The Purpose of Marriage

The world is exploding with problems. Much knowledge is available about them, but little understanding. The breakdown of marriage and the family is a classic example. Seemingly everyone knows it is happening, but no one knows what it means—or what can be done about it.

Greater numbers of people are questioning the institution of marriage. Some are concerned about where current trends are heading. Others question whether marriage can even survive. Still others get married on their own terms or only on a trial basis. Millions simply live together, unmarried—and ever-greater numbers now cohabit in “same-sex” partnerships.

All of this would have been unthinkable just 50 years ago. Virtually everyone planned and expected to “grow up, get married and have children.” Aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters (by the same parents), and neighbors, generally did the same. And marriage was for life. Entire communities—and nations—functioned on this premise!

Just a short time ago, none could have dreamed that so many today would be choosing “alternative lifestyles,” and that many centuries of basic marriage values and customs would be under attack—challenged, lampooned and ridiculed as out-of-date. With many abandoning the once-sacred institution of marriage, and the wholesale loss of traditional values, many are left confused, not knowing where to turn for answers.

Why is all of this happening?

Religion, education, science and society do not know the true purpose of marriage. They do not even know if marriage HAS a purpose.

But there are answers—and you can know them! There IS a marvelous, transcendent reason for marriage and the family. This booklet reveals it!

Shocking Facts and Statistics

Examining the question of “why marriage?” must be preceded by a look at today’s society. This includes examining some statistics, trends and facts. Here is what census data, sociologists, psychologists, marriage planners/counselors and others reveal. While shocking, this is only a brief thumbnail—a sampling—of what could be included:

50% of married women and 66% of married men in the U.S. commit adultery (combined, these statistics indicate that about 83%—five out of six—of marriages involve at least one adulterous partner).

Only 25% of Brazilians expect their spouse to remain faithful.

Divorces per 1,000 marriages: 1969—140; 1990—380 (up 171%); 1996—451 (up 222% since 1969).

Compared to first marriages, remarriages are 50% more likely to end in divorce during the first five years, and tend to be unstable, break up more often, and more quickly (Statistics Canada, Canadian Census Bureau).

Divorced status is the fastest growing marital category. The number of divorcees has more than quadrupled, from 4.3 million in 1970 to 18.3 million in 1996.

The National Institute for Healthcare Research says that divorce now ranks as the number one factor linked with suicide rates in major U.S. cities, ranking above all other physical, financial, and psychological factors.

One of the most authoritative studies ever done in the U.S. on mental health found that the divorced are nearly twice as likely to suffer from a mental illness than those who are married. They are 6 to 10 times more likely to use inpatient psychiatric facilities and 4 to 5 times more likely to be clients in outpatient clinics.

Comparing all family structures, drug use in children is lowest in the stable married family.

75% of children of divorce also end up going through a divorce.

Children from divorced families drop out of school at twice the rate of children from intact families.

Among teenage and adult females, parental divorce is linked to lower self-esteem, earlier sexual activity, greater delinquency, and difficulty establishing fulfilling, lasting adult heterosexual relationships. Yet the divorce usually occurred years before any difficulties were observed.

The best predictor of teen suicide is parental divorce and living with only one parent. Also, divorcees have very high suicide rates.

While these are absolutely staggering statistics, they are little more than a tiny smattering of what this booklet could contain. (Some statistical insets appear later.) But why then should society be surprised at the legacy it is inheriting? Endless television programs belittle marriage, while openly promoting gay and lesbian relationships. Fornication and adultery are routinely portrayed—and endorsed—in virtually every “sitcom” or heterosexual television relationship. Then there is the cultural war emerging over the issue of same-sex unions—and now, marriages. This “new morality” is sharply re-defining every parameter within marriage.

Take a moment. Think about today’s movies and television programs. How long has it been since a series either promoted, or even endorsed, the concept of the wholesome families so common in the 50s and 60s?

Former stigmas against divorce and “shacking up” have basically vanished. So has the idea that marriage is a lifelong commitment. Most young adults have no real understanding of why past generations so strongly defended the family or why they held contempt for those who openly lived together, unmarried.

The fear of violating what were once deeply ingrained, biblically based, moral beliefs has almost disappeared. The divorce rate today is actually slightly higher among professing “born-again” Christians than those professing to have no faith.

After such a long, slow erosion of respect toward the legal aspect of marriage, no wonder a judge recently proclaimed, “It is easier to divorce my wife of 26 years than to fire someone I hired one week ago. The person I hire has more legal clout...That’s wrong!”

What an incredible commentary about this age! (Read our booklet Understanding Divorce and Remarriage to learn more about this topic.)

The concept of family has become so foreign that only 16% (only one in six) of adults say children are even important as a reason for marriage. Stunning!

Marriage is supposed to protect the dignity of children, once considered a wonderful blessing given to the parents by God. Today they are often viewed as accidents of biology that intruded on their parents’ self-interests, and pursuit of career and pleasure!

The Creation of Man

If you have read much of our material, you know that we teach that the Bible is God’s Instruction Book for mankind. It is the source of revealed knowledge and understanding that man cannot discover for himself. It explains life’s most important questions. It contains ANSWERS! We must examine it for the answer to “why marriage?” and “why family?”

The Bible begins with the book of Genesis, which means “beginnings.” The genesis of a matter is its beginning, or how it started. Genesis explains how God began His plan for mankind.

