The Closing Age of Grace: Last Chance Not Only for Believers

From a prophetic standpoint, the Age of Grace (or the Dispensation of Grace, as Clarence Larkin calls it) appears to be coming to a close.  For unbelievers, this means that there is little time left to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and receive the gift of eternal life (For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16).

But the closing of the Age of Grace has significant ramifications for believers, too.  The fear of the Lord should be upon us.  If we need to repent for sins that we have committed in the body, we should do so.  If we are not allowing the Lord to work through us, we should do so.  God is a God of love, but He is also a God of judgment.  Unfortunately, we don’t hear much about that these days.

Scripture tells us that all believers will stand before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad

Romans 14:10: we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

The only difference between those who have already died in Christ — and those of us who will be raptured when Jesus meets us in a cloud in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) — is that we will be fortunate enough to avoid the sting of death.  But all of our works will undergo the test of fire at the judgment seat.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15:  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 

I confess that the thought of standing before the Lord tomorrow sobers me.  I already know that many of my works will not withstand the test of fire.  The late Pastor Gary Whipple, who preached about Kingdom truths for believers, once said that he believed that most of us will have a combination of works.  That brings me great comfort.

We always want to think that we have more time.  But do we?  If you do not believe in Jesus Christ, I pray that you will accept him as your Savior right now.  If you are a believer, I pray that you (and I) will allow Christ Jesus to work through us every moment that we have left on this fallen earth.

While there are many professed believers who promise me that I can have my best life now, or that I need to find my purpose, I pray that I will have a little more time to die to self-will and allow the Lord to perform His great works through me.

Illuminating The Outer Darkness

I’ve written about outer darkness before, but while researching a completely different topic, I stumbled upon Unger’s definition of darkness, which includes being a symbol in Scripture of ignorance and spiritual blindness.¹

In this post I discuss why I do not believe that outer darkness is hell, but is a place for believers — whose works do not withstand the test of fire at the judgment seat of Christ — during Christ’s thousand-year reign in His Millennial Kingdom.  These believers do not lose eternal life, but will spend those one thousand years being on the outside and looking in on the Kingdom (for more on this, read Jim Harman’s book The Kingdom).

  

If a believer’s ignorance and spiritual blindness were revealed at the judgment seat of Christ, it would certainly explain the weeping and gnashing of teeth that are mentioned in the three Bible passages that describe the outer darkness (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).

In Matthew 8:12, Jesus says:

But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Would Jesus describe unbelievers as children of the kingdom?  One could argue that He was referring to the Jewish people in Israel, who were presented with His offer of the kingdom, but refused it.  The context of this passage is the great faith of the centurion.  Matthew Henry writes: “But when the Son of man comes he finds little faith, therefore he finds little fruit.  An outward profession may cause us to be called children of the kingdom; but if we rest in that, and have nothing else to show, we shall be cast out.”

The only time the phrase “children of the kingdom” is mentioned again is Matthew 13:38, Jesus’ parable of the sower:

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one (emphasis mine).

In this passage, the children of the kingdom are clearly believers. 

The next parable where Jesus mentions outer darkness is the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:13).  Henry writes that the “doom of the guest that had not the wedding-garment, the danger of hypocrisy in the profession of Christianity.”

Outer darkness is mentioned a third time in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:30).  Of this parable, Henry writes: “1. The Master is Christ, who is the absolute Owner and Proprietor of all persons and things, and in a special manner of his church; into his hands all things are delivered. 2. The servants are Christians, his own servants, so they are called; born in his house, bought with his money, devoted to his praise, and employed in his work.”  In his commentary, David Guzik writes: “…our readiness for Jesus’ return is determined by our stewardship of the resources that He has given us.”  Ray Stedman refers to Matthew 25 (and 24) as “instructions to the believing remnant on what to do until he comes again.”

To those who believe that outer darkness is hell, how is it possible for believers to be sent there?  That would mean that the gift of salvation (of the spirit) could be lost. 

Scripture does not say that the gift of eternal life can be taken away from a believer.  What Scripture does say is that believers can lose rewards based on their works while in the body (1 Corinthians 3:14-15, 2 Corinthians 5:10).  I believe this includes the reward of ruling and reigning with Christ during His Millennial Kingdom.  

I urge you to read Harman’s book.  It will open your eyes to all of this — and time is running short.

1. Merril F. Unger and R.K. Harris, ed.  The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary  (Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1988),179-180.

The Return of the Jewish Messiah

I am Jewish by birth and attended Sunday school at a synagogue until I was a teenager.  But it wasn’t until many years after becoming a believer that I learned that Jesus was Jewish.  This knowledge was the beginning of an incredible journey to understand His (and my) Hebrew roots.

I often wondered why the Jewish leaders did not recognize Jesus as their Messiah.  They dutifully and rigorously studied the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), most likely on a daily basis.  They knew about the writings of the prophets (while there was no collection of these books yet, the various texts were read as separate scrolls).¹  So how could they have missed it?

Believers today are fortunate to have knowledge from both the Old and New Testaments.  We can look back and clearly see how Jesus fulfilled Scriptural prophecies during His first advent on earth.  We have the advantage of having the full picture and of knowing exactly what we are looking for. 

