Mysteries of the Kingdom

By Arlen L. Chitwood

www.lampbroadcast.org

Chapter Seven

Some Will Depart

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,

speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,

forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

 (1 Timothy 4:1-3)

God’s creation of the material universe and the establishment of His universal government preceded the creation of man by at least one age, possibly by a number of ages.  The length of this period of time is completely unrevealed in Scripture, and the only events occurring throughout this period that God has seen fit to reveal to man in His Word are events having a direct bearing upon the reason for man’s existence on the earth.

Scripture reveals God’s original establishment of the government of the earth (Ezekiel 28:14), the fall and disqualification of the earth’s first ruler (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:15), and both the immediate and far-reaching results of the fall and disqualification of this ruler (cf. Genesis 1:2a; Isaiah 14:15-17; Jeremiah 4:23-28; Ezekiel 28:16-19).

The immediate result was a ruined kingdom — a kingdom becoming “without form, and void,” with darkness covering “the face of the deep [‘raging waters’ covering the darkened, ruined kingdom]” (Genesis 1:2a).  And the far-reaching results — still future today — will be a removal of the incumbent ruler from his appointed position of power and authority and his eventual consignment to a prepared “lake of fire” (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

God revealed these things about Satan and the earth in order that man would be able to clearly see and understand the reason for his existence.  God’s creation of the material universe, His establishment of a universal government, the subsequent rebellion of one provincial ruler within this established government (the rebellion of Satan, with a segment of his angels), and the resulting ruin of Satan’s kingdom (the earth), all preceded and anticipated man’s creation.

And not only has God revealed these things, but He has also revealed the end of the matter.  He has also revealed that which will occur relative to Satan and his kingdom after man takes the scepter.

But, viewing the matter from the beginning, man was not to rule over a kingdom lying in ruins.  The earth, which had become “without form, and void” when God’s original appointed ruler sought to exalt his throne (Genesis 1:2a), was restored immediately prior to man’s creation (Genesis 1:2b-25).

God restored the ruined material creation with a view to a new provincial ruler — man — taking the scepter.  And this is something that He revealed immediately following the earth’s restoration:

Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion . . . . (Genesis 1:26; cf. vv. 27ff)

Thus, God not only clearly revealed His reason for the restoration of the ruined material creation but also His reason for the creation of man.  The material creation had been restored for man, and man was about to be brought into existence to replace the incumbent ruler and those ruling with him (Satan and his angels).

And, with God’s statement to this effect, note two established, unchangeable facts concerning man, revealed immediately preceding his creation:  (1) Man was to be brought into existence to rule the earth; and (2) this rule would be realized in conjunction with the woman, who would be taken out of man following His creation (cf. vv. 27, 28).

God said, prior to man’s creation, “. . . let them have dominion [the man and the woman together] . . . .”  (vv. 26-28).  Then, Genesis chapter two provides a number of details concerning man’s creation (v. 7), the removal of the woman from the man (vv. 21, 22), and the relationship of the woman to the man (vv. 23, 24).

This is the way God established matters in the beginning, and that which God established in the beginning does not change, it cannot change, as one moves through Scripture.  At any point in Scripture, following that which God established and revealed in the opening two chapter of Genesis, the man and the woman are seen occupying this same inseparable relationship together — a regal relationship, having to do with the government of the earth.

It matters not whether it’s a man and wife in their fallen state, God and Israel, or Christ and the Church, this established relationship holds.  It must hold, for God Himself established this relationship.

The man and wife are to presently be “heirs together of the grace of life” and foreshadow, within this God-established relationship existing during Man’s Day, the future relationship that will exist between Christ and His wife in the Lord’s Day (Ephesians 5:21-33; 1 Peter 3:7).

God took Israel as His wife in the Old Testament theocracy.  God had to possess a wife to reign in the theocracy, for that is the manner in which He Himself established matters in the beginning.  God later divorced Israel because of harlotry.  But, in the future restored theocracy, God will again take Israel as His wife (cf. Isaiah 1:21-2:5; Jeremiah 3:1ff; Hosea 2:2, 3; 14:1ff; Revelation 19:1-6).

After the same manner, Christ will one day take a wife.  The Spirit of God is in the world today searching for a bride for God’s Son, for the Son can’t reign apart from possessing a wife.  Again, this is a matter established by God in the beginning, and it cannot change (Genesis 24:1ff; Ephesians 5:21-33; Revelation 19:7-9).