The only right premise with which to start any subject is to see what GOD says about it. Genesis is where He begins to reveal the purpose of marriage and family.

Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This booklet is not written to prove either the truth of this account or even that, in fact, there IS a God. While this must be proven, it must be done independently of this booklet. We will return to this subject later, but for now we acknowledge that this statement is recorded in the Bible.

Genesis 1 continues with the different aspects of creation that were completed on each day of that original creation week. For instance, on the fourth day, God created night and day and established certain lights in the heavens, “for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” On the fifth day, He created all the creatures that were in the sea and birds of every kind. On the sixth day, God created every kind of land animal and insect, before creating man.

Here is the sixth-day creation synopsis God records: “And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind...cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (vs. 21-25).

Verses 26 to 27 then record the creation of man: “God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness...so God created man in His own image…”

Man was made to look like, was “made after,” the God “kind.” Human beings were the crowning achievement—the pinnacle—of God’s Creation. They were not of any animal kind, but were made in God’s “image and likeness.” This reveals an enormous difference between men and every kind of animal.

Verse 25 reveals that animals were made in a different way and that each was made after “his kind.” Notice that it said, “And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps upon the earth after his kind...”

Horses look like horses. Dogs look like dogs. Cows look like cows. Birds look like birds. No other creature is formed and shaped in the image and likeness of God. So says God, who inspired this account!

Men are not part of the animal kind. They do not carry the likeness of any “beast of the earth.” As part of the God kind, man was created to enter a relationship with God, which animals can never have.

It is critical to understand something about who and what God is. Genesis 1 reveals vitally important knowledge. The One speaking in Genesis uses the plural instead of the singular. Moses recorded the first five books of the Old Testament in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew word translated “God” is Elohim. This word is uniplural, like team, group, club, family or church.

Recall verse 26: “Let us [more than one] make man in our image, after our likeness.” There was clearly more than one Person involved in the creation. This verse records the God Family doing the speaking and creating. God is one Family—presently composed of two Persons.

The pagan Trinity doctrine teaches that God is three Persons in one Being. This hides the crucial truth that Elohim is a Family composed of more than one Person.

The apostle John amplifies what Moses recorded: “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1), and then continued, “and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” If there is One who WAS God, but who was also WITH God, it is obvious that two Beings—two Persons—are being described. This is why Christ could be God and be with God at the same time.

The Greek word rendered “Word” is Logos. It means “Spokesman.” This is the One who became Christ and the One speaking in Genesis 2.

John 1:14 continues, “...the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” The only God-Being who ever did this is Jesus Christ. Remember, it says that the Word “was made flesh.” Christ was not flesh until He came to earth to become the Savior of mankind.

Genesis 1 and John 1 introduce proof that God is a Family—with more than one Person. The importance of this knowledge cannot be overstated, in terms of its relationship to the human family.

Adam Was Alone

Genesis 2:7 adds, “And the Eternal God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” But Adam was alone. He had no wife or children.

Verse 18 returns to amplify the creation of both men and women. It also reveals vital additional understanding about man (males) in general: “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet [suitable or proper] for him.”

Take special note of God’s words: “It is not good that the man should be alone.” God says that it is not best that human beings spend their life single. They were created and designed to be with someone. Simply take God’s words for exactly what they mean.

The next several verses describe God taking a rib from Adam’s side to create Eve. There is also important symbolic meaning in the way God chose to do this. He could have chosen to form Eve from the dust, and in the same way He formed Adam—but He did not. This was intended to show that the wife stands at the side of her husband throughout life. Let’s examine this further.

The First Marriage—and More Clues to the Purpose

Now read verses 23-25: “And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

In essence, you have just read God’s description of the very first wedding. Eve is referred to as Adam’s “wife.” This was a marriage! Adam had a spouse that was taken directly out of his body. For the rest of his life, the scar from the “surgery” would have been visible—a constant reminder to both of how their lives were woven together and inseparable from each other.

It is important to note some additional points about this marriage.

First, Eve was called a “Woman”—and this means, literally, “a man with a womb” or “a womb man.” Of course, there are other differences between men and women, but this speaks to the principle intended.

Second, verse 24 shows that the new married couple is to leave their parents and establish their own household! They were to leave one household and build another. Because many ignore this instruction, their marriages suffer terribly—and sometimes fail completely.

Third, they were to “cleave” to each other as “one”—directly depicted by sexual relations within marriage. This is one reason all forms of fornication are so evil. They steal from and cheapen the oneness God only intends for marriage. Verse 25 shows that Adam and Eve were “naked” and completely unashamed. The intent is that husbands and wives, and none others, are to feel this way.

Fourth, this account is actually amplifying chapter 1, verses 27-28. These verses contain the balance of God’s original recorded instruction to the first couple about His intended purpose for them: “So God created man...male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth...”

Understanding they were made “male and female,” the newlyweds were immediately told to expand their family. This is the obvious meaning of “be fruitful and multiply.” Human beings were designed to have children—to build a family! It is this family, this having of children, that we will see holds—represents—a type of God’s own astounding purpose for Himself. The pattern for man to “multiply” is actually a description of God’s Plan on the spiritual plane!

Before continuing, recall that God revealed, “it is not good that the man should be alone.” Though there are extenuating circumstances, sometimes beyond a person’s control, single people should take note.

