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Exodus 20:14 KJV

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

According to the letter of the law, this scripture pertains only to physical intimacy between married people.  Jesus, however, taught us to look beyond the letter of the law and see the heart of the God who gave it.  He taught that “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:28).”  By using the word “whosoever,” Jesus expanded it to include both married and unmarried (thus including fornication as well as adultery).  By using the words “with her,” He also expanded the sin to include both parties.  He implied that the woman who is the object of lust could shoulder the same responsibility and therefore be guilty of adultery also.  In other words, if a woman dresses in a provocatively, she may find herself guilty of committing adultery several times during the same day.   By using the word “heart” and “looketh,” He also taught us that it has to do with intent of the heart.  We find, therefore, that there is much more to the commandments of God than what the law actually says.

We find, then, that God does not distinguish between emotional adultery (of the heart) and the physical act, nor does he differentiate between adultery and fornication.  We find that adultery can be both physical and emotional.  But what about spiritual adultery?  Why is there so little teaching concerning it?

We are taught that we must respect the authority a man has with his wife.  We must be very careful NOT to usurp his authority.  We must not force our authority over his wife because she belongs to him and he to her.  There is a holy union between the two.  To violate this authority is like committing adultery on a spiritual level.  As a result, we respect the dignity of every man’s wife and we are careful not to interfere in the husband/wife relationship.  We know that to interfere would be a violation of that union and invoke the anger and possible vengeance of a very jealous man.  But what about the Church?   Does not the Church belong to the Lamb?  What about His authority over the Church?  Has His authority over the Church been violated by men?

Ezekiel 16:31-34 KJV

31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;

32 But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!

33 They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.

34 And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.

God tells Israel that they have played the harlot but scorned payment.  She acted like a whore but had to hire her lovers.  So how did Israel commit adultery?   Since Israel is a nation, her adultery could not be physical or emotional (of the heart).  Her adultery could only be spiritual.

Israel committed spiritual adultery by building shrines for other gods in public places in open defiance to God.   Her sin was that she abandoned the authority of God and replaced it with one made by man.  Spiritual adultery is when we allow men and the shrines of men to interfere with or replace God’s authority in our lives.

The Great Whore

Revelation 17:4 KJV

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.

Rather than debate the exact identity of the great whore, I would like to use her description as an example.   Here, the whore is arrayed in the royal colors of the Bible.  She has the appearance of being the wife of God, but she is “full” of the sin of fornication.

Revelation 18:3 KJV

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

We learn in this scripture that her fornication is with the “kings of the earth.”  Just who are these kings of the earth? 

Revelation 1:5-6 KJV

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 5:10 KJV

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

We find here that the saints of the Most High are the kings of the earth (see also 1 Peter 2:5 and Revelation 21:24).

Revelation 19:7-8 KJV

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 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.

Yes, the Church belongs to God, or at least she is believed to be.  Is the Church submitted to the Lamb, clean and white, or has she submitted to other men and committed spiritual fornication with them?

When we survey the spiritual condition of the contemporary church, we do not find a bride “clean and white” submitted to Christ, but a great whore committing adultery with men.  Men have taken up the role as the heads of their congregations and are responsible for spiritual adultery.  Congregations are not encouraged or even allowed to follow the Lamb (the leading of the Spirit); instead, the preacher makes all decisions and orchestrates all meetings.  Everything with the contemporary church revolves around the preacher and “his” church rather than around of God.  Such control not only replaces Christ as the head, but it causes God’s people to look to him for their spiritual development rather than to God.  In allowing God’s people to do so, preachers usurp the authority of God.

Even worse, the church encourages this behavior just as a seductive woman encourages lust.  Churches encourage men to take over the role of the head of the body.  They finance “their” ministries, faithfully attend “their” services, and loyally support “them” as their king.  Like a lustful woman, the contemporary church has tempted and enticed devoted men to stray away from their loyalty to God and commit adultery with her. 

I find it interesting that in Revelation, the true bride is defined as follows:

Revelation 14:4 KJV

These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.

The true bride of the Lamb made up of “virgins” in that they have not committed adultery.  They are followers of “the Lamb,” because they have not replaced His authority with that of men and the shrines (ministries) of men.  

“Obey Them that have the Rule Over You…”

Hebrews 13:17 KJV

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

So what does it mean to “obey them that have the rule over you”?  We find the phase “rule over you” three times in the New Testament, all in the same chapter of the book of Hebrews.  They are as follows:

Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24 KJV

7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

24 Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.

Have you ever wondered about these verses?  Set aside for a moment that the word actually means “to go before, and thus to lead or guide.”  The word can also be used to convey a sense of ruling and governing.  We don’t know what the author had in mind, so let’s consider these verses as if the author intended the use of the word to be “to rule.”

