"Eternal life" requires a couple who can have increase, or bear children. The requirement is that through the continuation of the marriage covenant men and women become exalted. And without that, they remain separate and single, saved, but not exalted. D&C 132 explains:
15 Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.
16 Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.
18 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that covenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God.
The Celestial Kingdom has three heavens or degrees within it. To attain the highest, which is the only one in which the marriage covenant exists and continues, a person must have entered into a marriage and been sealed by the holy spirit of promise. As D&C 131 explains:
1 In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
Exaltation is tied to the marriage covenant and without an eternal marriage there cannot be exaltation.
However, (I point out hesitantly) that all these verses are phrased in the masculine. In most cases the masculine does not matter because the commandment applies to both the man and woman. That is, when mankind is referred to collectively, it is referred to in the masculine. For example, the first couple are sometimes referred to collectively as "Adam" when what is meant is Adam and Eve. Therefore, what I'm going to say is not a universal truism and cannot be applied without regard to context. Here, however, it can be applied. Because in this instance, the male's right to exaltation is utterly dependent upon his successful completion of this requirement as part of this probation.
Women, on the other hand, who would be otherwise worthy (and that involves a great number beyond those who are parties to sealed and worthy marriage), are among those who D&C 137 describes:
7. ...All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;
8 Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;
9 For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desires of their hearts.
Women have, throughout history, borne their obligation of motherhood and submission to husbands with considerable success. It is rare, however, when men have been able to retain priesthood. Apostasy is a male failing, not a female failing. Nor are the women of the Church responsible for the lack of "power" within the priesthood discussed by Elder Packer in last General Conference. This is a male failing. Therefore, when the first two quotes are read above, the significance of the masculine phrasing ought not be overlooked. The whole subject is tied to a man's completion of a task required of him in mortality.
Women who are good mothers, worthy wives and who keep the faith will suffer no loss because of a failing husband. HOWEVER, women are required to minister in love and righteousness even to a difficult husband, as did Abigail. Marriage to a "churlish" man did not stop her from showing her own nobility. Therefore, it is not enough for a woman to determine her husband is not likely to survive the judgment, give up on him, and await the next life to learn to serve in love and patience. She has an obligation to begin that service here and now. Indeed, the worse the man, the greater the opportunity to show Christ-like devotion. There is no man whose behavior is more offensive than those for whom Christ suffered. To be like Him, and to live where He lives requires a similar capacity to forgive, love, bless, serve and elevate.
This isn't easy. Wasn't meant to be. Do you really think any of us are worthy to be called "gods" without first descending below all things so as to be qualified to rise above all things? Christ is not merely our Savior, He is our example. We must "follow Him" if we want to be where He is.
This isn't easy. Wasn't meant to be. Do you really think any of us are worthy to be called "gods" without first descending below all things so as to be qualified to rise above all things? Christ is not merely our Savior, He is our example. We must "follow Him" if we want to be where He is.
What an excellent explanation. Thank you very much. You've helped me and my marriage!! :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful doctrine! Such a needed message in today's world.
ReplyDeleteI believe it's important to point out 1st though, that women are only required to submit & have True Love for their husband only if he submits to & has True Love for her 1st. And as BY explained, a woman does not have to ever be with an unrighteous man in heaven who did not treat her right on earth, for BY says he won't even be there, for he must earn exaltation & his wife through great love & service for her if he wants to be with her there.
But the high law of Celestial Marriage, the new doctrine Christ established for all time, was that we are commanded, though not forced, to have a True Love for our spouse, a love that never ends or gives up & never break our marriage covenants to our spouse to find someone new (as long as our spouse is alive), no matter what our spouse does or where they may go or if they have True Love for us yet.
That does not mean we must submit to or not protect ourselves from unrighteousness or abuse, but that we keep our marriage covenants to love & stay faithful to our spouse, if even from a safe distance til they repent, regardless of the faithfulness or righteousness of that spouse.
