAT A BIBLE STORY IS THE NEW TESTAMENT. I had no time limit on doing all of this study on the New Testament. It was not until November of 2007 that I decided to look back and see when I started this study. I was surprised to see I started it in November of 2000. It has taken me SEVEN years to the month to bring it to completion. Interesting when you know how God uses numbers, and how number SEVEN is completion. But numbers aside, the main thing is that all of this study has HELPED, INSPIRED, EDIFIED, ENCOURAGED, CORRECTED, and brought YOU personally to a CLOSER WALK WITH GOD. It has been a wonderful experience for me. I thank the Lord for giving me the INSPIRATION I needed and the TIME I needed to finish this work of the New Testament Bible Story. I pray the Lord will give me the time to now start and finish expounding to you all the prophetic books of the Old Testament, as they relate to today and beyond, for the nations of Israel, Judah, and the whole world. As the apostle John finished so I use his words: "THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOU ALL. AMEN." ..................... Revelation chapters 21 and 22 written November 2007 The New Testament Bible Story started November 2000 and completed November 2007

SONG OF SONGS-- GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS ON SEX IN MARRIAGE #6 - WEDDING NIGHT #2

 

The Wedding Night - Part two

Keeping romance alive

Continuing with part two of Dillow's book and chapter on "The Wedding Night." By calling her "garden" an orchard of pomegranates, he says her garden contains the most delicious of fruits. Thus, he speaks of the pleasure awaiting him there. The remainder of the verse refers to exotic, fragrant plants, most of which Solomon imported to Palestine. They constitute Solomon's erotic and poetic description of her "garden." Nard is a fragrance-giving plant; saffron, a yellow plant; calainus, a plant of reedlike stem and tawny color which grows in wild marshes; cinnamon, a plant grown in the East Indies which grows to thirty feet in height. The perfumed oil obtained from the myrrh plant is called myrrh and was used in gargles to scent the breath's. The ancients were very fond of sweet perfumes of all kinds, and perfumed oils were rubbed on the body and feet. Small pellets of dried mixed spice and resins or resinous woods were burned in special censers. Perfume was used to scent the breath (Song 7:8). Clothing was perfumed (Ps.45:8; Song 3:6; 4:11). Couches and beds were sprinkled (Prov.7:17). Frankincense was sometimes chewed to give the mouth a fresh odors. The aloes plant grows in India; its wood is very aromatic and was held in veneration by the natives. The association of fragrant odor with the vagina is perplexing to many women. For various reasons many wives consider their genitals repulsive and cannot imagine how their husbands find them attractive. God created husbands to enjoy their wives bodies, including the genitals. When the genitals have been thoroughly cleaned with soap and water, and when a woman is sexually aroused, there is a faint and very stimulating odor associated with the moistness. When he says her garden contains "the finest spices," he means it is as rare and as much to be valued as the most precious of aromatic herbs. It is interesting again to see how some of the commentators avoid the obvious implications of Solomon's praises of the "scent" of her "garden." For example, Zockler in Lange's commentary says, "A particular explanation of the individual products of the garden is, on the whole, impossible, and leads to what is a variance with good taste." But why is it "in variance with good taste" if God included it in Scripture and sanctioned it as beautiful and holy? 4:15 SOLOMON: You are a garden spring, A well of fresh water, And streams flowing from Lebanon. To him, she is not a sealed garden. Her garden is an open well from which he can draw refreshment as a tired and thirsty traveller could at a fountain. To what do the "streams flowing from Lebanon" refer? This phrase is used in Prov. 5:16 in a similar sexual context of male semen: Drink water from your own cistern And fresh water from your own well. That is, have sexual intercourse only with your own wife; Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? McKane says, "It is the male semen which constitutes the 'springs'and channels of water..." Let them be yours alone, And not for strangers with you. "...intercourse with a strange woman is a waste of semen, since it is the fathering of children from a strange household and a consequent neglect of the building up of one's own house and posterity." McKane could have added that it is also immoral! There seems to be a parallel thought here with Song 4:15; both passages are written by the same author, Solomon. The wife in Prov.5:15,16. The husband in Prov.5:16 waters out of a cistern lest thy fountains be dispersed running waters out of thine own well rivers of water If the "fountains" and waters of the male refer to his semen, then what do the rivers of waters of the wife refer to? As semen is the product of his sexual excitement, so running waters must be the product of hers. Thus, the running waters would refer to the juices which lubricate the vagina during intercourse. Since these streams were also a symbol of refreshment, the reference speaks of the sexual refreshment her garden provided. It is worth noting she doesn't request sexual intercourse (4:16) until she is already well-lubricated. Too many husbands tend to start their lovemaking by direct genital stimulation, or they begin intercourse before the wife specifically indicates she is close to a climax and well lubricated. The mere fact that she is lubricated, however, does not mean she is ready for intercourse. Let her tell you when she's ready like Shulamith told Solomon. 