Ronald Weinland

Husbands “Ruling Over”
The next area of prominence concerns what God stated to Eve as part of the result – curse – of her sin: “He (God) said unto the woman, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception. In sorrow you shall bring forth children, and your desire (longing for) will be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Gen. 3:16). This is not the “way” the family was created to be. It was not part of God’s purpose that in order for true blessing to be upon the family that the man (husband) should “rule over” the woman (wife). Instead, they were originally created to be “side by side” in spiritual function ­– in unity with God (agreement with God’s ways), and therefore, in unity with each other in all pursuits of life and family. In this, God did establish order (government) that was to exist in the family as “the way” (God’s way) that family should function, but it was not that the husband should “rule over” the wife.

Sin changed everything concerning God’s original purpose for family. It produced self-will and selfishness and a distortion in “right thinking” where lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (deciding for oneself what is right and what is wrong – what is best for self – living by one’s own ways) led them into spiritual bondage. They started to become enslaved by “their own” reasoning and no longer in control of life (in control of their mind) to exercise unity and oneness with God.

In essence, what God told Eve was part of a curse – that the man would “rule over” her. Men have tended to take this as a matter of pride, authority given by God, and of even being superior to women. All three of these are a perversion and a lie concerning what is actually true. Man is filled with pride (lifted up believing he is right in how he thinks toward and treats women, and even a wife), but that is deeply perverted. Men are not superior to women. The greatest lie and perversion in all this is that men were not given authority to “rule over” the women from that beginning. Instead, it was just a natural result of sin! So Judaism, Islam, and traditional Christianity have all confused and distorted the true role of men and women, especially in marriage and family. There are things God has allowed in marriage and family from the beginning (such as multiple wives, divorce, etc.) because of this selfish human nature ­– the hardness of heart – of an unnatural mind (in thinking and reasoning) that developed after Adam and Eve had sinned. It is that mind that needs God’s healing.

As time moved forward through the next few thousand years, God progressively revealed more and more to mankind concerning truth and His will for the family. He has been leading mankind back to His purpose for family that was offered Adam and Eve in the beginning.

By the time the Church was established, God began to reveal more through the apostles about the importance of having one wife, yet that standard had already been set in the Levitical priesthood long before. Such is given in instruction regarding ordinations. In addition, instruction given in regard to marriage was given in the context of one wife. The apostles began to teach more about a husband’s right spiritual mindset toward his wife and of the wife’s toward her husband. This was all within the context in what was yet (still) an exceedingly dominated male society during that time. So God took a great step forward with His Church, in working with corrupted minds, by working with men and women in their current state (condition), in the best manner possible, while they (people in the Church) still had to live in this world – a world of man’s self-rule and Satan’s world.

When the Church was only beginning, it was not yet “time” to deliver the family out of bondage. Deliverance out of bondage was not yet possible due to the conditions of the world and society in general. It was enough that people would battle conditions (the world) of not working on God’s Sabbaths and that they would live a life so completely different than the world around them as they sought to live by the Ten Commandments. Now we have come to these things beginning to be addressed within the Church because the “time” to deliver the family, and to far more fully lead it out of bondage, is nearly here as the Millennium is just before us.

So within the Church and through the apostles who taught and wrote scripture, God began to give more knowledge (spiritual) to the man (husband) and woman (wife) on how to live in unity with Him and each other. God was leading the Church to begin coming out from under the curse that mankind brought upon himself from the beginning – of the man “ruling over” the woman. God gave instruction on how to have a true “spiritual” relationship with Him by working on a true spiritual relationship with one another. God revealed that the man was to be the head of the wife (not to “rule over” her) in the physical structure of the marriage, but the administration of God’s government was to be spiritual in the relationship. This is the area where both men and women have been lacking in understanding in the spiritual administration of God’s ways in the family.

True Government vs. “Ruling Over”
In the account in which Eve is being told that due to their sin the husband would “rule over” the wife, God was not addressing the structure of order and government that was to be “in” the family. Rather, God was revealing that what would now follow was a negative and unrighteous rule (dominion and wrong exercise of power) of husbands over wives. As a result of man’s sins (rejection of God’s ways), husbands would now (by nature) misuse their power of masculinity (natural male presence) in a controlling manner that is rashly and harshly administered (though they cannot see it as such). It would be a “domineering,” controlling, and selfish approach that is coupled with a superior (pride-filled) spirit.

