The Two Works of Scripture, Part 1: Dead Works of the Old Man

[Study Aired April 28, 2026]

Introduction: The Apostolic Pattern and Its Witnesses

The doctrine of works stands at the center of Scripture’s testimony concerning God’s purpose — the redemption of the naturally captive creature, not from a lost perfection, but from the designed bondage of the natural order (Rom 8:20) — into the liberty of the life of the Spirit through the ransom of Christ. Few subjects have been more bitterly contested, more frequently distorted, or more desperately misunderstood. At first glance the sacred page appears to speak out of both sides of its mouth—commanding works while condemning them, judging by works while saving apart from them, declaring faith without works dead while declaring works of the law incapable of justifying. These apparent tensions are not contradictions to be resolved by choosing sides. They are differentiations to be discerned by the governing principle that orders all of God’s purpose: Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual (1 Co 15:46).

This article, the first of three parts, establishes the foundation of the doctrine by examining the nature of works under the old man—what Scripture terms “dead works.” Part 2 will treat the work of God (believing) and the spiritual reality of works wrought in God through the indwelling Spirit. Part 3 will address the judgment of works and the final vindication of the natural-first, spiritual-second pattern.

Before turning to the text, a word about the pattern itself. What follows is not a suggestive inference drawn from isolated verses — it is an apostolic doctrine, confirmed in the mouth of multiple witnesses across the New Testament. Paul contrasts works of the flesh with fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:19-23). The writer to the Hebrews contrasts dead works with serving the living God (Heb 9:14). Paul contrasts works of the law with the righteousness of faith (Rom 3:28; 4:4-5; Gal 2:16). Christ contrasts the multitude’s striving to work the works of God with the single work of believing (John 6:28-29). Paul contrasts man’s labor to establish righteousness with God’s own working within the believer (Phil 2:12-13). Where two or three witnesses establish a word (2Co 13:1), five apostolic witnesses establish a doctrine.

The pattern itself is one of apostolic contrast — the natural against the spiritual, the first against the second, the earthy against the heavenly. Paul does not merely demonstrate this contrast; he states it as the governing principle of all God’s purpose: Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual (1Co 15:46). The first man Adam was made a living soul; the Last Adam was made a quickening spirit (vs 45). The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven (vs 47). Every doctrine of works in Scripture moves on this line. The works of the first Adam and his posterity are the works of the natural — carnal and dead. The works wrought by the Last Adam in His people are the works of the spiritual — heavenly and living.

With this apostolic pattern in view, we turn to the Hebrew testimony of Scripture, where the terminology of works was first laid down.

The Hebrew Foundation: Ma’aseh, Pa’al, and ‘Avodah

The Old Testament employs three primary terms for what later Scripture will develop into the doctrine of works. Each contributes to the picture of the natural order, and each anticipates the resolution that belongs to the spiritual.

The most frequent is ma’aseh (Strong’s H4639), occurring over two hundred times. The word denotes a made thing, a deed, a work, an action. It is first used of God’s own works: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made (Gen 2:2). It describes the heavens as the work of thy fingers (Psa 8:3). The same word is applied to man’s works — Cain’s offering, Noah’s ark, Bezaleel’s labor on the tabernacle. Critically, ma’aseh is the word used for idolatry: the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell (Deut 4:28). Man’s works take the form of man’s gods, and man’s gods are as lifeless as man’s works. The lifelessness of the idol testifies to the lifelessness of the labor that produced it.

The second term is pa’al (Strong’s H6467, with verb H6466), “to do, to work, to make.” It carries a more personal, agential weight than ma’aseh. David prays, Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours; give them after the work of their hands (Psa 28:4). It describes the wicked who work iniquity (Psa 6:8; Psa 14:4), and the righteous whose work God remembers (Ruth 2:12). Isaiah indicts Israel for disregarding the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands (Isa 5:12). The human pa’al is the subject of God’s evaluation throughout the prophets; God’s own pa’al is the subject of human neglect.

The third term is ‘avodah (Strong’s H5656), “service, labor, bondage.” It carries the connotation of servile toil. It is first used of Israel’s hard bondage in Egypt: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour (Exo 1:14). The same word is later applied to the service of the tabernacle (Exo 35:24; 38:21) — cleansed and consecrated labor, yet still belonging to the natural order. God’s appropriation of ‘avodah from Egyptian bondage to tabernacle service is itself instructive: labor is redirected but not yet transformed; the servant serves a new Master but still serves in the flesh. The tabernacle ‘avodah was external worship by external men — a natural anticipation of the spiritual reality, pointing forward to that indwelling temple the believer has become (1Co 6:19).

The bondage that ‘avodah describes is also the bondage from which God redeems. The primary Hebrew terms for redemption — ga’al (H1350) and padah (H6299) — do not describe the recovery of a prior perfection. Ga’al is the right and obligation of the kinsman to buy back what poverty or captivity has forfeited, moving the redeemed not backward but forward into new standing (Ruth 4:4-10; Isa 43:14). Padah is ransom-release — the payment of a price that frees the captive from the condition holding them (Deut 7:8; Exo 13:13-15). Neither term presupposes a fall. Both presuppose designed captivity awaiting a Deliverer. The ‘avodah of Egypt was not an accident to be corrected; it was the natural order crying out for the ga’al of God — a cry answered first in Moses and finally and fully in Christ, who gave His life a ransom for many (Matt 20:28).

Two Old Testament passages deserve special notice as foreshadowings of the spiritual reality to come. Isaiah 26:12 prays, LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us. Here the prophet sees what Paul will later expound in Philippians 2:13 — that the acceptable works of God’s people are works God Himself has wrought in them. Psalm 90:17 confirms the same anticipation: And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. The man of God does not boast that his hands have established a work; he pleads that God will establish it. Even in the Old Testament the confession is already forming: Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it (Psa 127:1). The Hebrew foundation announces the problem; the Greek New Testament declares the resolution.

Dead Works: What Scripture Means by the Term

When the writer to the Hebrews coins the phrase “dead works” he is not speaking exclusively of acts of sin. He is naming a whole category of human activity—the full body of labor performed by the old man, whether openly wicked or outwardly pious. The phrase appears twice, each time identifying the believer’s deliverance from such works as foundational to the gospel: Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God (Heb 6:1). And more pointedly: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb 9:14).

The Greek term rendered “dead” is nekros (Strong’s G3498)—the same word used for physical corpses, for the spiritually unregenerate, and for faith without works. This term does not refer merely to the cessation of life; it signifies lifelessness as pervasive character, a quality belonging to the thing itself. A dead body is not a living body that has stopped working; it is a different kind of thing, belonging to a different category. So with dead works. They are not merely ineffective works that need greater effort; they are a different kind of works, produced by a different source, belonging to a different order of being.

The same nekros terminology converges across three New Testament books to confirm this reality. Paul declares to the Ephesians that they were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1), describing the old man’s condition before the Spirit’s quickening. James declares that faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone (James 2:17), and again, faith without works is dead (James 2:26). The Hebrews passages already seen apply the same adjective to works themselves. Dead man, dead faith, dead works — all three share one source: the Adamic nature in which the quickening spirit has not yet come. The natural order cannot produce what belongs to the spiritual, for the Last Adam has not yet wrought His work within. The convergence across Hebrews, James, and Ephesians establishes the category with the full weight of apostolic testimony.

It is crucial to see that dead works include far more than moral evil. They include religious works performed without the indwelling Spirit. Our Lord Himself warned: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matt 7:22-23). Prophesying in Christ’s name, casting out devils in Christ’s name, performing wonderful works in Christ’s name—religious works of the most impressive kind, invoking the name of the Son of God—and yet classified as iniquity, the work of those whom Christ never knew. The name on the label does not change the substance within. Works wrought by the old man in the flesh remain dead works, even when performed under Christian vocabulary. Sincerity of invocation does not sanctify the source; only the indwelling Worker does. We will return to this passage in Part 3; here it suffices to establish that the category “dead works” is larger than sinful works too narrowly understood.

Works of the Flesh

Paul’s catalog in Galatians 5 names the works of the flesh with unmistakable specificity: Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like (Gal 5:19-21). The catalog is deliberately mixed. It includes gross immorality (adultery, drunkenness, murder), occult religion (idolatry, witchcraft), and the internal works of pride and division (emulations, variance, heresies). The scope is the flesh as a whole — the natural Adamic nature in all its expressions, whether externally vile or internally respectable.

Observe how Paul concludes the catalog: they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:21). The works of the flesh do not merely fail to earn the kingdom; they bar it. But notice the contrast that follows: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Gal 5:22-23). The works of the flesh stand over against the fruit of the Spirit — and Paul does not say “works of the flesh / works of the Spirit.” He changes the word, and the change is deliberate.

The Greek word behind “works” is erga (G2041) — deeds, actions, labor produced by an agent through his own exertion. The Greek word behind “fruit” is karpos (G2590) — produce that grows organically from a living source. These are not synonyms. Erga describes what a man does; karpos describes what a living thing bears because of what it is. Paul’s choice to use karpos rather than a second erga is itself the apostolic testimony to the natural/spiritual distinction. What the old man produces belongs to one category; what the Spirit bears through the yielded believer belongs to another entirely. Old-man activity is mechanical production — the output of a laboring agent. New-man activity is organic bearing — the increase of an indwelling life. The Lord stated the principle directly: As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me (John 15:4). The branch does not labor to bear fruit; it bears fruit because it is alive in the vine. So with the fruit of the Spirit — it is not produced by effort but borne by union. The vocabulary shift from erga to karpos is not incidental. It is Paul’s own word for the difference between the natural and the spiritual.

Works of the Law

Of all the categories of works belonging to the natural order, the most deceptive is that which Paul names “the works of the law.” These are not evil works. They are commanded works — ordinances given by God through Moses, constituting the external shadow of what Christ would fulfill. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom 3:20). Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ (Gal 2:16). Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Gal 3:2).

The Greek phrase Paul uses throughout these passages is erga nomou (G2041 + G3551) — works of the law. The noun nomos (G3551) in Paul’s letters describes a binding legal system that makes external demands and pronounces legal verdicts. Erga (G2041) is the same word for labor and deed already established as the natural man’s mode of production. The compound therefore describes precisely what the natural order does: it labors externally to satisfy the demands of an external code. The law is outside the man; his works are produced outside the man; and the verdict the law returns is that no such external labor can reach what the law actually requires — a righteousness that must come from within. This is not a flaw in the law. It is the law’s design — to demonstrate by its own inexorable demands that the old man cannot satisfy them — and that what the law requires, only God Himself can supply.

Some interpreters have argued that Paul’s “works of the law” refers narrowly to the ceremonial boundary markers that distinguished Jew from Gentile — circumcision, dietary laws, Sabbaths and feast days — rather than law-keeping in general. There is a measure of truth to this observation: the conflict in Galatia revolved precisely around Judaizers who imposed circumcision and feast observance on Gentile believers, and the controversies of Paul’s ministry often turned on these ceremonial markers. The narrow reading cannot contain the whole force of Paul’s argument. Galatians 3:10 quotes Deuteronomy 27:26: Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. The scope is the whole law, not merely its ceremonial portion. Romans 2:21-23 rebukes Jews for violating not ceremonial statutes but the plain moral commandments — stealing, adultery, sacrilege. Romans 3:19-20 concludes that by the law is the knowledge of sin — a principle that applies to the law’s moral function no less than its ceremonial function.

The erga nomou that cannot justify therefore include the law’s moral, ceremonial, and civil demands alike, precisely because the old man cannot produce the righteousness the law requires in any of its dimensions. The narrower reading captures the point of controversy; the broader reading captures the principle at stake. Both together give the full picture: the Judaizers pressed the ceremonial markers because they were the visible line dividing Jew from Gentile, but the principle Paul articulates applies universally to every work performed by the old man under any dimension of law.

The works of the law are the works of the natural order in their purest form. They are ordained of God, commanded by God, imposed upon the covenant people by God Himself, and yet they cannot accomplish the thing they point toward. This is because they were never designed to. They were designed as shadow, to testify that the substance must come. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God (Heb 7:19). For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect (Heb 10:1). The very inadequacy of the law’s works was the testimony; the ceaseless repetition of the sacrifices was the confession that a greater Worker must come.

Romans 7: The Old Man’s Crisis Laid Bare

No passage in all of Scripture so intimately depicts the futility of the old man’s attempt to produce righteousness as Romans 7. The apostle writes as one embodying the experience: For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I (Rom 7:14-15). And more pointedly: For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not (Rom 7:18).

This is the Adamic condition placed under a microscope. The law commands; the man consents; the flesh cannot perform. The will is present; the power is absent. I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (Rom 7:23). The cry that breaks forth from the crisis is not “Let me try harder” but O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom 7:24). The answer, when it comes, does not deliver by improved effort but by the replacement of the laboring agent: I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 7:25), and in the next breath, For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh (Rom 8:3).

Romans 7 is therefore the hinge between the natural and the spiritual in personal experience. It is where the old man reaches the end of his striving and confesses that a different kind of Worker must come. The chapter is the personal testimony to what the apostolic epistles declare as doctrine. Paul’s confession strips away every illusion about what the natural man can produce — not because the flesh has failed, but because the flesh was never the appointed vessel for this work. The old man’s crisis reaches its conclusion here; the next chapter opens with no condemnation and proceeds to the full unfolding of life in the Spirit.

Much debate has centered on whether Paul speaks here as regenerate or unregenerate — but the witness of Scripture itself dissolves that question. The crisis of Romans 7 is not a narrative of fall and recovery; it is the disclosure of what the first Adam always was. Created a living soul, subject to vanity by God’s own purpose, never yet a quickening spirit — the old man’s incapacity is the very testimony that a Last Adam must come. The natural order was designed to fail as the basis of standing precisely in order that the spiritual might be received as a gift. Creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope (Rom 8:20). The hope was the spiritual all along.

Dead Works and the Living Worker to Come

In this first part we have laid the foundation. The Hebrew testimony shows that works are as ancient as creation and as varied as humankind, but that even the saints of old knew their works required God’s establishment. The New Testament declares that works performed by the natural man belong to a category Scripture names “dead works” — a category that includes moral evil, religious activity, and even ordinances commanded by God when performed by the old man in his own strength. The dead-works terminology converges across Hebrews, James, and Ephesians to confirm the doctrine with the full weight of apostolic testimony. The works of the flesh bar the kingdom; the works of the law cannot justify; and the crisis of Romans 7 discloses that the old man cannot perform the good he wills.

The apparent contradictions with which we began — Scripture commanding works while condemning them, judging by works while saving apart from them — are not contradictions at all. They are the two orders speaking in their own voices. The natural order produces what the natural order produces, and Scripture names it plainly: dead works. The spiritual order produces what only the indwelling Spirit can bear, and Scripture names that plainly too: fruit. The interpretive key is not a choice between the passages that command and the passages that condemn — it is the recognition that they are addressed to two different men.

The very inadequacy of the natural order testifies that the spiritual must come. The dead works of the old man cry out for a living Worker. In Part 2 we turn to that Worker — to the question Christ answered in John 6, to the Abrahamic pattern of faith accounted for righteousness, to the rest of Hebrews 4 where the believer ceases from his own works as God did from His, and to the works that are wrought in God through the indwelling Spirit.

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual (1 Cor 15:46).

1 Samuel 16:1–23 David Anointed King

[Study Aired April 27, 2026]

Today’s study begins the story of David, who became the king of Israel. The study can be divided into three parts. The first part has to do with the Lord commissioning Samuel to anoint a king from among the sons of Jesse in Bethlehem to replace Saul.  The second part shows how the Lord chose David from among the sons of Jesse. The third section has to do with Saul being possessed by an evil spirit and therefore requiring David to play the harp to relieve him.

The Lord Commissioning Samuel to anoint a King

1Sa 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 

This verse shows us how Samuel continued to mourn the rejection of Saul as king. Inasmuch as we feel the pain of losing a brother or sister, we must continue to focus on the race that is marked out for us since our brother or sister’s rejection is all of the Lord. 

Verse 1 also indicates that to be sent by the Lord requires that we fill our horn with oil. Horn in the Bible signifies strength on a positive note, and oil is a symbol of the Spirit of the Lord. Therefore, the sending of Samuel means that as the Lord’s elect, we must be strengthened by His spirit. 

Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  

The verse above also implies that as the Lord’s elect, denoted by Samuel, we must go to the house of bread (the meaning of Bethlehem) or the church of the Lord’s elect in order to be anointed as king, through what every joint supplies. Since only one of the sons of Jesse is to be anointed as king, this shows us that many are called but few are chosen in this age to be kings. We are therefore privileged to be called and chosen in this age. 

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen. 

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

It is instructive to note that the name Jesse means ‘I possess.’ It is the Lord who possesses or rules over the church of the Lord’s elect. 

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 

1Sa 16:2  And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. 
1Sa 16:3  And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. 

Samuel was going to anoint a successor to Saul. However, the fact that Saul was still the king of Israel means that what Samuel was going to do would create a major problem. The Lord therefore gave Samuel the wisdom to go to Jesse requesting him to accompany him for a sacrifice. It was during this sacrifice that David would be anointed. These verses therefore suggest that we must apply wisdom from the Lord to guide us in executing our God-given mandate here on earth. 

Pro 4:7  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 

Jas 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 
Jas 1:6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

According to the word of the Lord, wisdom is defined as the fear of the Lord. This fear of the Lord entails applying knowledge to live righteously and therefore avoid evil. In the verses under discussion, Samuel applied the knowledge (wisdom) that the Lord had given to him to avoid evil. 

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. 

Here in Proverbs 9:10, the Lord is showing us that the knowledge that He has given us must result in our understanding of how we are to avoid evil in every circumstance we encounter. That was exactly what happened to Samuel. He applied the wisdom or the knowledge from the Lord to avert a crisis.

The fact that the Lord told Samuel that He would show him what he should do as he invited Jesse to join him in sacrificing to the Lord, is to make us understand that the Lord does not give us the full picture of what we are to do. He takes us step by step, and in so doing we learn to become dependent on him.

1Sa 16:4  And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? 
1Sa 16:5  And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 

A key takeaway from these verses is that if we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifice unto the Lord, then it behooves us to sanctify ourselves, as we see Samuel enjoining the elders, Jesse and his sons to sanctify themselves. To sanctify means to be holy or set apart for the Lord. In one sense, the work of sanctification is the work of the Lord. 

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:  

In another sense, we must sanctify ourselves, for the Scripture commands us to be holy.

1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 
1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

1Th 4:3  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 

The question is, “how can we sanctify ourselves?” The word of the Lord shows us what we have to do. We are cleansed or sanctified by the washing of water by the word. In other words, we are sanctified as our understanding is enlightened by the truth of the Lord’s word. The fire of the word of the Lord has the cleansing power to destroy our old man or flesh and make us holy or sanctified, such that we can offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord. This fire is our judgment. We can see therefore, that we bring nothing to the table and that our sanctification is all the work of the Lord. 

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

1Sa 16:6  And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him. 
1Sa 16:7  But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 
1Sa 16:8  Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 
1Sa 16:9  Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 
1Sa 16:10  Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these. 
1Sa 16:11  And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

The rejection of each of the seven sons of Jesse to become a king of Israel by Samuel under the guidance of the Lord, signifies the complete rejection of all of the old testament prophets up to John the Baptist, in favor of the Lord’s disciples to date, who are destined to become kings in the fullness of time. 

