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’ 2^nd 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 2^nd 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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