Over the years, the Church has come to refer to such a wrong approach practiced by any in the ministry as “sheriffing.” That same spirit and all that it embodies is what is practiced by governments (oppressive Assyria), business, and in the very core of society itself – the family. Sheriffing is the spirit of Assyria that is manifested by oppressive selfishness (power and greed), controlling, and authoritarian (harsh, superior, and highly self-protective spirit) administration of government.

In the beginning, God did establish how a family should function, which involves “order” – in order to accomplish “unified goals” and work to eliminate friction, division, and/or confusion. That “order” was the means by which God’s government was to be administered in the family (His ways that govern life and relationships). The curse that God revealed was simply the natural result of man going “his own way” as a consequence of rejecting God’s way. By rejecting God’s way they became cut-off from “the way” that produces fulfilled, happy, and highly rewarding and productive marriages and families. Rejection of God’s way results in being cut-off from God’s spirit that can otherwise activate the true administration of God’s government (ways) in love (agape) in human life.

God’s laws, ways, and government are all based upon unselfish and fully “giving” love (agape – God’s love). This is impossible for man to live and administer in life because that love is the product of God’s spirit alone. So within the Church, amongst those whom God has called for Him and His Son to dwell in, God’s people are to become transformed in mind, heart, and thinking. Then and only then can people begin to experience and administer God’s love in their life. Only then can a husband and/or wife begin to “see” how marital and family life are to be lived. Yet even then, the struggle to change is a very great battle because of not only fighting one’s own selfish nature, but also fighting against the pulls and ways of this world, and fighting against the spirit and attitudes that are broadcasted from an evil spirit world.

Now those conditions for mankind are about to change. Satan and his demons are about to be completely removed from the presence of mankind. The world will be changed with Christ’s rule being established over all nations and the establishment of the one true Church – with full access to the knowledge of the One Eternal God. It is because of where we are in time that God is leading His Church (first) to “see” the greater picture of the true depth of family structure and of meaningful and deeply rewarding marriages. These things are about to begin to be “restored” to mankind. That process has now been at work “within the Church” since these truths began to be revealed in this end-time.

From the beginning, God did establish that mankind would have government (order) in the family. It was as Paul revealed to the Church that the husband was to be the head of the wife. For 6,000 years, God’s government for the family has been based on this structure (order). This was the means whereby God could bless and lead families – those whom He had called. Yet God knew what mankind would do from the beginning – rejecting Him and His ways. God knew the struggles and hardships that would come upon marriage and family life. So God purposed for His people (those whom He would call), during this “time of man,” that they strive to live by the best possible structure for marriage and family in the midst of a perverse, disobedient, and highly dominated male society.

God structured marriage and family-life to be governed in a specific manner during the age of man’s self-rule. Once God’s rule has been established upon the Messiah’s reign, far more depth of purpose in marriage and family will be experienced with spiritual blessings through the powerful working of His spirit that will be poured out upon mankind. People will be brought to see and taught to live by a greater depth of spiritual purpose in marriage and family – as such structure and purpose is “spiritual” – fully of God’s spirit. As God pours out far greater abundance and access to the power of His spirit (His life) to work in (transform) human life, marriage and family will be brought out of spiritual bondage. Husbands and wives will be brought to “see,” know, and live what it means to share life (side by side) in unity of spirit with one another; likewise, at that time, they will be far more fully enabled to do so toward God also.

God has revealed that now and on into the Millennium, the “basic” structure for family will still be the husband as the head of the wife. Yet even now, God has already begun to reveal that His structure of government in the family is “fully spiritual,” and it is to be administered spiritually. Ordination of women magnifies the true administration of how God’s government is to work (function) within the Church and within the family. The structure for government in the Church is by ordination, and it is to always be administered spiritually. Within the Church, there is an order of structure for the “administration” of God’s ways. Most are familiar with that structure as it currently begins with an elder, then evangelist, prophet, and then an apostle.