1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Samuel’s admiration of the stature and the countenance of the eldest son, Eliab, signifies our admiration of the law of Moses, when we came out of the world (Egypt). All the Old Testament prophets were in admiration of the law of Moses until Christ came. The following verses show the beauty of the law of Moses which was our school master, until faith came through Christ:

Psa 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 
Psa 19:8  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 
Psa 19:9  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 
Psa 19:10  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Psa 119:72  The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. 

However, the Lord’s rejection of Eliab and the other sons of Jesse signifies that without us, His elect, they (the prophets) would not be made perfect. 

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 
Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. 

In another perspective, the rejection of the seven sons of Jesse in favor of the youngest is made clear in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, where many went early and worked hard, but it was the few who went late in the eleventh hour, who were paid first. In this study, it was David, the youngest, who received his wages first of becoming a king of Israel, as we shall see later. 

Mat 20:8  So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 
Mat 20:9  And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
Mat 20:10  But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 
Mat 20:11  And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 
Mat 20:12  Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 
Mat 20:13  But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 
Mat 20:14  Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 
Mat 20:15  Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 
Mat 20:16  So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. 

David Chosen and Anointed

1Sa 16:12  And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. 
1Sa 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 

When David came before Samuel, he had a healthy complexion, attractive eyes, and a handsome appearance. He was chosen by the Lord among his brothers to become a king and was therefore anointed with oil. David represents us, the Lord’s elect, who are promised to reign with Christ in the fullness of time. Just as David was anointed with the spirit of the Lord coming on him, we, His elect, are also given the Holy Spirit of promise, which is to make sure that we will be given what the Lord has promised us – our inheritance. 

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.   

David in Saul’s Service

1Sa 16:14  But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. 
1Sa 16:15  And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. 

When a brother or sister becomes disobedient to the Lord and falls away, such a person is possessed by an evil spirit from the Lord, which troubles him or her. Just as the words of the Lord are spirit, false doctrines are also spirits from the devil. Therefore, Saul being troubled by an evil spirit from the Lord, means that those who fall away are troubled by the false doctrines in their hearts and minds. 

1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 
1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;    

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 
1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 

Rev 16:13  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 
Rev 16:14  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 

1Sa 16:16  Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. 
1Sa 16:17  And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. 
1Sa 16:18  Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.

In verse 16, we see that a brother or sister who falls away, can be restored only by a cunning player on an harp. We all started well at the early stages of our walk with Christ before we fell away through false teachers and apostles, parading in the corridors of the church system of this world. 

Gal 5:7  Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 
Gal 5:8  This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 
Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

In the Book of Revelation, we are shown that it is the Lord’s elect who are cunning players of the harp. This implies that it is a brother or sister, who is an elect, who can restore a brother or a sister who falls away. Here in Revelation 14:2, it is the voice of the harpers which can restore a brother or sister. This voice is the truth of the Lord’s word which as hail, destroys the false doctrines in our heavens or hearts and minds.

Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 
Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 
Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.  

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. 

In verses 17 and 18, the search for a harper or the Lord’s elect, ended up in Jesse’s house in Bethlehem. As indicated earlier in the study, Jesse means “I possess” and Bethlehem denotes “house of bread.” The house of bread signifies the church of the Lord’s elect which is the Lord’s possession. This shows us that it is in the assembly of the Lord’s elect that harpers can be found, who represent the Lord’s firstborn or His redeemed.

The description of the cunning harper is that he must be skillful in playing the harp, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, a man of good presence, and the LORD being with him. That is the description of the Lord’s elect. We may think we are not up to these standards highlighted, but that is how the Lord sees us!  Inasmuch as we are not to think highly of ourselves, we must see how the Lord sees us – because He sees the end from the beginning.  

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Isa 46:10  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:    

1Sa 16:19  Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. 
1Sa 16:20  And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. 
1Sa 16:21  And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. 
1Sa 16:22  And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. 
1Sa 16:23  And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. 

David being with the sheep in verse 19, spiritually signifies that he was with the assembly of the Lord’s elect. As we continue to study to show ourselves approved of the Lord like David, He will use us at the right time, to deliver those to whom He sends us, from evil spirits or false doctrines. 

Verse 20 shows us that David did not go to Saul empty-handed. His father, Jesse, supplied him with a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat to be sent to Saul.  This is to show us that the Lord gives us the appropriate words (bread and wine) and the means to minister effectively on His behalf. 

Mat 10:20  For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 

When David came to Saul in verse 21 and 22, Saul loved him greatly and found favor in his sight. This is to make us aware that the Lord will grant us favor in the sight of men at the appropriate time to help us. For example, when the Israelites were planning to kill Paul, the Lord granted him favor in the sight of the chief captain who asked his men to protect him on his journey to Felix, the governor.   

Act 23:23  And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;
Act 23:24  And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.

As indicated in a previous study, an armor bearer signifies all those that the Lord brings our way to help or encourage us with our walk with Christ. David becoming the armor bearer of Saul is to help Saul overcome the evil spirits or the false doctrines in his heart and mind. In verse 23, through the ministration of David, Saul was relieved of the evil spirits. It shows us our role as the Lord’s elect in helping destroy the false doctrines in our brothers and sisters’ hearts and minds through what every joint supplies. 

2Ti 2:20  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 
2Ti 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. 

Amen!

Romanticism Holds Husbands to Ransom, Escalating the Idolization of Women—An Artifice of The Great Whore, Study 10 – Part 3

[Study Aired April 25, 2026]

Concerning the contemporary notion of ‘romanticism’, a man or husband’s devotion to his fiancée or wife ‘romantically’ isn’t to be utterly avoided, as long as his veneration of her is like Solomon’s in the SoS, where he, in representing Christ, is the representative foundation and pattern of the Temple he designed that she copies in the building of her “house” in and for Him. Accordingly, his love for her, effectively His neighbour, is “like unto” (Matt 22:39) her loving Him with all her heart, thus fulfilling His joy. That concept is typified by all carnally righteous wives who delight in (classically Eve) “seeing” her husband’s ravishment from her!

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, [one of the Pharisees] Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 
Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 
Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 

Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 

Romanticism fosters vanity in both men and women; however, its influence on women’s emotions is considerably more profound. If a husband fails to flatter his wife’s vanity, she may perceive him as unloving and retaliate by withholding intimacy, thereby innately semi-consciously punishing his lack of attentiveness. Similarly, the pagans feared not venerating their god because famine and natural disasters were seen as the god’s immense displeasure at not being revered.

An idol of our heart is something we ardently aspire to pursue or hold beliefs in, and even unconsciously and habitually engage with it, as we perceive it to offer significantly more immediate gratification or self-glory. Similarly, we intrinsically twist God’s word to align with our desires. An idol is anything or anyone, particularly a false doctrine, that captures our hearts, minds, and affections more than God does. A person with an Idol of the Heart will approach us with his understanding of scripture and insist that what he believes to be true is the only way. He is likely under the influence of a different spirit, arguing endlessly without his spirit discerning God’s spirit. He will turn that statement back on us, claiming that we try to make scripture fit our beliefs. If a person cannot discern the spirit of a matter by God’s spirit, he is deceived and likely filled with idols. Similarly, romanticism serves as a potent conduit that cultivates idols of the heart, requiring psychological and sensual satisfaction from a spouse. 

Eze 14:3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? 
Ezekiel 14:4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
Eze 14:5  That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols. [Their false doctrines] 
Eze 14:6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 
Eze 14:7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and [by] setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. 
Isa 63:18  The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. 

Consequently, romanticism—particularly for women—has the colossally insidious potential to glorify oneself, elevating her to be worshiped. If she isn’t, and as William Congreve says, ‘hell [unwittingly, Gehenna fire] hath no fury like a woman scorned’—essentially for its meaning in this study, anyone, particularly a husband having the ‘unholy’ audacity to identify and dethrone the Queen (Rev 18:7) from her pedestal by Christ’s perfect definitions of love, superseding her romantic ideals, dares to replace her majesty with her Husband’s sovereignty will incur her wrath.

Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man [essentially seeing himself as the whore] went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Gullibility is another representative trait of Eve, symbolizing women’s vulnerability to deception. Since God creates all things, it is not women’s fault that they are infinitely more than men, easily fall for astrology, mysticism, social media trends and anything that hints of an Ahola and Aholibah breast-induced romantic incitement (Eze 23:1-6).

Pro 14:15  The simple believeth every word: [Eve with the Serpent] but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
Pro 14:16  A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident. 
Pro 14:17  He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated. 
Pro 14:18  The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. 
Pro 14:19  The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous. 

The infamous Yuval Norah Harari of the World Economic Forum famously said, “Humans are now hackable animals”—a statement that is both true and long ago proven by the Serpent in Eden. Having experienced humiliation for succumbing to the serpent’s seduction, under the romantic belief that she would attain the same wisdom as God, she was abruptly awakened to the realization of her easily exploited deception.

Men tend to be more logical, while women are more inclined toward emotions. In the context of women, a steady development has emerged from Eden, particularly in these apparent end times, as the Devil knows his time is near, and he is beguiling women to fan the flames of feminist ideology, their gall against the patriarchal system. The “I am woman, hear me roar” in her, raucously states that if she is independent, pays her own bills, and nurtures herself, cooks, vacuums, mows the lawn between loads of washing, and looks beautiful, being her very best self, she is one step closer to a nervous breakdown—and sometimes, that is true. The massive takeaway is the unseen physical and spiritual dynamics of the Martha/Mary syndrome, whereby Martha believes that her genuinely endless physical ‘ministries’ should ravish (husbands) the company to lavish praise on her exceptional hostessing, not seeing that her sister Mary’s arousals come from a unified understanding of her Lord’s ‘ministering’ spirit—that in carnal marriages is far more ravishing for a wife to have her husband devote himself to unloading her genuinely incredible physical burdens. However, from experience, he knows categorically, as did Christ with his first wife, Israel, that his physical presence will not consistently enable her to intimately ‘know’ him, as it does for Mary and for us spiritually, our Lord and Husband.

It explains why women’s bias is emotional and men’s is logical; if a thing feels true for a woman, then it is the reality, and a man had better not argue the toss. This is why women can easily settle for astrology because it feels true. A man will never explain why he crashed his light plane into a lake by saying, because the Moon was in the Seventh House, and Jupiter aligned with Mars, and he thought that peace would guide the planets and love would steer the stars, and here he is, crashed in Aquarius, makes no sense; it is not logical (A laconic take on The 5th Dimension’s song, “The Age of Aquarius”). Not so for a woman. She trusts her emotions to guide her way sensually—if playfully ministered in the bedroom, a delight, but spiritually, a disaster.

The problem, as stated differently throughout these studies, is that in Babylon, men earn their status, while women believe that they are gifted it as a birthright. She behests that her desires should magically materialize in front of her as the man’s or husband’s obligation. Again, that is espousally true, but her attitude is as vastly different as Queen Vashti’s is from Queen Esther’s and the Bride’s; another underpinning nail coming loose from the romanticism delusion (2 Th 2:11). As such, it is normal to expect that endless Martha-like physical works should cause her man to lavish romanticism upon her without having to engage him intimately. Young women will quickly sleep with a male to pay off their student loans, but not necessarily to make their way to the top in life; such is her disrespect for sexual dignity (2Pe 2:1-22) that she would do it to break even. Similarly, that ‘break-even’ attitude is the all-too-frequent mindset of the everyday virtuous Babylonian wife (“I am no widow”, Rev 18:7), her husband emblematically buying her privileged intimacies—and yes, always typified by Old Israel’s and the churches of the world, the laity’s ‘Sunday’ duty-like intimacies, her hire in offering plate fees to the Whore. 

Rom 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 

If we aren’t convinced that the Babylonian version of romance is an insidious lie, and considering that “all things are yours”, we cannot ignore the reality of female fantasized pornographic romanticized lusts. Its origin is innately lesbian, since it takes a woman to know her own body intimately, whereby another woman precisely understands her erogenously—clandestinely and shockingly, paralleling the feminized spiritual attributes of Orthodox Christianity (1Co 6:19-20, 1Co 7:3-4).

Juxtaposed with Babylonian Christianity, romance novels are the epitome of desire tailored for women, blending passion and emotion into a captivating escape. This genre reveals the intricacies of female arousal, inviting readers into a world where intimacy and yearning flourish. The immense popularity of these stories highlights a universal longing for connection and passion, broadly represented by the term ‘romanticism’.

Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam are computational neuroscientists and authors known for analyzing large-scale internet data to explore human psychology and desire. They co-authored “A Billion Wicked Thoughts”, which uses online search data to analyze sexual desire, and Journey of the Mind, which investigates the evolution of consciousness. Their research showed that in 2008, romance novels generated $1.37 billion in sales, making up the largest share of the fiction market, with 74.8 million readers—over 90% of whom were women. This contrasts with the 100 million men accessing online porn that year. Remarkably, research shows that women prefer paying for fantasized romance novels (in fact, in any form of erotic media) infinitely more than men do for porn. 

While sex is a recurring theme in female-targeted romance novels, it isn’t the central focus of enjoyment. Instead, Ogas and Gaddam highlight that the essential fantasy revolves around “awakening to love,” often enhanced by a sexual awakening, to the non-spiritual observance, a most uncomfortable direct parallel to the SoS’s Shulamite’s righteously eroticized dreaming. At the core of carnal women’s inherently troubling low sexual desire, and juxtaposed with the SoS Shulamite and her fiancé’s reversal of the misunderstood elements of her curse, it is the anticipation of sensuality that constitutes the most potent aphrodisiac experience, thereby fueling desire. All spouses concur that a wife’s delayed response is not a misfortune, as it enhances the anticipation and interaction inherent in erotic reciprocation. The fundamental problem the Shulamite is given to overcome is that, spiritually and physically, Godly desire, given only by Him, comes first, and the physical principle coming first exists only to dramatically highlight its reality. She has the best reason ever understood by no other male or female ever to exist, that what ravishes her is the knowledge of what her Husband is presenting her in Himself, and that is the most spiritually erotic brilliance, outside of the Father’s creation of her Husband, ever conceived!

A person, as was Amnon with Tamar, so besotted in lust, or controlled desire (Son 2:7), as is the Shulamite, directly incites both parties’ love-sickness. Spiritually, for the Elect, a kind of tug-of-emotional-war of leaving Babylon for the New Jerusalem, ‘her love being awakened’, being given the increasing power to not look back as she is excitedly awakened to her Husband’s Song of Songs, its immensely more ravishing anticipatory arousals than the flesh could ever conceive!

Son 5:8  I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. 

Son 5:2  I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

The verse from Song 5:2 bears an elegant sexual undertone that would make a sanctimonious Orthodox Babylonian Christian blanch. It covertly undergirds the ravished pacing of the Shulamite’s constant state of readiness even while asleep, which, compared to a carnal male, is far more tolerable, and is the most understated positive aspect of females’ more leisurely arousal she potently uses for her and her husband in marriage (Mat 25:1-13)! Although in Babylon, both males and females, imprinted in their parents’ unprincipled ‘oil’ from their youth, are always in their emblematic “season, snuffing up the wind” Saturday nights and at every opportunity in between, compulsively fornicatively very alert to receive the unwitting metaphoric oil and seed of the Serpent. This understanding will be further established through the detailed study of the Song of Songs. However, and for the moment, its spiritual elements are easy to see: we, the Bride, are asleep with our five other sisters, yet far more ‘sick in love’ with our groom than they are. From her early youth, and increasingly from budding pubescence, she heard his voice in her breasts, long before this night, where his mind and body, likewise “sick of love, “ are spiritually eroticized with his word, his kisses being far more arousing than the joy wine incites; “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.” Son 1:2.

However, the sex scenes in romance novels, although highly variable to the eroticized taste of the individual Babylonian female, are generally more subdued compared to male-targeted visual erotica, with female erotica having a greater emphasis on the emotional connection between characters. This distinction may explain why we categorize women’s erotic literature and men’s pornography differently. The point is that women, and for our purpose of uncovering the destructiveness of conventional romanticism, women and wives, by far, prefer fantasized erotica compared to engaging a husband coitally—doesn’t that concept electrify an Elect’s remembrance of Israel’s apathy for her Husband?

Hence, and consistent with popular studies, it is evidenced, and scripturally proven (… “the woman saw that the tree was good… Gen 3:6), that both men and women are just as visually aroused as each other. Albeit the vast difference is in speed, measured from its instigation to significant arousal. For men, it is absurdly fast compared to women; Eve saw the fruit of the tree, but Adam saw Eve; nonetheless, a male or husband is more likely to engage the truth of a matter, even if, like Adam, he prefers to listen to his sensuality than God’s word.

Pro 20:17  Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.
Pro 20:18  Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. 

However, with women, sensual touch is the primary trigger, and when accompanied visually and if any of her million other alluring theatrical sensitivities are activated in a safe environment, she, as opposed to the female beasts of the field, is, if not disciplined by her intrinsic slower ravishment, is just as ready as any other time for her ‘pleasure and occasion’ (Jer 2:23-24) as is a man. While carnal men represent Christ and the Father’s intrinsic and eternal state of spiritual ‘readiness’, they, and like women, are biologically grateful that arousal, involuntarily triggered, is thereafter a cognitive decision. The relentless pursuit and exploration of the mythical female blue pill would culminate in a complete catastrophe if both parties, and like men, were instantly and sustainably aroused. So, thanks to God’s creative wisdom, sustained arousal in both men and women involves a cognitive process—dismiss the triggers, and arousal ceases. This is why women’s contemporary romanticized erotica, visualized in fantasy (cognition), is far more appealing, as was Eve’s for “wisdom to be as gods” than the nonetheless, powerful trigger for “seeing that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes.” Her arousal in contemporary terms is ‘romantic eroticization’—interpreted as “the desire to make one wise’—her need and versions of “dainty meats” and “sweet words” were considerably more captivating than the parallel experience of her husband physically inducing her arousal by their Lord’s word. The dreadful reality is that is exactly what she unconsciously got! Now, Adam, representing all husbands already ‘behind the 8 ball’ emblematically neutered in his privy and stones, has the never-ending and almost impossible task of titillating her romantic ideals for her to be anywhere near having the Shulamite-like preparedness of a wise virgin.

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Contemporary romanticism is effectively the bread and dainty meats of an evil eye, whereby a wife’s heart is not devoted to and for her husband, whose sentiments are bitter in his belly and ultimately make him ill toward her chaotic love.

Pro 23:6  Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
Pro 23:7  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Pro 23:8  The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words. 

The thing is, the vast majority of men believe heterosexually and are revolted by the thought of sensually engaging another man. Not so women, where rarely society of any ethnicity thinks nothing of two females engaging in non-fornicating affections, massaging, mutual hair brushing and other detailed non-sexual intimacies, all the while sharing emotionally connective personal stories that, if done with a male, would be seen as flirtatious or promiscuous—perhaps exemplified by Solomon’s vast harem of wives with countless servants, doing exactly those intrinsically female pastimes. These relatively intimate interactions are not necessarily regarded as lesbian. Still, they are thoroughly enjoyed since only another woman can truly understand where and how to touch another female ‘innocently’ intimately, which fuels women’s lust for romantic fantasies about sensualities they might personally consider taboo and fear to share with their husbands. Consequently, with women’s innately multi-spatial awareness, when these innocent moments of grooming are unrestrained, those deeply understood female appreciations, if prolonged, are, in kind, foreplay, and can easily escalate simply by their heightened awareness, as seen in over 40,000 churches of Orthodox Christianity, intrigued by the spiritualised sensualities and erotic responses of the ‘harem’ of different churches. That reality underscores women’s addictively fantasized worship and idolization of women. A plethora of mutually understood sentiments of the sisterhood, aching for men to know and understand those very same eroticisms in the same way maritally.