4:16 SHULAMITH: Awake, O north wind And come, wind of the south. She now responds to Solomon's praises. She calls him the north and south winds. The north wind brings clear weather and removes clouds, and the south brings warmth and moisture. When they blew across a garden in Palestine, coolness and sultriness, cold and heat, would promote the growth of the garden. She is asking Solomon to stimulate her garden with caresses to promote the growth of her sexual passion. Make my garden breathe out fragrance, Let its spices be wafted abroad. As the "winds" blow through her garden, first from one direction and then from another, Shulamith's sexual passion grows and grows until all the fragrance of the garden rises in waves to become a sea of incense. She wants everything in her which pleases her lover to show itself to him in full power and loveliness. As a traveller passed by an Eastern garden its scent would draw him to enter it. Shulamith wants her garden to become more and more "enticing" to Solomon as a result of his caresses. She wants a "sea of incense" to draw his interest to her garden until his passion is great! She completely accepts her femininity and is anxious that Solomon fully experience what she has to offer. She relishes the fact that Solomon is highly aroused by the sight of her garden and by caressing it. What a healthy attitude! Now that she is fully aroused, she requests that Solomon enter her. 4:16 SHULAMITH: May my beloved come into his garden And eat its choice fruits! 5:1 SOLOMON: I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. To gather, eat, and drink are all terms that speak of sexual enjoyment. Delitzsch says, "It supposes a union of love, such as is the conclusion of marriage following the betrothal, the God-ordained aim of sexual love within the limits of morality." These references to wine and milk would be readily understood in that culture as fertility symbols. Thus the poet sings of the mixture of his love with hers, of his semen with her vaginal moistness at the climax of their love. After their love is consummated, a new speaker is introduced: 5:1 Eat, Friends, Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers. The commentators have differed widely on the identity of this speaker. The intimacies of the scene make consideration of a real human observer impossible. It cannot be the lovers who are speaking, for they are the ones being addressed. The poet seems to say this is the voice of God Himself. Only the Lord could pronounce such an affirmation. He, of course, was the most intimate observer of all. Their love came from Him (Song 8:7). Thus, the Lord pronounces His full approval on everything that has taken place. He encourages them to drink deeply of the gift of sexual love. There is a beautiful unity to this chapter. It opens with Solomon's praise and his concern for the emotional state of his bride (4:1-7). Their lovep-lay pauses while he promises her a honeymoon in the Lebanon mountains to the north (4:8). They then resume their love play and his heart beats faster and faster (4:9-11). He begins to caress her garden and stimulate her passion (4:12-15). She then invites him to enter her (4:16): they consummate their love (5:1), and the Lord pronounces His approval on everything that has taken place. COMMENT Bedroom language Notice the very erotic and sensual language they use to stimulate each other as they are making love. She speaks of the spices of her garden being wafted abroad. She asks him to eat of her garden's fruit. He calls her vagina a fruit orchard and describes her vaginal moistness as streams flowing from Lebanon (her home town). His genitals are called "fruit" in Song 2:3 and hers a "garden" in 4:12-16. The song has dealt very delicately with some extremely erotic and personal subjects, and yet one can read it and not take offense. Robert Gordis discusses the value of poetic symbolism in subjects like this very well. It is characteristic of the delicacy of the songs that the woman in each case expresses her desire for love by indirection. While a blunt avowal would repel by its crassness, the use of symbolism, which conceals as it reveals, heightens by its subtlety the charm of the sentiments expressed. Psychoanalytic theory has offered a highly plausible explanation for this powerful appeal of symbolism to the human spirit. According to psychoanalysis the unconscious persistently seeks some avenue of expression which will elude the 'censor' who stands guard over the conscious mind. Symbolism performs this liberating function for the unconscious admirably, because, in its very nature, it expresses far more than it says; its nuances are at best as significant as its explications. Its overt meaning has nothing in it to arouse the vigilance of the censor, and meanwhile its deeper context is able to cross the threshold of consciousness. In translating the symbolism, one risks the danger of appearing crass. This is the ever-present danger in this book! When God spoke of personal aspects of sex, He could have used the slang terms; however, they would tend to raise up that psychological censor. He could have used the medical terms, but that leaves a feeling of "mechanics" and science and often a sense of awkwardness. The Lord avoided both problems by using poetic symbolism. It is impossible, however, for the interpreter of the Song to leave it in poetry; to do so leaves it without interpretation to modern readers unfamiliar with ancient oriental symbols. It is the job of a commentator to explain the symbols just as an expositor of the book of Revelation must do. On "dressing up" for your mate While it is certainly true that God looks on the heart, and that the focus on clothes and appearance can be overdone, it is also true that the letters M-R-S (Mrs.) before your name do not stand for Miserable Rut of Sloppiness, or Miss Rummage Sale. But judging from the looks of the typical housewife, you would never know it. Take a look at nine out of ten women pushing carts in a supermarket. They look like survivors of a shipwreck wearing clothes distributed by the Red Cross. They spend more time selecting a head of cabbage than a new shade of lipstick. The next time you go shopping, count the number of women you feel the average man would find sexy. The aisles of a supermarket offer a horrifying potpourri of feminine ugliness. The 'Girl Scout Leader' types with their pulled-back run-a-quick-comb-through-it hair and hem lines that are never quite right. The 'good mother' types with their cracked fingernails and broken-zippered Bermudas (hair forever in plastic curlers) Ask yourself this question, ladies: "Would I have wanted him to see me looking this way before we were married?" If you cannot answer yes, you need to make some changes. When your husband leaves for work, he carries a picture of you in his mind. Is that image likely to give him romantic thoughts during his afternoon coffee break? Solomon says the image of the Shulamite left these kinds of thoughts in his mind! It seems strange