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Dispensation in the End Time?
OK so
in Jesus’ day, things were pretty strict. But couldn’t it be so that in
these days, before Jesus’ return to the earth in the 2nd coming, God
might give a special dispensation of grace for His children to help them
serve Him better? If true believers had sexual freedom, could they
somehow be able to be more used by Him?
Is there sexual freedom in the sight of God in these last days?
Well,
let’s read a chapter that talks specifically about believers preparing
for Jesus’ 2nd coming. As we read, we’ll look carefully to
see if there are any special instructions that we need to keep in mind,
or dispensations of freedom to avail ourselves of.
1
Thessalonians 4 is one of the pivotal chapters dealing with the 2nd
coming and the rapture. The Family proclaims these verses in its lit,
sings them, witnesses with them, and since its early beginnings has
stridently announced that these verses should be literally interpreted
as meaning exactly what they say.
1Thes 4:13-18
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no
hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God
will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who
are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means
precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the
dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall
always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Family
members teach and are taught that these verses mean what they say, that
Jesus will actually, really shout, trumpets will really blow, and we
will actually, really meet the Lord in the air among actual, real
clouds. This passage is used to assist in making decisions regarding
long term plans, finances, witnessing methods, the message preached, and
has a tangible, concrete effect on many areas of Family life. In short,
the Family has always loudly proclaimed its belief in this passage.
As
these verses towards the end of 1 Thessalonians 4 have such an impact on
Family life and decisions, it would be good to take a look at the rest
of the same chapter. Why? Because if we believe, preach, act on and
arrange our life around the second half of a chapter, we should also
believe, preach, act on and arrange our life around the first half,
which is written by the same author to the same people in the same
church at the same time.
The first half of 1 Thessalonians 4
1Thes 4:1-2
1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus
that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how
you ought to walk and to please God;
2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord
Jesus.
Paul
and his co-workers are very eager to communicate with the church of
believers in Thessalonica. They ‘urge and exhort’ − they are serious
about preparing their flock to live as if the coming of the Lord was
imminent. They ‘urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus’ − these are not idle
words, they’re speaking with the authority of the Lord, and they want to
be sure we get the point.
What
does the Lord want to tell us? Firstly that we should walk in such a way
to please God, and do it more and more. We should be overflowing with
the desire to please the Lord with our lives, whether it’s a time for
walking, or running or racing.
In
verse 2 the believers are reminded of their obligations in the Lord.
Commandments, not optional guidelines, not secular laws, not
self-righteous legalistic nit-picking, commandments. These commandments
were given earlier, as at this time ‘through the Lord Jesus’. No higher
authority could have issued these instructions.
1Thes 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that
you should abstain from sexual immorality;
This
is the will of God. Not the will of man, nor the will of Paul, nor the
will of some stuffy self-righteous church goer, nor the will of some
disaffected ex-member, this is the will of God. This is our
sanctification, this is our cleansing, our remaining clean, our
usefulness, our capacity to be used by God. So, exactly what is God’s
will, which will sanctify us in our walk with the Lord, which will
please Him? That we should ‘abstain from fornication’. (KJV) Fornication
means just what it says, sexual relations between anyone other than a
spouse. And God says that we are not to do it.
1Thes 4:4 that each of you should know how to possess his own
vessel in sanctification and honor,
Here’s
a clarification. This command was not just given to a couple of erring
members, or to the young people, or to the wayward, it says ‘each one of
you’. Everyone should learn how to ‘control his own body in a way that
is holy and honorable’. (NIV) This is godly self-control, which of
course is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Gal.5:23) We are to
control ourselves in such a way that we would not be ashamed to stand
before God. ‘Honor’ is the same word for ‘precious’ or ‘price’ in the
KJV, meaning something of great value. Controlling our bodily urges
brings sanctification, spiritual cleanliness for the Master’s use, it
increases our worth.
1Thes 4:5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not
know God;
‘like the heathen’ (NIV)
Remember, this passage was not written to the unbelievers, it was
written to the church, the body of Christ, instructing them not to act
like the unsaved. It was not talking about sex between believers and
outsiders, or Jews and Gentiles, or a Christian and a prostitute, or
members and non-members, it was referring to sexual excesses within the
church itself. Christians are not to act like the unsaved, and yet when
we allow our lusts to rule us, that’s exactly what we’re doing.
Unbelievers do not exercise control over their own lusts because they do
not know God, they do not fear God. Giving way to our own lusts shows a
lack of fear of the Lord.
Don’t take advantage of each other
1Thes 4:6-7
6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother
in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also
forewarned you and testified.
7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
No
one – there are no exceptions – is to take advantage of his brother
in this matter. ‘This matter’ means that which Paul has been discussing,
ie. controlling our lusts so that we abstain from fornication. So, no
one should take advantage of his brother or sister’s kindness in order
to have sex. The Lord doesn’t like it, and this verse carries with it a
dreadful warning which should serve to strengthen our fear of the Lord.
‘The Lord is the avenger’. In the NIV, it’s quite blunt: ‘The Lord will
punish men for all such sins.’ We reap what we sow.
Reading through this chapter in a straight and uncomplicated way
produces the straight and uncomplicated conclusions given here. In order
to justify the Family’s practice of sexual sharing, we’d have to
redefine all the key terms. We’d have to say, ‘Well, fornication
actually means something else between someone else, or it means rape or
something.’ No, fornication does not mean rape, although rape may be
included in the definition. Fornication means any sexual relations
outside of marriage, be they between consenting adults, or whoever. This
passage must be interpreted to mean exactly what it says because, as
mentioned earlier, just a few verses later come the famous ‘2nd coming’
verses which the Family is very definite about interpreting to mean
exactly what they say. Believe that, believe this. Don’t believe that…
well, why are we reading this anyway?
God
called us to glorify Him, and sexual relations outside His commandments
is ‘unclean’.
1Thes 4:8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but
God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
That’s
self-explanatory, but if we have a hard time with it, we could ask for
the Holy Spirit to help us.
How to prepare for the Lord’s coming
1Thes 4:9-12
9 But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should
write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all
Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;
11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own
business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,
12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and
that you may lack nothing.
How
else should we prepare for the coming of the Lord? Love each other more
and more. (vs.9) Could this mean sexually? No, verse 3 said we should
abstain. Lead a quiet life, mind our own business, work with our own
hands. Two benefits are given in verse 12: ‘so that your daily life may
win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on
anybody’. (NIV)
So now
we return to the famous end time passage quoted above. There is great
comfort in the knowledge that Jesus will return. We rejoice knowing He
will right every wrong and bring peace and harmony to the earth. Our
tremendous hope is not in any exalted position in the next life, but as
verse 17 says,
And
thus we shall always be with the Lord.
That
will be the eternal joy, the eternal comfort. May God help us to be
ready, to be walking so as to please Him.
In
conclusion, is there a special dispensation of grace given to believers
in the time of the end that they may have sexual freedom? May we have
sexual relations as a sign of our love and unity? Does the sexual
sharing in the Family bring God’s approval and blessing? No, to the
contrary, God sanctifies us and qualifies us for His use as we abstain
from fornication. He is pleased with us as we control our bodies, that
we may yield them to Him for His glory and honour.
He is
our Lord and our God, and He made the rules. Knowing His will is knowing
Him, and eventually our great comfort will be spending eternity with
Him!
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