Heb 13:4  Marriage must be honoured among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers (NET)

Although it is a literary expression rather than a direct scriptural reference, Sir Walter Scott famously articulated in his 1808 poem, “Marmion,” the line, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave / When first we practice to deceive,” indicating that falsehoods and deception can lead to intricate, uncontrollable, and challenging circumstances, resonating with romanticism.

Isa 59:1  Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 
Isa 59:2  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 
Isa 59:3  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. [All conversely indicative of the Shulamite’s lively incitement of intimacy in her opening verse in the SoS]
Isa 59:4  None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 
Isa 59:5  They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. 
Isa 59:6  Their webs shall not become garments, [As opposed to the Bride’s enthusiastic ministrations to and for her Husband, Christ] neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. 

Paradoxically, a Babylonian wife’s self-centered romantic sentimentalities do weave an ensnaring web presented as her garments, and acts of violence in her ‘hands like bands’ innately designed to keep her husband in servitude.

Each spouse’s God-designed righteous lusts do not defile the marriage bed; it is just that, and because of Adam’s and Eve’s curses, and because of wives’ designedly slower rate of arousal, wives seem to believe that their husbands should inherently know their private or communal sisterhood-type fantasies to satisfy their cravings more deliciously, and that is genuinely fine, as is a husband’s coquettish needs he wishes she would be far more open for her exploitation. The issue, as should be evident by now, pertains to a wife’s God-given, inherently stubborn and fickle nature (Jer 3:6-11), which results in inconsistent or nonexistent genuine intimacy with her husband—mimicking all the qualities of a harlot, only her financial settlement is reflected spiritually. That wretched ambivalence is what Solomon addresses with his redesign of the signified ‘perfect wife’, meaning, Christ’s design of His Bride, a Song she sings wholly with her heart, her breasts’ fervency radiating to every sensual jewel spiritually in her body, dueted by her Husband.

It is true that what turns a man on mostly doesn’t work for women. And since the Song of Solomon’s supreme theme is covertly about enthusiastic female arousal, it is an exciting juxtaposition of the natural coming before the spiritual, pointing to how we, as the Bride, should respond to Christ! We acknowledge that men are predominantly attracted to traditional physical and visual indicators of sensuality. Conversely, women tend to be more intrigued by how they are engaged by other women, through a nuanced understanding of the female psyche and physiology. Consequently, the visual aspect unintentionally stirs profound emotional responses toward other females, often leading to self-comparison rather than physical participation with a husband already bound to her maritally. That contrast perfectly fits the Great Whore’s narrative, where she sits as a queen glorified by 40,000 other females (meaning, churches) ‘adoration, with her drone-bee-like-another-Jesus husband, washing, more like sensually massaging her feet at Passover.

Carnal wife’s pattern for sensual ravishment blinds wives and husbands to it being the violently contested only methodology for a wife to feel desired and loved sufficiently for her mind, body and spirit to be prepared coitially—and is for the most part genuine, even though it is devilishly sensual, based on her needs that for 7,000 years (inclusive of the 1,000 year reign) has failed miserably, leaving husbands checkmated, consciously enslaved to her never considered nor contested coquettish ransom. Why, because Adam is wounded in his privy and Eve in her breasts; consequently, neither knows nor can understand Christ’s methodology and order of ravishment, fulfilling the modern term ‘romanticism’ and laboring sensually after the wind. 

The development of romantic love depends on a man and a woman’s ability to nurture an intense passion for each other. Like Jacob’s love for Rachel, building passion requires overcoming obstacles to be together. Romantic love and its cultivation require abstinence, longing and desire, which, without God’s pattern, creates an ethereal foundation built on sand. As Solomon attests in Ecclesiastes, all courting couples sensually delude each other to secure the imagined love of their desires, only to discover the other a courtesan too late, their gender-specific sweet little lies about the other shooting their love in the foot.

Although an everyday, outwardly virtuous Babylonian wife genuinely craves to have her lethargic desire for intimacy cured, it is her cursed romantic sentiments of bliss derived from the endless fantasy she insists her husband lavish her with that equate to her husband paying a harlot for her services, keeping her trapped—and he, as Adam not deceived, most bitterly know it, yet, in Babylon, he still has to pay and pay, shot through his liver with a dart, forever. However, the Bride, with a shudder, is given to understand her former whorish artifices. 

Pro 6:35 He will not be appeased by any ransom, or persuaded by lavish gifts.

The Bride, realizing that she has been “spoken for” before the foundations of the World, is given to exponentially build her “house” in entirely free ministrations wholly in body, mind and spirit for her Husband. He likewise, before the foundations of the World, in harmony with his Father, was never persuaded by Old Israel’s lavish gifts. It all serves to instruct the Bride, since the cross, through torturous tribulations, to spiritually undo her whorish past.

The romanticism delusion is an inexhaustible topic that I’ve had to dramatically cut back multiple pages, so next week, Lord willing, a study will be devoted to its conclusion.  

“The Righteous are Bold as a Lion”

(Pro 28:1-11)

[Study Aired April 23, 2026]

Pro 28:1  The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Pro 28:2  For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.
Pro 28:3  A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.
Pro 28:4  They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.
Pro 28:5  Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.
Pro 28:6  Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
Pro 28:7  Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.
Pro 28:8  He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
Pro 28:9  He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Pro 28:10  Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.
Pro 28:11  The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.

In this section of (Pro 28:1-11), we’re shown a clear contrast between two ways of living. The righteous are “bold as a lion,” walking in integrity and understanding, while those who pursue wickedness or unjust gain ultimately bring harm—to others and to themselves, taking on a mindset of fearing men and not God, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth”.

Wealth, when pursued without righteousness, is shown to be unstable and even destructive as it draws us away from our Father. Putting our confidence in those things which are temporal is what will destroy our confidence in God, but if we are granted to look to, and believe and work toward attaining those things which are not temporal, and not seen (Heb 11:27), it will be by the grace and faith of Christ that this is accomplished (2Co 4:17-18, Eph 2:8).

2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (Mar 10:29-31)
2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen:(Mat 6:33) for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

In (1Ti 6:6-13), where we’re reminded that “godliness with contentment is great gain,” and we are admonished that “they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare.” Paul adds that “the love of money is the root of all evil,” and urges us to “flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” This aligns perfectly with what Jesus teaches in (Mat 6:33), “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Together, these passages remind us that the issue is not simply wealth, but what we are pursuing first. Are we chasing gain, or are we seeking God’s righteousness above all? This brings us to a most instructive parable that the world gives no regard to as far as what its spiritual meaning is, found in (Mar 10:17-27).

Mar 10:20  And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Mar 10:21  Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.(Mat 16:25)
Mar 10:22  And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. (Php 3:9)
Mar 10:23  And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Mar 10:24  And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches (Php 3:9) to enter into the kingdom of God!
Mar 10:25  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,[the narrow way] than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Mar 10:26  And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
Mar 10:27  And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

This really is where ‘the rubber meets the road’, as we say, and it was written for our admonition to remind us that this narrow way that leads to life can only be found with Christ’s righteousness, which happens as a result of our being miraculously dragged to Him in this age, so we can lose our life (Php 3:9, Joh 6:44, Mat 16:25).

Right after describing this parable to His disciples, Peter then says this, “Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee”. This journey God’s elect are on separates us from the rich young ruler, and brings us to eventually see the need to give our whole lives a living sacrifice to our Creator (Rom 12:1-2), going in a direction that He has ordained for the bride of Christ (Rev 14:4, Rev 19:7, Rom 8:14-16, 2Co 3:17). And what was Christ’s answer to Peter who represents us? (Mar 10:29-31). This answer of Christ is why the redeemed of  the Lord (Psa 107:2) ought to “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice”(Php 4:4).

Mar 10:29  And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
Mar 10:30  But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Mar 10:31  But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

Pro 28:1  The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

This faintness of heart, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth”, is a curse from God that comes upon us when we are not doing the right thing in His service (Lev 26:36).

Lev 26:36  And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies;[the enemy of unbelief within us] and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.

It is possible to have Godly fear and boldness at the same time, which comes as a result of the Lion of the tribe of Judah abiding in us (Col 1:27, Rev 5:5), and when we labour for the meat that does not perish (Joh 6:27) our hearts are strengthened by that bread of life (Psa 104:15).

Joh 6:27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Psa 104:15  And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

When we don’t neglect so great a salvation by crying out to God, as Christ did with fear (Heb 2:3, Heb 5:7, Eph 5:30), those prayers will avail much and cause us to not faint and lose heart (Luk 18:1). If we seek God with all our heart he will be found (Jer 29:13, Heb 11:6), and the strength will be given to stand our spiritual ground, which is on His Word (Eph 6:13), not fleeing under any circumstance. “The wicked flee” but the righteousness of Christ makes us “bold as a lion”(Rev 2:10, Rev 5:5)

Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Pro 28:2  For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.

Our bodies are likened unto the land, and the many princes represents power that yet rules over our bodies causing us to transgress. It is only with spiritual understanding that comes from Christ that we will be able to have lives that will be prolonged, as we’re given dominion over those powers and principalities that are likened unto princes (Eph 6:12). The “man of understanding” represents Christ in us and when we honour our olam Father Christ, and the church Jerusalem above, our days shall be prolonged by being in that blessed and holy first resurrection, which is what this first commandment of promise is all about (Eph 6:1-3, Rev 20:6).

Eph 6:1  Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Eph 6:2  Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
Eph 6:3  That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Pro 28:3  A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

This statement, “A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food”, is true both physically and spiritually. It’s the gentle consistent rain of God’s word, meat given in due season, that benefits the body of Christ, not a driving or sweeping rain that would make things worse, which is symbolic of the Nicolaitan spirit that wants to rule over the laity with its damaging rain that promises liberty but does not deliver (2Pe 2:18-19).

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

In Babylon there is a Nicolaitan spirit which rules over the laity with false doctrines, and those false doctrines are like “a sweeping rain which leaveth no food”. We were definitely poor in Babylon, with no stay of bread and water (Isa 3:1) and though our intentions were good, because of our blindness at that time we were the poor man who was oppressing the poor with a myriad of false doctrines that as we read is likened unto “a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.”

Pro 28:4  They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

This proverb is showing us that our response to evil reveals where we stand. If we drift from what is right, or leave our first estate as it is described in Jude (Jud 1:6), we would start to tolerate and even approve wrong doing as the blinded church of Corinth did, both physically and spiritually (1Co 5:1-3).

1Co 5:1  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife
1Co 5:2  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
1Co 5:3  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,

It is by standing on the word of God that we can contend with that spirit that was in the Corinthian church of Paul’s day. It was the physical event of fornication that revealed the spiritual fornication that was in the hearts of the Corinthians who were tolerating not just a little leaven, but a lot in their midst (1Co 5:4-7).

1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Co 5:6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Pro 28:5  Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

Our labours are not in vain in the Lord, and it is in the seeking of Him that we will “understand all” (Php 3:14-16, 1Jn 1:7-9). We won’t understand judgement if our actions are evil and we are relying on our own righteousness to deliver us in this life (Php 3:8-9).

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Php 3:16  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Pro 28:6  Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Being poor in spirit (Mat 5:3), whether your wealthy by the world’s standards or if you don’t have a lot in this life, is infinitely more valuable than a rich person who is perverse in his ways (Php 4:11-12). It is those who have the Kingdom of God within them (Luk 17:20-21) who have the true riches, that is to say the life of Christ within us (Col 1:27, Rom 8:9), which gives us the ability to “walketh in his uprightness”. The rich person who is “perverse in his ways” represents our time when we were the rich young ruler, confident in our Babylonian doctrines and confidence in our own flesh, our own righteousness (Joh 1:17, Luk 16:16, our last proverb Pro 28:11), which is where we all start until were given the power to come out of her my people and live by the faith of Christ (Gal 2:20).

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Php 4:11  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Php 4:12  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Pro 28:7  Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotousH2151 men shameth his father.
Pro 28:8  He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
Pro 28:9  He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Pro 28:10  Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.

Keeping the law of Christ is a blessing (Psa 119:2), and the one who does not keep the law is considered riotous^H2151 in this proverb and is contrasted with the law-abiding “wise son”. The riotous man is described as a prodigal son, someone who is squandering his father’s inheritance in Babylon, which we all do at first. The parable of the prodigal is not about us being on the physical skids as a result of poor money choices, but rather about taking God’s fair jewels of my gold and of my silver [the inheritance from his father Luk 15:12] and wrapping it around the idols of our hearts which is what the prodigal son does, and we do when we are in Babylon (Eze 16:17). Consequently if God is working with us in this age, we are brought to our wits’ end and come to see by God’s grace that we are spiritually starving to death (Luk 15:11-32).

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

Riotous H2151 zâlal zaw-lal’
A primitive root (compare H2107); to shake (as in the wind), that is, to quake; figuratively to be loose morally, worthless or prodigal: – blow down, glutton, riotous (eater), vile.
Total KJV occurrences: 9

The “usury and unjust gain [that] increaseth our substance” represents our labour of building our own house that is all done in vain, and “he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor” means that even that which we think we have will be taken and given to those who were blessed to have the Lord build their spiritual house in this age (Psa 127:1, Mat 25:29).

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

The verse, “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination”, is telling us that not everyone that says “Lord, Lord…” will be heard of God (Mat 7:21, Luk 6:46). If we turn from hearing the law of God we will reap what we sow, but as Paul said, ‘I am persuaded better things of the body of Christ (Heb 6:9) who God is causing to have a broken and contrite heart so that He looks to us and our prayers are heard, in that we fear Him’ (Isa 66:2, Rom 9:22-23, Heb 5:7, Eph 5:30, 1Jn 4:17).

Heb 6:9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

We all caused the righteous to go astray in an evil way when we were in Babylon, and consequently fell into our own pit of self-righteousness, thinking that we were right before God in our spiritually hedged state. It is only when that insidious spirit of self-righteousness is exposed from the pit of our being that we will cry out by the grace of God and be amongst the upright that “shall have good things in possession”, with the “good” being the life of Christ now abiding in us, who said ‘there is none good but one’ (Mar 10:18, Luk 17:10).

Mar 10:18  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Pro 28:11  The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.

This last proverb we will look at is an admonition to not let knowledge puff us up and become conceited, as if we had attain anything of our own selves, “The rich man is wise in his own conceit”. This high-mindedness that we must avoid at all costs, is addressed in the book of Romans, (Rom 11:18-21), and “the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out” is symbollic of the poor and contrite spirit of our Lord who became poor for us (2Co 8:9) and with God’s spirit within us searches out all that conceit within us, or any root of bitterness (1Co 2:10, Pro 20:27), and destroys it so that it cannot gain victory over our lives in Him (Rom 8:37).

Rom 11:18  Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Rom 11:19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

2Co 8:9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich (1Jn 4:17).

1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

Pro 20:27  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.(Rom 2:4)

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5), who, if He is dwelling within us, will cleanse this temple that we are (1Co 3:16), driving out everything that does not belong there our whole life (Joh 2:15) so that we can continue to worship our Father in spirit and truth (Joh 4:23), coming boldly before “the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16, Eph 1:16).

Gemstones: The Stones Reserved for Eternity, Part 2

[Study Aired April 21, 2026]

Introduction

Part 1 of this article laid the groundwork for examining these three stones. The same God who placed sardius, sapphire, and jasper across all three contexts — the high priest’s breastplate, the covering of the anointed cherub, the foundations of New Jerusalem — deliberately withheld chalcedony, chrysolite, and chrysoprasus from the earthly order. That withholding was not an oversight. God’s revelation contains no accidents. The first stage — the natural, the Adamic — was given what it needed to carry God’s promise through the old covenant age. The second stage, the spiritual and eternal, arrives at the appointed time: adorning foundations that will never be moved, in a city built not by human hands but by God himself.

“Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:46–47)

This principle describes far more than an individual’s spiritual growth. It describes the shape of all God’s purpose — from Adam to Christ, from the tabernacle to the living temple, from shadow to substance. Three of the twelve foundation stones belong entirely to the afterward. Part 1 explained why. Part 2 examines what each stone declares, within the limits of what Scripture itself says.

The method used throughout this series governs here as well: the meaning of a biblical term is established by how Scripture uses it — the pattern of its appearances, the consistent work it performs, the witnesses it gathers across the canon. Where two or three witnesses confirm a pattern, we can speak with confidence. Where Scripture is silent, we will be silent too. What God has revealed through his word, this article will declare. What he has not revealed, this article will not invent.

Chalcedony — The Stone of the Atmosphere Above

Chalcedony is named as the third foundation stone in John’s vision of New Jerusalem, under the Greek term chalkedon (Strong’s G5472). It appears here and nowhere else in all of Scripture — not on the high priest’s breastplate, not on the anointed cherub, not in the visions of Ezekiel or Daniel. It enters the biblical record at the very end, placed in the third position among foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. That placement is where the study must begin.

Before making the case for this stone, a word about method is needed — one that explains why the approach here differs from the refusal applied to chrysoprasus later in this article. Noting that chalcedony was known in the ancient world as a translucent stone — one through which light passes rather than bouncing off an opaque surface — is not importing meaning from outside Scripture. It simply identifies a physical property. The question then becomes: does Scripture itself, in its own words, consistently connect that kind of property to the presence of God? If it does — and if two or more witnesses confirm that connection — then the ancient description of the stone has served only as a starting point. The weight of the argument rests entirely on the scriptural witnesses. For chrysoprasus, no such scriptural thread exists at all, which is why the conclusion must be different. For chalcedony, two distinct threads do exist — one about transparency, one about color — and they are taken up separately below.

Chalcedony was recognized as a stone of translucent, pale quality — through which light passes, with a sky-like hue that set it apart from the denser, earthier stones of the old covenant economy. Scripture supplies two independent lines of testimony that speak to these two properties, and they are not the same argument.

The Crystal Thread — Light Through the Atmosphere of the Throne

When Ezekiel saw the expanse above the living creatures in his great vision of God’s throne, he described it this way:

“And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above” (Ezekiel 1:22)

The word rendered ‘crystal’ is the Hebrew qerach (Strong’s H7140) — carrying the idea of ice-like, glistening clarity. It is not a surface that stops the eye but one that draws it upward. Above that crystal expanse, Ezekiel saw ‘the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone’ (Ezekiel 1:26). Clarity and transparency mark the atmosphere around God’s throne.

John’s vision confirms this from two directions. Before the throne of the Lamb stands ‘a sea of glass like unto crystal’ (Revelation 4:6). And the eternal city needs no sun or lamp, because ‘the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof’ (Revelation 21:23). Throughout the prophetic record, crystalline transparency characterizes the sphere of God’s direct presence. It is not a surface that blocks the light — it is a medium through which light moves freely.

The Tekeleth Thread — Heavenly Blue Woven Through the First Stage

The second thread speaks to the stone’s color. Throughout the entire Mosaic economy, God assigned a specific color to the things connected to his immediate presence — the Hebrew tekeleth (Strong’s H8504), translated as blue in the King James Version. This was not decoration. It was a deliberate, consistent declaration.