God used Solomon to explain more reasons why human beings were not designed, or ever intended, to live alone. Listen to what God says through the wisest man who ever lived: “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he has not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecc. 4:9-12).

This passage contains four separate reasons why two together is better than two individuals. Re-examine the verse and count them.

The last phrase becomes a fifth reason why marriage is better than being alone. It shows what the first child does to a union. And it proves that the entire passage is talking about a man and wife when it speaks of “two together.” Notice it said, “a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” The minimum number of strands (cords) woven together to make a rope is three. The minimum number for a family is also three. This is what the phrase means. While the birth of a child causes a couple to become a family, it also brings a kind of binding effect to the marriage. A little human being appears and is half of, and generally looks about half like, each of the parents. The presence of this little person makes it harder for a couple to walk away from each other.

Positive Benefits

Only recently have numerous studies begun to confirm what God revealed thousands of years ago about why being alone is not good. There is now much evidence demonstrating the physical, emotional, psychological and other positive benefits enjoyed by married couples.

Married people live longer, experience less depression, are more emotionally and physically healthy, have lower rates of alcoholism and substance abuse, and higher income and savings levels than the unmarried. The lowest rates for mental hospital admissions are consistently found among the married.

Sociologists acknowledge that when families remain intact, it creates a cohesive, integrating effect on its members, which serves as a strong deterrent to suicidal tendencies—for parents and children. The benefits of marriage and family have been proven to directly affect both the parents and children of the couple. For example, the state would not have to be burdened with caring for fatherless children or for the elderly who never had children.

How strange that only now has man been able to prove some of the most obvious benefits of marriage. If only men were willing to listen to what God says about being alone. And we have not begun to discuss the wonderful spiritual benefits—the spiritual purpose—of marriage. (To learn how to experience such benefits, read our booklet You Can Build a Happy Marriage.)

Animal Reproduction

All during my childhood, we had pets in our home. We had four kinds of dogs (two at a time), several cats, hamsters, birds and fish. On two or three occasions, we brought fertilized chicken eggs home in order to watch them hatch. I also brought home the occasional frog or snake.

I was never more excited than when I watched litters of puppies or kittens being born in our house. I can still remember my mother continually warning me to keep my distance from our new Collie puppies, born to our three-legged “Sally.” (Sometimes I obeyed her.)

Sally required no help for the delivery. And the father of the puppies was nowhere to be found. The puppies quickly located where to find mother’s milk. Soon, they were walking and jumping around on their own. No one had to tell them where to get milk or teach them to walk. All these things came by instinct.

Human babies are altogether different. They must be taught almost everything. A calf, foal or baby elephant may walk within minutes of birth, but it usually takes a typical human baby a year or more. While possessing far greater potential, because of intelligence, the lack of instinct initially causes the baby to have to learn everything, and he appears to progress more slowly than animals, which have instinct from birth. For a year or more, the human infant is almost completely dependent on parents. Most dogs are virtually full grown in less than a year. A newborn calf can easily weigh 1,000 pounds in a year.

By comparison, animals are merely born with brains possessing instinct, while human beings are born with minds possessing enormous intelligence. Humans can appreciate art, literature, sports, games and music. They can attain large amounts of knowledge, reason with facts and issues, make judgments, exercise self-discipline and build character. Animals can do none of these things. The only great similarity between man and animals is reproduction.

“Authorities” Do Not Know!

We live in an age when everyone is an “expert.” Newspapers, magazines, television and radio programs are filled with people giving their opinions—about everything! Every problem, issue or important current event confronting society now seems to command the view of journalists, scientists, psychologists, educators and every conceivable kind of self-styled or self-appointed “authority” on the subject. Invariably, they disagree with each other—and few even remotely consider what God thinks.

Though many are questioning marriage, only God can reveal its purpose. There is certainly nothing wrong with questioning marriage. In fact, everyone should ask the questions that the “authorities” ask, but cannot answer. These “authorities” do not even understand what you have read so far in this booklet. This is because they look to evolution as the origin of the human species!

Yet, if human beings are products of evolution, how and when did the tradition of marriage begin? Remember, evolution teaches that human beings are the highest form of “animal.” If so, when did pre-humans or near-humans or almost-humans begin to marry? Evolutionists cannot answer this question. At best, they can merely suppose that man (not God), at some point in the distant past, devised the idea to “get married.”

Many professing “Christians” claim to follow the Bible, while believing the theory of evolution. However, most never think through and examine their beliefs. Consider. While saying they believe in a Creator, they reject the Genesis account as literal. This forces them to draw the same conclusion as evolutionists about the how and when of marriage.

Also recognize that it has been traditional Christianity that has taught that celibacy—remaining unmarried—is a “higher” state of existence. This supposes that marriage is purely for the purpose of procreation—having children and propagating the human race. This presents a problem.

Consider again. All mammals reproduce in exactly the same way. This is a fact of nature. Yet none of them marry. And human beings and animals are also different in practically every other way. Now, if having children is the only purpose for marriage—or sex—then why should human beings marry? If they are merely the highest of the animals and, once again, sex and marriage have no other purpose but procreation, then marriage is a waste of time.

Do you see the point?

Take the point further—and carefully consider this. If celibacy is the highest form of human existence, and sex is only for procreation, it would seem to be much better for unmarried people to come together for sex and procreation. Remember, most professing Christians are taught that any birth control is wrong! This belief derives from the “sex is dirty and only for procreation” idea.