Abuse, Adultery, Addictions, Abandonment or even Forced Divorce do not break up the marriage & sealing if the righteous spouse keeps their end of the marriage covenant & maintains complete faithfulness & True Love & helps & waits for their spouse to eventually repent & return to them if they left. It only takes 'one' spouse to save any marriage.
Every unrighteous, abusive, adulterous or abandoning spouse must eventually repent fully & return to the righteous spouse, even if it's in the next life & make restitution to their spouse for eternity, IF the righteous spouse wants them with them. Its the righteous spouse's choice to take them back or not & save them from an eternity alone.
I agree with you Denver, God knew marriage wouldn't be easy & most marriages would deal with either abuse, addictions, adultery or abandonment, etc. by one spouse or the other or even both. He even knew that it would be the disposition of nearly all his sons to use unrighteous dominion in their marriages. So he knew few of his sons would make it back to him, & thus, I know he asked his daughters to help save his sons. For women are are usually, but not always, more loving. spiritual & willing to sacrifice & strong enough to give their life, a day at a time, to save not only their children but their husband too.
If a wife will have True Love for even an undeserving husband, than she can bring him, by the power of the sealing & her valiancy back to the presence of the father, to enjoy eternal marriage with her, after he pays for his unrepentant sins & abuses in Spirit Prison. He will be completely different after repenting, the man she always dreamed he would be & he will love her with an incredible True Love for saving him by her love & faithfulness & not casting him off to eternal loneliness & regret to live without her & the children forever.
That is the 1st & highest calling of a woman, to truely be a 'helpmeet' to her husband & help him make it back to the Celestial Kingdom. Sometimes it happens the other way around, the husband helps his unrighteous wife make it back because of his True Love & faithfulness despite what she does.
This True Love is so rare these days but so vital & such a wonderful & marvelous power & principle. True Love will save ourselves, our spouse & our children. It can make any marriage & family eternal if we just want it enough.
When it comes to conditions upon a husband's 'hearkening to the Lord' as a condition of following him, I think the caution: "With what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged" is in order. The absolute and unconditional support of a wife for her husband, and in a husband for his wife, is the only way in which they can find Celestial peace. Her flaws, if they exist, ought not to be noticed. His flaws, which undoubtedly will exist (because of the difficulty of presiding anytime, anywhere over anyone continually in righteousness and meekness), also ought not to be noticed.
ReplyDeleteWe are talking about godhood. We are not talking about nice people. We are talking about perfection itself. Christ is the pattern. He didn't magnify His disciples' weaknesses; He strengthened them. He forgave them. He showed by His example what they should become. He asks, in turn, that we "follow Him."
Presiding over each other in love, is the key to marriage. But love means not supporting wickedness. In following the counsel, requests or wishes of a wife or husband we must realize that we are to never follow an evil request, that would only hurt the marriage.
ReplyDeleteWhile we should seek to fulfill our spouses wishes daily before our own & all else, we must at times stand for right when needed.
In decision making, it's best if we can give our spouse what they want, most or all of the time, hoping they will do the same for us. But if we think their idea or counsel is wrong we should not give our consent, until we can agree & feel ok about it. Each spouse holds a vital veto power that protects the marriage & family.
If they force the issue & use unrighteous dominion & make the decision alone without our consent or by intimidation, then we should not say anything more about it, for it would probably only make things worse. They will then have to be accountable for making a decision unilaterally. Common consent is vital in an eternal marriage. It helps keep check on & protect both spouses.
While we should overlook the faults of our spouse, we also have an obligation to help them repent if they are doing wrong. (thus protecting ourselves, them & the children)
We can inspire them to do right by meekly & lovingly 'asking for what we would like them to do' instead of pointing out what they do wrong, which usually makes them go deeper in sin anyway. If they aren't willing to heed our loving requests then they almost surely won't listen to our complaints.
Also, great unconditional love, service, affection & gratitude go a long way in softening hearts to fulfill our righteous requests & help a spouse choose the right.