Every curtain of the tabernacle was made with this blue (Exodus 26:1). The robe worn under the high priest’s breastplate was made entirely of it: ‘And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue’ (Exodus 28:31). The Lord even commanded that every Israelite carry a thread of this blue on their garments, and explained exactly why:

“And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God” (Numbers 15:39–40)

The tekeleth thread called the eyes upward. It was a visible, woven reminder that the person wearing it belonged to a God whose dwelling is above.

These two threads make two separate points. The crystal thread says: transparency and light-transmitting clarity belong to the atmosphere around God’s direct presence (Ezekiel 1:22; Revelation 4:6). The tekeleth thread says: heavenly blue consistently marked the sphere of that presence throughout the entire first-stage economy (Exodus 26:1; 28:31; Numbers 15:38–40). Chalcedony — a pale, translucent stone — answers to both. What the threads declared in curtain and fringe through the age of shadows, the stone declares in permanent foundations that will never be moved.

Scripture never names chalcedony in any earlier passage, and identifying its physical properties requires the ancient description noted above. The scriptural witnesses themselves come entirely from within the scriptures, and they converge from two directions. That is the basis on which the claim rests.

Chrysolite — The Stone That Never Came Down

Of the three stones in this article, chrysolite has the strongest scriptural testimony behind it. John names it under the Greek term chrysolithos (Strong’s G5557) as the seventh foundation stone of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:20). The key question is whether this Greek term can be traced — through the Old Testament prophetic record — to earlier appearances. The evidence shows that it can.

Tarshish — The Stone of the Throne’s Wheels

The link between John’s Greek and the Hebrew record runs through a stone called tarshish (Strong’s H8658), translated as ‘beryl’ in the King James Version. In Ezekiel’s vision of God’s throne, the wheels that carry the throne through the heavens bear the color of this stone: ‘The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl stone’ (Ezekiel 1:16). The same description appears again in chapter ten (Ezekiel 10:9). The very wheels of God’s throne — the means by which it moves — carry the color of tarshish. From its first appearances in Scripture, this stone belongs to the throne itself.

The linguistic bridge to John’s Greek term comes from an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible known as Theodotion’s recension. Where the standard Greek translation (the Septuagint) simply preserved the Hebrew sound — tharsis — Theodotion, when translating Daniel 10:6, used the word chrysolithos. That is the same word John uses for the seventh foundation stone. Theodotion understood the Hebrew tarshish to be the stone the Greeks called chrysolithos. This is not speculation — it follows the same tracing method this series has used throughout, tracking how ancient translators of the Hebrew Scriptures understood a term across the testaments.

Daniel’s Heavenly Figure — The Stone Above the Veil

The appearance of tarshish in Daniel 10:6 is significant:

“His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude” (Daniel 10:6)

The word translated ‘beryl’ here is tarshish — chrysolithos in Theodotion. The entire body of this heavenly figure, blazing in the unveiled realm, is described in terms of this stone. This is not a stone set by craftsmen into a priest’s breastplate. It is the color of a being whose whole form belongs to the realm above, where the boundary between heaven and earth has been pulled back for the prophet’s instruction.

This is what sets chrysolite apart from the breastplate stones. Sardius, sapphire, and jasper were cut and set by human hands, worn by a mortal high priest who entered the holy place once a year and came back out. They were stones for the earthly order — visible, handled, administered. Chrysolite was never part of that economy. Every time it appears in Scripture, it belongs to the prophetic, unveiled realm above the veil — never brought down into the earthly sanctuary.

The Cherub’s Covering and the Same Pattern

The anointed cherub’s covering in Ezekiel 28:13 includes tarshish among its nine stones. As established in earlier articles in this series, that covering belongs to the prophetic vision of the heavenly order — not to anything in the earthly sanctuary. This confirms the pattern: even within Ezekiel, tarshish stays consistently in the prophetically revealed realm. It appears on the cherub in vision, in the same register as the throne’s wheels and Daniel’s heavenly figure. It was never carried down into the earthly order.

The pattern across all these passages is consistent. Every appearance of tarshish/chrysolithos in the biblical record belongs to the prophetic unveiling of the heavenly realm: the throne’s wheels (Ezekiel 1:16; 10:9), the cherub’s covering seen in vision (Ezekiel 28:13), and the heavenly figure in Daniel (Daniel 10:6). There is no ceremonial context for this stone — no craftsman ever set it, no priest ever wore it. It was always a stone seen from outside the veil. And that is exactly the stone John places in the seventh foundation of the city where the veil no longer exists — where God and the Lamb are themselves the temple, and the unveiled order is the only order that remains.

Chrysoprasus — The Tenth Foundation and the Zenith of the Natural

Chrysoprasus is the tenth foundation stone of New Jerusalem, named under the Greek term chrysoprasos (Strong’s G5556) in Revelation 21:20. It appears here and nowhere else in all of Scripture — not in any prophetic vision, not in any other New Testament passage. That single appearance, on its own, leaves the interpreter without a pattern to trace. But the position of the stone is itself a scriptural statement — and the testimony Scripture builds around the number ten is extensive enough to speak with confidence.

What Scripture Says About the Number Ten

Throughout the biblical record, the number ten marks the zenith of the natural man — the full extent of what the flesh can reach, the complete measure of Adam’s order. The evidence is consistent across different books and different contexts.

The ten commandments represent the highest point of human righteousness by law. They are the best the natural man can achieve — and Paul makes plain that even this falls short: “not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ” (Philippians 3:9). The ten commandments, Paul says plainly, were “not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless” (1 Timothy 1:9). The zenith of the natural order’s moral code is still a law for the lawless.

Noah’s generation was the tenth from Adam — the generation in which the natural man’s rebellion reached its full extent and brought judgment (Genesis 5:1–32). The ten plagues fell on Egypt to break the complete hold of the natural order over Israel (Exodus 9:14). Israel tempted God “ten times” in the wilderness — the complete count of the natural man’s resistance (Numbers 14:22). The ten virgins in the parable represent the full company of the church in its earthly, natural condition — five wise and five foolish, the complete measure of what the church is while still in the flesh (Matthew 25:1–2).

The pattern is consistent: ten marks the natural order at its fullest — the complete count, the zenith, the measure of what flesh produces and what flesh is. This is not a secondary theme. It runs from Genesis through the Gospels through Revelation, across different contexts and different genres, confirming a single consistent association.

What the Tenth Foundation Declares

With that scriptural testimony in place, the position of chrysoprasus in the tenth foundation carries real meaning. What ten consistently marks throughout Scripture — the complete natural order, the full extent of the Adamic — is now a foundation stone in the eternal city. Not because the natural was elevated in itself, but because Christ has transformed what the natural order produced into a permanent part of what God is building. The zenith of the flesh does not arrive at the eternal city through its own achievement. It arrives because the one who subjected the creature to vanity did so “in hope — because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20–21).

The ten commandments were given to the lawless. The ten plagues broke Egypt’s hold. Ten virgins waited — and the bridegroom came. The natural man in all his fullness has been addressed, judged, broken, and awaited. And now, in the foundations of the eternal city, that same measure stands — not as a barrier, not as a remainder of what was unfinished, but as a foundation stone in the city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10).

Chrysoprasus holds the position that corresponds to the full extent of the natural — and its placement in the eternal foundations declares what this series has affirmed from the beginning: the second stage is the arrival of what the first stage was always designed to announce.

Conclusion — Where the Figures End and Eternity Begins

Part 1 raised the governing question: why do these three stones appear only in the eternal city, with no place in the entire earthly economy of the first stage? Part 2 has now given the answer Scripture provides.

Chalcedony belongs to foundations adorned with the translucent, crystalline quality the Spirit consistently connected to the sphere of God’s immediate presence. The crystal expanse above the throne in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 1:22), the crystal sea before the throne in John’s vision (Revelation 4:6), and the tekeleth blue woven through every level of the Mosaic economy (Exodus 26:1; 28:31; Numbers 15:38–40) all point the same direction: transparency and heavenly blue belong to the atmosphere of God’s direct presence. The first-stage economy carried those qualities in thread and curtain. The eternal foundations carry them in stone.

Chrysolite belongs to foundations in a city where the veil is gone, because every prior appearance of this stone in Scripture belonged to the unveiled prophetic realm. The wheels of God’s throne carried its color (Ezekiel 1:16; 10:9). The anointed cherub’s covering included it in the prophetic vision (Ezekiel 28:13). The heavenly figure Daniel saw was described in its terms (Daniel 10:6). Chrysolite has no earthly ceremonial history. It was always a stone of the realm above the veil. Now it rests in the seventh foundation of the city where that unveiled realm is the only one that remains.

Chrysoprasus stands in the tenth foundation, and the number ten declares its meaning throughout Scripture: the complete measure of the natural order, the zenith of what Adam’s race reaches and what the flesh produces. Ten commandments marked the highest point of human righteousness — and still fell short (Philippians 3:9). Ten generations brought the natural man’s rebellion to its full extent in the days of Noah (Genesis 5). Ten times Israel tested God in the wilderness, completing the count of natural resistance (Numbers 14:22). Ten virgins represent the full company of the church still in the flesh, waiting for the bridegroom to come (Matthew 25:1). Throughout the biblical record, ten measures the natural order at its fullest — complete, at its limit, at the end of what it can reach on its own. That is the stone placed in the tenth foundation. Not because the natural order earned its place there, but because the God who subjected the creature to vanity did so in hope — and what he subjected, he will deliver. The full measure of the Adamic stands in the eternal foundations because the one who made it subject to vanity has also determined to set it free.

Paul names the only foundation on which all of this rests: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). What John sees is not simply a beautiful city. It is a city whose foundations bear the names of the apostles of the Lamb — the men sent to declare the one who is himself the foundation. The whole structure, Paul says in Ephesians 2:20, is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” The transparency chalcedony declares, the unveiled glory chrysolite declares, the full measure of the natural that chrysoprasus marks — all of it belongs to the eternal order over which Christ has preeminence: the city of the second man, the Lord from heaven, whose glory no earthly stone could contain and no first-stage figure could do more than point toward from a distance.

All three stones declare the same truth this series has followed from the beginning. The second stage is not the recovery of what the first stage lost. It is the arrival of what the first stage was always designed to announce. The creature was made subject to vanity on purpose and in hope — “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20–21). The first-stage economy was given what it needed: stones that carried the promise faithfully through every context God assigned to them. The eternal city requires something the first stage was never equipped to supply, because it is the arrival itself — the substance the shadow always pointed to, the city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). The atmosphere of his presence, the unveiled glory of his throne, the complete measure of all he made subject to vanity — all of it rests, at last, on foundations that will never be moved. 

Pro 10:25 “As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.” 

1 Samuel 15:1–35 Samuel Rebukes Saul

[Study Aired April 20, 2026]

In today’s study, our attention would be drawn to Saul’s final rejection as king due to his disobedience in sparing Agag and the best of the Amalekite spoil. The study also highlights the fact that partial obedience in the sight of the Lord is regarded as outright disobedience. 

In the final analysis, the takeaway from the study is that our obedience to the Lord’s word must be thorough. However, if we draw back, we will lose the crown. That was what happened to Saul, who was the Lord’s elect, and it serves as a warning to us, who are living in the closing days of the ages.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.    

The Lord Rejects Saul

1Sa 15:1  Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 

This verse shows us that to be able to reign as kings in an age to come, we must be anointed. Being anointed in the Bible signifies being chosen by God for a special task or office, such as kings, prophets, or priests. This is usually symbolized by oil being poured on the head, which represents the spirit of the Lord.

1Sa 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 

As the Lord’s elect, we have been anointed just like Saul. Samuel reminding Saul of his anointing in verse 1, is to show him that the anointing or the spirit of the Lord, is to help us pay attention or walk according to the word of the Lord. 

Eze 36:27  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 

Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 
Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

1Sa 15:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 
1Sa 15:3  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 

The Amalekites ambushing the Israelites when they came out of Egypt in verse 2 is to let us know that when we started our walk with the Lord, we were unsuspectingly unaware of our flesh as our enemy. 

In verses 3, the goal of our mandate as royals is marked out for us. That is, to destroy the deeds of our flesh signified by the Amalekites (man, woman, infant and sucking). As we are aware, ox, sheep, camel and ass all represent physical riches. 

Gen 30:43  And the man [Jacob] increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses. 

Therefore, the mandate to kill the ox, sheep, camel and ass of the Philistines in verse 3 implies that we must do away or put to death, the love of physical riches which is part of our fleshy desires, which many, in their quest to get rich have been drowned in destruction and ruin. 

1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

1Sa 15:4  And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. 
1Sa 15:5  And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. 
1Sa 15:6  And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 

It is important to note that the gathering of Saul’s army was at Telaim, which means ‘lambs.’ In the Bible lambs on the positive note denote the Lord’s elect as shown in the following:

Luk 10:3  Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

Joh 21:15  So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

These verses imply that Saul and the men gathered with him, represent the Lord’s elect. This is affirmed by their number – two hundred thousand and ten thousand. 

2Ch 17:16  And next him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the LORD; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valour. 
2Ch 17:17  And of Benjamin; Eliada a mighty man of valour, and with him armed men with bow and shield two hundred thousand. 

Jdg 4:14  And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

Saul and his army laying wait in the valley and requesting the Kenites to depart from the Amalekites before attacking them in verses 5 and 6 is to let us know that in our dealing with our flesh, we must exercise patience lest we end up treating everything that comes out of our lives as being evil. It takes maturity to distinguish between the good seed that the Lord is sowing in our lives and the works of our flesh. This is emphasized by the Lord when he told the parable of the wheat and the tares where he emphasized that it takes time to be able to identify the wheat from the tares.     

Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 
Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. 

1Sa 15:7  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. 
1Sa 15:8  And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 
1Sa 15:9  But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. 

The victory won by Saul and his army against the Amalekites, who represent our flesh, was achieved from Havilah up to Shur. Havilah means ‘circles’ and Shur means the ‘wilderness of Etham.’ We must remember that it was in the wilderness that the Lord caused the Israelites to go in circles until they all died. The Israelites in the wilderness signifies the church system of this world. Therefore Saul smiting the Amalekites from Havilah until Shur implies that during our time in the churches of this world, we did win some victories over our flesh. However, we were not thorough with dealing with our flesh as we kept Agag, the king of the Amalekites alive and got enticed with the riches or the wealth of this world or mammon signified by the sheep, oxen, the fatlings and the lambs of the Amalekites. 

Luk 16:13  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

Agag here represents the ten horns of the beast or the strength of our flesh. As long as the strength of our flesh has not been dealt with, we haven’t won the war against our flesh. 

1Sa 15:10  Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 
1Sa 15:11  It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 
1Sa 15:12  And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. 

The Lord repenting that He set up Saul does not mean that He regretted His actions, since He does not alter His purpose. Rather, it means that He is changing His method of achieving the same goal. 

Num 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?  

As we are aware, Saul was the Lord’s elect and therefore, Samuel grieving for Saul all night is to show us that as the Lord’s elect, we do not take lightly when our brothers and sisters miss the mark of the Lord’s higher calling. In other words, we are overwhelmed with grief when our brothers and sisters miss the way.  David mourning for Jonathan’s death give us a glimpse of how we feel when our brothers and sisters fall away.  

2Sa 1:25  How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. 
2Sa 1:26  I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. 

Saul leaving Carmel and moving on to Gilgal implies that when we fall away, we leave Carmel, meaning the ‘orchard of God’ or the ‘church of the Lord’s elect’, and go to Gilgal, which in the negative sense, means ‘rolling’ or ‘wandering about.’  

1Sa 15:13  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 
1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 
1Sa 15:15  And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 

Saul’s insistence that he had performed the commandment of the Lord is to make us aware that our brothers and sisters who fall away, are not given the place of repentance, just as Esau found no place of repentance, though he sought for it carefully with tears. 

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 
Heb 12:16  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 

The bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen in the ears of Samuel is to let us know that our sins are plain before the Lord, and therefore we cannot hide from our sins. In verse 15, Saul was trying to justify his actions by saying that he kept the sheep and the oxen for sacrifice to the Lord. As indicated in the introduction section, our partial obedience is regarded in the sight of the Lord as outright disobedience. 

Pro 16:2  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. 

Our prayer is therefore to ask the Lord to search our hearts and see if there is any wicked way in us, so that He will lead us in the way everlasting. 

Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 
Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

1Sa 15:16  Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 
1Sa 15:17  And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 
1Sa 15:18  And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 
1Sa 15:19  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
1Sa 15:20  And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 

What the Lord said about Saul in verse 17 that when he was little in his own sight, He anointed him as king of Israel is the same as saying that in times past, we walked according to the desires of the flesh, however, in God’s mercy, He came and lifted us up to sit with Christ in heavenly places. 

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 
Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Our task as the Lord’s elect or future kings of the earth is that in this age, we must overcome the carnal mind of our flesh, just as Saul was tasked by the Lord to destroy the Amalekites. However, many who are called to become kings, like Saul, are not able to wholly destroy the flesh, and therefore, they lose their kingship or crown as we shall see later in this study. 

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 

As indicated in verse 20, Saul was not given repentance as he continued to insist that he had obeyed the Lord, just as many who fall away find no place of repentance in this age.

Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he [Esau] would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.  

1Sa 15:21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 
1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 
1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

The people taking the spoil, sheep and oxen in verse 21, to present them as sacrifice to the Lord instead of destroying them implies that many of the Lord’s children are derailed from the goal of becoming overcomers of their flesh, by the love of money or mammon, which they think would help them to worship or offer a better sacrifice to the Lord. A look at the leadership of the church system of this world or Babylon, shows how the love of money has caused them to err from the faith and have therefore pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 
1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

In verse 22, we are told that obedience is better than sacrifice and that to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. We demonstrate our love to the Lord by our obedience to His word. Therefore, our obedience to the Lord is what governs our relationship with Christ. Without obedience, all our effort in the house of the Lord is vain. 

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

The fat of rams represents the transient nature of the riches of this world or mammon. Therefore, paying attention to what the Lord says cannot be compared with the riches of this world, which many in this world, including our brothers and sisters in Babylon, are coveting. 

Luk 16:13  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

In verse 23, we are told that rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft. Rebellion is the same as transgressing or sinning against the Lord, as shown in the following verse:

Jos 22:22  The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,) 

Witchcraft means ‘divination’, which means seeking advice from false prophets. This implies that sinning against the Lord is the same as seeking advice from false prophets. 

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 
2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.  

It is insightful to note that stubbornness in verse 23 is the same as iniquity and idolatry. Iniquity means trusting in our own righteousness. 

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

Idolatry therefore means paying attention to the false idols of our hearts and minds which are the false doctrines in our heavens, instead of the truth of the Lord’s word. This suggests that being stubborn in the biblical sense has to do with rejecting the righteousness of the Lord in pursuit of the false doctrines in our hearts and minds. All of these disqualify us from reigning with Christ in an age to come. There are many who have refused the multitude of counsel from the our elders by trusting the false doctrines in their hearts and minds. As a result, the crown has been taken away from them.

Eze 14:1  Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. 
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? 
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; 

1Sa 15:24  And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 
1Sa 15:25  Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. 

Finally, Saul admitted to Samuel that he had sinned. However, as stated earlier, he could not find the place of repentance. This is because repentance is a fundamental change of mind, heart, and direction, which involves a sincere turning away from sin toward God. While repentance can involve confession of sin, it is distinguished from mere regret or confession of sin, focusing instead on the actual turning from sin and embracing righteousness. In the case of Saul, his confession of sinning did not mean that he had repented. He did that so that Samuel would honor him before the elders and people of Israel by accompany him to worship the Lord. 