that wives and husbands often save their best for comparative strangers while their mate must settle for what he (she) can get. After you collapse on the couch completely "exhausted" from a "hard day," he's supposed to understand, right? He ought to; you have explained it to him in tiresome detail. Yet let an insurance salesman or a friend drop by, and instantly you become all smiles, coffee, and conversation. What do you look like when he comes home from work? Do you get the house ready, and more importantly do you get yourself ready? A man needs a "magnet" at home that keeps drawing him back. If he does not find that magnet at home, there are hundreds of them out in the business world. The girls at the office always appear to him at their best! The way Shulamith dresses has a definite effect on her sex appeal to her husband. Note in 4:11 where Solomon comments on the "fragrance of her garments." She is skilled in the use of perfumes and cosmetics which make her as attractive to her husband as possible (see 1:9,10,15; 4:1-7; 6:4-9; 7:1-7). These comments need some qualification. No woman should be expected to appear as if she stepped out of a beauty parlor twenty-four hours a day. The home should be a place where one can relax and "let your hair down." All we are suggesting is that often we let too much hair down and the result is very thoughtless. Men are no less guilty of sloppiness than many women. Too many husbands lay around the house in sweat-shirts or dirty work clothes. They lounge in front of the TV set watching football with their overweight bellies hanging over their belts and wonder why their wives are not sexually responsive to them. Do you make her feel needed? Solomon did! When he gazed at her body and referred to the stately carriage of her neck (4:4), he was poetically telling her, "My darling, you are a constant source of encouragement and strength for me. I need you desperately to carry out my responsibilities as King of Israel." Have you ever told your wife something like that? She needs to feel needed. You also need to feel needed. If your boss continually communicated to you that you were unnecessary to the function of the company, your motivations to do a good job would rapidly disappear. You and the family are her world. She needs to know she's succeeding at her "job" just as much as you need that assurance on yours. The problem is she often has a difficult time trying to determine exactly what you need her for. She pleasures you in bed, takes care of your things, keeps the place attractive for you and sees that there are three meals on the table every day. But what else? She wants to know how much you appreciate her encouragement. Tell her what her support does to give you the incentive to go on. Tell her you need to know she believes in you, trusts you, and has faith in you. She needs to know you recognize that need and rely on her faith. Resident Ford in his acceptance speech said, "I am indebted to no man and to only one woman." He was telling the world she contributed to his success. He was giving her honor (1 Peter 3:7). If it is difficult for you to express this to her, work on your inhibitions; you might try writing it all out in loving detail and sending it to her in a special delivery letter! She may tend to evaluate herself in terms of dishwashing, floor scrubbing, and all those other "busy" charm and believe me, it isn't these things that make her feel important in your life! The biblical definition of "romance" Women are incurable romantics with no discernable interest in being cured. If you ever wrote her any love letters, chances are she has kept every one of them. Men are harmed by a lack of romantic love to a much less degree than importance to her. If a man is denied this, he generally throws himself into his work and finds fulfilment there. Not so a woman; since her life is more directly focused in the home she probably feels this lack more deeply than a man. A man once told his wife on their wedding day, "I want you to know I love you. If I didn't I wouldn't have married you. I expect to continue to love you, but don't expect me to say any more about it. Remember, I have already said it." The wife was speechless and, guided by instinct, said, "Oh, I can't remember something like that. I think you will have to remind me again and again." As plants need sunshine and water, so a woman needs romantic love if she is to flourish and bloom. In chapter 4 we see a beautiful illustration of romantic love. In fact, the whole book illustrates this point and defines it for us in tangible ways. Many women complain that their husbands are not romantic enough, but they never seem to be able to define exactly this mysterious substance called "romance." Listen carefully, men, you are at least going to get a definition, and from the Bible, no less! The Song of Solomon seems to teach that "romance" has at least FOUR ingredients. (1) It includes an element of the unexpected. When Solomon constructs a bedroom with cedars from Lebanon (1:16,17) to surprise his bride, he's being romantic. When he springs a surprise vacation in the Lebanon mountains on her, he's being romantic. The element of surprise is important to romance. A single long-stemmed rose when there is no special occasion is romantic. Anything that repeats itself over and over again loses its romantic value, such as always having dinner at the same restaurant, with movies always to follow. (2) It includes dating. We find Solomon taking his wife-to-be on a date in 2:8-17. After they are married, he still takes her on dates (7:11-8:14). Do you regularly date your wife like Solomon did? Let me carefully define what I do not mean by a "date." It is not hurling a newspaper her way some evening while you are laying in front of a boring TV show and saying, "Honey, why don't you see if there is anything on at the movies and call and get a babysitter?" A date is when you plan the evening, you get the babysitter, and YOU TAKE HER. You remember, like you did before you married her. You might get a list of the names and phone numbers of all the babysitters she uses. Something is missing if you have to ask her where to go. When you were dating her before you married her, you didn't wait for her to come up with the ideas. Also, a date is one husband and one wife, not a crowd. Double dates went out with the junior prom. Going out with another couple is great, do it often, but