Do you see the logic? If traditional religion is correct, and sex is only for procreation—and if celibacy is a higher state of being—then marriage has absolutely no value. And make no mistake, there is plenty of reproduction taking place without marriage (now one in three, just in America).

Traditional Christianity has utterly failed its followers—and the world—by teaching the fallacies we have just described. Sadly, most believe the falsehoods of deceived men who claim to be God’s representatives. (To learn more about this topic, read our book Sex – Its Unknown Dimension as well as a related book Dating and Courtship – God’s Way.)

Is God the Authority?

The Bible is written by One professing to be God. This “One” leaves no doubt as to His authority and power, and that He created everything: “I am the Eternal, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me...Thus says the Eternal, the Holy One of Israel, and His Maker, Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons, and concerning the work of My hands command you Me. I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded” (Isa. 45:5, 11-12).

This statement is not ambiguous. If we are to accept the Bible, God establishes Himself as the One who has authority to answer life’s biggest questions.

In the same passage, God continues to establish Himself as the author of the Genesis 1 creation account: “For thus says the Eternal that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it...I am the Eternal; and there is none else...who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I the Eternal? And there is no God else beside Me...I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow...” (vs. 18-23).

These are very strong words. They are either true or false—they cannot be both. You need to know which, because all who are unwilling to investigate—to even consider—what God says will one day be required to “bow the knee” before the God they rejected.

It is possible to prove God exists and that the Bible is His Word. This is done through the proof of prophecy. This is one great way that God proves and identifies Himself: “To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be like?…Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, 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…yes, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it” (Isa. 46:5, 9-11).

Here, God boldly asserts that He foretells the future and brings it to pass! You do not need to wonder whether He is able to do this. It can be proven. (Read our booklet Bible Authority...Can It Be Proven? to prove that the One who speaks from the pages of the Bible has authority—and that the Bible is, in fact, God’s Word. Prophecy is only one of the proofs of the Bible’s divine inspiration that this booklet discusses. Also, our brochure Evolution – Facts, Fallacies and Implications and our booklet Does God Exist? prove the folly of evolution.)

Great Purpose Revealed!

Evolutionists are stymied—trapped—within the boundaries of their theory. They see no greater reason for the birth of a human than of a puppy or a giraffe. If, as they assert, human beings are merely the highest of animals, and products of blind, dumb evolution, it is impossible for them to simultaneously believe in an over-arching or transcendent, God-ordained purpose for human life. The two positions are opposites. No one can honestly accept both!

Though often of exceptional intelligence, the evolutionist’s dependence on human reasoning, accompanied by rejection of revealed knowledge, leaves him utterly incapable of knowing God’s awesome purpose for humanity. He has literally shut himself out of true understanding!

This booklet is written to those who will consider what God reveals, not to the unwilling. God reveals that marriage has an awesome purpose completely beyond the bounds of human imagination. After hearing God’s explanation, you be the judge of whether it makes more sense than that offered by evolutionists and traditional Christianity.

Remember, if you will not accept God’s revealed Word, you are left with no choice but to be ignorant of how and when marriage began. You must accept that it is either a human invention on the road of evolution, or for no purpose other than procreation because celibacy is a “higher calling.” These are your only options!

God Is a Family

We previously saw, from Genesis 1 and 2, that God established marriage and that the two Persons in the Godhead said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness” (1:26). Adam was made of the dust. He was flesh (Gen. 2:7). Though made in the form and image of God, there was a big difference between Adam and God. Notice: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). God is made—composed—of Spirit. Adam was composed of flesh.

A vitally important parallel exists between Adam and Christ—who we have seen was the God of the Old Testament (John 1:1, 14; I Cor. 10:4). It offers another clue to God’s purpose. The apostle Paul makes the comparison this way: “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [Christ] was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward [at the Resurrection] that which is spiritual. The first man [Adam] is of the earth, earthy: the second man [Christ] is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also [by the Resurrection] that are heavenly. And as we [converted, Spirit-led people] have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (I Cor. 15:45-49).

Paul’s inspired statement starts with a reference to Genesis 2:7. Notice the phrase “And so it was written...” This is New Testament verification of the Genesis account! Paul knew Adam “was made” by God, that this did happen.

The goal of a Christian is to receive a Spirit body at the Resurrection—to “bear the image of the heavenly.” Just as God created animals—elephants, dogs, cats, horses, etc.—to reproduce after their kind, He (Elohim) created man after the God kind.

This much has been established thus far.

The Church Is a Body

God wants His sons to understand His purpose. He has given a basic analogy that is easy to grasp. He compares His one Church—His true Church—to the human body. Paul wrote, “For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body…” (I Cor. 12:12-13).

Colossians 1:18 and Ephesians 1:22-23 reveal that “body” means the Church. There is only one Church and, like the human body, all parts are connected. Head, eyes, ears, fingers, toes, arms and legs are different but integrated parts of the human body. They must remain connected or they will die.

Notice, again, what Paul added in I Corinthians 12: “Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God has set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers…” (vs. 27-28).