Act 26:19  “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 
Act 26:20  but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. 

1Sa 15:30  Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.

1Sa 15:26  And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 
1Sa 15:27  And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. 
1Sa 15:28  And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. 

Saul’s refusal to obey fully the commandment of the Lord cost him the rulership. Verses 27 and 28 show us one of the principles that helps us to unlock the mysteries of the kingdom by the things that are made. Samuel interpreted the tearing of the skirt of his mantle when Saul laid hold of it to mean that the kingdom of Israel has been taken away from Saul and given to his neighbor who is better than him. The things that are made include our mundane activities, which in this case refers to the tearing of the skirt of Samuel’s cloak.    

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

1Sa 15:29  And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. 
1Sa 15:30  Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. 
1Sa 15:31  So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD. 

Verse 29 affirms our earlier assertion that the Lord repenting for setting up Saul as king (verse 11) does not mean that He had repented from His action. It shows that He is changing His method of achieving the same goal.   

Verse 30 emphasize the point that Saul was not repentant of His action even though He confessed to Samuel of sinning. Saul’s confession was to make Samuel honor him by going with him before the elders and the people. 

Samuel going with Saul in verse 31 is to show us that we are not to dishonor our brothers and sisters, who fall along the way, before the Lord’s people.

1Sa 15:32  Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. 
1Sa 15:33  And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. 
1Sa 15:34  Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. 
1Sa 15:35  And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel. 

It is Jesus who was the first to overcome the flesh. Here in verse 32, Samuel represents Jesus, our Lord, who showed us how we are to be ruthless in our dealing with our flesh (king Agag). 

In verse 33, we are shown that it is the flesh which has made the church system of this world not able to bear fruit of producing the Lord’s elect. In this age, it is the church of the Lord’s elect who seems to be barren. However, in the fullness of time, it will become obvious to everyone that it is the church system of this world with many children, who is rather barren.

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 

It is important to note that Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord at Gilgal. It was in Gilgal that the Israelites who entered the promised land were circumcised, that is, the cutting off of their flesh. 

Jos 5:2  At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. 
Jos 5:3  And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

Jos 5:8  And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. 
Jos 5:9  And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. 

Samuel and Saul going their separate ways such that Samuel did not see Saul again till he died is to show us that we cannot have fellowship with our brothers and sisters who fall away. This is because a little leaven, leavens the whole lump.

Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 
Gal 5:10  I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.  

May the Lord continue to destroy everything of the flesh within us through His judgment as we see the day approaching. Amen!!

The Fowl of the Air – Part 2

[Study Aired April 19, 2026]

God’s elect know the difference between gifts of the spirit and fruits of the spirit. You may heal the sick and cast out devils without having Christ living His life in you (Luk 10:8, 9, 17).

Luk 10:8  And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:
Luk 10:9  And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

Luk 10:17  And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

Christ sent out the seventy two by two long before He said this to Peter:

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

You may truthfully prophesy what will happen in the future, and not have Christ living His life within you:

Deu 13:1  If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
Deu 13:2  And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
Deu 13:3  Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

How do we know whether we truly love the Lord?

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

However you cannot and you will not have “the fruits of the spirit” governing your life if Christ is not living His life within you. You will not and cannot love your enemy without Christ being in you.

Christ warns us not to follow after signs, miracles and wonders right here in Matthew 24:

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs [G4592: ‘Semeion’, miracles] and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Right after telling us that false Christs and prophets shall show great miracles and great wonders, Christ makes this statement:

Mat 24:25  Behold, I have told you before.
Mat 24:26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

“Secret chamber” would certainly include a ‘secret rapture’, and according to Christ we are to “believe it not” because this is what it will actually be like when He does appear again:

Mat 24:27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:28  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

“I have told you before” is old English for ‘I am telling you in advance’ not to fall for any variation of the false ‘secret rapture’ doctrines nor any variation of a ‘place of safety’ theory. There is nothing ‘secret’ about being caught up to be with Christ in the air. That event will be “as the lightning shineth from the east even unto the west.”

Luk 17:23  And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
Luk 17:24  For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

Look at what precedes this statement:

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

What Christ is telling His elect is that if they are granted to remain vigilant and diligent to the end, and to serve as the flesh and bones of Christ’s “earthly tabernacle” in this present wicked age, then they will be glorified with Christ at the time of His appearing to rule the kingdoms of this world for one thousand years, before judging angels and the souls of men in something called the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/ second death (Rev 20:7-15).

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

I get so many letters asking me, “How does one know they are God’s elect? How do you know you are going to be saved and be in the first resurrection?” The answer to the first question is that God gives you the faith that you are indeed His elect. The answer to the second question is that you don’t know you will be in the first resurrection to the point of being able to take your election for granted. That’s why The Lord admonishes us to ‘be vigilant, be sober.’

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Be on your guard every moment. Christ tells us that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into:

Luk 12:39  And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Luk 12:40  Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

The whole point of Christ telling us that we are to stay vigilant and “ready” is so we will always be on our toes. The apostle Paul gives us the same admonition:

1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

The Lord does not want us to ever become complacent and take our salvation for granted. Completely rid your heart and mind of the ‘once in grace always in grace’ false doctrine. Realize that there is a great and pressing need for vigilance. That spirit of vigilance is all part of God’s plan. Replace that false doctrine with this doctrine:

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Continuing with Christ’s words “which are spirit” in Matthew 24:

Mat 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

I’ve entitled this study the ‘fowl of the air’ because of these eagles. They are unclean birds, and they eat the carnal meat which cannot inherit the kingdom of God, as Christ clearly states:

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

It is our rebellious, carnal-minded old man who is “devoured up” by the eagles and the fowls of the air:

Pro 30:17  The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

Luk 17:36  Two men [our old and new man] shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luk 17:37  And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

We must be willing to give up the life of our carnal-minded old man. We must come to see that “the man of sin, the son of perdition” is our own carnal-minded old man who has all his life been deceived by all the lies of all the false ministers of the churches of Babylon. That is the negative application of what these eagles, “the fowls of the air” do:

Mar 4:3  Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
Mar 4:4  And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

Christ tells us the fowls “devour [us] up” at that stage of our walk when the seed of God’s Truth ‘falls by the way side.’

Mat 13:3  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
Mat 13:4  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls [Eagles over a carcass] came and devoured them up:

Eagles eat dying dead meat. That ‘death’ and dying is at this time a process we must endure to the end. It is “through death” that a new man is conceived:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die [become a carcass], it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

The Truth is counterintuitive to our natural carnal mind.  We cannot just naturally connect the death of our old man with the life of our new man. Nevertheless, we are commanded to offer ourselves up to the Lord as a “living sacrifice… dying daily”:

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Paul sets us the same ‘dying daily’ example which Christ left for us to follow:

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

We are “crucified with Christ… daily.”

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Our dying old man is dead meat for those unclean “birds of the air.” The positive application of “where the carcass is there will the eagles be gathered together” is that as the adversary devours up our old man, Christ is coming into our lives. As we die to the flesh, we are giving up the flesh, but it is not a pleasant thing to do. We don’t give up the flesh willingly. It takes a catastrophe in our lives to drag us to Christ:

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [G1670: ‘helkuo’, drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

That is the positive application to ‘the fowls of the air… devouring us up.” For the few who the Lord opens their spiritually blinded eyes to see the dying of our carnal-minded old man and being devoured by these eagles is essential to the birth of the new man who is even now being formed out of the same lump of clay:

Rom 9:20  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel [our ‘new man’] unto honour, and another [our carnal minded old man] unto dishonour?
Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: [Our old man]
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, [our new man] which he had afore prepared unto glory,

Exo 19:4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

The Lord is patient and merciful toward us and “endures with much longsuffering” the rebellions and the disobedience of our carnal-minded old man. In time, if we are granted to abide in His Word, “of the same lump” of this same “earthen vessel” He begins to form a new man which will in time truly be made into His likeness and His image. While He is in the process of transforming us into His image, He Himself dwells within us as “earthen vessels”:

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure [“Christ in us the hope of glory”, (Col 1:27)] in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

It’s through this dying to the flesh that God brings us to himself. I’m going to repeat John 12:25.

Joh 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

King David used the positive application of the word ‘eagles’ to eulogize the death of the Lord’s rejected anointed King Saul:

2Sa 1:23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

In their death, they were not divided. Jonathan could not bring himself to leave his father, and yet he actually helped David just as our flesh, “the same lump”, actually helps us to become a new man. As Jonathan who could not separate himself from his father, we, too, are in these clay vessels, our flesh, which cannot inherit the kingdom of God and is not discarded until physical death. May the Lord grant us to be willing to die daily to our old man as our new man increases within us.

The story of Jonathan’s love for David, yet dying with his rejected father, King Saul, “…happened to him and [it is] written for our admonition” (1Co 10:11). We must realize that it was God who created Babylon. It is God who calls Nebuchadnezzar His servant:

Jer 25:9  Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.

Jer 27:5  I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.
Jer 27:6  And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

God is the one who is responsible for all things; he ‘works all things after the counsel of his own will” (Eph 1:11). Our wicked old man is nothing more than the Lord’s servant to bring us to the Lord.

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

That is what “the fowls of the air” generally represent, especially unclean fowl like vultures and eagles. They signify all the false doctrines of our heavens which “devour us up.”

The ‘eagles’ of Matthew 24, just like Nebuchadnezzar, are the Lord’s servants. Matthew 13:4 and 19, tell us what these “fowls of the air signify”, and 1 Corinthians 5:5 tells us exactly what they do:

Mat 13:4  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Mat 13:19  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan [“The prince of the power of the air”, (Eph 2:2)] for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

These ‘fowls’ are false doctrines. The ministers who preach them are the adversary’s false ministers who come to us as an angel of light (2Co 11:14-15) and then “devour [us] up” (Mat 13:4). Another way scripture expresses this process is the story of the earth opening up and swallowing Korah (Num 16:28-33). The earth opening up and swallowing Korah is simply a type of us being swallowed up by the false doctrines of the churches of this world, signified by the earth, the ground:

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

We are dying daily to that earth, the world. The story of Korah signifies the people of God who are brought up out of Egypt but who are not doing the things which the Lord tells us to do (Luk 6:46). We are spiritually being devoured by the birds of the air. That’s what these eagles, the Lord’s servants, do in His service when He is using them to judge us.

When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s baker’s dream he demonstrated the spiritual significance of ‘the birds of the air.’

Gen 40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation [of the butler’s dream] was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:
Gen 40:17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
Gen 40:18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:
Gen 40:19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
Gen 40:20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
Gen 40:21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand:
Gen 40:22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
Gen 40:23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.

These birds ate the baker’s flesh; they destroyed his flesh. Where did Joseph get the idea that this is what this meant?

Joseph knew what “the fowls of the air” ate, and the Lord gave Joseph to know what it meant when the baker told him that ‘the birds did eat the bakemeats, meant for Pharaoh’, out of the uppermost basket on the baker’s head. Pharaoh was prophesied to hang the chief baker who would then be eaten by the fowls of the air, and that is exactly what happened.

The creatures of the sea, the fowls of the air, and the earth itself are all scriptural types of mankind, and they all typify the Lord’s people:

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

Most of mankind are not God’s elect in “this present time.”

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

The minds of God’s anointed, like King Saul who was God’s rejected anointed, are first filled with the doctrines of the fowls of the air. That is where fowls live. They live in the heavens of our earth. They were not created on the sixth day with the beasts of the earth. The fowls of the air were created on the fifth day so that all of the spirit beings were created just ahead of men, the day before, to serve as the Lord’s servants to provide the foil against which the Lord would show His elect what He is doing with His creatures. It was on the sixth day that mankind, who the Lord refers to as “earth, earth, earth” (Jer 22:29), was created as the incomplete image of his Creator. It is at this point the Lord begins His sovereign work with mankind, showing us our relationship with our God. Mankind was created on the sixth day because Adam was the unfinished and the not yet completed son of God.

Lam 4:19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

It is in the wilderness that we are persecuted. We are persecuted by those who are swifter than eagles.

Mat 13:31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven [Christ in us, (Col 1:27)] is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
Mat 13:32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

This is the parable of the mustard seed. What are all the parables? All the parables are about the kingdom of God within us from now until Christ appears. The principles revealed in the Lord’s parables will still be applicable to His saints when that day arrives. The heavens of the kingdom of God must be “purified” (Heb 9:23) because they are full of the false doctrines of the fowls of the air.

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. [Christ’s sacrifice for you and me is much better than the blood of animals]

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

This is “the fowls of the air” again, the unclean fowl doing what they are ordained to do with the Lord’s people. We read back in Exodus where God said, I brought you (Israel) up out of Egypt on eagles’ wings:

Exo 19:4  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

When God brought them out, he said, “I brought you unto Myself.” God did not take Israel directly from Egypt into the promised land. He took them ‘on eagles’ wings… into the wilderness” for 40 years. What happened in the wilderness? The woman that brought forth the manchild was given eagles wings to go “into the wilderness”. Her “manchild” son was caught up and seated with Christ in the heavens, but she herself was given two wings of an eagle and was taken into the wilderness. The great whore of Revelation seventeen is also “in the wilderness”, because she is the woman of Revelation 12 who brings forth the manchild:

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. [Eph 2:6]
Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Just 50 days after leaving Egypt ‘on eagles’ wings’ Israel, God’s own people who eventually “brought forth a manchild” named Jesus Christ, also committed spiritual fornication against her husband by making a golden calf and proclaiming it as ‘thy gods which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt’:

Exo 32:3  And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
Exo 32:4  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

That is the beginning of the history of Israel in the wilderness. They continued to complain and rebel against their own God for the next forty years. It all signifies the function of the great whore of Revelation 17. This “great whore” is not just any whore. This is the Lord’s own unfaithful wife who “brought forth a manchild” and then was given the wings of an eagle to fly into the wilderness where, just as the Lord sustained His unfaithful wife, Israel, this woman is also “nourished” while the Lord deals with her “in the wilderness”.

Rev 12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

This ‘time, times and half a time’ is the same amount of time as the time spent by the two witnesses in the streets of that great city, which ‘city’ is what the great whore is called:

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

The two witnesses witness for Christ and against the works of that great city for a time, times and half a time. In the streets of that great city the two witnesses are witnessing for Christ and against this very woman of Revelation 12 who appears in the very next chapter. The two witnesses are going to speak for a 1,260 days against this woman which is the same time the woman spends being nourished from the face of the serpent there in the wilderness.  A time, times and half a time is the same as 1260 days, and the woman who brings forth the manchild is the same woman as the great whore of Revelation 17-18. In both chapters 17 and 18 she is referred to as “that great city”:

Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

It is all the same time, it is just hidden so that 1,260 days tells us that this is the time of our witnessing to the people of God, and this is the time of their hearing us witness. It is the same period of time. What happens during this time?

Num 14:22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
Num 14:23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
Num 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Notice what is in this ‘great city’ which was taken into the wilderness on eagles’ wings:

Rev 18:2  And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. [“Fowls of the air”]

What are the fowls of the air? They signify the false ministers who are the purveyors of all the  false doctrines of that great adulterous woman.

We will conclude this study with a few admonitions about the work of these ‘fowls’:

Mat 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Matthew 13:19 explains that.

Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Romanticism Holds Husbands to Ransom, Escalating the Idolisation of Women—An Artifice of The Great Whore

Study 10 – Part 2

[Study Aired April 18, 2026]

As with each of these introductory studies, which unveil the Bride’s highly anticipated joy as described physically in the SoS, they starkly reveal the reason Solomon created his Shulamite Bride. It lies in his distressing and unimpressive experiences with his thousand wives, whose treacherous kisses (her word/doctrines/silver and gold) forcefully dictate that he be intoxicated by their wine of emblematic romanticised ravishment, which proved to be as inert as water, corrupted and moth-eaten sentiments of The Great Whore.

Jas 5:1  Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
Jas 5:2  Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
Jas 5:3  Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

Husbands in marital sex are delusively wealthy men who subconsciously believe they are rich in (unrealised) feminine church doctrines as the only way for her to feel emotionally ‘safe, loved, heard and appreciated’ before she can participate intimately. They have physically, denoting them spiritually, drunk the filth of her water, her doctrines imagining it is arousing wine. She is a foil for his worst treachery in Eden for idly letting Eve even look upon the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, let alone touch it. Accordingly, all husbands listening to their wives’ Serpent acquired wisdom of better judgment in boudoir arouses, effectively have their wives witness against them, whereby their flesh, supposedly one in their wives, is eaten up, and burning him with fire for his submission to her. Juxtapose that with the opening verse of the Bride in the Son 1:2.

Isa 1:22  Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: 

Hos 4:18  Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye.

Her husband’s unwitting shame of abdication for the most part of his headship and authority, tries to love his wife by her criteria.

2Co 2:17  For we are not as many [… it’s a little flock/Church], which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. 

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine – Son 1:2

Demonstratively in Genesis 28 and 29, Jacob’s love for Rachel was not initially based on romantic love. It was a transactional love based on God’s commands for mate selection among the circumcised, with Jacob grateful for her virtuous beauty and, accordingly, a spiritually uncircumcised natural (1Cor 15:46) coquettish unity we today exaggerate as romance.

Romanticism, insidiously, becomes idol worship where the woman is the focus, the pinnacle of worship, displaying her thighs ungracefully. The sight of a wife, her thighs delicately revealed beneath an elegant dress by her spiritual walk, or, for that matter, any ‘innocent’ occasion, exudes a sense of grace and confidence. Her poised demeanour, complemented by a warm and inviting brightness in her expression, starkly contrasts with the overt lewd theatrics often associated with a harlot. This captivating elegance is reserved solely for her husband, embodying a profound allure. Similarly, the Bride’s walk, a sacred journey dedicated to Christ, carries with it a sense of reverence and beauty that further enhances the sanctity of the moment.

Son 7:1  How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.

In a world where almost every young woman’s tantalising curves are accentuated by seductive attire, the allure of elegantly dressed thighs invokes a powerful desire that captivates both men and women alike. The thought of a woman draped in exquisite fabrics, tailored perfectly to her silhouette, is enough to stir deep passions. While some may sway towards revealing G-strings and provocative ensembles, it’s the sophistication of demurely, gracefully crafted garments that truly ignites the imagination in honouring beauty righteously.

Picture a woman adorned in beautiful fabrics that highlight her body’s contours, her outfit harmonizing with her skin tone and hairstyle, capturing her ethnic beauty. The delicate interplay of rich colors and luxurious textures creates an enchanting aura, leaving onlookers spellbound. In such moments, men find themselves captivated and entranced, their usual cravings transformed into a desire not just for physical beauty, but for the elegance and depth that such refinement conveys. It’s a dance of allure that evokes both righteous and unrighteous lust, inviting a celebration of all that is beautiful in this tapestry and song of femininity.

The Song of Solomon is Christ’s equivalent of ‘romantic’ expression in Christ-centricity with and by his Bride.

Worldly feminine romanticism is the ultimate vanity of vanities that Solomon lamented (in the entire book of Ecclesiastes) and set out to correct. Its earthborn sentimentality has never transformed anyone’s heart to align with Christ. It inevitably leads to frustration, disparity, and bitterness, often resulting in divorce. In contrast, true love involves confronting oneself, reflecting on the depths of who we truly are, and acknowledging our brokenness. When we authentically review that mirror of the woman we are, it is not flattering; it threatens to betray every romantic ideal we deludedly thought shielded us from the responsibility Christ compels us to adhere to.

