“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4: 5, 6.

In the closing scenes of earth’s history, the Sovereign of the universe, the Creator God, has declared that He will restore two sacred institutions that had their origin in the Garden of Eden. Here He pronounced all things “very good”, marriage and the Sabbath. (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:1-3). These are the twin institutions designed for the glory of God in the benefit of humanity. As the Creator joined the hands of the holy pair in wedlock in the Garden of Eden, saying, “A man shall “leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one” (Genesis 2:24), “He enunciated the law of marriage for all the children of Adam to the close of time. That which the Eternal Father Himself had pronounced good was the law of highest blessing and development for man.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing 63,64.

The family unit, the home, forms the very foundation of human society. God placed his blessing for the human society in the family. (Genesis 1:30). The society and nation are mainly the reflections of homes and families. Even the spiritual condition of the church can be traced back to the family – the home. The home is the heart of the society, the church and the nation. By inference, out of it (the home) come the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23). Thus it is no wonder that the devil has aimed his most fierce attacks at this sacred institution. What God has joined together let no man put asunder. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” John 10:10. Unfortunately, the enemy of souls has had more than a little success in this warfare. This poses a major dilemma for our homes, our churches, our communities, and ultimately our entire world, for “if the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalms 11:3).

“Like every other one of God’s good gifts entrusted to the keeping of humanity, marriage has been perverted by sin, but it is the purpose of the gospel to restore its purity and beauty.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing 64

The Sovereign of the universe foresaw this end time attack on families and He has provided His solution in the “Elijah Message” of Malachi 4:5-6.

“In both the Old and New Testaments, the marriage relation is employed to represent the tender and sacred union that exists between Christ and His people, the redeemed ones whom He has purchased at the cost of Calvary. ‘Fear not,’ He says; ‘thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of Hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.’ ‘Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord, for I am married unto you.’ Isaiah 54:4, 5; Jeremiah 3:14. In the ‘Song of Songs’ we hear the bride’s voice saying, ‘My Beloved is mine, and I among ten thousand,’ speaks to His chosen one, ‘Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee.’ (Song of Solomon 2:16; 5:10; 4:7).

“In later times Paul the apostle, writing to the Ephesian Christians, declares that the Lord has constituted the husband the head of the wife, to be her protector, the houseband, binding the members of the family together, even as Christ is the head of the church and the Saviour of the mystical body. Therefore he says, ‘As the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 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. So ought men to love their wives.’ (Ephesians 5:24-28).

“The grace of Christ, and this alone, can make this institution what God designed it should be—an agent for the blessing and uplifting of humanity. And thus the families of earth, in their unity and peace and love, may represent the family of heaven.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing 64-65.

Calling attention to this most sacred union of husband and wife, M.E.E.T. Ministry conducts an annual marriage retreat themed “Preserving the Sacred Circle”.  If your family life is falling apart or you just want to rekindle the flame, please visit our website http://www.meetministry.org/marriageretreat or call our offices today to register.

Dr. Thomas Jackson, Director