From Preparing.org:
Messianic Polygyny
And in that day, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach.
– Yesha’yahu [Isaiah] 4:1
For the ancient Israelites, the manifestation of Kingdom order in their midst set them apart from all the other great nations of the ancient world – head and shoulders above the pagan, goddess worshipping heathen round about. And in ordering the families of Yisrael [Israel], the use of polygyny (the practice of one man having more than one wife) was not uncommon – especially among the great patriarchs of the faith…
Abraham, Ya’aqob (Jacob), Moshe (Moses), Dawid (David) and many others had more than one wife. The great lawgiver Moshe himself, who commanded that adulterers should be stoned to death, made provisions for polygyny in the Torah – and under certain circumstances, even required it as a matter of law (Debarim [Deut.] 25:5; 21:15-17).
Hear O Yisrael – the original promise to our father Abraham that he would be the father of many nations was itself a call to polygyny! Sélah.
After all, in most cases, if a man has only one wife, he can only birth one nation! This is why it is written of Abraham, “But unto the sons of the concubines (secondary wives), which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.” (Bereshit [Gen.] 25:6).
And as it is written, “And if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29).
As of this year, some eighty-plus percent of the world’s societies practice polygyny. And yet according to her own statistics, the United States of America, which considers polygyny immoral, leads the world in adultery, divorce, rape, prostitution and pornography (not to mention drug abuse, alcoholism, and murder). Nevertheless, the issue of biblical polygyny still stirs great wrath among those born and raised under Hellenistic philosophies and influence.
Clearly, Western theologians interpret Hebrew Israelite scripture with a Greco-Roman cultural bias. How then could they NOT conclude that the ‘New Testament’ condemns the practice of polygyny? And the end result has been that the vast majority of the household of faith, and so-called black people in particular, are completely unaware of the longstanding history of Messianic/Christian polygyny…
Nevertheless, as we so often prophesy, true Biblical marriage is being restored to the faithful remnant at this very hour! Why? The truth is, the revelation of polygyny in Christ is key to not only setting Messianic/True Christian families in order, but to preparing the true churches for Y’shua!
Hear O Yisrael – the marriage of Y’shua and the Church is/will be a plural marriage! Sélah.
For example, in the Song of Solomon [which is by all accounts, a glorious prefiguring of Messiah’s love for His Church], it was said to King Solomon by his favorite queen, the Shulamite, “…your name (honor, authority and character) is as ointment poured forth; therefore do the virgins (young women) love you. Draw me, and WE will run after you…” (Shir HaShirim [The Song of Songs] 1:3.4).
Y’shua Himself revealed Messianic polygyny in His betrothal to the Church, through His parable of the ten virgins [See MattitYahu (Matt.) 25:1-13]. (Remember, Y’shua lived and taught outside of the context of Greco-Roman marriage – i.e. ‘mandatory monogamy’, ‘bridesmaids’, etc.) To be sure, there is only ONE church – but there are many varied aspects of the Light of Mashiach that are of necessity reflected and highlighted by various congregations. Sélah.
And beyond dispensationalism, this is why Y’shua, in His very Revelation to the world, chose to address seven churches (seven “wives”) rather than the whole nation at once – revealing yet another reflection of the spiritually polygynous nature of YHWH and Y’shua!
As we have consistently pointed out, it’s no mere coincidence that the nation of Israel – the very root and foundation of true ‘Christianity’ – sprang forth from our father Ya’aqob (Jacob) and his four wives. To suggest that polygyny constitutes adultery is to suggest that ancient Israel was a nation of bastards! Would the Most High, pristine in His holiness, enter into a sacred oath with an accursed people? YAH forbid!!
Moreover, in the book of Revelation – which is after all, a part of the ‘New Covenant’ – it is written that the names of the twelve sons resulting from Ya’aqob’s polygynous relationships are permanently enshrined in the gates of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem! (Rev. 21:12). This is the very abode of YHWH HIMSELF! How then can we dare suggest that Messianic/Christian polygyny is sinful? Again, YAH forbid!!
And again, allegorically speaking, even YHWH Himself is polygynous…
It is written, “The word of YHWH came again to me, saying, Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. They committed harlotry in Egypt, they committed harlotry in their youth; their breasts were there embraced, their virgin bosom was there pressed. Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; they were Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah…” (Yechezkel [Ezek.] 23:1-4).