Love is not about finding the perfect spouse who will provide all our sensual needs and desires, but being forged in the fiery furnace of sustaining it by Christ’s power and might. Utterly foreign to the female world, the Shulamite, we shall ultimately see, is given to reciprocate her Fiancé’s dues enthusiastically.

Our Lord’s immense feeling of rejection by his wife of old is the most painful boudoir experience all husbands, to varying degrees, experience, questioning, ‘Am I not enough?’

Historically, men, symbolised by Christ righteously, have been the greater romantics, igniting a profound romantic desire in women, placing them on a pedestal to which they paradoxically declare, yet inwardly denounce, unable to escape the curse of romanticism. As women exhibit much more sensual expressions that excite both men and women, the world believes they hold the key to all romantic ideals. It sets them up to be idolised and worshipped, a majesty she fiercely protects and inevitably bereaved in that — “he shall rule over thee”.

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

However, in reality, romanticism expressed through the Shulamite’s intentional suspense harvests exquisite physical and spiritual emotions designed by Christ, exemplifying the devotion of a profoundly transformed heart towards her husband and eagerly affirming his headship. It resonates with unspeakable love in her husband, reverberating to his wife and amplifying extravagant spiritual realities that rebound between each other – spiritually forever.

Romanticism unfolds as a deep and intimate dance between a man and a woman, set against the backdrop of divine creation. In today’s whirlwind world, this delicate balance is often inverted. Passion ignites like a wildfire, engulfing two souls in an evening of electrifying chemistry, where every glance and touch sends shivers down the spine. Yet, all too often, this fervour flickers and fades, leaving behind the echoes of what once was.

This intense emotional surge especially captivates women, luring them into a dream of blissful union and endless romance. No doubt romanticising John Keats to pen the memorable quote, “Now a soft kiss – Aye, by that kiss, I vow an endless bliss.” Men, in their pursuit of thrilling encounters, might find themselves swept away by the allure of fleeting intimacy. Yet, ultimately, it’s the women who experience the deeper tides of longing and disillusionment. Just as Old Israel found herself torn between desires for material pleasures and the deeper spiritual fulfillment, today’s lovers often grapple with a similar disconnect. They chase the exhilarating rush of passion, overlooking the more profound connections that truly nourish the soul.

Amidst the vibrant chaos of desire, it’s easy to forget that genuine intimacy requires more than just physicality—it longs for an emotional tether—a spiritual bond that transcends the momentary thrill. In this erotic landscape, finding harmony between flesh and spirit is Babylon’s ultimate pursuit—a quest for love that is both passionate and enduring, not found in Zen, Buddhism, Tantra, or other esoteric pursuits, but hidden in Christ, only to be revealed to his Wife’s (the Bride’s) understanding for their mutual glory is in the Father.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 
Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Men, driven by both righteous and unrighteous lusts for women, and to women’s delight, both seek the emotional highs that unified chemistry ignites that they unequivocally believe are love—those small and silly moments, a song that only you and she understand. A shared moment of uncontrollable laughter forms a powerful imprint that is recalled with equal hilarity for years. Chemistry is a tremendously powerful influence on mate selection; early in the relationship, it can be deceiving. When the vital spiritual elements are established and agreed upon, chemistry is a glorious and ravishing part of marriage.

Thus, in those verses, the wife, symbolizing the church, first desires to be enveloped in romanticism, initiated in Eden, ironically turning away from the very foundation of Christ’s teachings that underpin genuine romanticism! She cannot do those physical and, more importantly, the spiritual things she would that drive the very things she lusts! Consequently, it is crazy stuff to be “against” our Lord’s original husbandly headship, having never had the chance to prove its dynasticism until today.

Jacob never had time to develop romantic feelings. Since it was ‘doctrinally’ established that he must marry within his own family, the moral basis for choosing a wife was already set. All he needed was to notice a woman’s intriguing beauty, confident that she would be traditionally submissive to his authority as her husband.

Gen 29:9  And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep: for she kept them.
Gen 29:10  And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.
Gen 29:11  And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

Romanticism originates from genuine love. The most well-known biblical stories of Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Rachel do not portray romanticism as essential before engagement. Only through reflecting on these biblical accounts do we see how the concept of romanticism develops in our minds. The righteous men and women of old consistently teach that Godly covenant unity takes precedence over all emotions. Ideally, based on Christ’s truths, the minimally standard key for choosing a virginal mate, it subtly yet powerfully addresses various personal nuances and quirks of intimacy, such as hygiene—linked to spiritual cleanliness—and mutually agreeable traits, including raising children, work security, and creating a home. Spiritually, this, too, is the key to developing the wonderfully stimulating emotions and feelings the Bride longs to be imprinted by placing Christ first, as demonstrated in the Song of Solomon.

Christ introduced the concept of romanticism — God did it to incite mankind’s experience of evil further (Ecc 1:12-18) as a powerful means for mankind to boost self-glory, distinctly for women (representative of men and the harlot churches) and their inherent schemings manipulating men and patently husbands, collectively rejecting (“against”) Christ.

The supreme protagonist, Christ, represented by Solomon in the Song of Solomon, personifies the Bride of Christ and spectacularly reverses the curse, showcasing an elegant type of romanticism that glorifies her Husband. Having been a whore, she knows every detail of her former artifices that ruled her carnal husband. She is now highly skilled at using her former negative scheming to her righteous advantage, enthusiastically building her spiritual house to his pattern for him.

Eze 28:13  Thou [Mankind, typified by the woman] hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets [Timbrel, tambourine & representative or her “Song” no man could learn] and of thy pipes [Jewel settings; her joint of the Bride] was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. [Sounds pretty romantic to me]
Eze 28:14  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15  Thou wast perfect [Perfectly subject to corruption] in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Eze 28:16  By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:17  Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds [the Elect]; I will be like the most High. 
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

What is Romanticism?

Romanticism was an artistic, intellectual, and literary movement originating in Europe toward the end of the 18th century (roughly 1790–1850) that championed emotion, individualism, and the power of nature. It emerged as a reaction against the scientific rationalism of the Enlightenment and the ordered, formal constraints of Neoclassicism.

Key characteristics and aspects of Romanticism include:

Emphasis on Emotion and Subjectivity: Prioritising intense personal feelings, imagination, and intuition over logic, reason, and empirical, objective truth.

Awe of Nature: Viewing nature as a spiritual, sublime, and untamed force, often in contrast to the artificiality of industrialization.

Individualism and the Hero: A focus on the “heroic” individual, the artist’s inner struggles, and the genius of the human spirit.

Interest in the Past and Exotic: A fascination with the medieval period, folklore, the supernatural, and the exotic, rejecting the modernisation of society.

Contextual Factors

The movement was heavily influenced by the social and political changes brought about by the French and Industrial Revolutions, which sparked a desire for emotional escape and a return to nature.

The fundamental distinction between contemporary Babylonian elements of romanticism and, perhaps, the romantic facets of Solomon and his Shulamite creation is that both he and she place primary importance on God’s reality as expressed through His truth. In contrast to Babylonian romanticism, this emphasis motivates only the Elect’s sensual perceptions, which are rooted in His empirical spiritual truth and are far more sensually arousing, both physically and spiritually, because they are anchored in Christ’s faith in the Father for the supreme truth, rather than centred on ourselves. Those characteristics represent the elusive love Solomon and the world seek and cannot find.

We know that God is love, but what does that mean?

Interestingly, the name” God” appears 700 times in the Bible, symbolising God’s fulfilment of the creation process.

1Jn 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1Jn 4:8  He that lovethG25 [G5723] notG3361 knowethG1097 [G5627] notG3756 GodG2316; forG3754 GodG2316 isG2076 [G5748] loveG26.

Loveth G25 – Tense, present.
Agapao
– Phonetic: ag-ap-ah’-o
– Definition:

of persons
to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly
of things
to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing

God G2316
Theos
– Phonetic: theh’-os
– Definition:

a God or Goddess, a general name of deities or divinities
the Godhead.
God the Father, the first person in the Godhead.
Christ, the second person of the Godhead, in submission to the Father.

Love  G26
Agape
– Phonetic: ag-ah’-pay
– Definition:

brotherly love, affection, goodwill, love, benevolence
love feasts

G25
Agapao
– Phonetic: ag-ap-ah’-o
– Definition:

of persons
to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly
of things
to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing

G53367
 Phileo
– Phonetic: fil-eh’-o
– Definition:

to love
to approve of
to like
sanction
to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend
to show signs of love
to kiss
to be fond of doing

Nowhere in those definitions is there a direct indication that the sentimentality of ‘romanticism’ is a derivative of love.

Considering the meanings of love mentioned above, here is God’s definition of love leading to eternal life:

1Jn 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth [As God loves] is born of God, and knoweth God.
1Jn 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1Jn 4:9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1Jn 4:10  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1Jn 4:11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
1Jn 4:12  No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 
1Jn 4:13  Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his spirit.
1Jn 4:14  And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

If we do not demonstrate love for God by adhering to His commandments, we lack the understanding necessary to love a spouse appropriately; we will fumble and bumble, focusing on sensual pleasure rather than on the supreme joy of spiritual knowledge, thereby amplifying our physical pleasure. Such is the result of the profound blindness when focused on the flesh.

Can we align the contemporary idea of romanticism with God’s love and appropriately grant that form to another person, particularly a husband or wife, appropriately reflecting Christ’s romanticised love for us? The following excerpt from Dr Brenda Ayres, with orthodox Christian leanings, is a full professor of English and member of the graduate faculty at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, helps us understand the Babylonian Christian’s view of romanticism. Ayers’ brief exposé on the origins of Romanticism reflected in Christianity, for this study’s purpose, somewhat commends and highlights a Christian’s struggle to ‘see through a glass darkly’ and to understand Christ through the beauty of nature and mankind. This represents the noble aspect of contemporary ‘romanticism’ that is widely recognised—indirectly enhancing the poetic Song of Solomon, which all Christians aspire to comprehend and diligently explore without one jot of success. It is understood solely by the Bride of Christ, that is to her, and by contemporary terminology, is inherently and phenomenally ‘romantic’ by her God-given spiritual understanding of who she is and how her idea of romance is utterly reversed!

Dr. Brenda Ayres
30 November 2016
Romanticism and Christianity

The Romantic Era, beginning in the late 18th century and flourishing in the early 1800s, made an unforgettable contribution to literature, intriguing scholars, students, and casual readers alike with its enchanting approach to the world. Reacting against the urbanisation and modernisation brought about by the Industrial Revolution, Romanticism recognised defects in modern society and sought refuge in what was simple and organic. Crafting literature that sparks the imagination and captivates the senses, the Romantics colored their poetry with themes of beauty, nature, youth, emotion, and escape. In each of these prominent Romantic features, the fervency of Romantic notions sometimes caused the Romantics to stray from Christianity; [Bold Grant’s] nonetheless, Romanticism offers many insights that can enhance Christian life and inspire worship of God.

One of the most appealing qualities distinctive of Romanticism is its appreciation of beauty. In “A Defence of Poetry,” Percy Bysshe Shelley describes poetry’s effect on the reality it portrays: “Poetry turns all things to loveliness; it exalts the beauty of that which is most beautiful, and it adds beauty to that which is most deformed” (1176). The Romantics not only wrote about beauty but also created it; their works, which include some of the most beautiful poetry ever written, focus on the stuff of daily life, drawing out the beauty in nature and in common things. A master at capturing beautiful scenes and settings, William Wordsworth exemplifies the Romantic inclination to find beauty and delight in nature. In his poem “It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free,” Wordsworth describes the stillness of an evening, painting a picture of the scene with his simple but beautiful descriptions, such as the quiet time’s likeness to a nun “breathless with adoration” and the sun’s “sinking down in its tranquillity” (3-4). He follows his description of the peaceful setting by expressing to his young companion that, through her participation in the serene moment, she is unknowingly brought closer to God. It is in its wonder at beauty that Romanticism perhaps best contributes to Christianity: the poets allow themselves to be filled with awe at the beauty of the world around them—a world that Christians know is the handiwork of a magnificent Creator. Beauty did not always lead the Romantics to worship the Creator God; yet Christians should seek to discover and delight in beauty as the Romantics did, with even greater appreciation for its Creator. [Bold Grant’s. End]

Doctor Ayres’s astute comment that “the fervency of Romantic notions sometimes caused the romantics to stray from Christianity” is, as we know, initiated by women, meaning the church’s unrighteous lust, and indicative of wives to their husbands in carnal marriages, to insist that their (unwitting) other Jesus’s obligation is to solely ravish her! Ayer’s final comment advocating the glorification of our creator, Christ, our husband, through righteous romanticism strongly reflects the Shulamite’s deportment in The Song of Solomon, mirroring her Husband’s —the Royal Lyricist of the Bible! So, yes, we can justifiably romanticise our interactions, righteously ‘inventing‘ (Ecc 7:26-29) anticipatory foreplay, precisely as the Bride does with Christ, and he, with her, each day in preparatory espousal incitements, consummately.

Deu 12:28  Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.
Deu 12:29  When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deu 12:30  Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, [for this cause, the largely feminine notion for the only way for her husband to arouse her, is by her romantic methodology] saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 
Deu 12:31  Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. 
Deu 12:32  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. 

Typically, the Babylonian Christian mindset we are fleeing leans towards imagining that we are glorifying Christ by attributing a ‘romantic’ term to our journey from being a whore, to becoming His Bride. That ethos is akin to the Israelite’s taking on their heathen neighbour’s ways and doctrines, where we could spiritually sanitize a term to describe our “romantic” journey, maybe by calling it ‘Divine Eros’; to describe the passionate longing for God, viewing natural love as a reflection of the supernatural yearning for the divine. In the Song of Solomon, the connection is clearly observable. However, and in complete accordance with the integrity of God’s word, that passion between Solomon and the Shulamite—articulated effectively by Christ to His Bride, with Him placing the words and her actions He desires in her mouth spoken in the third person—is demonstrably his pure construct, namely, “love”—that’s all—simply, “love”.

However, mankind’s version of romanticism, compared to Christ’s in the Song of Solomon, sets carnal, espoused love up for failure.

Romanticism has enslaved the world to the worship of women. Its universally accepted stencil is: 1. marriage; 2. love and sex; 3. the end of Adamic loneliness; 4. adoration, all blithely accepted without any— 5. practicality of implementation and adjustment for mutually beneficial romantic change.

Romanticism is deeply optimistic about marriage; yet, in plagiarised marriage, fusing it to a sensually volatile shape and form in a passionate love recital, each party (in subconscious deceit) enthusiastically sees the other as their lifelong perfect match, made in heaven.

Compared to historically more localised observations of potential paramours from the field and community in agrarian society, the relatively modern notion of dating and its intensified focus on a possible mate for compatibility forces an unrealistic appraisal of the prospect. It’s a breeding ground for feminist ‘inventions’ highly evident in women and ever so easily accepted in men, as Solomon grieved in Ecclesiastes 7. It fostered unrealistic affections rooted in lust and often led to uncontrollable sexual expressions with individuals they didn’t truly care for, while their distorted ideals of love propelled the delusional, unending quest for extraordinary sex. The so-called ‘free sex’ became a fertile ground for catastrophe, and around and around the deadly cycle goes, ever searching for knowledge and with multiple partners, never coming to the truth of Shulamite-designed romantic love.

In all the purity of nude innocence, Adam’s intrinsic and righteous lust for everything Eve, and, to her unspoilt curiosity and delight, to him, seems to mark the conclusion to his loneliness. He chose to die with Eve rather than live without her love. For us today, such a unifying chemistry in marriage, intuiting our souls, is overwhelmingly refreshing. Unconscious of the holy spirit, such virginal impressions retrospectively cause mankind to yearn for a return to nature, nude in Eden.

Consequently, romanticism facilitated the conception that choosing a spouse should be guided by feelings rather than practical rationality let alone by our Lord’s covenant ministrations—you recognise that you are in love because you have a magical feeling, unwittingly enslaving you; rather, those endorphin-induced feelings should be the catalyst driving the pursuit of who her husband is designed to represent, and not solely to luxuriate in the sensuality they incite. Subsequently, that ministration of serving him is guaranteed to rebound most deliciously in his wife. Perhaps the unrivalled dissolute examples of lust were Amnon’s with his half-sister Tamar, and Ahola and Aholabah’s escapades with any endorphin-inducing young men’s eroticisms (2 Sam 13; Ezek 23), their parallel feelings unrighteously expressed most sinfully, far removed from the purity of Solomon’s conceptions of interactions with his Shulamite Bride.

Son 5:8  I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. 

Typically, romantic love overshadows the lingering concerns that issues related to finances, bathroom and toiletry etiquette, and dietary laziness will inevitably change once married. It is so unromantic to make an issue of those matters while blissful feelings flood the senses. Romanticism suggests that true love corresponds to accepting everything about the other person, pushing to the background the need for personal change that he should easily see. It’s insulting to either party that one must change, and such expressions convey a strong message that the relationship is doomed.

Historically and complicated through modern courtship, everyone accepts this broad template, which has led to an advanced experience of evil (Ecc 1:13 CLV), causing the world, the woman, to cry out in pain of being born. We shall see that the Shulamite laps it up as food, nourishing her to reverse the curse and overcome a succession of lies, her 1,000 sisters of Solomon’s court, ‘tabering’ each other their sensual rulership over their husband and king.

Nah 2:7  And Huzzab [make one’s stand] shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering [play a sound {prattling}] upon their breasts.

These are some of the myths of romanticism: that a particular person is unique in inner and outer beauty and intelligence, inciting exquisite feelings of attraction to them and us; that the first few years of sexual curiosity and experimental delights should last forever; and that it should all happen intuitively, without guidance from elders or parents, as their examples are prominent by example, detrimental. We naively believe that we will learn the finer nuances of love along the way, without secrets, in constant company, work and raising a family, we believe, will never impede sexual interest or intensity.

Christ, the Lord of the Old Covenant, inspired Solomon through the holy spirit to critically examine the modern ideals of romantic love and to thoroughly explore what about his wives and his wisdom caused him and the husbands in his kingdom to experience marital discord and bitterness. Because the flesh is highly prone to corruption of body, mind, and spirit, instinctive feelings alone cannot help us hit the mark. Therefore, he endeavoured to create the ‘perfect’ wife (illusory in the flesh) in the Shulamite. In his Song of Songs, a rare few husband-and-wife elects get to enact the Shulamite version, physically and spiritually, in a beautiful way. Still, the rest of the Elect receive only the coveted spiritual version in and with Christ, their husband.

The opposite of love is hate

Perhaps the first yet most significant example of someone’s love contrasted with hate was Jacob’s dispassion for Leah. His hatred for her wasn’t so nasty that he couldn’t fulfill his ‘espousal dues’ (1Co 7:6).

Gen 29:29  And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
Gen 29:30  And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
Gen 29:31  And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.

Jacob’s love for Rachel and the rivalry with Leah typically embody the positive and negative aspects of lovers’ interactions, evoking potent emotions in both the cast and the audience and creating a volatile atmosphere of romanticism. Since the Bible is about two men, the Old Man and the New Man, paradoxically reconfigured as a Bride, it is one of the most multi-faceted, dramatically romanticised plots ever devised — the Bible’s many tales having inspired playwrights, musicians and poets endlessly for six thousand years.