It is vital for a wife to understand that she has no obligation to listen to, support or even stay with a husband who does not keep his covenants to her, to give True Love & daily serve her every wish.
ReplyDeleteThat was his promise (on bended knee) that the whole marriage was based upon or she would never have trusted her life, heart & body to him. Nor would Heavenly Father have wanted her to without such a promise from a man.
It's like if Heavenly Father didn't keep his part of the covenant, we would not then be obligated. But he does & all men eventually will keep their covenants 100% to their wives, so righteous wives wait it out til they do, though sometimes from a safe distance.
Heavenly Father expects alot from his sons before he obligates his daughters to risk her heart & life & future children with him. For, given the world's history & natural disposition of nearly all men to use unrighteous dominion, such an promise & the fulfillment of it is vital to keep women & children safe.
If a man does keep his covenants to have True Love for his wife & to daily serve her & follow her counsel & wishes 100% (unless she asks for something evil), then & of course the wife is obligated to do the same for him.
Yes, no one is perfect, but wives usually have great patience with men & can see & appreciate their efforts in keeping their covenants to her, even if he is not perfect yet.
A righteous wife will actually choose to continue to love & have patience with even an unrighteous man, who does not listen to her & her counsel & wishes or love her. For she knows that one day he will repent, in this life or the next & for eternity fulfill his covenants to her with True Love.
Part 1
ReplyDeleteYou started off really well in this blog with:
"Eternal life" requires a couple who can have increase, or bear children. The requirement is that through the continuation of the marriage covenant men and women become exalted. And without that, they remain separate and single, saved, but not exalted.
However you brought up something that I have been pondering on for quite some time now, that of divisions within the Celestial Kingdom. Could it be that the divisions talked about in Section 131 are really the Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial Kingdoms? Let’s look at this together.
D&C 131:1 In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
3 And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
4 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.
Picking up from your blog where we left off:
The Celestial Kingdom has three heavens or degrees within it. To attain the highest, which is the only one in which the marriage covenant exists and continues, a person must have entered into a marriage and been sealed by the holy spirit of promise.
The common mistake made here is that of interchanging the words “kingdom” and “Glory”. D&C 131 uses the phrase, “In the Celestial Glory…”
After much study, I have come to realize that this, Celestial Glory, does not mean the Celestial Kingdom. In 1843 to say Celestial Glory was just like saying in Heaven or in the Resurrection. Thus the meaning of section 131 should be, in heaven there are three glories or degrees. By changing the meaning it changes the entire doctrine of the Celestial Kingdom.
2010 Doctrine – Celestial Kingdom is divided into three sections and in order to get to the highest section within the Celestial Kingdom a man has to be married. However, if someone fails on the way to this goal, they can still go to the Celestial Kingdom if they live worthy, however, not to the top section – only to the lower two levels.
The D&C describes the three degrees of glory and the qualifications of entering each one; there are no scriptural teachings of this celestial kingdom division doctrine. There are no qualification outlines for the second and third levels and no one can tell you how or why you’d get there. We are left to guess and assume what these qualifications are and how this division takes place.
However, if we stay with the teachings as outlined in 1843, we will understand better the proper teachings of section 131 and keep the doctrine pure.
Here is my take on the Doctrine of Section 131: 1) In Heaven there are three degrees or kingdoms; 2) And in order to enter into the highest (into the Celestial Kingdom) a man must enter into the new and everlasting covenant of Marriage; 3) And if he does not, he cannot enter into the Celestial Kingdom; 4) He may enter into the other kingdoms, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.
This is the doctrine as taught by Joseph Smith. He never taught that there were three degrees of glory within the Celestial Kingdom, neither did Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, nor Joseph F. Smith. In fact, there are plenty of discourses on this very subject and they all support this 1843 doctrine of marriage as a requirement of entrance into the Celestial Kingdom.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteThe question begs to be asked – if these early brethren didn’t teach Celestial Kingdom Division – then when did we (the Church) start teaching it and what prophet made the doctrinal change? If you look hard you can find that the starting point for this Division Doctrine is in 1922. It is not in any written form before then – in other words, no one taught it before 1922, or, if they did, they did not write it down. And there was no prophetic announcement to make the doctrine change official.