that's not a date. Generally, what happens is that you spend the evening talking to him, and your wife spends the evening talking to her, and a week later she says, "Why don't you ever take me out?" You reply, "I just took you out last week!" But you didn't take her out. You were "out" with the other wife's husband! Call going out with another couple "Christian fellowship" or something ... but that's not what we're talking about when we speak of a "date." Sometimes your dates should involve pre-planning that appears spontaneous. For example, let's say you are going window-shopping with your wife on an evening downtown. You casually pass by a restaurant and say, "Why don't we go in and get a bite to eat." When you enter the restaurant, there are twenty-five people waiting to be seated, and the waiter informs you it will be about an hour and a half before you can get a table. Just at that moment the head waiter arrives and says, "Good evening, Mr.Jones, we have your table for two right over here overlooking the lights of the city." That's romance! That's pre-planning that appears spontaneous. What can you do on a date? Here are some suggestions. -Take a window-shopping stroll after the stores have closed. -Go river bank fishing by moonlight without too much attention to fishing. -Find a secluded spot and build a fire. -Go for a drive in the car and just talk. -Go bicycling. -Go ice or roller skating. -Visit a zoo. -Visit the airport (you might even "watch the airplanes" like you did before you married her). -Go on a camp-out. -Go to a rodeo. -Visit a museum. -Visit a library some evening and browse through all the books on sex, love, and marriage. -Spend an evening sharing mutual goals and planning family objectives. -Locate an unusual and different restaurant and spend the evening there in loving conversation. -Spend an evening making love in a motel, away from the children and the phone. Be home by midnight. -Go to the drive-in. -Visit a convalescent home and take some presents to cheer up the patients and elderly people. (3) It includes the impractical. Cedars from Lebanon are very impractical for bedroom construction! Furthermore, kings can't afford time frivolously spent wandering through the forests of Lebanon mountains with their wives (7:11). How impractical! Our emphasis of "being practical" is a major killer of romance. There is a beautiful illustration of impracticality in the Old Testament. David and his mighty men were at war with the Philistines. One day David casually remarked that he desired a drink of water out of the well of Bethlehem (1 Sam.23:13-17). The problem was this well was now located behind enemy lines and in the middle of the Philistine camp! Three of David's "Five Star Generals," the chiefs of the mighty men, overheard his remark. That night they crept away from the camp and secretly crossed enemy lines and crept right into the Philistine campsite. After securing a pitcher of water from the well, they returned to the Israelite camp completely undetected. When they gave their gift to David, he was so overwhelmed that he said, "I am not worthy to drink this water," and he poured it out on an altar - a sacrifice to the Lord. What utter nonsense! The three top men in David's army risk their own lives and therefore the future of David's military operations against the Philistines for a pitcher of water! It may be impractical nonsense, but it is this kind of nonsense that makes the world go around. Creative romantic love is often stifled by the desire to be reasonable and practical. "This isn't a strategic way to spend money." "We're too old for that sort of thing." "Why don't we wait until we have fulfilled all of these other responsibilities." I'm not advocating irresponsibility. I'm simply observing that practicality can sometimes squelch love. Don't hesitate to be impractical once in a while. Your wife may need an ironing board to the point of desperation. That would be a very "practical" gift but it rates quite low in the romance department. When I was a child I always bought my mother practical gifts for Christmas like knives, plates, placemats, etc. Those gifts are necessary, but we are supposed to be men now. Buy her some perfume, scented soap, a record, lingerie, a basket of fruit, a new plant for the house, or the new outfit she wanted but couldn't afford. (4) It includes creativity. Solomon is a very creative lover. We find this illustrated profusely throughout the Song. It takes creativity to design that kind of bedroom (1:16,17); he speaks to her in poetry to describe her beauty (4:1-7); he takes her for walks in the forests and they make love outdoors (7:11-13); he buys her little trinkets and pieces of jewelry (1:11); he encourages variety in their loveplay (7:1-11). How creative are you toward your wife? Men tend to think in categories and settle down into the rut of marriage very quickly. We use a systematic and categorized approach to our jobs and unfortunately often carry it over into our relationships with our wives. I once talked to a woman who told me of her husband's lovemaking: "I can tell you exactly what my husband will do next, how long he will linger on that part of my body to the second. He hasn't changed the routine in twenty years." She doesn't want a tired old man who treats her to a "good-old-reliable-mother-to-my-children" kind of affection. It has been said the only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth of it. If you have fallen into that nine-to-five, sex-only-after-the-late-news, camping-vacation- always-with-the-children-along rut, don't expect her to be a very exciting lover. Introduce creativity into your lovemaking and your total relationship like Solomon did. To find out just how creative you are as a husband, may I suggest you take the following "Lover's Quotient Test." Give yourself ten points for each item on the following list if you have done it once in the past six months. If you have done any item on the list two or more times, you get twenty points. -Have you phoned her during the week and asked her out for one evening that weekend without telling her where you are taking her? A mystery date. -Have you given her an evening completely off? You clean up the kitchen; you put the kids to bed. -Have you gone parking with her at some safe and secluded spot and kissed and talked for an evening? -Have you drawn a bath for her after dinner? Put a scented candle in the bathroom; add bath oil to the bath; send her there right after dinner, and then you clean up and put the kids to bed while she relaxes. (My wife says in order to get any points for this you must also clean up the tub!) -Have you phoned her from work to tell her you were thinking nice thoughts about her?