The Nearness Of The Time

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” [2 Timothy 3:1]

As the time approaches for the translation of the saints, it is described as a perilous time in II Timothy where the … born again … saved by the Blood … Bible-believing Christian will suffer at ever-increasing rate the loss of wives, husbands and children because of divorce. The institution of the family is being destroyed.

May I remind you, as little as fifty years ago, divorce rarely occurred amongst Christians. There was then in the local Bible-believing churches across this land a testimony of marriages that testified “till death do we part”, where each husband and each wife had known only the other.

Marriages speaking of virtue, and faithfulness, loyalty and truth, and filled with rejoicing … thankful for knowing nothing of in a personal way the wreck, havoc ruin of divorce visiting them or their homes.

This is not true in the 21st century local Bible-believing Baptist church … for … perilous times are here. The apostasy spoken by the Spirit of God through the Apostle Paul in II Thessalonians chapter two is even now running rampant. We see everywhere hearts waxing cold because our grievous sins are such a stench to God. ”And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:12) Indeed, in all places, the very warp and woof of our nation, our sins are getting worse and worse in nature and in the very frequency of commission.

Men and Women Left Behind!

In many local churches there are as many as half the congregation who have experienced a broken home. Consequently, many of the brethren have suffered the loss of their wives, their husbands, and or their children because of divorce. These are perilous times. Many marriages have failed because of adultery and desertion. The brother or sister in the LORD has been left behind. Let me tell you something. Not all these brothers or sisters are guilty in destroying their marriages.

Many of these unfortunate brothers and sisters wanted nothing more than for their marriages to work out! To them it was a commitment “till death do we part”. But brethren, it takes two for that to happen. We need to exercise discernment in our judgment. “But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.” (I Corinthians 7:15) Did you see that phrase: “in such cases”?

We must to go case by case. That is “sound doctrine” that I am giving you here. The Holy Ghost is telling us in I Corinthians 7:15 that each brother and sister deserves for the local church to exercise wisdom “case by case” in the matter of divorce. Therefore, the one left behind has been harmed, and what’s more … will be further hurt by the brethren who broadly paintbrush both parties as equally guilty in the failed marriage.

The Affect of Jesus Christ In The Marriage

Something else! Many times a brother or sister in the Lord experiences the direct result of the affect Jesus Christ has in the human heart. The bizarre truth (SOUND DOCTRINE) is Jesus Christ came to this earth to bring division. “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three”. (Luke 12:51-52) Jesus Christ divides people! Jesus Christ can divide a wife against her husband or a husband against his wife.

Many a believer marries (two becoming one flesh) in a belief their mate was likewise a believer, or many times a believer knowingly marries an unbeliever hoping they will get saved but in the end often experiences the disaster of divorce. The unequal yoke, whether it was deliberate or entered into ignorantly, between a believer and an unbeliever quite often ends with the believer being left behind. It is only by God’s grace when the unbelieving partner gets saved through the testimony and prayers of the believing mate. “For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?” [1 Corinthians 7:16]

In Matthew 19:27; Peter is talking: "Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Verse 27) Now what this "forsaken all" means is an eye-opener. "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life" (verse 29). The cost that possibly can be incurred to the individual can even result with the loss of an unbelieving husband or wife in your act of "forsaking all" for Christ.

Please remember, the Lord is speaking to his disciples. No doubt many of them standing there were married. Read it again! "Behold, we have forsaken all." Does that mean these men left their wives (failing to honor their marriages)? No! Absolutely not! It means that when an individual trusts Jesus Christ for his salvation that the unbelieving partner may of their free will not elect to stay with the believer.

The Principle of the Innocent Party

Throughout Scripture there is found a certain principle. This principle is the principle of the innocent party. An innocent party is one who has suffered wrong at the hand of another, or by others corporately. God, in His providence, in His divine wisdom, and mercy has given commandments, ordinances and statutes, which are written, in a BOOK known to us as the Bible. Now let’s go to an Old Testament for light. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)

In Exodus 21:32 the LORD instructs through His man Moses that if an ox does harm to someone else’s property that the owner of the ox is to make restitution for the damage. Someone has been harmed. Someone therefore, needs discernment or wisdom to exercise righteous judgment concerning the brethren. Let’s read the passage. “If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.”

Someone has been wronged, or harmed, and the people of Israel were to make inquisition into the matter and make a proper judgment and insure the innocent party receives treatment or fair compensation. Here we go! Deuteronomy 19:10-18: “That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it. One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother …”.

In Deuteronomy 19:10-18 we see that if innocent blood was shed that the whole nation would be liable in having this innocent blood laid on them if they didn’t obey the LORD in making a thing right according to the BOOK which God wrote. We need to make application here. The principle of making a diligent inquisition into a matter … case by case … concerning the brother or sister who has been left behind by divorce is “sound doctrine”.