Many pastors point to this verse as a means of acquiring the control and obedience of their congregation.  But if the words, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves” applies to pastors, then we are in fact their slaves.  There can be no other interpretation.  A few decades back, during the “Charismatic Renewal,” a movement began that drew support from some who were involved in Covenant-based teaching and/or “Spiritual Authority” as taught by Watchmen Nee.  One of the names of this movement was “The Shepherd Movement.”  Churches that embraced this teaching used these scriptures from Hebrews to support the idea that congregations must submit to and obey their pastors without hesitation or question.  This led to having the pastor make or approve such decisions as who people could marry and what jobs they could accept.  That is, after all, what this scripture implies.  But was the author actually referring to pastors?  Who are “them that have the rule over you”?  When considering this scripture, why do preachers ignore all other spiritual gifts other then their own?

We find this reference only here in the final chapter of Hebrews.  We find no other reference in any of the epistles to the Gentiles implying that men should have such power over others in the Church.  Nor do we find it in the teachings of Jesus.  Why?

The True Rulers of the Church

The Church began on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God poured out upon the disciples of Jesus.  Jesus knew that He would not be present when His Church began, so He appointed twelve apostles who were to lay the foundation of His Church and establish New Testament doctrine.   He prayed the entire night before selecting them.  He then took them with Him and taught them by words and example for three and a half years.  Because of this, they were like no other men who lived before or since.  And to show His support for them, God went before them demonstrating His approval by the manifestation of His power (“God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” Hebrews 2:4).  These men were special.  They spoke and functioned with all the authority of Christ, and they were given to the Church to set in place its foundation.

1 Corinthians 3:10 KJV

According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I [the apostle Paul] have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

Revelation 21:14 KJV

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

These men established the doctrine of the New Testament through revelation.   Their writings became known as the New Testament scripture.  It serves as a basis for us to build our spiritual lives and to define how the Church is to operate.  So what about the scriptures in Hebrews? 

Who Were They to Obey?

First of all, like those to whom the epistle was written, the apostles were also Hebrew.  They were not scholars but unlearned men.  Consequently, they did not receive the same respect from the educated Jews (Pharisees and Sadducees, the lawyers and scribes, and other notable teachers), many of whom were leaders of the Church at Jerusalem.  Unlike the Gentiles, who gladly received the apostles’ word as gospel (i.e., “…ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.” Galatians 4:14, etc.), the Jews looked to their dead forefathers as their authority and sought to turn the New Testament into an extension of the Old Testament.  Unlike the Gentiles, who had only to gain by the New Testament, the Hebrews seemed to see only loss as the New Testament was being taught.  And the whole significance of their lives was tied to their understanding of Old Testament.  Consequently, they were not so willing to accept that a new covenant had come to supercede or to replace the old one.  The battle to minimize and dismiss much of the New Testament doctrine continued for decades.  Throughout the book of Acts, it was the Jews who consistently blocked and hampered the progress of the early Christians in much the same way they hammered away at the work of Christ (i.e., “But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.”  Acts 14:2, etc.).  This brings us back to the epistle of Hebrews.

The epistle of Hebrews was in many respects a rebuke to the believing Jews who sought to venerate the Old Testament, its law, and its customs.  It was not warmly received by those who still embraced the law.  Hebrews commands the believing Jews to obey the apostles above, and even when in conflict with, the law. 

How the Message of Obedience Has Become Twisted

Every scripture in the Bible that describes men having power or rule over the Church refers to “apostolic” authority, not the authority of pastors.  Peter clarifies this when he writes that elders were “among” the brethren, not “over” them.

1 Peter 5:1-3 KJV

1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

Paul confirms this when he writes about a bishop (i.e., elder or pastor): “For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God (1 Timothy 3:5)?”  He says that a bishop must be able to “rule his own house” if he is to “take care of the church of God.”  For his own home he is to “rule,” but when it comes to the church of God he is to “take care” of it.  Paul could have used the same word “rule” when it came to the church, but he did not.  He clearly meant that the church was not theirs to rule.

An example of the authority owned by the apostles is found in the epistle to the believers at Corinth.  Paul wrote to them saying, “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.  Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.  For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.  But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.  For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.  What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness (1 Corinthians 4:15-21)?”

Preachers have misconstrued apostolic power over the church as being their own.  They quote scriptures like the ones in Hebrews to support the control they exercise over the church.  Because these men are not consistent in their beliefs and teaching, and because the church has obeyed them, we find the church currently fragmented into various denominations and independent works.  The division that exists in the church today is not because of God, but because men (preachers) lust for the power and prestige of ruling over others.