( (You get no points for this one if you asked what was in the mail.) -Have you written her a love letter and sent it special delivery? (First class mail will do.) -Have you made a tape recording of all the reasons you have for loving her? Give it to her wrapped in a sheer negligee! -Have you given her a day off? Send her out to do what she wants. You clean the house, fix the meals, and take care of the kids. (My wife says you ought to get thirty points for this one.) -Have you put a special effect stereo recording of ocean waves on tape and played it while you had a nude luau on the living room floor? (If this seems a little far out for your tastes, you could substitute a by either removing the stereo effects tape or having a popcorn party in the privacy of the bedroom.) -Have you spent a whole evening (more than two hours) sharing mutual goals and planning family objectives with her and the children? -Have you ever planned a surprise weekend? You make the reservations and arrange for someone to keep the children for two days. Tell her to pack her suitcase, but don't tell her where you are going. (Just be sure it's not the Super Bowl.) Make it someplace romantic. -Have you picked up your clothes just one time in the past six months and put them on hangers? -Have you given her an all-over body massage with scented lotion and a vibrator? -Have you spent a session of making love to her that included at least two hours of romantic conversation, shared dreams, many positions of intercourse, and much variety of approach and caresses? -Have you repaired something around the house which she has not requested? -Have you kissed her passionately for at least thirty seconds one morning just before you left for work, or one evening when you walked in the door? -Have you brought her an unexpected little gift like perfume, a ring, or an item of clothing? -Have you replaced her old negligee? I have given this ridiculous test to men all over the country. Let's see? how your scores compare with theirs. 200-360-LOVER - You undoubtably have one of the most satisfied wives in the country. 150-200-GOOD - Very few make this category. 100-150-AVERAGE - This husband is somewhat typical and usually not very exciting as a lover. 50-100-KLUTZ - Too many score in this category. I hope you'll begin to move up soon. 0-50-HUSBAND - There is a difference between a "husband" and a "lover." The only reason your wife is still married to you is that she's a Christian; she has unusual capacity for unconditional acceptance, and there are some verses in the Bible against divorce. While the test shouldn't be taken too seriously, it does outline a plan of attack to increase your creativity level. I realize that many things on the list may not fit your temperament and your marriage relationship. Make up your own list. The idea is simply to encourage creativity in a fun way. After giving this test as a humorous conclusion to messages on sex for men, I find varied reactions. Most of the men seem to like it and leave encouraged to break the routine of the marriage. One man wrote me and said the whole thing was silly and ridiculous! Furthermore, everyone he had talked to agreed. This test may be ridiculous as far as its application to your marriage relationship is concerned. Fine. Furthermore, there are many sincere, godly men who are very creative in their approach to their wives, but who scored poorly on the test. The issue is what is appropriate in your particular and unique marriage relationship that will bring new zest and vitality. At the conclusion of one seminar, a man rated in the lover category. He had a score of 340! Another man on the front row laughed out loud when he heard the score and blurted, "How long has he been married?" He was implying that the man who scored so highly must have been only recently married. Once you settle down in the daily routine and have been married for a number of years, he reasoned, these things are no longer expected as a regular part of married life, they are for "young couples." If you are responding this way, let me ask you a question. Does your relationship with the Lord Jesus become more and more "settled" with time? Does it automatically loose its creativity and zest the longer you know Him? If it does, then you have a definite spiritual problem in your relationship with Him. It is not growing. The Bible says the believer's relationship to Christ is to illustrate the husband's relationship to his wife physically. Just as a lack of spiritual vitality reflects a spiritual problem, a lack of growth in the vitality of your marriage relationship reveals a marriage problem. If your marriage is truly an illustration of Christ and the church, it should become more and more vital, free, and exciting as the years go by. The other side of this is, creativity as a wife. We will pick up some suggestions in that area when we discuss Song 7:13 in another chapter. For now, this brings the first part of the Song to a dose. We must now turn our attention to the second half, in which we glean insight into resolving marital problems. ...................... To be continued

BOOK OF REVELATION #13 - CHAPTER 20

 

 

Chapter One hundred-forty-two:

The REVELATION of Jesus Christ #13 