Is it possible that this is a modern doctrine, or should we say a doctrine that has been changed to a tradition, “mingled with scripture?”
With that said let’s take a look at some of the holes/conflicts in the Division Doctrine:
1) To have Exaltation and Eternal Life we would live in God’s presence and have an increase. Teaching that a person can enter into a “lower” section of the Celestial Kingdom, if they are not married, is teaching that you can live single in the celestial kingdom; however, in the lower rent district, it is still life with God in the Celestial Kingdom. This doesn’t make any sense at all. Exaltation and Eternal life is what the Celestial Kingdom is all about. To get to the Celestial Kingdom you have to live the law that governs that kingdom. One of those laws is to be married. So, if you are not married you can’t go there. Period.
The Celestial Kingdom without division doctrine goes well with the verses of D&C132 that you quoted:
15 Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.
16 Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.
Continuing with verses 19-20, which describes the process of becoming Gods and life in the Celestial Kingdom:
19 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.
Part 3
ReplyDeleteAfter this fine explanation of exaltation the Lord tells us that we have to be married or we cannot enter into this Glory:
21 Verily, verily I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.
Attain to the glory of the Celestial Kingdom, not some minor level within that kingdom.
Back to Verse 17 - For these angels did not abide my law… - If the law is not kept (the law is to be married), they can’t go to the Celestial Kingdom. This sounds harsh but it is the law of the kingdom. Yet, the “traditional” teaching of three levels inside God’s highest kingdom (the Celestial Kingdom) teaches that we can live single in the presence of God. This defies all logic and common sense.
The tradition of men mingled with scripture is warm and comforting for the masses; while the pure doctrine raises the bar to a higher standard of entrance, and few there be that find it. Are we “at ease in Zion?”
2) Another point: 17 - For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation… -Exaltation is what the Celestial Kingdom is all about and all those who attain to the kingdom will attain to exaltation.
22 For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.
23 But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also.
This is pretty clear that without exaltation and the continuation of lives a person cannot know God. To know Him is to live with Him in his Kingdom.
3) Another point: When Adam is referred to in the plural sense, Adam and Eve, it is in regards to a complete unit, man and woman sealed together with his blessing. God is complete, full, and whole. Man without the woman is not complete, full, nor whole, and anything that is not complete can’t enter back into God’s presence. The scriptures teach us that we can’t enter God’s kingdom alone.
1 Corinthians 11:11 - Nevertheless neither is the aman without the woman, neither the bwoman without the man, in the Lord.
The temple also teaches us that you enter God’s presence as a couple, never single.
-----------------------------
D&C 131 was never considered to be a formal revelation until Elder Orson Pratt extracted it from the history of the church and included it in the 1876 edition of the D&C, under the direction of Brigham Young. Up until this time it was only published as part of the Prophet’s history.
William Clayton kept a mighty fine journal and as you read it around the dates of May 16-17, 1843, you will find the information from which D&C 131 was drawn. William Clayton was in Joseph Smith’s company daily from this point until the end of Joseph’s life. Exaltation and eternal lives are taught almost on a daily basis, but not once is the Celestial Division Doctrine discussed during this time.
A lot of time and money has been invested in books and manuals to ever see a change back to the pure doctrine – however; as we search for further light and knowledge we need to keep the doctrine as pure as we can, even in our discussions.
Your thoughts.
Dave,
ReplyDeleteWe know that there will be some in the Celestial Kingdom who are not married & not exalted nor have Celestial Glory. These are the unrighteous children of the earth who were saved to the Celestial Kingdom by their righteous parent's valiant love, service & sacrifice. These children will be like the Prodical Son who did not have an inheritance (an exaltation) in his Father's house but was able to live there solely because of the love the father (parents) had for him.