Come out of Her my People…

Revelation 18:4 KJV

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

First, the reference here to “her plagues” is similar to the plagues that fell upon Egypt.  By holding God’s people captive, Egypt was usurping God’s authority over His people.  Israel was taking orders from Egypt instead of God.  Remember what God spoke to Egypt: “Let my people go, that they may serve me (Exodus 8:1).”

The plagues eventually caused Egypt to surrender its control over God’s people.  There is an interesting parallel here to the contemporary church.  Once again, the people are in bondage, only this time it is by its own choosing.  Before the plagues fell, a voice called out, just as it is calling out to us now.  Only this time, rather than saying, “Let My people go,” it is saying, “Come out of her, My people…”

The Washington Post (Sunday, June 4, 2006) recently published an article sub-titled: “Clergy-Less Living Room Services Seen as a Growing Trend.”  The following is a portion of that article:

“George Barna, a religion pollster, estimates that since 2000, more than 20 million Americans have begun exploring alternative forms of worship, including home churches, workplace ministries and online faith communities. Barna based that figure on surveys of the religious practices and attitudes of American adults that he has conducted over the past 25 years.

"These are people who are less interested in attending church than in being the church," said Barna, who became a home-churcher last year. The alternatives are attractive to those who want to deepen their relationships with God and one another, and they also suit Americans' growing taste for flexibility and control of their schedules, he said.

Although many Christians still participate in their old churches while trying out a new one, Barna predicts that over the next two decades, traditional churches will lose half their "market share" to these alternative start-ups.

His estimates far exceed the best guesses of home-church networks. The Orlando-based Dawn Ministries places the number of home churches in the United States in the tens of thousands, based partly on the size of online directories and attendance at home-church conferences.”

There is a growing movement among Christians to stop going to church (e.g., a place where men usurp God’s authority over His people and spiritual adultery occurs) and start becoming the Church (e.g., a people who allow Christ to be the head, and a bride who listens to and follows the Lamb – “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” Revelation 14:4).  It started slow, first by the dozens, and then the hundreds and the thousands.  Now people are abandoning traditional churches by the tens of thousands.  Christians everywhere are sensing the spiritual adultery they are involved in and deserting traditional churches.  As a result, magazines like Time and Newsweek and newspapers like the Washington Post are seeing the revolution that is taking place in the contemporary church.  Christians everywhere are hearing the cry of the Spirit, and they are “coming out of her.”

Conclusion

There is a determination by both pastors and their congregations to replace the authority of Christ with their own.  This is spiritual adultery.  Pastors tend to ignore scriptures like 1 Corinthians 12:28 (And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.) that places pastors toward the bottom of the list.  This list places other spiritual gifts above their own.  Instead they usurp all other authority to place themselves at the top, even the authority of Christ.  And the church, like a lustful harlot, is only too eager to allow it.  Pastors become so enamored by their self-appointed authority that most inevitably take apostolic authority as their own.

The contemporary church is a joke to the spiritual powers that rule this world.  They laugh at the sin that fills her, her lack of power, her ineffectiveness, her hypocrisy, and the division that fragments her.  The plight of the contemporary church is the direct result of her submission to men rather than to God.   She has chosen spiritual fornication above God’s authority and has become the product of her sin.

The contemporary church has largely abdicated her responsibility for evangelism.   This is because she does not know who to serve.  Because of her submission to man, she now is under the control of the flesh, which has no power to transform her or the world.  She has given herself to men who demand her compliance to their doctrines and to serving the needs of their ministries.   They have deceived her into believing that obedience to them is obedience to God.  Just as they are deceived into believing that by taking Christ’s place as head of the body they are performing a service to God.  As a result, she is fornicating with the “kings of the earth” who believe themselves to be the servants of God.

Revelation 18:9 KJV

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.

Consequently, sweeping reforms are in process in many churches.  There are drastic changes in formats as preachers try to give their meetings a more “home-style” touch, but these are just poor imitations of what the Spirit of God is doing in His people.  Preachers just don’t get it.  They are the problem, and people are tired of their spiritual fornication with them.

Pastors everywhere are scurrying to shore up the breach as they sense the mass exodus beginning to occur.  In some cases, attendance is flat and contributions have fallen off.  Other places are only a token of what they once were.  Babylon, the great whore, has fallen, and it is beginning to burn.  The plagues are about to come down.  The empires that men have created are about to be lost.  Right now the water is parted, and God’s people are flowing out.   They are leaving the sin of adultery and washing their robes in Christ’s blood.  They are leaving to “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.”

If the contemporary church is to become the bride of the Lamb it must stop looking to men as their spiritual head.  Also, preachers must do what one pastor recently told me that God told him: preachers must “give the Church back to God."

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