Chapters 20 CHAPTER TWENTY John sees an angel come down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. The angel lays hands on the Devil, on Satan, and BINDS HIM UP for ONE THOUSAND YEARS! Satan is put into the bottomless pit, he is shut up, and sealed from coming out on to the earth. He will not be allowed to DECEIVE the nations and peoples of the earth, UNTIL the thousand years are finished, then yes, God will allow him to come out and once more deceive SOME, but only for a very short season, a very short time (verses 1-3). What a blessing for the people of the earth, to have NO Satan around for one thousand years. We often do not realize the horrible work and depths of Satan. When it is all known, I think we will be somewhat shocked at HOW CLEVER, HOW CUNNING, HOW DECEPTIVE HE CAN BE, as he often comes as an angel of "light." Most of the world, the people who have lived in any age, have been BLINDED - they will be shocked when they are raised to life again, and really come to understand the depths of the deceptive work of Satan. The Devil really does come OFTEN as an angel of light. There are, as I write to finish off this New Testament Bible Story, OVER ONE BILLION, yes, that is with a big "B" - Billion Roman Catholics in the world. To them their Catholic "universal" church is pleasant, nice, caring, warm, comfortable, and they believe theologically correct (even if some do disagree with the ruling on "birth control" and "sex only for reproduction") on the salvation points of theology. Then you have all the hundreds of thousands in all the other "Christian" denominations around the world. Most of the members in those church denomination are blinded, they just simply do not know they do not know, or they are not concerned with real study of the Scriptures. They are in a "comfortable pew" and like it so. It is their spiritual leaders that are mainly at fault. Most of those spiritual leaders do go to "theological school" and study for four years or more. They have encountered the truth BUT just will not teach it! Satan does a number on all these one billion and hundreds of millions that go under the name of "Christ." I subscribe to a "Christian Book" club. Every month you have this magazine coming with all kinds of very fine writers (as far as English "prose" goes) - articulate, educated, and have all the "stuff" needed to sell books to the Christian community. I have nothing against the "prose" of English. Jesse, who has her Website on this Website of mine, was a much better English "prose" writer than me, she had a way of writing much like all these Christian book writer out there, with ONE EXCEPTION - the MOST important one - Jesse KNEW AND LIVED the truth of God's word. So, what am I saying, about those "Christian religious writers" of some fame, or not? To put it bluntly (and I think you know by now I do at times put things very bluntly) - they ARE DECEPTIVE teachers, who have and are NOT teaching the theological truth of God's word. But they come to you as "angels of light." Satan is using them to deceive well over a BILLION Christians on this earth! You think I'm exaggerating. Well just ask any of them about the FOURTH commandment in Exodus 20. Then you have the Islamic faith. I believe they say there are about one BILLION of Islam faith believers in the world at present. They are deceived also. You have other faiths of the Eastern world, different religious faiths in China, India, Japan. They are all deceived! And what about all the hundreds of millions, who just simply do not believe in God, period! They just do not think God exists, or do not think about if He exists or not. The creation around then TESTIFIES to the existence of the Almighty, but they choose not to think about it. They are deceived also. All this DECEPTION, and the one behind it all is Satan the Devil. Think of the LIBERATING EFFECT this world will feel when Satan is chained up and CANNOT go around deceiving in any of his many disguises. It will be ASTOUNDING and a liberating experience for those people who do live through to see the coming of Christ and who feel the effect the world will be under when the Devil is chained up, and cannot do any of his dirty work in the lives of individual people and governments of nations. John sees, what all true Christians down the ages have yearned for, have waited for, and looked forward to seeing. Thrones are there, individuals sitting on them, having judgment. They are the lives and people of God from all ages. They have refused to have anything to do with BABYLON the great. They have been willing to LIVE and to DIE if necessary, for the truths of the Lord. They were the ELECT and CHOSEN, of God. Now they sit on thrones and REIGN with Jesus Christ for a THOUSAND YEARS!! They have been the relatively SMALL FLOCK, the VERY LITTLE flock as Jesus once put it, but to them God the Father, is PLEASED to give them the Kingdom. All the prophets of old have written about the AGE TO COME (as Paul once termed it) - NOW it is hear! Now the saints with Jesus, with Enoch, with Abraham, with Moses, with David, with all the well known and not known, true Children of the Father, shall reign and rule the nations of this earth for a thousand years. And by the way, this is a literal thousand years, otherwise if not there would have been no need to have gotten so specific in saying "a thousand years." The book of Revelation, when saying "forty two months" means 42 months, not a week, or two years, or 15 months, it means 42 months. So when John writes one thousand years, it means just that, ONE THOUSAND YEARS! (verses 4-6). If you have not already done so, please read my study on the millennium (which means "thousand") called "Armageddon and the Age to Come" for some details in the Scriptures concerning that age yet ahead of us. THE REST OF THE DEAD Jesus said in John chapter 5, that ALL in the graves would be raised (John 5:25-29). Here in verse 5 is an important verse that breaks up into some detail, what Jesus said in the gospel of John. It is an example of a Bible study key - get all the verses on any particular subject. This verse here shows clearly that ONLY the "saints" of God will be in what here is called "the first resurrection." Those NOT in the first resurrection, are not raised to life UNTIL AFTER the thousand years. Now, that is pretty plain and simple to understand. Those that are not classified by God as worthy to be in the first resurrection, for whatever reasons the Father has, will not rise in a resurrection until AFTER the thousand years. BUT THEY WILL RISE IN A RESURRECTION, that is important to know and to remember. More about that resurrection a little later. SATAN AND DECEPTION FOR ONE LAST TIME When the thousand years are expired Satan is to be loosed out of his prison. He will go out to once more DECEIVE the nations which are in the four quarters of the year. Gog and Magog (the Russian part of the planet) is especially named, for reasons we are not told about. But nations in all four quarters are included. They will be gathered to battle, and the number is not small at all, like the sands of the sea. This army goes up and surrounds the camp or home of "saints", and the beloved city. This seems to indicate the saints are ones in the physical flesh, not yet made immortal, who live in the beloved