Throughout the New Testament, God depicts Himself as a Father with many “children”—those of His Church. Christ continually referred to the other Person in Elohim as “Father.” He understood that He was a “Son.” Now that Christ, no longer flesh (Rom. 1:1, 3), has been resurrected from the dead, He has become a divine Son (vs. 4; Heb. 1:8). Carefully read Romans 1:1-4 to see that Christ was, in fact, a descendant of David—a fleshly human—through His mother.

Christ had a human mother, Mary. He has a Spirit Father. (Of course, Joseph was not His actual father.)

Think for a moment! God sired Christ in the womb of a human woman. This is an extraordinary statement to understand. Grasp what it means: The God kind (the Father) reproduces like any other kind. God selected a virgin human (one made in “His form and likeness”) to bear His Son. This was not in any sense “improper,” because it was not God reproducing outside of His own kind. Remember, God ordained that all animals and humans—all living things—reproduce after “his kind” (Gen. 1:25). The Father’s (spirit) begettal of Christ in a (physical) human defies any other explanation.

After His death and Resurrection, and return to being Spirit, Christ became the “firstborn [Son] from the dead” (Col. 1:18). He experienced a second birth into the Family of God—by a Resurrection. Romans 1:4 says that Christ was “the Son of God...by a resurrection from the dead.” This is what made Christ a Son. It represents how human beings are saved.

Many verses show that Christ is God. He is a divine Son, a member of the divine God Family. Hebrews 1:8 makes this clear. There, the Father refers to His Son—Christ—as God. Notice: “Your throne, O God [Christ], is forever and ever.” Grasp these verses. Christ is a born Son by resurrection from the dead.

Many More to be Born Again

There will be more sons who follow Christ in the Resurrection. Paul refers to Christ as “the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). That’s right! Christ is not the only Son to be part of God’s Plan. The many other brethren are those converted over the last 2,000 years (and a few in the Old Testament). They are called to become younger brothers and sisters with Christ.

It was the Resurrection of Christ, not His death, that makes Him able to bring salvation to these other brothers and sisters to come later. Notice: “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” (Rom. 5:10). Also see Hebrews 2:9.

Humans are destined to be born again as Spirit, like Christ was, just as surely as they are born physically of a human mother, like Christ was. No animal shares such a destiny. Besides reproduction, the only way in which humans are like animals is that they are both composed of physical matter—flesh. Animals are nowhere promised the possibility of being born later as Spirit.

Most professing Christians believe that being “born again” occurs in this life upon “receiving Jesus.” But this is not what the Bible teaches.

Throughout His ministry, Christ continually taught about the kingdom of God. He was actually teaching about the Family of God—and how humans may enter it by being “born again.”

Notice. Paul stated, “…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery…” (I Cor. 15:50-51). While this is a mystery to almost everyone, it need not be to you.

A series of verses in John 3 is commonly misunderstood to mean that people can be “born again” in this life and “see” God’s kingdom, while they are still composed of flesh and blood. In this account, Nicodemus questioned Christ, who answered, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (vs. 3). Then, in verse 6, He added, “That which is born of the flesh IS flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit IS spirit.”

Flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God—but spirit can! Because Christ wanted no room for misunderstanding, He likened spirit to wind. Like wind, spirit is invisible. It cannot be seen. Only at the resurrection are Christians changed from flesh to spirit—born again. (Read our free booklet What Does “Born Again” Mean? to understand in much greater detail.)

Christians Must be Begotten First

Nicodemus understood that he had been begotten once by his human father and born of a mother. Christ was explaining to him that the very same spirit process had to happen again before he could be born of spirit into the kingdom of God.

The apostle Peter explained how and when the new convert is begotten. Near the end of his sermon on Pentecost—the day the New Testament Church was established—he said, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). God’s Spirit comes at repentance—conversion. Receiving it is a begettal.

The Holy Spirit is what God is composed of. Remember, God is Spirit (John 4:24). The Holy Spirit is not the third Person of the pagan Trinity. It is the power or agent, and the divine nature (II Pet. 1:4), of God entering the human mind (Read our free book The Trinity – Is God Three-In-One? to learn more.)

It is the Holy Spirit in the human mind, which actually changes them at the Resurrection. This is the plain teaching of the Bible: “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [make alive] your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11).

This verse is clear. Reread it carefully and grasp its magnitude.

The Kingdom of God Explained

We have seen that Christians are to be born again so that they can “see”—inherit—the kingdom of God. This much is now plain.

But what is the kingdom of God? If Christians inherit it, should we not know what it is?

It is not hard to understand. In this life, human beings are born into: (1) A human family, and (2) any one of many earthly human kingdoms (nations).

It is the same with God. At the Resurrection, humans are born into: (1) The God Family, which is also (2) the kingdom of God. They are one and the same. The parallel is perfectly clear when comparing the human physical pattern to the divine Spirit pattern.

God has a throne in heaven, from which He rules over His kingdom (Isa. 66:1; Rev. 3:21). He literally sits astride the entire universe, ruling it—with Christ. (Read our free booklet What Is the Kingdom of God? to learn more.)

When Christians are born again, they enter this kingdom—this ruling governing Family! When Elohim spoke in Genesis 1:26, He was announcing His plan to expand His Family. Therefore, He immediately established human marriage with the instruction to “multiply”—to build families.

Are you beginning to comprehend God’s marvelous purpose for marriage and the family? Their meaning and the purpose for your life—your inheritance—is stupendous!

But there is more to understand.