Understanding this established relationship will explain both Satan’s initial action and Adam’s resulting subsequent action in Genesis chapter three.

Satan knew full-well the reason man had been created, with the woman removed from the man; and he also knew full-well the relationship existing between the man and the woman.  He knew that Adam couldn’t rule apart from Eve.  And, knowing this, he directed his efforts toward the woman, seeking to bring her into a state in which she couldn’t rule.

Satan deceived Eve into eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, contrary to God’s command.  And once Eve had disobeyed God, she was no longer in a position to rule with Adam, which meant that Adam couldn’t rule.  A part of Adam’s very being — bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh (2:23) — was no longer in a position to rule, preventing him from ruling.

Thus, Adam, in this condition — an incomplete being — was left with only one choice.  Eve had to be redeemed.  And there was only one way in which this could be done.

Adam, taking the only course available, partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as well (Adam could only drop to Eve’s level, not she rise to his).  And Adam did this with a view to redemption and his one day being able to occupy, as a complete being (the man and woman together), the position for which God had created man.

Comparing type and antitype, all of this can be clearly seen.  The second Man, the last Adam, found His bride in the same fallen state; and He took the only course available.  He who knew no sin was made sin for us “that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

As the first man, the first Adam, couldn’t reign apart from the one in a fallen state — his wife — neither can the second Man, the last Adam.  And since man is to ultimately realize the purpose for his creation in the beginning, it must be recognized that both the first Adam and the last Adam took the only course available as it pertains to the reason for man’s existence and the sin question.  To properly understand the actions of either Adam in Eden or Christ at Calvary, one account must be studied in the light of the other.  That is to say, type and antitype must be studied together.

Man’s redemption — wrought through Christ’s finished work at Calvary — has its direct connection with that which is revealed in Genesis surrounding the reason for man’s creation, Eve’s subsequent fall because of Satan’s deception, and Adam’s resulting subsequent act.  “Salvation” in Scripture is connected with regality, not as man often presents the matter, with a rescue or deliverance from the lake of fire.

Though the lake of fire does await individuals rejecting Christ’s finished work at Calvary, viewing salvation with respect to a deliverance from the lake of fire is really not the correct biblical approach. The lake of fire was prepared for “the devil and his angels,” not for man (Matthew 25:41).  It was prepared for the ones originally ruling the earth who rebelled against God’s supreme regal power and authority.

In this respect, the lake of fire has its connective origin with regality as it pertains to the earth — the same as the purpose for man’s salvation.  And this connective origin of regality and the earth with the lake of fire is why man, rejecting God’s remedy for sin, will end up in this place.

Fallen man will have rejected that which has to do first and foremost with regality and the earth.  He will have rejected a salvation that finds its revealed purpose in the reason for man’s creation and subsequent fall.  And man, rejecting a salvation of this nature, is doing little more than rebelling against God’s supreme regal power and authority — the same as Satan and his angels had done, though after a different fashion.

Thus, though the lake of fire was originally prepared for angelic beings who had rebelled against God’s supreme regal power and authority, man, also rebelling in a manner that has to do with regality and the earth, will be cast therein as well.

Doctrines of Demons

The “doctrines of demons” in the text from 1 Timothy 4:1-3 would involve a counterfeit parallel to the truth presented in the Word of God.  God has His deep things, and Satan has his deep things (1 Corinthians 2:10; Revelation 2:24).  And the latter, as it is presented in Scripture, is simply a corruption of the former.  It is taking the former, remaining within the same framework as the former, and producing a counterfeit, a corrupted parallel.

For example, Scripture begins with a foundational framework (Genesis 1:1-2:3), providing an unchangeable pattern for the whole of that which God was about to lay out in His Word (Genesis 2:4ff).  And Satan begins at the same point, providing a corrupted parallel to that which God has laid out in His Word (cf. 2 Peter 3:3-8).

Satan not only has his corrupted parallel relative to salvation by grace through faith (Genesis 1:2b-5), but he has his corrupted parallel relative to present and future aspects of salvation as well — the salvation of the soul (Genesis 1:6ff).  And, as God in His Word places the emphasis on present and future aspects of salvation (not only in Genesis 1:1-2:3, but also in the remainder of Scripture), so does Satan in his counterfeit parallel.

And, as God in His Word reveals a specific goal for man’s salvation (not only in Genesis 1:1-2:3, but also in the remainder of Scripture), Satan seeks to entirely corrupt this teaching in his counterfeit parallel.