God’s people are coming to more clearly “see” that the administration of God’s ways (government, laws, etc.) are spiritual in how they are to be practiced and lived within the Church and within the family. Ordination also reveals the way (or flow) of how God’s spirit can (and does) change the order of God’s government, not only in the Church, but also in a family. An individual who is ordained from a sr. elder to an evangelist affects the way (the flow, the order) of how God’s spirit works (administers God’s ways) within the Church. Any other raise in ordination does likewise. The same is true in a family. If a wife in a family is ordained to an elder (and the husband is not), this affects the way – the flow – the order – of how God’s spirit works (administers God’s ways) within the family. In the very near future, sermons will be given and booklets written that expound upon this principle, just as such has happened in times past utilizing the guidelines given by Paul to husbands and wives.

Through the 53rd Truth, in which God revealed how that women could now be ordained into the ministry of His Church, God has also more fully opened “the way” for the removal of the curse that has been upon women from the beginning. This great truth alone reveals so much more about “the spirit” of marriage that will produce a much closer relationship within families and with God throughout the Millennium.

A Faithful Relationship
There is yet one additional area of prominence that stands side by side with the two already mentioned that produces a negative and damaging result upon the strength, stability, joys, and fullness of what family life should be. This brings us full circle back to what has been discussed earlier on this topic concerning how sin leads to such a distortion in thinking and reasoning regarding the matter of sex.

God told Eve that her desire (longing for) as a wife would be for her husband. This has been partially addressed in how a wife desires and longs for her husband to “share in” more of their life together. This is especially true concerning her desire for him to share (give more unselfishly of himself) in more of the work and time spent (involved) that is needed to build a stronger marriage and family. Yet there is another “longing” that is all too typical in marriage, which is the longing for assurance, confidence, and trust in a “faithful relationship” in marriage.

This goes back to how a man is created and the “power” and responsibility God placed on the right use of that power. The less God and His authority is in the picture (which is basically null today), the more this power is abused. A wife is suspicious, senses, and/or knows of betrayal in what should always be a faithful relationship between a husband and wife. It can begin as simply as an undisciplined and uncaring (lack of concern that the wife sees or is hurt by) turn of the head to “look upon” another woman. Obviously, such lack of discipline and love leads to much worse. That is only a small symptom of something far more likely and dangerous to marriage.

It should go without saying. A woman, a wife, desires deeply the faithfulness of her husband – that he cherish, admire, respect, uphold, defend, protect, provide, and deeply love her in total fidelity. Yet today we live in a world of vast technology where music, TV, movies, and many other forms of entertainment teach, promote, and strive to “normalize” conditions of promiscuity, adultery, fornication, sexual perversion, cheating, broken homes, multiple marriages, etc. In all this, men are basically quite ignorant of the deep desires, needs, and longings of women. If you asked a man about such a thing, his mind would likely first go to thinking that such a question was about (in regards to) sex, when that is likely the last thing that would come to a woman’s mind about such a question.

God spoke of Judah concerning this spirit of unfaithfulness as it relates to their relationship with Him and to one another. This spirit is revealed and becomes highly visible in how men become “unfaithful” the more that they (men) turn away from God and fail to “teach” and “live” God’s way in the family.

“How shall I pardon you for all this? Your children have forsaken me and have given their oaths to those who are not God. When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ house (both literal unfaithfulness physically, and in the worship of false god’s). They were as horses that were well fed in the morning with every one neighing after his neighbor’s wife” (Jer. 5:7-8).

This is very descriptive of today’s society that is now far worse than any other time in man’s history in the practice of infidelity, sexual promiscuity, and trafficking of sexual immorality due to the easy means of doing so in such an age of technology. The stability and structure of family is at an all-time low in all human history. The “family” is in great crisis and deep in spiritual bondage.

True Freedom
That which mankind can now do physically by destroying all life on earth many times over, he has also been doing spiritually by his rejection of God’s ways – completely destroying the true beauty of what family was intended to be from the beginning. Indeed, only by God’s intervention at this end-time can life be saved and family be “restored” and fully saved out of the spiritual bondage to which it has become enslaved.

Within the Church, God has begun the process whereby He is leading the family back into a relationship that was intended to be lived and experienced from the beginning. That deliverance began first by God lifting the curse upon women through His truth and then the ability to “live it.” That will be done, as it is now being done in His Church, through the power of God’s spirit being poured out upon all mankind, along with the establishment of Jesus Christ reigning over all government and God’s true Church throughout all the earth. Thank God that day is fast approaching!

[This completes the series on “Family.” For additional information on some of this subject, you can read the post “Women and the Curse” dated January 15, 2010. There will be a pause in posts until after the Feast.]