Brigham Young & Joseph Smith, Pres. Hinckley, etc., taught this. Here is one of their quotes:
"Those born under the covenant, through all eternity, are the children of their parents. Nothing except the unpardonable sin or sin unto death, can break his tie. If children do not sin as John says, "unto death" the parents may still feel after them & eventually bring them back to them again. Let the father & mother take a righteous course & strive with all their might never to do a wrong, but to do good all their lives, if they have 1 child or 100 children... if they conduct themselves towards them as they should, binding them to the Lord by their faith & prayers, I care not where those children go, they are bound up to their parents by an everlasting tie, & no power of earth or hell can separate them from their parents in eternity; they will return again to the fountain from whence they sprang. All children born under the covenant belong to their parents in eternity. But that does not mean that they because of that birthright, will inherit Celestial glory (exaltation). The faith & faithfulness of father & mother wil not save (exalt) disobedient children. Salvation (exaltation) is an individual matter, & if a person who has been born under the covenant rebels & denies the Lord, he will lose the blessings of Exaltation. Every soul will be judged according to his works & the wicked cannot inherit eternal life. We cannot force salvation (exaltation)upon thosewho do not want it. Even our Father's children had their agency before this life & 1/3 of them rebelled. It the duty of parents to teach their children so that they will walk uprightly & thus obtain the blessings of their birthright. But children born under the covenant, who drift away, are still the children of their parents & the parents have claim upon them, & if the children have not sinned away all their rights, the parents may be able to bring them, through repentance, into the CELESITAL KINGDOM, but NOT to receive EXALTATION."
Discourses of B.Y., p. 208.
Also, righteous spouse's can save an unrighteous spouse to be with them in the Celestial Kingdom when the errant spouse didn't earn it here on earth. In the above quote you can replace the word 'children' & 'parents' with 'unrighteous spouses' & 'valiant spouses' who keep their covenants of faithfulness to a spouse who breaks theirs & may even leave them & unjustifiably marry someone else. Divorce & even their remarriage does not break the 1st marriage up, if the valiant spouse still wants the marriage to remain in tack & wait for their spouse to return & repent, for they all must someday, in this life or the next.
Brigham Young & other Prophets taught this.
"If he(the husband)honors his priesthood & you (the wife) are to blame & come short of doing your duty & prove yourself unworthy of Celestial Glory (exaltation), it will be left to him to do what he pleases with you. You will be very glad to get to him if you find the fault was in yourself & not in him."
And visa versa. A righteous wife can save her unrighteous husband, even if he divorces her & remarries.
This is the most powerful & most wonderful doctrine ever taught!
Denver,
ReplyDeleteYou said that "women are required to minister in love and righteousness even to a difficult husband." I would change the word 'required' to 'asked' meaning if she didn't, it would not be a sin, for even women are allowed self-defense from abus. Though in leaving & marrying someone else, she may not reach Exaltation either, maybe just Terrestrial K., for she didn't have True Love for her difficult husband.
But may I ask you a question?
I know you are so busy but I would really appreciate your opinion on this; How far does your belief go 'that a wife should minister in love to her difficult husband'?
What if he abuses her in some form & doesnt repent, or commits adultery by continued affairs or porn, or even forces her through a divorce unjustifiably & goes off & marries another woman, & even gets leaders to let him be sealed to her (seemingly) in the temple.
Until what point, if any, would you say a woman is 'required' as you say, to continue to love & stay faithful to & minister, when she can, to her wicked husband who might be even living with another woman?
Would you think such a woman should wait her life out alone &/or seriously abused & still keep her covenants to him, til he repents & returns to her, in this life, but most likely not til the next?
How far does your belief go?
Thank you.
Once there is a divorce, she is free to remarry according to both the Old and New Testaments. If there is a breach of the covenant she made in her remarriage, the accountability for that lies with the husband, according to Christ. She is not accountable.