Satan places the emphasis where God has placed the emphasis, and he seeks to set forth a counterfeit at the same points God has set forth the truth (cf. Isaiah 14:13, 14).  He has taken God’s truth and introduced error in his efforts to mislead the masses.

(A good counterfeit will approximate the original as closely as possible; and, as with any good counterfeit, it is easier to mislead the masses in this manner [cf. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15].)

Then note that God’s Word is directed to the saved, not the unsaved.  The unsaved are “dead in trespasses and sins” and cannot understand this Word (Ephesians 2:1; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14).

And so it is with Satan and his counterfeit parallels.  These counterfeit teachings have been designed for those who have “passed from death to life” (John 5:24).  Those “dead in trespasses and sins” are in no position to understand spiritual issues — whether “corrupted” (emanating from Satan) or “uncorrupted” (emanating from God).  Both fall completely outside the realm of the natural (the soulical).

Such a corruption of the truth, received by the saved, can easily be seen in the text from the book of 1 Timothy, where Paul sounded a warning.  Paul foretold a departure from “the faith” where some Christians would begin giving heed to “deceiving spirits” rather than to God’s Word; and these deceiving spirits would teach that which was untrue, specifically referred to in the text as the “doctrines of demons.”

These Christians’ spiritual awareness would become seared (Greek: kausteriazo;  English, “cauterize” — to burn, as with a hot iron, to the point of destroying that which is being burned), resulting in a departure from “the faith.”  And, relative to “the faith” from which they had departed, they would begin proclaiming that which is false, that which is in line with the “doctrines of demons.”  They would begin proclaiming a message opposed to that which the Word of God had to say about two things:  (1) Marriage, and (2) Meats (1 Timothy 4:1-3).

The subject of “marriage” points to a work occurring during Man’s Day (the truth surrounding the matter established before and at the time of man’s creation), which would be brought to fruition and realized in the future Lord’s Day; and “meats” has to do with that part of biblical doctrine that centers around this overall subject (vv. 6, 13, 16).

And those which are seen being misled in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, “in latter times” by “deceiving spirits,” resulting in their proclaiming “doctrines of demons,” are seen, “standing in the way of marriage . . . .” (literal thought from the Greek text [v. 3a]) and are referred to as apostates.  Further, a misleading of individuals after this fashion is presented in a very specific and limited sense in Scripture.  It is presented specifically as and limited to an apostasy from the faith — nothing more, nothing less.

1)  Apostasy from the Faith

“Apostasy” has to do with standing away from a position previously held, and “the faith” is an expression that encompasses the whole of a specific part of the Word of God (actually, the central teaching) — “the Word of the Kingdom.”  The Spirit of God, revealing through Paul the central message that Christians were to be taught, explicitly singled out that which would occur “in latter times” in Christendom relative to this central message.

In short, there would be a departure from this central message; and that which is associated with the doctrines of demons would, instead, be taught.

a)  Apostasy

The word “depart” in 1 Timothy 4:1 is a translation of the Greek word, aphistemi, which is the verb form of the noun, apostasia.  And apostasia is the word from which our English word “apostasy” is derived.  The English word “apostasy” is simply an Anglicized form of the Greek word apostasia.  Accordingly, to understand that which is meant by “apostasy,” the Greek word needs to be referenced.

Apostasia is a compound word comprised of apo and stasis.  Apo means “from,” and stasis means “to stand.”  Thus, the literal meaning of the word is “to stand from,” or “to stand away from.”  An apostate, in the true sense of the word, is simply someone standing away from, departing from, a position previously held.

In 1 Timothy 4:1, the departure from the previously held position is specifically stated to pertain to “the faith.”  That is, seducing spirits, promulgating the doctrines of demons, are seen leading individuals adhering to “the faith” (of necessity, Christians, not unsaved individuals [1 Corinthians 2:14]) away from this position.

b)  The Faith

The central thrust surrounding the truth of the matter, derived from the Word of God, has to do with “the faith.”  And the central thrust surrounding that which is false, derived from the doctrines of demons, also has to do with “the faith.”  One emanates from “the deep things of God,” and the other emanates from “the depths [lit., ‘the deep things’] of Satan” (1 Corinthians 2:10; Revelation 2:24).  The former is the Truth; the latter is a corrupted, counterfeit parallel to the Truth.