Hear O Yisrael – as a critical point of truth; without a revelation of the spiritual polygyny of our Father YAH, and our Mashiach Y’shua, we simply cannot fully understand how YAH operates His creation; how Y’shua administrates His church; or how to fully discern the Father’s perfect will for our lives, families, congregations and communities!
disinheritance
The ancient prophets of Israel foresaw and prophesied in the Spirit that because of backsliding and rebellion, in the course of time, the covenant blessings, including polygyny, would be stripped from the nation – for a season. As it is written, “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim…” (Hoshea [Hosea] 3:4).
Even so, biblical polygyny will once again prove to be a critical key to restoring our overall national inheritance in Messiah/Christ.
Over the last seventeen centuries or so, multiplied millions of the faithful have been misled into believing an “ideal” marriage is composed of one man and one woman (“mandatory monogamy”). In truth, this “sacred cow” of Greco-Roman theology is nothing more than a religious facade and genocidal alternative to biblical polygyny – right along with adultery, fornication, prostitution, homosexuality, lesbianism, forced abstinence, forced celibacy, serial polygamy, etc.
And of course, many of us have come to believe that plural marriage is just another fleshly practice, and is actually a part of the problem rather than the solution. For example, polygyny’s opponents site rape, child molestation, forced marriages with underage girls, etc. as undesirable aspects of polygyny, and thus reasons to reject it. But in point of truth, these tendencies are manifested just as often in so-called ‘monogamous’ marriages!
Obviously, these kinds of abuses should be rejected and punished in all instances – but based upon the actual offenses involved; whatever the marital arrangement happens to be. Plain and simple. But beyond that, there are some very basic problems with ‘mandatory monogamy’:
1) It’s unscriptural.
2) It forces large numbers of righteous women to remain husbandless or worse.
3) In cases where a wife cannot bear children, it makes it impossible for a man to produce an heir without divorce.
For the most part, the monumental error of ‘mandatory monogamy’ is sustained by a poor translation of the apostle Paul’s directive in 1 Timothy (and Titus) requiring bishops to be “the husband of one wife.” It therefore becomes needful to understand what was actually being taught about marriage in this epistle.
To begin with, in chapter five of that same epistle, the apostle writes that a widow should not be taken under the financial care of the church unless she has been “…the wife of one man…” (1 Tim. 5:9). But the word “one” in that passage is “heis”, which is the Greek word for the actual number “1”. Paul was clearly teaching that such a woman had to have been the wife of only one husband – in other words, a woman free of adultery.
It was not merely by chance that a completely different word for “one” was used when referring to the qualifications for a bishop! The Greek word, “mia”, was used in the passage “A bishop must then be blameless, the husband of one wife…” (1 Tim. 3:2).
In other words, although the Greek word “mia” can accurately be translated as “one”, given the fact that a totally different Greek word for “one” was used in this passage, a more accurate translation of “mia” into English in this particular instance would be “first.”
And certainly, those who later translated the Greek NT into English were “Greco-Romanized” (Hellenized), and thus translating from a culturally biased, non-Hebraic frame of reference.
Rather than forbidding a bishop to practice polygyny, the apostle Paul was simply saying that a bishop must be a man who has remained faithful to his first wife – a man free of adultery. In both instances, the issue isn’t polygyny, it’s adultery, or the breaking of wedlock – the Hebraic/Mosaic laws of which are different for male and female.
Secondly, most Hellenized biblical scholars point to Adahm and Khawah (Adam and Eve) as proof that monogamy is YAH’s ideal form of marriage. One man, one woman. But in truth, when the two became one flesh, the marital equation became 1 + 1 = 1. And without violating YAH’s original intent for the creation of male and female, this divine arithmetic clearly allows for 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 as well…
Thirdly, a major rationale for the remnant continuing in ‘mandatory monogamy’ is supposed obedience to the apostle Kefa’s [Peter’s] directive to the church to “submit yourselves to every ordinance of man.” In other words, Messianics/Christians should only enter into “legal” marriages, which includes a “marriage license” from the state.
But the word “ordinance” in that passage is simply referring to the form of government, as in “whether it be to the king as supreme, or unto governors” etc. – not to blindly following every man-made doctrine or ungodly statute! Following that line of reasoning, the original disciples of Y’shua were wrong for preaching the Gospel, since it caused them to be jailed as violators of the law…
Furthermore, the apostle Paul instructed us to forsake worldly courts to judge even the smallest disputes among the saints [See 1 Cor. 6:1-8]. How much more then should we recognize that the true authority to sanction our marriages in the sight of YAH rests squarely upon the shoulders of the faithful remnant ALONE!
