In the closing scenes of earth’s history,
the Sovereign of the universe, the Creator
God, has declared that He will restore two
sacred institutions that had their origin in
the Garden of Eden. Here He pronounced
all things “very good”, marriage and the
Sabbath. (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:1-3). These
are the twin institutions designed for the
glory of God in the benefit of humanity.
As the creator joined the hands of the holy
pair in wedlock in the Garden of Eden,
saying, “A man shall “leave his father and
his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:
and they shall be one” (Genesis 2:24),
“He enunciated the law of marriage for all
the children of Adam to the close of time.
That which the Eternal Father Himself had
pronounced good was the law of highest
blessing and development for man.”
Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing 63,64.
The family unit, the home, forms the
very foundation of human society. God
placed his blessing for the human society
in the family. (Genesis 1:30). The society
and nation are mainly the reflections of
homes and families are. Even the spiritual
condition of the church can be traced back
to the family – the home. The home is the
heart of the society, the church and the
nation. By inference, out of it (the home)
come the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23).
Thus it is no wonder that the devil has
aimed his most fierce attacks at this sacred
institution. What God has joined together
let no man put asunder. “The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy…” John
10:10. Unfortunately, the enemy of souls
has had more than a little success in this
warfare. This poses a major dilemma for
our homes, our churches, our communities,
and ultimately our entire world, for “if
the foundation be destroyed, what can the
righteous do?” (Psalms 11:3).
“Like every other one of God’s good gifts
entrusted to the keeping of humanity,
marriage has been perverted by sin, but it
is the purpose of the gospel to restore its
purity and beauty.” Thoughts from the Mount of
Blessing 64
The Sovereign of the universe foresaw
this end time attack on families and He
has provided His solution in the “Elijah
Message” of Malachi 4:5-6.
“In both the Old and New Testaments,
the marriage relation is employed to
represent the tender and sacred union that
exists between Christ and His people, the
redeemed ones whom He has purchased at
the cost of Calvary. ‘Fear not,’ He says;
‘thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of
Hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer, the
Holy One of Israel.’ ‘Turn, O backsliding
children, saith the Lord, for I am married
unto you.’ Isaiah 54:4, 5; Jeremiah 3:14.
In the ‘Song of Songs’ we hear the bride’s
voice saying, ‘My Beloved is mine, and I
among ten thousand,’ speaks to His chosen
one, ‘Thou art all fair, My love; there is no
spot in thee.’ (Song of Solomon 2:16; 5:10;
4:7).
“In later times Paul the apostle, writing to
the Ephesian Christians, declares that the
Lord has constituted the husband the head
of the wife, to be her protector, the houseband,
binding the members of the family
together, even as Christ is the head of the
church and the Saviour of the mystical
body. Therefore he says, ‘As the church
is subject unto Christ, so let the wives
be to their own husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives even as Christ
also loved the church, and gave Himself
for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the word, that
He might present it to Himself a glorious
church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any
such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish. So ought men to love
their wives.’ (Ephesians 5:24-28).
“The grace of Christ, and this alone, can
make this institution what God designed it
should be—an agent for the blessing and
uplifting of humanity. And thus the families
of earth, in their unity and peace and love,
may represent the family of heaven.”
Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing 64-65.
Thomas Jackson
Director