The expression “the faith” is peculiarly related in Scripture to the overall scope of the Word of the Kingdom, to the mystery revealed to Paul, to the gospel of the glory of Christ, to the salvation of the soul.  This is the manner in which the expression appears in numerous New Testament references — in the Gospels, in the book of Acts, and in the Epistles (both Pauline and General).

Christ, during the course of His earthly ministry, at His first coming, looked 2,000 years ahead to His second coming, and, through a question, called attention to a solitary fact concerning the central message of the New Testament.  Christ asked, “. . . when the Son of Man [a Messianic title] comes, will he really find faith [lit., ‘the faith’] on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).  And the manner in which the question is worded in the Greek text designates a negative answer.

The Son of Man will not find “the faith” being taught in Christendom at the time of His return.  The leaven that the woman placed in the three measures of meal in Matthew 13:33 (having to do with the doctrines of demons) will have taken care of that.

Now, if the expression, “the faith,” refers to that which is held by fundamental Christendom today (the whole of man’s categorization of fundamental doctrines; e.g., the virgin birth, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, etc.) — as commonly taught — then a major problem exists.

Fundamentalism, in the preceding respect, is presently a major force in Christendom; and “ the faith” would be something held to and proclaimed throughout a rather large segment of Christendom.  Thus, if “the faith” is to be understood as a reference to the body of biblical doctrines, as held by those recognized as “fundamental Christians,” then conditions in Christendom are such that Christ cannot return during the present time.  Fundamentalism of this nature is presently alive and well in Christendom.  In fact, it is actually a growing force in numerous quarters.  Millions of Christians in this country alone would fall within the mainstream of fundamentalism and adhere to this body of biblical doctrine.

But the preceding is really neither here nor there, for, when one looks to Scripture for its own definition of “the faith,” something completely different is seen.  Scripture uses this expression in a very limited sense.  Scripture uses this expression in contexts having to do with the Word of the Kingdom, not in contexts having to do with the complete body of fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith.

Doctrines of “the faith,” in the preceding respect, in actuality, represent that which man has attempted to categorize as he has looked at the Scriptures, not doctrines seen through allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture.  And it is the latter alone, not the former, which allows man to look into the Scriptures and view matters from the way God has recorded them in His Word.  There is a vast difference in viewing Scripture from the preceding two vantage points, especially when it comes to dealing with “the faith.”

To take the biblical expression, “the faith,” and attempt to identify it with man’s categorization of doctrine (a list of biblical doctrines) is the height of folly in Scriptural interpretation.  Scripture is always to be interpreted in the light of Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:9-13).  And this is exactly the way in which the expression, “the faith,” must be understood.

Scripture must be allowed to explain that which is meant by the expression.  It is an expression that is used over and over in Scripture.  And the interesting thing is that Scripture not only clearly explains how this expression is used, but it does so in numerous instances.

Paul, for example, in his first letter to Timothy, following his warning concerning the apostates, said:

Fight the good fight of [the] faith, lay hold on eternal life [lit., ‘Strive in the good contest of the faith, lay hold on life for the age’], to which you were also called . . . . (1 Timothy 6:12)

And, in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, a similar usage is again seen:

“I have fought the good fight [lit., ‘I have strived in the good contest’], I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness . . . .” (2 Timothy 4:7, 8)

Or, when Jude sought to write an epistle relative to the “common salvation [the good news concerning salvation by grace through faith, a subject which none of the epistles centers on],” the Spirit of God led him to write on an entirely different subject.  The Spirit of God led Jude to write an epistle exhorting Christians to “earnestly contend [lit., ‘earnestly strive’] for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints [the good news concerning salvation in relation to the coming glory of Christ, something seen as central in the subject matter of all the epistles]” (Jude 3).

The words “fight” (1 Timothy 6:12), “fought” (2 Timothy 4:7), and “contend” (Jude 3) are translations of the same word in the Greek text — agonizomai, the word from which our English word, “agonize,” is derived.

In Jude though, the word has been intensified through the writer prefixing the Greek preposition epi to the word, forming epagonizomai.  Thus, the correct translation would be, “earnestly strive . . . .”

In all three of the preceding passages, the thought, through the use of agonizomai, has to do with straining every muscle of one’s being relative to “the faith.”

In the first two references (from 1, 2 Timothy), the picture is that of an athletic contest.  Christians are to strain every muscle of their being in the present race of “the faith” in which they find themselves engaged.