In reality, placing our marriages in the hands of the state has resulted in unheard of levels of divorce, and actually led to rampant adultery as well. For example, if a man were to put away a YAH-ordained wife in a “no fault” divorce, the state [and tragically, most churches] would then grant him continued good standing in their respective communities, and even sanction another “marriage” that YAH has declared to be unlawful! Sélah.
Historically speaking, it wasn’t until the onset of European incursion into the “New World” (1492 c.e.) that the authority to sanction marriage was moved from the church alone into an alliance with the state, by decree of the Vatican. So then, were all the marriages in the Most High that occurred in the nearly fifteen-hundred years before that point illegitimate? Obviously not. As it is written “What YAH has joined together, let not man put asunder.”
Finally brethren, coming full circle; this whole dynamic played itself out in the first family of faith…
The reason Sarah’s handmaid Hagar despised her when she became with child by Abraham was that Hagar then assumed she had the right to claim Abraham exclusively. Unlike the freewoman – the mighty woman of faith, Sarah – Hagar was an Egyptian slave who cherished the mandatory monogamy practiced by the common people of her mother nation…
Rather than convert to Abraham’s YAH-ordained patriarchal and polygynous family structure, she remained loyal to her slave heritage – and raised her son accordingly. [Was this the gratitude Sarah deserved for sharing her husband with her handmaid?]
Notice that when Hagar finally fled from Sarah’s indignation, the angel of YAH sent to comfort her did not agree with, nor confirm her stand for mandatory monogamy. Instead, he told her to return and submit to her ‘mistress’ – the HEAD wife, Sarah. Hagar returned, but refused to submit.
The enduring rift between Isaac and Ishmael; between Israelites and Arabs; between the Torah and the Qur’an, is the devastating result.
RESTORATION
According to the scriptures, the sun, moon and stars typify the family. It is written, “He gave the lesser light to rule the NIGHT.” I am fully persuaded that every foul spirit of darkness that would keep this controversy boiling will soon end up where they belong: under the feet of the daughters of Abraham! HalleluYAH!!
We are now living in the age when the prophecy of YeshaYahu (Isaiah) concerning seven women taking hold of one man must be fulfilled; especially among Hebrew Israelites (“African-Americans”/”blacks”) – if for no other reason than as a matter of sheer survival!
The truth is the same today as it’s always been. When a righteous woman is filled with the Holy Spirit, her natural desire is to be a wife and mother with only one man. But often times, due to dire circumstances, the Spirit will lead a married Israelite man to take on an additional wife. And, contrary to popular worldly and even ‘religious’ opinions, not so much for his sake, but for her sake. Sélah.
For example, in most societies, including America, it often comes down to basic arithmetic – women simply outnumber men. And when you add to that the huge, disproportionate number of Israelite men in prison, the problem for our people becomes even more acute. In many instances, unmarried women, many of them with children, who need a strong man of YAH, are called to plural marriage by necessity. For these causes, the Ruakh (Spirit) leads men and women in different ways for the overall benefit of the family, the community, and the Kingdom.
In the final analysis, the Truth of the matter is, the Babylonian/Greco-Roman doctrine and pseudo-practice of ‘mandatory monogamy’ is a manifestation of the spirit of Jezebel…
Nevertheless, take heart, children of YAH! For just as the ministry of EliYahu (Elijah) overcame the spirit of rebellion in Ekhab and Isabel (Ahab and Jezebel); and the spirit of Elijah in Yehochanan (John the Baptist) did the same to prepare the way for Mashiach; so the spirit of Jezebel slandering the Kingdom order of family in our generation will be overcome – through YAH’s true shalachim v’nabim (apostles and prophets). HalleluYAH!!
Hear O Yisrael – true Messianic polygyny is not only acceptable in the Beloved, it is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled!
It is written, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of YHWH your Elohim, that has dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.” (Yo’el [Joel] 2:25,26). Behold, the hour is at hand…
Rejoice all you holy ones, and be glad! For YAH has chosen to restore Kingdom order to the lost/found Messianic Israelite Commonwealth in our own generation… Including the divine polygynous family order of our father Abraham – the fulfillment of the Great Promise – and the glorious Kingdom Shalom that shall most assuredly be the result!
Shalom Aleichem!
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