city, which is pretty certain to be the Holy City - Jerusalem. You may have many question about this, well so do I. We are given no more details any where in the Bible concerning this battle. The "why" is the big question. I'm sure God will have very good reasons for allowing all this to happen, we will just have to wait until Jesus comes to receive the answers to our question. All we can do for now is read it and believe it will take place as written. It is a swift victory for God, for fire comes down from heaven and devours this huge army. I will say this, this battle has NOTHING to do with that mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Both are at the opposite ends of the one thousand years. As I will write (God willing on all the Old Testament prophetic books) on those chapters in the future going through the OT prophetic books, I will just leave it for now, as I've stated. (verses 4 - 10) The Devil is this time dealt with in another manner, he is thrown into the lake of fire that the beast "man" and the false prophet "man" were thrown into a thousand years earlier. It would seem that fire is burning continually during the thousand years. You will read about this fire in Isaiah 66:15-24, which is also a chapter on the age to come. Some capital punishment will exist in the millennium, for those who do not desire to have control over their fleshly minds (we can still be carnal without the help of Satan) and who will still want to do wicked things and transgress against the Lord. The Devil will see his handy work go up in smoke once more. He will indeed be tormented about it all for ever and ever (Greek means "ages of the ages." He now begins to see there is no victory for him, he's smashing his head against a brick way, and his fate is possibly what Jude alluded to in saying, "wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever (Jude 13). Satan will know that soon there will be no more humans he can influence, deceive, posses, or control. His time is just about up, and the thought of not being able to have humans to manipulate, and lead into sins, must give the fellow night mares at the thoughts of it all coming to pass. He indeed will have terrible mental torment over it all (verses 7-10). Not being able to deceive and influence and even control, would be one of the greatest punishments he and his demons could possibly be punished with. Verse 10 tells us that Satan will be tormented for as the Greek reads: "for ages of the ages." As Satan is made of spirit, physical fire and brimstone cannot kill him. Of course God can say the word and he is no longer, but we see from Jude and from this verse that it is very likely he will be punished forever in the blackness of darkness. THE WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT John sees a great white throne. He that sits upon it, His face makes the earth and heaven seem as if not there. Obviously it is as the next verses tell us the sea and death and hell (margin is "the grave") gave up the dead. From verse 5 we know this is the SECOND resurrection! The insignificant and the kings, the famous, all great or small, from young to old, were raised up to life again. The "books" - in Greek "the biblios" - from where we derive "the Bible" was opened. And another book - "the book of life" was opened. These dead, now raised to life, were judged by what is written in the "biblios" according to how they lived, their attitude of mind. The sea gave up the dead, and the grave gave up the dead, all the dead, and they were judged according to how they lived, how they thought, their very attitude of mind. I have written in detail about this passage and all the teaching of the rest of the Bible as to being called and chosen, and the hundreds of millions down through the ages, that have not been offered salvation in their life-time, who died knowing not the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the only way to salvation. Those studies are called, "The Great White Throne Judgment" and "Called and Chosen - When" and also "The Truth about Judgment Day." Indeed there have been millions in past ages that lived and died not having the Bible, and not knowing Jesus, the only name under heaven whereby you can be saved (Acts 4:12). This resurrection is not some millions standing at attention while some judge (God) brings out a TV screen and has two columns, the right hand one listing all the "good" deeds and the left hand column listing all the "bad" deeds. And another book on the judges right hand where the names of those to be saved will be entered. Then the two columns of good and bad are added up to see which out numbers the other. If there is more good deeds than bad one, their name is entered into the book of life, and they pass through a door that gives them entry into the eternal Kingdom of God. Some of you may laugh at such a scene. But SERIOUSLY, SOME CHURCHES TEACH SUCH A DOCTRINE! Now, do you know WHY this idea that some hold is CRAZY, and off the wall? Because if it was a true teaching of God, then SOME would obtain salvation BY WORKS!! You may not know this, but the SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS - DO HAVE such a teaching, it is called "The INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT." Maybe other "Christian" churches have something similar. It's a processing line, to investigate all your sins and good deeds, add them up, see which comes out on top, then depending which there is more of, you are either written in the book of life or you are cast into eternal hell fire, where you shout and scream for eternity in pain from the fire. I TELL YOU FRIENDS, BRETHREN, ALL THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST FALSE DECEPTIONS PERPETRATED BY SATAN THE DEVIL!! NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON, **EVER** IS GOING TO OBTAIN SALVATION, ETERNAL LIFE **THROUGH WORKS** It is one of the clearest teachings in the New Testament Bible Story, that you are SAVED ONLY BY **GRACE** (Ephesians 2:8-10). If you are in any doubt about that you need to study my study called "Saved by Grace." A lot of "churches" teach you that you are saved by grace, the SDA church does, BUT THEN they come up with some CRAZY, UNSCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE, about SOME being able to EARN their way to salvation and into the book of life BY WORKS, by someone (usually God the Father or Jesus) standing as judge, opening