Then Jude, in the face of apostasy relative to “the faith,” still remaining within the thought of an athletic contest, intensified the word.  Jude, because of apostasy among Christians relative to “the faith” — Christians giving heed to deceiving spirits, teaching the doctrines of demons (something also spoken of by Christ, Paul, and Peter) — intensified the thought of striving in his exhortation.  He, in essence, exhorted Christians, while running the race of “the faith,” to be especially and particularly on guard because of the apostates.

And it is apparent that Jude intensified this word, with a view to the apostates, because of the specific nature of apostasy, because of the realm in which the apostates had centered their teachings — seeking to mislead Christians relative to “the faith,” seeking to draw Christians away from the central teaching of Scripture.  The “doctrines of demons,” promulgated by the apostates, is the most dangerous and deadly teaching that has ever been proclaimed or ever will be proclaimed in Christian circles.  And, because of this, Jude exhorted Christians to strain every muscle of their being in the race of “the faith.”

The preceding would form only a few examples of the way in which the expression, “the faith,” is used in the New Testament.  Other examples would be the conversion of priests in Israel during the reoffer of the kingdom, who were then “obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7), disciples exhorted “to continue in the faith” relative to entrance into the kingdom (Acts 14:22), Paul proclaiming “the faith” which he had once sought to destroy (Galatians 1:23; cf. Ephesians 6:16; Philippians 1:27; Colossians 1:23; 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:4, 11; 1 Timothy 1:2, 18-20; 5:8; 6:10, 21; 2 Timothy 2:18; 3:7, 8), and the usage of the expression in the general epistles (cf. Hebrews 12:2; James 1:3; 2:14, 17, 18, 20, 22, 26; 1 Peter 1:7, 9).  “Faith” is articular in the Greek text in each of the preceding references.

Thus, there is a uniform usage of this expression throughout the New Testament.  And, though it doesn’t have to do with the body of biblical doctrine held by those forming “fundamental Christendom,” it does have to do with a body of biblical doctrine.  It has to do with that body of biblical doctrine rejected by Christendom at large — liberals and fundamentalists alike.  It has to do with that body of biblical doctrine referred to in various ways in Scripture — the Word of the Kingdom, the mystery, Paul’s gospel, the gospel of the glory of Christ, etc.

2)  Marriage, Meats

Foundational principals and biblical doctrine surrounding the marriage relationship have forever been set forth in the opening chapters of Genesis.  And, any time one finds the man and the woman together beyond this point — whether during Man’s Day or during the coming Lord’s Day — rulership is in view.  Or, to present the truth of the matter from another perspective, turn the statement around.  Any time one finds rulership in view beyond the opening chapters of Genesis (relative to man), a husband-wife relationship must also be in view.

This is why Israel is seen as the wife of Jehovah in the Old Testament theocracy — a wife later seen as an adulterous wife, resulting in God divorcing Israel — with God then, of necessity, ending the Old Testament theocracy (cf. Jeremiah 3:1-14; Ezekiel 9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22, 23).  And this is why, before a theocracy can be established on the earth yet future, Israel has to be cleansed and restored to her former place, as the wife of Jehovah.  A Husband-wife relationship must exist at this time.

This is also why Christ is to have a wife yet future.  If Christ is to reign over the earth as the second Man, the last Adam, He must have a consort queen to reign with Him.  This is why a marriage must occur prior to the time He reigns.  A Husband-wife relationship must exist at this time.

And further, this is why the husband-wife relationship today, during Man’s Day, is dealt with in Scripture in connection with an heirship together (1 Peter 3:7).  There is a present reigning in life, seen in the marriage relationship; and this is at the heart of that which Paul refers to as “a great mystery” relative to “Christ and the Church” in Ephesians 5:21-33.

There are two books in the Old Testament that bear the names of women.  One is “Ruth,” and the other is “Esther.”  And, interestingly enough, no one knows who wrote either book.  But the book of Ruth presents one aspect of this overall matter, and the book of Esther presents the other.

The book of Ruth has to do with a Gentile who marries a Jew, with a redeemed inheritance in view.  Ruth, in her marriage to Boaz, sets forth truths surrounding Christ and His wife yet future.  And the entire book of Ruth sets forth the overall scope of the matter from beginning to end, with the husband-wife relationship being brought to the forefront in the end.