Sons of God Now

Those who are Christian—those begotten—are already sons of God. This is what the Bible says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God...Beloved, NOW are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 3:1-2).

This is an astonishing verse! Will you accept it?

Upon begettal by a human father, a tiny son (or daughter) begins life. Though the birth is nine months later, the life has begun from that moment! Ask any father, whose wife is several months pregnant, if he thinks his unborn child is a real person. He will surely say that it is! He knows a birth is coming, and a child will soon be joining his family.

God is the same. He knows that His begotten sons are sons now—just not yet born: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption [Greek means sonship, not adoption], whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together” (Rom. 8:14-17). Also see Galatians 3:29.

Christians are heirs now, by virtue of the Spirit of God in them. Heir is the term for one who is destined to inherit.

The change from physical to spirit occurs at the Resurrection. Paul carefully explains this “change from mortal to immortal”—from human to divine—in I Corinthians 15:51-54. At this point, the newly resurrected saint will have a body exactly like God, only this time made of Spirit: “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body...” (Phil. 3:21). Like I John 3:1-2, this verse confirms what God ultimately meant when He said in Genesis 1:26, “let Us make man in Our image, and after Our likeness.”

We are to be exactly like Christ, except that He never sinned and we have, and He needs no Savior, but we do. Of course, He had no human father and we do. But He did have a human mother, like us, and He was “in all points tempted like as we are” (Heb. 4:15). He was begotten of God’s Spirit, and so must we be. He was born again, into the kingdom of God, and so can we experience the same. He is God’s Son, and so can we be!

The Purpose of Marriage—Never Obsolete!

By now, I hope it is obvious what God typifies through human marriage and the human family.

Marriage directly reflects the family pattern that is God’s. Physical parents procreating physical children are an exact replica of the Father, a Spiritual parent, procreating Spirit children. We will even see that God marries!

Marriage was not created sometime in the distant past, during the evolution process. It is absolutely ludicrous that this world’s “Christianity” denies God’s awesome family relationship with His children. They freely speak of God as a “Father”—that Christians are “children of God” and “brethren”—of being “born again”—and that Christ is God’s “Son.” Yet, at the same time, so many deny the obvious meaning represented in all these terms!

Such hypocrisy and blindness is outrageous. It deceives unwitting millions from understanding why they were born and the real reason human beings get married and have families!

I hope it makes you indignant that God’s incredible pattern and purpose has been kept from you by false ministers who have poured out false teachings upon this world’s unsuspecting “churchianity”!

Human beings over-credit themselves when they assume that they were able to devise the institution of marriage on their own. They were not! Marriage is a divine institution, created and ordained of God—not by “higher animals.” It insults God to suggest that animals were able to create the God-plane relationship that marriage was always intended to be. To suggest that men are a species different from the God kind—are merely advanced animals—is gross deception foisted upon every unwitting victim willing to believe it without investigation!

Christ to Marry Church

What is the final destiny of the Church? Exactly what happens immediately after the resurrection of the dead? The answer is staggering. But first we must define exactly who and what the members of the Church are.

Return to Romans 8 and now read verse 9: “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” To be a Christian, one must have the Spirit of God. It is that simple.

Recall that I Corinthians 12:13 revealed that all members of the Church are “baptized into one body.” Baptized means immersed, put into. Therefore, a Christian is put into God’s Church by receiving the Holy Spirit. This Spirit makes him a begotten son. Those without God’s Spirit, regardless of their church affiliation or denomination, are “none of His.”

We have seen that all of the Spirit-begotten become “heirs” of salvation (Rom. 8:17).

But there is more important knowledge to understand. It is tied directly to the purpose for human marriage and family. The way a husband loves, works with and leads his wife is intended to be a reflection of Christ’s leadership over His Church. The New Testament actually identifies the Church as Christ’s affianced bride. Many verses reveal this.

First, notice the following parallel between Christ and His church, and human husbands and their wives: “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church…That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:23, 27).

The Bible reveals that the converted husband’s relationship with his wife is a parallel of christ’s relationship to the Church! Christ works with His Church the way husbands are to work with their wives. He intends to “present it [the Church] to Himself,” in a marriage ceremony, with all spots, wrinkles and blemishes gone. But this wedding is only attainable for those learning the lessons of this life—those who gain experience through suffering and building character now!

After Christ returns and re-establishes the government of God (Rev. 19:11-16), He becomes Ruler and Governor over all nations on Earth, with His Church. Notice: “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).

But this is not all. Immediately, upon His Return, here is what Christ does: “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude…saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And He says unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb...” (Rev. 19:6-9). Of course, the Lamb of God is Christ (John 1:29, 36; Rev. 5:6).

Now fully comprehend this awesome knowledge: Recall that the Father was able to beget Christ through a human woman and be consistent in reproducing within His own kind (Gen. 1:24-26). Similarly, Christ is God—meaning He is also of the “God kind.” Therefore, just as human beings would not marry animals, Christ could not marry outside the God kind.

Grasp this! At His Return, in one of the most awesome events in all history, Christ will marry his church—of the God kind! This is the plain truth from God’s Word—and you have just seen it!

Christ Married Ancient Israel

The Old Covenant agreement between Christ and ancient Israel was actually a marriage agreement, or covenant.