the Bible and investigating to see if you have more good works than bad, and then that decides if your going to hell fire for eternity or into God's Kingdom for eternity. I'm telling you with plain talk, SUCH A TEACHING is not only AGAINST everything the Bible teaches on obtaining salvation, but such a teaching is FROM SATAN HIMSELF! In MANY studies on this Website, you are given the TRUTH about salvation, and the truth about being "called" and "chosen" and THE ONLY way to eternal life. I show you the MANY passages that give the truth, that ALL ARE IN SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS, UNTIL God decides to call you and REMOVE that spiritual blindness. I show you that He does NOT call everyone in this physical life time. Romans chapter 9 through 11 is ONE of the many passages to ABSOLUTELY PROVE this fact of the Bible and the plan of salvation as GOD HAS PLANNED it FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON EVER CONCEIVED AND/OR BORN. GOD HAS A PLAN OF SALVATION, we saw in the letters of Peter, that the Eternal WOULD LIKE TO SEE EVERYONE COME TO REPENTANCE! He does not want anyone to PERISH! He sent His only begotten Son into the world, that whoever believes on Him, should NOT PERISH, but have eternal life (the famous John 3:16). But UNTIL BLINDNESS is removed YOU CANNOT even start on being called and chosen, and walking the road that leads to eternal life. Until you KNOW JESUS the ONLY name by which you can be saved, you AIN'T EVEN OUT OF THE DUG-OUT, you ain't even on FIRST base! And MILLIONS down through the ages HAVE NEVER LEFT THE DUG- OUT! These verses in Revelation 20:11-13 are not talking about some investigative judgment, or people standing in a line to see if they are going to be saved or not by looking at the tally of their works in the light of the Bible. You have TWO choices, either these verses ARE talking about some "standing in line to be investigated" as to whether they get eternal life, OR these are people for the first time HAVING SALVATION OFFERED to them. The LATTER is by far the BEST and the MOST LOVING, from a God who just did NOT call and offer salvation to millions who once lived on this earth. If you choose the first, then I can see why millions think Christianity is garbage and God is a monster. Some of the teachings from Catholicism and Protestism have been garbage and did make God out to be a monster, who loves to fry people for all eternity in some hell fire. If you have not seen it before, are you getting now to see why the Lord proclaims in STRONG language that the majority of so-called Christianity is MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT? It will be DESTROYED, and TRUTH will reign supreme one day! These verses show MILLIONS of people coming up in a physical RESURRECTION, who were never called or chosen in their physical life-time. The Bible will be opened to them, they will UNDERSTAND IT! The book of LIFE will be opened to them, they will be CALLED to salvation. They will COME TO KNOW Jesus, the only door to God's eternal Kingdom. They will NEED TO REPENT! They will need to accept Jesus as their PERSONAL SAVIOR! They will need to CHANGE their life (they will come up with the mind-set they had all their life and died with) - GET IN HARMONY WITH WANTING TO LIVE BY EVERY WORD OF GOD (Matthew 4:4) WANTING TO LIVE WITH THE FAITH OF CHRIST (Galatians 2:20) IN THEM. They will NEED TO CHANGE THEIR MIND-SET, and HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST IN THEM (Philippians 2:5). ALL THAT WE HAVE STUDIED CONCERNING SALVATION IN THE WRITINGS OF PAUL, JAMES, PETER, JOHN, AND THE GOSPELS OF CHRIST, they will need TO SET THEIR MINDS WITH THIS NEW MAN IN CHRIST, JUST AS WE ARE DOING, JUST AS THOSE WHO WENT BEFORE US HAD TO DO. THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO BE SAVED, AND THAT IS BY GRACE, BUT WE MUST CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK AND ACT, AND MOVE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE BIBLE. EVERY SINGLE PERSON WILL BE SAVED EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. And those coming up in this resurrection of Revelation 20:11-13, will be saved just like we are saved today. This is a WONDERFUL passage of Scripture that gives HOPE for the MILLIONS who were never given salvation in their life time, who never had the BLINDNESS removed, who never KNEW Jesus the Christ. This is not some "second chance" doctrine that some say we teach. This is a FIRST CHANCE!! And let me tell you, this explanation of Revelation 20:11-13 IS A WHOLE LOT KINDER, LOVING, AND GOOD NEWS, than the SILLY ideas of what the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches HAVE taught AND MAYBE still TEACH! I have put much of what I just said in BOLD LETTERS. I want you to REALLY get the point, of false teaching as opposed to the truth of God. The length of time for this white throne judgment period is NOT given. The one some have used in Isaiah (Isa.65:20 - a hundred years) may have nothing to do with this period and resurrection of Revelation 20, but to do with the relatively new earth and heavens of the 1,000 years age. The context in Isaiah would relate to the millennium age. If you truly LOVE God, you should be REJOICING - PRAISING GOD - for the TRUTHS you are finding on this Website. As a young man, yes I was SHOCKED at some of the things I was discovering about all the Christianity I had followed from age 7 to 18. BUT at the same time, I can remember SHOUTING FOR JOY at the truths God was revealing to me in His Word. Jesus PROMISED His true followers, "You shall KNOW the TRUTH, and the truth will set you FREE." It takes the HEART, it takes HUMILITY, if you HUNGER and THIRST after RIGHTEOUSNESS .... yes, it takes all of that, but I guarantee if you have it, YOU WILL FIND THE TRUTH, AND YOU WILL BE SET FREE! So it is all done. Everyone now has had a chance for salvation. It only remains for those who REJECTED it, who would not humble themselves, who would not REPENT, to be rewarded with DEATH, not eternal life in hell fire, but DEATH, complete destruction of body and mind. "And death and hell (the grave) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the SECOND death. And whoever was not found in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire" (verses 14-15). Now, righteous, sinless eternity, in a new universe headquarters can begin. ..................... To be finished next time