In continuation of the realities of the contemporary term of the influence of ‘romanticism’ on carnal marriages, and next week, we will continue to review ‘How Romanticism Escalates the Idolisation of Women’, and, essentially, one’s wife.

“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend”

  (Pro 27:17-27)

[Study Aired April 16, 2026]

Pro 27:17  Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Pro 27:18  Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
Pro 27:19  As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.
Pro 27:20  Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Pro 27:21  As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.
Pro 27:22  Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
Pro 27:23  Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
Pro 27:24  For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
Pro 27:25  The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.
Pro 27:26  The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.
Pro 27:27  And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.

Our title, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend”, taken from verse 17 of this chapter,  is a powerful metaphor that reminds us that growth is never meant to be a solitary journey (Heb 10:25). This proverb from last week’s study (Pro 27:9) confirms that it is Christ in us who makes it possible for us to be a joint that supplies in love (Eph 4:16, Col 1:27, Rom 5:5, Rom 8:30-34).

God’s word of course is likened unto a sharp two-edged sword (Heb 4:12), and both breastplates and swords can be made of iron, and so we’re reminded of the constant need in these verses as the body of Christ to be sure that we are clothed with the spiritual armour that God grants us in this life (Rom 8:29-32) in order to do battle against the powers and principalities that we constantly war against (Eph 6:12). This is how we can be an effective joint that “maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Eph 6:10-18, 1Th 5:1-11).

Pro 27:17  Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Iron is being likened unto God’s word in this opening proverb, and we know God sends His word to bring healing (Psa 107:20, Joh 20:21, Joh 3:17), especially to God’s elect in this age (1Ti 4:10). It is because of our belief in that word (Joh 6:68, Joh 6:28) that we can grow and overcome and endure the reproach that comes upon us for trusting in the living God who is the saviour of all men.

1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God (Eph 1:12), who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe (specially of those who are doing the work of God in this age Joh 6:28-29).

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Two examples of God’s word being sent to bring spiritual healing: “Iron sharpening iron”

1- Nathan Confronts David — “Iron sharpening iron”

2Sa 12:13  And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.(Eph 2:8, Psa 32:2)

2- Paul Confronts Peter — “Iron sharpening iron”

Gal 2:11  But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.

Pro 27:18  Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.

Keeping the fig tree is just another way of saying “Occupy till I come”(Luk 19:13), the fig tree representing the body of Christ as does the vineyard that we occupy. Our labours our not in vain in the Lord (1Co 15:58) and we are reminded through Christ directly that “he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured”(Mat 24:42-47).

Luk 19:13  And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.(Heb 11:6)

Mat 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. [Christ is the goodman in our temple (1Co 3:16, Col 1:27) and we are being told to not neglect so great a salvation by stirring up the spirit of God within us, and Christ will then be that goodman who will be the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 2:3, Heb 12:2, Php 2:12-13)]
Mat 24:44  Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Mat 24:45  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. (Luk 9:23, Joh 6:44, Mat 19:27-30)

We are not just passively sitting around or mentally not involved as we wait for the Lord’s return but rather we are by God’s grace fearfully (Mat 10:28) taking on all these needful qualities in our life (Heb 11:7, Heb 5:7, Mat 18:8-9, Rom 13:11) that will make it possible for us to be scarcely saved as it says in (1Pe 4:18).

Heb 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith (1Jn 5:4).

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Mat 18:8  Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Mat 18:9  And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. (Heb 11:26)

Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Pro 27:19  As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.

When we understand our own heart we will get insight into the heart of others is what this proverb is saying, and that is true for both the negative and positive things that come forth from our hearts (Jas 3:10-18, 1Co 3:1-6).

Jas 3:14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

What we know about the heart of man is that it is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things (greatest enemy we have is seen in the mirror every morning Jer 17:9). That’s who the beast on the throne who is empowered by the devil is (Rev 13:4), and he must be destroyed by the brightness of Christ coming into our lives daily (2Th 2:3-8) so that we can go from glory to glory (2Co 3:18) ripping this veil of flesh daily, keeping under ourselves (Heb 10:20, 1Co 10:16), as we die daily, to ultimately see Christ face to face one day (2Co 3:13, 1Co 13:12). For now we see through a glass darkly making the way very narrow for those few who are called to be in that blessed and holy first resurrection (Mat 7:14).

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The reflection that we see of ourselves in the water is being paralleled with the heart of “man to man”. We are beasts that have to be shown we are such, and we cannot become that new creation without acknowledging that truth (Ecc 3:18), and so we must be judged our entire life in order to endure to the end and be saved (1Pe 4:17, Act 14:22)

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith (Gal 2:20, 1Jn 5:4), and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Pro 27:20  Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

This proverb is simply telling us what we read here in Ecclesiastes (Ecc 1:8-10).

Ecc 1:8  All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
Ecc 1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Ecc 1:10  Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

This is why the internet with the myriad of search engines on AI steroids fits right into this proverb that says “the eyes of man are never satisfied”(Ecc 12:12, Gen 6:3). All of flesh leads to the same “hell” (H7585 Sheol; grave) “and destruction” (H10 ->H11 Abaddon; perishing) destination, and cannot inherit the kingdom (1Co 15:50). As long as there is flesh, “hell and destruction are never full”.

Ecc 12:12  And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Gen 6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Our Father is ultimately seeking an occasion against all flesh [all books], and today God’s elect are blessed to be judged and overcome all that is in the world [our books] within us first so that we can fulfill God’s will (1Jn 2:15-17, Eph 2:8, Eph 1:12, Php 1:29).

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. [the narrow way Mat 7:14]

Pro 27:21  As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.

Pro 27:21  People use fire to make gold and silver pure. In the same way, a man is tested by the praise people give him. (ERV)

Pro 27:21  The heating-pot is for silver and the oven-fire for gold, and a man is measured by what he is praised for. (BBE)

In these verses we are being shown that when we go through trials our life is going to be refined, “fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold”. It is those tests that we go through that bring us to a place where we are standing in the Lord and if standing we are giving honour where honour is due, “a man is measured by what he is praised for” (Rom 13:7). All that glory and honour are God’s for the work that He does within us as His workmanship (Eph 2:10).

God has worked a work in our lives which is expressed in these verses (this is the “the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold”1Co 3:12-14) and it is all being accomplished by God through Christ who told us of himself he can do nothing without the Father, just as we of our own selves can do nothing without Christ (1Jn 4:17) while in these earthen vessels (Luk 19:40, Joh 15:5, Joh 5:30, Rom 1:20).

Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Mic 6:8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

Pro 27:22  Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

Pro 27:22  No matter how hard you beat a fool, you can’t pound out the foolishness. [CEV]

This proverb is speaking about our old man whose hardened heart cannot change and make war with the beast (Rev 13:4), until the day of evil is revealed within ourselves (Pro 16:4) and the man of perdition is destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming into our heavens (Joh 8:36). Christ is the pestle that crushes the wheat in the lives of God’s elect for good, but if we are not being worked with in this age our sorrowful situations will not change us, being of a worldly sort and not Godly sorrow that is not to be repented of.  (2Co 7:9-10). Godly sorrow brings forth fine flour that is refined and able to be used to nourish the body of Christ as the next verse goes on to show (2Co 7:11)

2Co 7:9  Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
2Co 7:10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (“Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him”)
2Co 7:11  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Pro 27:23  Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.

Pro 27:23  You should take good care of your sheep and goats, (CEV)

David was a man after God’s own heart, and so there is a correlation to repentance in the lives of God’s people that is needful if we are going to be justified and take good care of the Lord’s flocks and herds (Luk 18:14). We are taking good care of the flocks and herds when we have a contrite and broken heart which is a gift from God (Isa 66:2). Verse (Isa 66:3) is contrasted with (Isa 66:2) to show the difference between a sacrifice that is acceptable versus one that is not.

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Isa 66:3  He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

Pro 27:24  For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
Pro 27:25  The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.

Pro 27:24  because wealth and honor don’t last forever.
Pro 27:25  After the hay is cut and the new growth appears and the harvest is over, (CEV)

The imagery of youthful spiritual beginnings is illustrated with these words, “The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered”, speaking of the sincere milk of the word that we can grow by (1Pe 2:2), going onto maturity no longer a babe in Christ but able to partake of strong meat (Heb 5:13-14, Eph 4:13-15, 1Pe 5:10).

Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

1Pe 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

There are seasons in our lives where we will be less productive, and God has purposed this and calls us to pray for that renewed growth “because wealth and honor don’t last forever” and “After the hay is cut and the new growth appears and the harvest is over” we need to continue to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling to the end (Php 2:12-13), patiently possessing our souls (Heb 10:36, Luk 21:19) and waiting for the next harvest, the next increase, that God gives in our lives (1Co 10:11-13, 1Co 3:6, Jas 5:7).

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

1Co 3:6  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Jas 5:7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Jas 5:8  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts:(1Pe 5:10) for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Pro 27:26  The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.
Pro 27:27  And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.

Pro 27:26  you can sell lambs and goats to buy clothes and land.
Pro 27:27  From the milk of the goats, you can make enough cheese to feed your family and all your servants. (CEV)

We are like Christ on this earth (1Jn 4:17-18) and as such we are sheep for the slaughter (Rom 8:36) whose lives are sacrificed for each other so that we can clothe each other, “The lambs are for thy clothing”, as a joint that supplies in love (Eph 4:16). The end result of our due diligence in the Lord which is accompanied by repentance (Rom 2:4) is an abundant spiritual harvest which is being likened unto with these words, “The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field” and “goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens”. Between harvests in our lives we have enough spiritual store laid up, which is what this plenty is talking about [likened also unto extra oil in our vessels given by the grace of God (Mat 25:4, Eph 2:8)].

Finally we share in paying for “the price of the field” as the scapegoat along with Christ. The field is the world (Mat 13:38), and God so loves the world that He bruises Christ as well as His body (Isa 53:10, Mat 21:44, Php 1:29, 2Ti 2:12) so that we can share in being saviours with our Lord who will come up on “mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S” (Oba 1:21).

Lev 16:10  But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: (the fit man within Col 1:27, the same fit man Lev 16:21)

Isa 53:10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes[a] his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.[NIV]

Mat 21:44  Any man falling on this stone will be broken, but he on whom it comes down will be crushed to dust.

Php 1:29  Because to you it has been given in the cause of Christ not only to have faith in him, but to undergo pain on his account:

Oba 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

These final few verses we’ve looked at remind us that Christ not only had the preeminence in being crushed for our sakes, but has also taken on the role of our high priest so we can be assured that we can indeed drink the cup. (Mat 20:23, Rom 5:10). God’s word, Christ,  is that strong sword in our heavens who is able to sharpen our heavens and prepare us to endure whatever the future holds for the bride of Christ (Joh 18:9).

Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Joh 18:9  That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

Romanticism Holds Husbands to Ransom, Escalating the Idolisation of Women—An Artifice of The Great Whore, – Part 1

[Study Aired April 15, 2026]

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. (Son 4:9)

How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. (Rev 18:7)

The objective of this study is to spotlight the insidiously harmful female tendency that, for a wife to show any interest in marital intimacy, her husband must consistently nurture her emotional affections daily. However, when her singular focus is on him, it is true, as he is glad to do so. The issue with overly emphasizing this romantic “invention” is that, since leaving Eden and burdened by her curse—symbolized by being ‘injured in her breasts’—endless emotional displays by a husband ‘injured in his privy and stones’ have never truly fostered a deep connection with any wife. Even akin to the ‘queen’ in Revelation 18:17, representing The Great Whore, who, and typified by Solomon’s 1,000 wives who have servants, handmaidens, and abundant riches at her disposal, such displays have never prompted their daily, focused, vibrant, youthful-like intimacy.

Romanticism gradually evolved over the centuries into an unquestioned social adage, upheld by women and wives as the primary means of feeling loved. Through men’s lust for legitimate and illegitimate sexual intimacies with women and husbands with wives, advanced by poets, playwrights and songsters and filling the coffers of corporate overreach, “romanticism” has become the incontestable anchor for female ravishment before she could seriously consider a potential suitor.

To elucidate this dictum, one may retrospectively inquire whether Christ ‘romanced’ His first wife in Old Israel and His Bride, today, through the same contemporary methods for her to feel ravished by him which modern women demand of men. This study aims to explore and substantiate the title, “Romanticism Holds Husbands to Ransom, Escalating the Idolization of Women—An Artifice of The Great Whore.” 

Ecc 7:27  Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:
Ecc 7:28  Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. 
Ecc 7:29  Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they [men and women] have sought out many inventions [H2810].

Inventions H2810 – 1. to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count 

1- (Qal) 1. to think, account 2. to plan, devise, mean. Strong’s: From H2803; a contrivance that is actual (a warlike machine) or mental (a machination): – engine invention. 

Consistently stated in the earlier Introductory Studies, the ultimate difficulty Eve has with Adam is his substantial abdication of headship, meaning that he’s symbolically injured in his privy and stones, unable to consistently and righteously head and lead his wife, Eve. His now unconsciously feminized leadership doesn’t ravishingly contrast her femininity with his, defying the natural order of how God designed male and female attraction, and thus she is naturally feeling apathetic to be ravished by him, emblematically, another ‘female’. Unconsciously, that causes her an unsettling problem in not wanting sexual intimacy effectively with ‘another woman.’ To satisfy her sensory needs, as Adam does, she ambivalently requires the distinct contrast of each other’s body’s unique reactions to imprint their minds on and in each other spiritually in profound unity. However, since Adam gifted her, for the most part, his headship to her, his now characterized injured privy and stones, although fully functionally biologically, still profoundly represent his headship, the very thing her newly acquired “wisdom” upon her deception in Eden, she now chaotically has a love/hate relationship, biased towards hate.

Psa 81:11  But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

In Eden, the Serpent tempted Eve and deceived her into believing that she would become as wise as God. (Deu 6:16)  “Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.” Massah means “despair” and “test” From H5254 – 1. to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test. Thus, Eve tested Adam to see if he really was her head, and consequently proved that he wasn’t, so now she steps up to the plate as the ‘wise’ one, effectuating Ecc 7:23  “All this have I tried by wisdom; I [She] said: ‘I will get wisdom’; but it was far from me”. Wisdom H2451 – meaning 1. Wisdom a. skill (in war) b. wisdom (in administration) c. shrewdness, wisdom d. Wisdom, prudence (in religious affairs), remained far from Eve because she was deceived.

Notice that the holy spirit gave the term “wisdom” figuratively the female gender, typifying Eve’s tremendously powerful quest to be as wise as God.

Pro 1:20  Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: 
Pro 1:21  She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, 
Pro 1:22  How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity [Naivete, open-minded {woke feminist methodologies to sustain dominance}]? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 

Since Christ, her Husband, has exalted his Bride, “she” is the one in her streets within the gates of heavenly Jerusalem, preparing herself for Him by passionately dedicating each day to ravishing her Lord spiritually rather than insisting that for her to feel the least bit aroused to begin intimacy, he must ‘romanticize’ her.

Pro 4:5  Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my [Christ’s] mouth [whose kisses are better than wine’s amplified joy]. 
Pro 4:6  Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Pro 4:7  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Pro 4:8  Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
Pro 4:9  She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

Mat 11:19  The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

It is the God-given wisdom that the Bride has been justified by her Husband’s faith that she is justified to bring forth her children, the world in the Resurrection to Judgment.

The Bride’s Wisdom G4678 is a combination of the meanings above in the Hebrew H2451 and G4658, which means – wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters.

1- the wisdom which belongs to men. 

2- spec. the varied knowledge of things human and divine, acquired by acuteness and experience, and summed up in maxims and proverbs. 

3- The science and learning. 

4- The act of interpreting dreams and always giving the sagest advice. 

5- The intelligence evinced in discovering the meaning of some mysterious number or vision. 

6- Skill in the management of affairs. 

7- Devout and proper prudence in intercourse [discourse – note the spiritual intimate connection] with men not disciples of Christ, skill and discretion in imparting Christian truth. 

8- The knowledge and practice of the requisites for Godly and upright living. 

9- supreme intelligence, such as belongs to God. 

10- to Christ. 

11- The wisdom of God as established in forming and executing counsels in the formation and government of the world and the scriptures [by Babylonian Christian beliefs]. 

All from G4680 compared with G5429, representative of her heart beneath her breasts 1. intelligent, wise 2. prudent, i.e. mindful of one’s interests. And take particular note of where G5429 comes from in G5424 – 1. the midriff or diaphragm, the parts of the heart 2. the mind a. the faculty of perceiving and judging, [… meaning in her breasts, the epicentre of her emotions that drive her heart and mind to express their ministrations to her husband]. 

By connection, it is the Bride’s midriff and breasts being a “wall” in Son 8:10,  meaning 1. to fence in, block up, stop up, close up 2. to put to silence, when it says “I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.” Son 8:10, and not ‘then was he in my eyes as one that found favour’.

However, in Eden, Adam’s largely abandonment of headship over Eve caused her to now distrust his judgment in all matters, is evidently well grounded, since he was apparently right there beside her when she lusted with her eyes and no doubt her olfactory, touch and the overruling argument in her mind with the Serpent’s seemingly more rational viewpoint, that did God really say that they would surely die, when death in the brand new beast world they lived in, likely hadn’t yet had time to cause death be evident… so, and anyway, what did this esoteric meaning of death really mean — similarly to everyone in Noah’s time, what is rain and a flood until it happens; so, too, possibly was Adam and Eve’s wonderment at the idea of death. Since Adam let her down by not stepping up and enriching her emotional sentimentalities with his God-given masculine power and authority to be her most vibrant source of ‘natural’ arousal. She now, as do all women, feels cheated and resorts to solving the lack of leadership themselves—engendering the contemporary adage, “Women can do everything a man can do; even better.”

In Babylon, she now has a problem with desiring coitus, let alone daily semi-passive intimacies, which she and all women, unconscious of Eden’s curses, resist due to his lack of emotional connection—and nothing will deter her from that standpoint. Why? Because she, now leading in representing mankind and especially churches, craves beautiful things (doctrinally appealing sentiments) and all sensual pleasures that arise from her, aimed at men and husbands’ patently obvious arousals, with a dismissive eye-roll, even as she visually affirms them. Protracted anticipation is far more appealing than consummation, and to keep that heady appeal in control, she certainly doesn’t want coition to end it. So she sits as a queen, rich in sensual dainties just out of reach of the breathless males. Yet, like Ahola and Aholabah, she engages her breasts and other jewelled delights to a select number of dashing paramours to keep the laity and husband on their knees, keenly focused expectantly in ingratiating servitude for sensual opportunity. Accordingly, this study’s caption verses distinctly depict the result of the everyday ‘virtuous’ home-making wife’s swift acceptance of the now-dominating order of intimate ministrations, utterly unwittingly becoming an emblematic ‘adulteress’.

“For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life – (Pro 6:26).

How? Lord willing, we will see, in these studies, the deception of “romanticism” as the price he pays for the “bread” of her word and methodologies that demand it and no other way for her to even begin to desire to be ravished. However, all husbands, caught between the proverbial ‘rock and a hard place’, not deceived, know her intrinsic “inventions”. Yet, to have the craved sexual intimacies correspondingly spiritually to Christ from his Bride, although strongly resisted for its nature of self-sabotage, he must lavish her with emotionally romanticized gifts, signifying adultery. Thus, as Proverbs 6:35 says, “He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.”