ReplyDeleteI would always and in everything say that the "rule" is the principle to follow until you receive further instruction from the Lord. As soon as the Lord instructs otherwise, as He often does, then the "rule" is no longer applicable and the Lord's instruction is what ought to be followed.
In this post I'm speaking about the "rule" to be followed. But each woman is entitled to receive instruction from the Lord, and becomes accountable for following Him once it is received.
This is one of the reasons why we are not in a position to judge others. As soon as we use the "rules" to judge others, we risk finding ourselves at odds with the Lord's instruction to another. This is always a mistake.
Thank you for replying Denver. I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI guess I will have to just agree to disagree, for I believe that a wife can't break her covenants without accountability even if her husband has. Her dating or remarriage may not be considered adultery by the Lord, but there are definately serious temporal, spiritual & eternal consequences for her & her unfaithful husband & her children if she breaks her covenants too & remarries, just because her husband has broken his.
By being valiant & keeping her covenants no matter what, she could save her & her children & unfaithful husband from alot of severe pain, sorrow & unbelief in this life & the next. And for that she is hugely accountable.
For wasn't her marriage vow, in front of God, to have True Love for her husband? The kind that never ends or gives up? Or just til the marriage gets too hard or painful? Then we go look around for Romance #2, then 3,4,10... I can't seem to find hardly anyone who believes in True Love anymore. Which is the basis to every Gospel doctrine & concept ever taught by Christ. In fact, it's the basis of Eternity & the requirement for Exaltation.
I also believe that the Lord's principles & rules don't change from what he has said through his Prophets. One of satan's most effective snares is to get people to think they are the exception to the rule. The Lord would tell the same principles & rules to everyone. So I believe we can use the principles God has layed out to judge righteously, so we know when to try to help people repent if they do anything different from those established rules. Else we would never know if someone needs our help to repent or if we should protect ourselves & others from them, if the Spirit could tell everyone different things.
Heavenly Father knew that most all husbands would break their covenants to their wives in this life in some form of abuse or adultery, (& as History has proved) so he made his rules for just that almost universal scenario & not for some rare marriage where the husband is righteous. He commanded us to love our enemies, especially an enemy spouse. Leaving or remarrying is not loving our enemy spouse.
Anyway, thank you again for replying & letting me know your opinions on this subject.
Denver Snuffer said...
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to conditions upon a husband's 'hearkening to the Lord' as a condition of following him, I think the caution: "With what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged" is in order. The absolute and unconditional support of a wife for her husband, and in a husband for his wife, is the only way in which they can find Celestial peace. Her flaws, if they exist, ought not to be noticed. His flaws, which undoubtedly will exist (because of the difficulty of presiding anytime, anywhere over anyone continually in righteousness and meekness), also ought not to be noticed.meekness), also ought not to be noticed.
I say:
Who here has heard of a Suzerain and a Suzeronic Covenant? Let me ask point-blank: Since when, in the economy of the heavens, does the lesser in a Suzeronic covenant, judge the greater?
Just how much righteousness would there be if a King tried to judge the King of Kings?
A King/Priest and Queen/Priestess have a Suzeronic covenant relationship which is established, first by her covenant of the Law of Obedience; secondly, his covenant of obedience to his Lord.
Now let us suppose the King is given a new command which involve both he and she, which is disconcerting to him; he then tells her. Are you telling me she judges both him and his Lord?
Example, Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Isaac--nowhere in scripture or extra-biblical sources (that I know of) is there record of Sarah judging Abraham or Abraham's God?
Following this, tell me, where in heaven does a Queen judge a King [and/or the King's King]?
Perhaps I am too old, but after many changes in the temple drama, the truth of the "Law of Obedience" has been lost as evidenced by Denver's comment " ... each woman is entitled to receive instruction from the Lord, and becomes accountable for following Him once it is received...".
I guess I should ask the question, Who is her Lord?
ReplyDelete