The book of Esther then presents the matter as it relates to God and Israel.  Esther was a Jew whom King Ahasuerus (who was not a Jew [note that it is God’s Son who is a Jew and will so remain throughout eternity, not the Father]) had taken as his wife following the former queen’s (Vashti’s) refusal to fulfill her role as the king’s wife (1:9ff).  Then the remainder of the book revolves around Israel in the latter days (Haman typifying Antichrist), the end of Gentile world power, and Israel restored to the nation’s rightful place as the wife of Jehovah (2:17ff).

(For additional information on the preceding, refer to the author’s books, Ruth and Esther.)

Thus, the whole of that seen in the marriage relationship beyond Genesis 1:26-28 (along with that revealed in chapter two) rests on these foundational verses in Genesis.  The husband-wife relationship today has its basis in the past (Genesis 1:26ff) and points to the future (Revelation 19:7ff).  And whether it is Israel on the earth or the Church in the heavens, there can be no future reign over the earth apart from this relationship existing between God and Israel and between Christ and the Church.

Ministry of the Spirit Today

Understanding the preceding will allow one to clearly understand that which God revealed concerning Israel and the Church in Genesis chapters twenty-two through twenty-five.  In these four chapters, God, through Moses, revealed things concerning both the wife of Jehovah and the wife of Christ; and this was based on that which is revealed in the first three chapters of Genesis, but with a view to the goal of the matter in the future Lord’s Day.  And God set all of this forth long before He brought either Israel or the Church into existence (cf. Isaiah 46:9, 10).

The ministry of the Spirit during the present dispensation is seen in Genesis chapter twenty-four, fifteen hundred years before it even began.  Events in this chapter — Abraham sending his servant into the far country to obtain a bride for His son, typifying God sending the Spirit into the world to obtain a bride for His Son — occurred following the offering of Isaac (chapter 22) and the death of Sarah (chapter 23), but before the remarriage of Abraham (chapter 25).

That is to say, the ministry of the Spirit during the present dispensation occurs following the events of Calvary (chapter 22) and the setting aside of Israel (chapter 23), but before the time God restores Israel as His wife (chapter 25).  And further, the ministry of the Spirit in the world today, as seen in the type in Genesis chapter twenty-four, is clearly revealed to be that of obtaining a bride for God’s Son.  And, in line with the preceding, any facet of the Spirit’s work during the time of His mission — whether it be among the unsaved (effecting life, based on the finished work of the Son) or among the saved (leading saved individuals “into all truth,” from gnosis to epignosis [from immaturity to maturity]) — must center around His revealed mission, as seen in Genesis chapter twenty-four.

The reason why God sent the Spirit into the world to accomplish such a mission is easy to see and understand if one keeps in mind the God-established issues surrounding the husband-wife relationship.  The Son must have a wife if He is to reign.  And Christians as well — anticipating the Son’s reign — cannot reign apart from this same relationship.

The coming millennial reign of the Son will be a theocracy wherein God the Father will have a wife on earth (seen in the type in Genesis 25) and the Son will have a wife in the heavens above the earth (a wife presently being procured through the work of the Spirit, seen in the type in Genesis 24).  And in order for any individual from the human race to rule and reign in that coming day, that person will have to be a part of either the wife of Jehovah on the earth or the wife of the Son in the heavens.  There can be no rule and reign for anyone — man, or God’s Son — apart from this established, Husband-wife relationship.

The preceding is why “marriage” and “meats” are singled out in 1 Timothy 4:3.  The marriage relationship today is based on that which God established in past time, and reflects on that which will ultimately be brought into full fruition during future time.  And it matters not whether the word “marriage” in this verse is understood in a literal sense (referring to the marriage relationship today) or in a spiritual sense (referring to Christ and His wife yet future), the same thing is still being dealt with.  A husband-wife relationship today is based on that which God established in the past and directly reflects on that which He will bring to fruition yet future.  It directly reflects on Christ and His wife yet future.

And the preceding is why any corruption of the marriage relationship by man (adultery, homosexuality, etc.) is dealt with so severely in Scripture.  Any deviation from that which God established is a corruption, with far-reaching ramifications.

Marriage, as established by God, has to do with regality; and this regality is to be realized in its ultimate sense during the coming Messianic Era.  All of man’s corruptions are simply offshoots of Satan’s attempted, multi-faceted corruption surrounding the whole panorama of biblical doctrine (“meats”) pertaining to the marriage relationship.