For this cause, meaning he is outrageously jealous of her, reversing the order of focus from him having to minister to her, romanticized with many gifts. The concept reverses Rev 19:7 to say, ‘Let him be glad and rejoice, and give honour to me: for the marriage of the Bride is come, and her husband hath made himself ready.’

In the meantime, he, as an Elect, recognizes that this is how he, too, spiritually treats Christ his husband, just as his carnal wife is most distasteful to him, where only God’s vengeance is wrought in timeliness, maybe in the Resurrection to Judgment (Rom 12:19). 

Men, dimwittedly innocent, appear to exhibit a more genuine form of love than women, who are socialized from a young age to fall in love with the concept of love itself. The grandeur associated with love — courtship, dates, gifts, celebrating her beauty, and the most potentially damaging enthusiastic encouragement from female peers —serves to “stir up and awaken her love” (Song 2:7), though, to be in love with love. Generally, a woman’s traditional notion of romance involves being elevated above her social standing by a distinguished man she encounters, who commands presence. Suppose the man of her interest demonstrates the potential to be a good provider, is protective, healthy, well-mannered, socially respectable, and possesses qualities aligned with higher social standing. In that case, she becomes enamored of the romantic pageantry. However, since Eden’s instigations of unrighteous lusts, women and wives, if they honestly searched their hearts, know that they use romanticism’s gifted immense power over men, and particularly husbands, they weaponise for their advantage—and men not deceived, damnably know it; his idolized and thus ‘injured’ privy, ruling his ‘breast’, to incautiously throw all red flags avoiding marriage to the wind, because she is so preciously beguiling. 

The dominance of the excessively emphasised concept of “romanticism” has become intricately associated with love, rendering it a fundamentally misguided aspect of the subject. We will first review the Lord’s definition of “love”.

Scripture heavily emphasizes that true, effective love for others, and most eminently a wife, is inseparable from loving Christ, as He is the source of love. The Bible directs that loving others is a natural overflow of living and walking in God’s love, and that we cannot truly fulfill this command without a relationship with Him. 

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 

By implication, one would expect scripture to state that ‘Adam loved Eve’. However, the first use of the expression “love” or “loved” in scripture is when God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, “whom you lovest”.

Gen 22:1  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 
Gen 22:2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest [H157], and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 

1Jn 4:7  Beloved [G27], let us love [G25] one another: for love [G26] is of God; and every one that loveth [G25] is born of God, and knoweth [G1097] God. 
1Jn 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth [G1097] not God; for God is love [G26].
1Jn 4:9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 
1Jn 4:10  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 
1Jn 4:11  Beloved [G27], if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 
1Jn 4:12  No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 
1Jn 4:13  Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 
1Jn 4:14  And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 
1Jn 4:15  Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth [G3306] in him, and he in God. 
1Jn 4:16  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 
1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 
1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 
1Jn 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us. 
1Jn 4:20  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 
1Jn 4:21  And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Every nuance of the expressions referencing “love” has the same meaning, and has direct connections to the holy spirit’s abiding dwelling (dwelleth – G3306) within, with no prerequisite of romance. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth [G3306] in him, and he in God” –  (1Jn 4:15).  

Beloved G27 – 1. beloved, esteemed, dear, favourite, worthy of love.

Love G25 – 1. of persons a. to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly 2. of things a. to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing.

Love G26 – 1. brotherly love, affection, goodwill, love, benevolence 2. love feasts.

Love H160 – 1. love a. human love for human object 1. of man toward man 2. of man toward himself 3. between man and woman 4. sexual desire.

Knoweth G1097 – 1. to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel a. to become known 2. to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of a. to understand b. to know 3. Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman 4. to become acquainted with, to know.

Dwelleth G3306 – 1. to remain, abide a. in reference to place 1. to sojourn, tarry 2. not to depart 1a 

1- to continue to be present 1a c. to be held, kept, continually.

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

It is by God’s will that we, under the influence of Satan, have sensualized the notion of “romance” to amplify our lusts. So, commonly, when we say we love the opposite sex, that ‘love’ is heavily garnished sensually, almost always distorting the reasons to love another by God’s foundations of what constitutes love.

When the ‘root’ of our foundation of love is centered on ourselves, based on romanticism, numerous tribulations ensue, and the “root of life” in Christ, which bears the joy we ‘romantically’ desire, gradually diminishes.

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself [in and by Christ], but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Mat 13:22  He also that received seed [The holy spirit’s inception] among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches [romanticism, eroticizing sensualities; doctrines], choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

First represented sexually, God’s love is the conception of the holy spirit in us, His Bride and Wife, to bring forth the fruit of our spiritual womb, the Temple and Heavenly Jerusalem above, in utter unity with Him by keeping his commandments.

Jupiter, or Zeus in mythology, symbolizes false divinity and is associated with the idea of descent from heaven. This narrative, broadly Babylonian, depicts humanity’s fall, reminiscent of the common fallacy of Lucifer’s (Satan’s) dramatic plunge from the presence of God, which serves as a sombre reflection on the world’s place in the cosmos—earthbound and struggling to rise again by its power and might.

In Revelation, we are warned: if anyone worships the Beast and embraces its mark, they will face dire consequences, tormented by divine wrath with no rest. Contrasting this fate are the saints, whose patience is noted—those who hold fast to God’s commandments and have faith in Jesus are blessed, resting from their labours of insisting that he arouse them, their delusional good deeds on works of the flesh, following them into eternity.

Rev 14:6  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 
Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Furthermore, Revelation speaks of the abundance of temptation found in the Great Whore, whose influence, emanating from her emblematic breasts, has seduced nations and kings. The call echoes from heaven for the faithful to separate themselves, avoiding participation in her sins and the resulting plagues. This image conjures the reality that many, past and present, have worshiped humanity’s beastly nature, personified by a female figure—a representation that can ensnare both men and women alike.

Jesus challenges followers to prioritise their allegiance to Him above all earthly ties, including family and even their own lives. In Romans, we see the dire consequences of prioritizing creation over the Creator—a reminder of how truth is distorted into lies, leading to the worship of the creature, notably the woman, representative of mankind, rather than Christ and the Father.

The notion of vanity runs deep, for life under the sun can often feel futile, filled with vexation and dissatisfaction. While the moon, symbolizing femininity and churches, is a direct scriptural basis as a deity, and is worshiped in the hearts of Orthodox Christianity, reflecting Christ’s glory, seducing mankind into idolatry. Women, under the moon’s sway, can evoke passionate desires, leading to all sorts of misdeeds and moral decay, likened to the condition of ‘lunacy’—romanticism—that overwhelming lust designed by God to blind mankind to the Bride’s purpose.

Men and women are dreadfully emotional creatures, impulsively defaulting to decisions based essentially on the significations of a man’s privy and a woman’s breasts’ incitements. Because of Adam and Eve’s curses, neither can make a Christ-like rationale for mate selection. And since carnal Adam collectively represents mankind, men’s prominence as leaders and heads of wives and family, fades into ‘drone-bee’-like status, and where the female worker bees of the world’s churches and their false doctrines, effectively are royal jelly like food for the signified queen bee, the Bride of Christ.

Mat 15:13  But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 
Mat 15:14  Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 

Regrettably, in Babylon, awareness of and education in the necessity of dedication, self-awareness, growth, and mutual effort for maintaining a successful, healthy, and flourishing marriage are increasingly lacking. Women frequently focus on what they can gain from the marriage rather than what they can ‘minister’ to their husband, thereby neglecting the importance of personal development, collaboration, compromise, and empathy—qualities vital to fostering a resilient relationship. Such considerations are seldom included in women’s usual reflections, since their fathers, mothers and senior peers of righteous influence are first devoid of God’s word; consequently, they often experience feelings of burden and resentment towards the responsibilities inherent in marriage, feelings of enslavement.

Ultimately, this attitude stems from her curse and from a form of selfishness—an incapacity to acknowledge that there is another individual in the relationship who also requires consideration. Instead, their attention is predominantly directed toward satisfying their own desires—such as what she wants, how she prefers it, when she wants it, and her preferred methods—often neglecting their husband’s needs and emotions (… of course, always substantiated by our Lord’s experiences with Old Israel). Societal portrayals further complicate this viewpoint by erroneously implying that men are the ones hesitant to commit, while women are viewed as nurturing, fully committed caregivers. Since Eden, this misconception is inherently flawed. 

Ideal commitment, in fact, provides stability, predictability, long-term vision, shared goals, and collaboration—attributes inherently associated with a Christ-like man. Such a man is predictable, stable, forward-looking, and (ideally) thrives on Christ’s mind, which naturally leads him to desire marriage because he loves his fiancée and aims to build a shared life. Conversely, women tend to project their internal emotional turbulence onto men, living amidst chaos and drama, states that may serve to reinforce victim narratives and externalize blame for their circumstances. This internal chaos fosters a propensity to keep options open, live with one foot out the door, and assess relationships based on whether their needs are met or if their expectations for love and lifestyle are fulfilled. Such tendencies explain why, according to various studies, approximately 70% to 80% of divorces are initiated by women. Women’s reluctance to fully commit makes it easier for them to exit relationships when dissatisfaction arises. Men, by contrast, tend to invest emotionally and rarely contemplate leaving once they have committed; they tend to work through issues and seek a ‘fix it’ resolution to conflicts. When women withdraw from commitment, it hampers the possibility of resolving marital difficulties, leading to a clash of perspectives and unmet expectations. Many women feel unprepared for the realities of marriage, believing it will be free of problems, and thus perceive their own marriages as disillusioning when faced with inevitable challenges. 

No wonder marriages are in disarray when both spouses blur gender responsibilities, with the wife considering herself the more logical head of the home and her husband’s eyes “blemished”, meaning any defect that obscures righteous discernment.

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 
Mat 6:22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 
Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 
Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [Ones self-righteousness, in this case, leadership roles]. 

Lev 21:16  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Lev 21:17  Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. 
Lev 21:18  For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, 
Lev 21:19  Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, 
Lev 21:20  Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;
Lev 21:21  No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. 
Lev 21:22  He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. 
Lev 21:23  Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them. 
Lev 21:24  And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.

King Josiah exemplifies the drive to eradicate idolatry within his kingdom, dismantling the practices that turned people away from God—including the worship of celestial bodies. And as Jesus healed those afflicted with various ailments, His power over demonic possession gives hope to the lunatic—the one shackled by desires for women, and women’s determination to keep men focused on her, leading to unwitting destruction, physically pointing spiritually.

The dynamics of marriage shift dramatically with the lens of authority. When a husband kneels before his fiancée, ostensibly to propose, he unwittingly submits his leadership to her whims, positioning her as an idol. This ritual symbolised a more damnable reality—many men become mere drones in the hive of worship that surrounds female idolatry, and the often unfulfilled expectations of marriage stir a longing that transcends simple physical desire. Consequently, the concept of romanticism is born in Eden with Adam’s submission to Eve. Now, utterly deluded that he can win her affections through romanticism, facilitating her John Keats ode of “endless bliss”, she soundly rules him sexually to her dogma; starkly and fearfully reminiscent of the Great Whore’s ruling doctrine. 

As we explore this theme further, we recognise that the romanticism surrounding women often surpasses even men’s pursuit of erotic experiences. This creates a complex dynamic—a manifestation of Eve’s curse that resonates through generations, perpetuating cycles of sentimentality that clash with spiritual obligations. In the following discussions on “Romanticism Escalates the Idolisation of Women,” we will delve deeper into the intersections of desire, worship, and the spiritual implications of these societal narratives.

What draws a couple together in ravishment evolves into romanticism, which involves sharing the same mindset. Jacob’s first response to Rachel is for her beauty and her understanding of the outdoors, shepherding her father’s sheep; sheep being indicative of a unified government of one mind, following their leader, eventually for the ‘field’ of mankind; a mind that causes unity in marriage that is so connected to the same spirit, it mutually ravishes their mind and spirit to engage their bodies coitally. Initially, the modern definition of romanticism never entered into Jacob and Rachel’s relationship. For want of a better expression, what was Godly-‘romantic’ was their unified mind and spirit, ultimately celebrated in coital marriage. Even though work for a man in building his business is essential to having something to present to a prospective wife, it IS his works; they represent the works of the flesh that cannot be carried forward into the Kingdom. Nobody can enter the Kingdom based on their carpentry, herd tending, metalurgy, dam building, mechanisms of instruments of war or any other occupation. He enters into what Christ has built in him by His works in the spirit. Accordingly, Jacob was designed by God to dwell in tents; he was likely disengaged from worldly occupations, for in his spirit, he knew those physical practicalities were vital to living, but couldn’t sustain a decent society without righteous governance and its compliance. God was preparing his heart, mind, body, and spirit to rule with the principles that righteously govern society and, ultimately, unity in life eternal.

An Insidious Destructive Dogma: 

Women and wives’ idolisation of romanticism rules over husbands, enslaving them desolately to indulge wives’ endless fantasies. 

Ideally, sex between a husband and wife symbolizes their united mind in Christ; therefore, it signifies His ravishing word that unites them spiritually erotically (Son 4:9). Daily exercising that ‘eroticism’ spiritually, is what the Bride does, epitomising her resting in Him from her insistence on romantic fantasies, now clearly seeing that her Lord’s methodology is an infinitely superior ‘romanticism’, we shall see, the Shulamite creation of Solomon’s enthusiastically engages. Having finally found her superior purpose of being made for one man, incredibly amplifies her reason to eagerly engage with her Husband, and fulfil her every emotionally intimate need, physically and spiritually. It’s about her submitting to learning about His inner workings, not about her declaring that he doesn’t understand her so that she can feel intimately and emotionally connected. In a carnal marriage, those bright, daily intimate conversations and affectionate touch directly correlate to the Bride’s daily connectivities with her Husband, Christ.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Romanticism is rooted in the core sensuality that emerges from each gender’s erotic desires, as indicated by the Privy and Breasts studies. This desire for stimulation from the opposite sex is heightened when both individuals share similar ideologies. When one party presents themselves visually with elegance in both dress and demeanor, their social value increases, creating a romantic illusion that enhances the possibility of an erotic connection. Women, in particular, often find themselves captivated by an endless fantasy of sensual attention, encouraging their man to keep the ‘goodies’ flowing for them to feel loved as more valuable than morally indecent business advancements.

Even though Delilah and Samson nefariously played each other to gain power over the other’s nationality, Delilah, entrenched in female machinations, no doubt delighted in having that heady, seductive, romantic power over Samson. 

The ingratiating Old Man Adam, always seeking to please his wife, asks, “How can I support you when you need me most?” Evoking an ‘inventive’ air like Delilah to Samson, and expressed with a pout — ‘You don’t love me; if you loved me, you would tell me.’ It all amplifies the turbulent romanticism that females, in particular, thrive in, demanding that their emotions be sensualised to feel loved. It is especially true for a harlot, feigning in the theatre of exaggerated attention upon her patron, since she has no vested interest in a unified spirit (Pro 7:7-27).

Jdg 16:5  And the chiefs of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Make use of your [feminine] power over him and see what is the secret of his great strength, and how we may get the better of him, and put bands on him, so that we may make him feeble; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver. (BBE)

Jdg 16:10  Then Delilah said to Samson, See, you have been making sport of me with false words; now, say truly how may you be put in bands? 

Jdg 16:15  And she said to him, Why do you say you are my lover when your heart is not mine?

He who pleases her romances the idol.

Ecc 7:26  And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. 

We can imagine her feigned sulkiness in the following verses, as she caressed his hair and face, both of them flirtatiously enjoying the romantic charade, villainously.

Jdg 16:13  And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web. 
Jdg 16:14  And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web. 
Jdg 16:15  And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. 
Jdg 16:16  And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; 
Jdg 16:17  That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. 

Women’s relentless craving for romantic fantasy quietly repulses men, who feel obligated to sustain the likes of Valentin’s Day, lest their women’s conditioning to feel unloved be affronted reflexively. Still, men cannot ignore their womenfolk and wives’ insistence on it, because of their constant and annoying fear of their amatory pursuits being cut short; he is doubly shackled, they both silently acknowledging his enslavement to his privy’s demands—to him, her subjugation of his honour and respect of his headship, he hates, yet submits. 

In Babylon, women ultimately view sex as an irksome necessity to sustain some semblance of marital functionality. They demand that they must be romanticised to ‘feel’ loved. He must whisper smooth, tingling sensations in her ears, validating her beauty, which he has come to realize through experience doesn’t guarantee advanced intimacy, akin to spiritual deceit, a form of worshipping ‘calves’.

Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 

Hos 13:2  And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.

For many men, solitude often brings a sense of tranquillity that is hard to achieve in the complexities of relationships. Much like the experiences chronicled by Solomon, the quest for fulfillment can lead a Babylonian man to seek sexual gratification with countless women. However, this pursuit often comes with the heavy burden of avoiding a partner who might threaten to dismantle the peace he has painstakingly built, seizing his wealth and security. The world sees this as tragic; the real victims in this scenario are the children, who find themselves caught in the crossfire of adult discontent. Deprived of a stable masculine influence, their formative years become a confusing tapestry of emotional challenges, leaving lasting marks on their development and understanding of healthy relationships. The major problem with the world’s view is that if the parents had their foundation of love patterned after the Shulamite’s knowledge of her Lord’s methodology, the children wouldn’t be in this quandary. In the meantime…

Pro 21:9  It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

Jonathan’s love for his dearest friend, David, starkly endorses these bothersome realities that the breast-injured Eves of the world bring to marriage. The principle that gender doesn’t extend to the Kingdom of God indicts women’s intrinsic psychopathy, an experience of evil inevitably brought to marriage, as Old Israel, ad nauseum depicts, emblematic of the Bride’s journey through much tribulation, becoming the royal female protagonist in submission to Husband, Christ.

Mat 22:30  For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

A man genuinely in love or imagining that he is in love with a girl of his lust (There is righteous lust as there is illicit lust. 1 Tim 3:1 G1937. G2372) knows that if he can consistently play an engaging tune on her emotional strings, she will perceive it as love: a glorious romantically bonded feeling longing for it to last forever — for the Shulamite in the Song of Solomon, it does!

2Sa 1:26  I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
2Sa 1:27  How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished! 

There’s the answer. Women’s (the churches and the flesh) intrinsic complexities are a temporary phenomenon to bring forth the Manchild Christ for the recreation of Christ in his Christs and sons of God. It is depicted in Jonathan and David’s love for each other, spiritually transcending that of the immense sexual appeal of a woman. The profound comprehension of love exhibited by Jonathan and David exemplifies the spiritual love between Christ and His Bride.

For the Elect of God, the hope of love is initially romantic, and genuine romanticism is strongly activated when a man chooses his wife upon her acceptance. However, women, influenced by men’s lust, place the pursuit of romanticism first and foremost, before being chosen, when it should stem from their espousal commitment, exemplified by the Shulamite in the SoS. 

Undefeatedly, the world’s version of romantic love is transactional, and women, in particular, believe their beau should love them unconditionally as they are. Paradoxically, and without Christ’s commands, men must accept the female’s perplexities of birthing love in pain using her romantic methodologies — torridly, a match made in heaven for an experience of evil.

Women, driven by their enduring pain to seek romantic fulfillment, mistakenly believe it to be love, masochistically perpetuating their control over men’s breathless worship of their image. In contrast, men seek approval for their equally enduring lust and conclude romance. What a hopeless combination. Let’s not get into online video female body and fashion influencers and every female elevating fetish imaginable; they are downright humiliating… but they don’t care.