In Jeremiah 3:14, God said to Israel, “I am married unto you.” Though He did later divorce her (3:8) for unfaithfulness, the marriage remained binding until Christ’s death. Christ’s marriage to, and divorce from, ancient Israel followed Old Testament law—see Ezekiel 16:38 and Deuteronomy 24:1.

Now understand that ancient Israel was actually the Old Testament Church. Many places in the Old Testament refer to her as the “congregation of Israel.” Acts 7:38 refers to Israel as the “church in the wilderness.” These terms mean the same thing.

The New Testament is different, in that it involves spiritual promises, having to do with grace, not just race. However, Gentiles (those of other races) were permitted to become part of ancient Israel, but only on the condition that they kept the laws, statutes and judgments that governed the country.

The Church—Spiritual Israel

All marriages end when either spouse dies. In the case of ancient Israel, her marriage ended—was no longer binding—because Christ, through His sacrifice, died. After His Resurrection, Christ was now free—eligible—to remarry.

The New Testament Church today is still Israel—only she is spiritual, not physical, in nature. She is also not confined to a particular race of people.

Here is what Paul wrote to the Ephesian congregation, which was almost entirely Gentile: “Wherefore remember, that you being in time past Gentiles in the flesh…that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel…but now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ…Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (2:11-13, 19).

Christ’s sacrifice was for the whole world (John 3:16). This includes Gentiles, who are the vast, predominant number of people on Earth. Most physical Israelites are, at this time, with the world cut off from God by sin. They are not yet included in spiritual Israel—the Church.

The Gentile Galatians also understood that they were included within spiritual Israel. Notice: “And if you be Christ’s, then are you [the Gentile Galatians] Abraham’s seed [Israel], and heirs according to the promise” (3:29). The Galatians were part of spiritual Israel by grace, not race. Romans 11, particularly verses 25-26, explains this in greater detail.

We have seen that the entire Church (all those converted over the past 6,000 years) is to marry Christ at His Return and the establishing of the kingdom of God. Matthew 22 shows this: “The kingdom of heaven [kingdom of God] is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son” (vs. 2). God is the “King” and Christ is the “Son” in this parable.

Matthew 25 also describes this marriage: “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom…and at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet Him…and while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut” (vs. 1, 6, 10).

The door “was shut” because some will be kept out! There will be many today who will be terribly disappointed because their ignorance of God’s Plan will (temporarily) exclude them from being part of the bride.

Certainly, no one who rejects the transcendent meaning and overarching purpose of marriage will ever be permitted to be part of the bride that marries Christ. That would mock God’s purpose and reward rebellion!

Most professing Christians have been taught that God is trying to save the world now—that today is the only time for salvation. Revelation 12:9 states that Satan has deceived the whole world—and the picture of how God will eventually save all mankind is his greatest deception. The devil has convinced most to believe that God is in a wrestling match with him—a match God is obviously “losing.” Of course, this picture serves Satan, because he would love to have the world think that he is more powerful than God.

7,000-year Plan

Jesus said, “No man can come to Me, except the Father which has sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day…No man can come unto Me except it were given unto him of My Father” (John 6:44, 65).

Take these verses for exactly what they say. Unless God calls a person, he cannot come to Christ. It is impossible. Yet God says that He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Pet. 3:9).

God intends to eventually call the whole world. In the Old Testament, He only called a few prophets and others. In the New Testament era, He has called a relative few, who must choose now whether they will obey Him. Today is not the only day of salvation, as most suppose. How God will work with all of the peoples of the world is a large subject. I will explain it briefly here.

The core of God’s plan encompasses 7,000 years. Few have understood this. Some have correctly understood at least a few verses describing Christ’s 1,000-year reign, which begins at His Return to earth to rule with the saints in tremendous power and glory (Rev. 20:4-6).

While most know little more than this, they know nothing of the fact that God has allotted 6,000 years, or six millennial days of a “seven-day week,” to man’s rule, prior to the seventh 1,000-year “day.” The sixth “day” is drawing to a close. Satan will soon be bound (Rev. 20:2). This will be the first “order of business” after Christ is crowned with glorious splendor and power. Since Christ is coming to save the world, He must remove Satan.

However, the devil has not yet been bound. When Christ qualified to replace him (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13) as the “god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4), having overcome sin, He ensured that Satan will soon no longer be present to deceive and confuse mankind (I Cor. 14:33). But, once again, we must understand that Satan has not yet been bound and that he seeks to do everything, within the enormous power that he does possess, to thwart God’s plan. He has certainly deceived his ministers (II Cor. 11:13-15) into believing that God has failed terribly in His plan to save the vast majority. But it is only by God’s permission that Satan holds sway over this “present evil world” (Gal. 1:4).

We must understand! The Bible says, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (II Pet. 3:8). Of course, most people are “ignorant” of not just this “one thing,” but of almost everything that the Bible teaches.

This is a fascinating verse.

Man has been given six days, or 6,000 years, to try his own ways, governments, religions, philosophies, value systems and forms of education. Under the sway of Satan, he has practiced sin—disobedience to God’s commands—for nearly 6,000 years. He has then tried to treat all of the ill effects instead of treating the cause—breaking God’s laws.

God is not losing a wrestling match with Satan. God has full control. He knows exactly what He is doing, and the beauty of His plan can be known. Be assured that no true God would ever condemn the vast majority through the ages without giving them a full opportunity for salvation.

God is allowing man to learn bitter lessons. The vast majority, who have never known the marvelous truth of God, are having to learn that their own ways do not work!

So, mankind has had to learn through millennia of suffering. He has not yet acknowledged God and heeded His Word. Once Satan is bound, countless millions will be converted. A vast number of new children will be begotten and added to the Family of God. The masses will not be left out or remain deceived—cut off from understanding God’s awesome purpose, depicted through the model of human marriage and family!

A Marriage with Children

Christ has one true Church. It is composed of heirs who are now begotten and will later be born. During His 1,000-year reign with the saints, they will begin to work with the entire world, opening salvation to all nations. God intends to greatly expand His Family.

The vast billions will learn of the disastrous, unhappy record that mankind wrote during his allotted 6,000 years. They will come to understand the fruit of rebelling against God and following Satan.

This will be a wonderful time. The whole world will learn God’s truth—and His law. Today, the tribes of Israel are scattered. They have become “lost” from the world’s view. And, indeed, the whole world has missed out on the peace, happiness, abundance and good things of God that would have come to them if they had obeyed Him.

The following passage is a marvelous and clear prophecy of how God will begin to save Israel and of what His government will bring to the earth: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people…And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isa. 11:9-12). Perhaps also read verse 13 and see how God will eventually save the tribe of Judah, the modern nation of Israel.

This is a spectacular prophecy. Savor it. Understand it. Believe it!

There will certainly be some few who will refuse to obey God. Human beings are free moral agents—and free moral agents sometimes willfully choose the wrong way. But this number will probably only be a few. Most will want the wonderful, abundant life of God’s way.

We have just described the many children that will result from Christ’s marriage to the Church. Collectively, the saints comprise Christ’s bride and rule with Him (Rev. 2:26-27; 5:6-10; 20:6). Christ, speaking for, and as part of, Elohim in Genesis 1:26, was the One who commanded man to “be fruitful and multiply.” This same God, with His wife, will produce the largest single family of all time!

What a glorious time it will be when all who are converted are told, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom...” (Matt. 25:31-34).

Marriage will never be obsolete. Christ actually prophesied that it will not completely disappear before His Return (Matt. 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-27). Yet those marrying today have no idea why they are—or why they are building families. They stand in complete ignorance of God’s awesome, transcendent purpose!

But now you understand what they do not!

Staggering Purpose

At the conclusion of his booklet WHY MARRIAGE!—Soon Obsolete?, under the subhead “Finally—the Stupendous Truth,” Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:

“So, finally, grasp this stupendous truth.

“Incredible as it may sound to those deceived by the god of this world and his false ministers, God is a family!

“God is the Creator family, who rules His creation. Therefore God also is a Kingdom! And in man, God is reproducing His kind (Gen. 1:26).

“Marriage and family life is a God-plane relationship.

“Man’s potential—the purpose for human life on this earth—is to be born into the Kingdom of God—the God family!

“Down through history, the philosophers, the great minds, the priests—cut off from God’s revelation—have sought in vain to reason out in their minds some meaning to human life—some purpose for our being. The true answer has been written all along, in God’s Word.

“Animals reproduce—but animals do not marry. Animals do not enjoy the blessings of home and family life.

“Angels do not have sex (Mt. 22:30) and do not marry.

“Of all life forms—whether plant, animal or angel—none has been given this God-plane relationship of marriage and family life, except humans who are potential heirs of the God family.

“God is more than one Person. There is only the one God—but that God is a family of more than one divine Person—having the Father at its Head—Jesus Christ as His divine Son—those converted up to the time of Christ’s coming in power and glory, as Christ’s wife—and those converted and changed to divine immortals afterward, during the Millennium, as the divine children of that union.

“Man’s stupendous potential is to enter divine family life!

“Man’s supercolossal reason for being is to be married to Christ.

“Marriage is of God!

“Marriage is for man—as well as for God—because man was made in God’s likeness, to bear His divine image!

“Marriage is a most sacred supernatural blessing—and (apart from the clearly defined biblical standards) its dissolution is a capital sin, imposing the penalty of capital punishment!—eternal punishment! Eternal death! Unless each repents—turns from sin—and receives salvation by God’s grace through Christ.

“Marriage was given mankind to prepare us for eternal life in the divine God family! Two of the Ten Commandments of God’s basic spiritual law directly and specifically protect the sacred marriage state.

“There can be no more wonderful physical blessing in this mortal human life than a happy marriage, based on true love, honor, integrity and faithfulness—especially when there are growing children to love, care for, teach, and rear in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Marriage soon to become obsolete? Never!

“On the contrary, the only humans left in existence after God’s master plan has finally worked out His purpose here below will be those made immortal and divine, living for eternity in the happy, blissful, family union that is the life of the Everliving God!

“Can you grasp this colossal truth?

“I have given you, here, the greatest, most precious and valuable truth you can ever know.

“Man, and only man, of all life forms in existence, can be born into the God family—which is the Kingdom of God. This was the gospel of Jesus!

“The family relationship is a God-plane relationship. And of all His creatures, God bestowed it solely on man.

“Of all life forms—whether plant, animal, or angel—man alone was created for marriage! For enjoying a home and a family relationship!

“And man’s potential—the very purpose of human life—is that man, born again—born of God—born into the God family—may enjoy that blessed marriage and family life in blissful happiness forever!

“Think on that!

“And give God thanks!”