The Jewish people were looking for Christ too, but I think their preconceived beliefs about who the Messiah was — and the role He would play — kept them from seeing the entire story.  When you explore both early and later Jewish beliefs, however, the parallels are amazing.

The Jewish people held the belief that there would be a future Messianic period, which would bring salvation to the Jewish people and to the whole world.  Their hope was for a future king who would redeem Israel and establish the kingdom of God on earth.²

In apocalyptic literature of the last two centuries B.C.E., the Messiah is described as a powerful warrior and ruler.  He was also described as a supernatural being who existed from the beginning of days and was close to God; designated as the “son of man” or as “My son.”  He is also sometimes described as an angelic being whose existence antedated the creation of the world, just waiting for the right time to reveal Himself and assume His seat of glory.  At that time He will dispense justice to all the inhabitants of the earth.²

The Jewish people also had a double concept of the Messiah: One Messiah was the son of Joseph, and another Messiah was the son of David.  They came to associate the figure of their Messiah with King David or a descendant of King David.  This idealized version of the Messiah fueled their expectation of a mighty warrior and king — and they were correct — but this will not be fulfilled until Christ Jesus’ second advent. 

When Jesus read from Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21) he stopped at the comma in the middle of passage:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

The Jewish leaders had no idea that the remaining part of that passage (and the day of vengeance of our God;) would be fulfilled at a future time. 

The idea of a Messiah’s supernatural birth, earthly suffering, and death to atone for sin and bring salvation to those who believe in Him was inconceivable to many Jews during the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry.  It is not so surprising when you consider that even those who were closest to him — his disciples — did not fully understand this for themselves until Jesus appeared to them after He was crucified.  

Jesus’ resurrection was certainly beyond the realm of understanding of the Sadducees, who did not believe in resurrection.  It was also beyond their level of comprehension that a Messiah could come first as a suffering servant, be raised from the dead, and return to earth once again as king.

The Jewish people looked to the Messianic era (yemoth hamashiah, which literally means “days of the Messiah”) as a period of redemption to be ushered in and ruled over by the Messiah.  It is a time that marks the return of the people of Israel to the land of Israel. 

Interestingly, the “days of the Messiah” are different from the “world to come,” which will usher in resurrection and the judgment and the reign of God.   Later Jewish writings suggest that the Messianic era was postponed due to sin and will be preceded by social and political problems, extreme poverty, heresy, and wars, including the wars of Gog and Magog.  Jewish writers during the Middle Ages pointed to a new Jerusalem and a time of perfection.²

A more contemporary parallel to what we see with “kingdom now” believers is a platform that was established by American rabbis in 1937.  They stated that their historical task is to “cooperate with all men in the establishment of the Kingdom of God, of universal brotherhood, justice, truth and peace on earth.”² 

Issac Landman, an American reformed rabbi, educator, and prolific author who lived from 1880 to 1946 and edited the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, wrote that “The hope for a future king who will redeem Israel and establish the kingdom of God upon earth is not expressly found either in the Biblical or in the Apocryphal writings.”  

Believers know that there are Bible passages that speak to Jesus’ return to earth as King and reigning upon David’s throne (Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 1:31-33, Psalms 132:11, the tenth chapter of Zechariah, and the eleventh chapter of Romans, to name a few).  But we have the power of the Holy Spirit, which reveals to us the mysteries of the Kingdom within Scripture.

It is impossible for unbelievers to understand these mysteries (some believers are blind to them as well).  God opened my eyes when I asked Him to show me that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and our future King.  If you happen to be of the Jewish faith, I pray that you will ask God to open your eyes too. 

 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7)

1. Jones, Barry A (2000). "Canon of the Old Testament." David Noel Freedman. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans.

2.  The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia.  Isaac Landman, Ed.

Dividing, Selecting, and Electing

 

Tom Bradford speaks of God’s pattern of dividing, selecting, and electing in Scripture.  He runs a wonderful website called Torah Class, which offers free lessons on the first five books of the Bible.  It provides bible studies and Scripture research for Christians, Messianic Jews, and all seekers of truth. 

This spurred me to find examples in Scripture where God divides, selects, and elects:

• Enoch is credited for walking faithfully with God and God removes him from the earth prior to the flood, which is a type of the rapture of the saints before the tribulation.
• God tells Noah to build an ark and enter it and thus only eight souls are saved from the flood (1 Peter 3:20, KJV), which is a type of the 144,000 who will be sealed and preserved through the tribulation.
• Abraham is told to separate from his people and his country to go to the land of Canaan. But Abraham never actually occupies the land flowing of milk and honey, which is promised to his descendents.
• God leads Lot and his two daughters out of Sodom and Gomorrah before its total destruction, which is an example of the danger of being yoked with unbelievers.
• Moses is told to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 12:37 tells us they eventually numbered 600,000), yet only Joshua and Caleb are allowed to enter the promised land.

I know that many have been led to believe that when Christ Jesus returns all believers will be rewarded equally in His Kingdom. But I believe that God’s pattern of dividing, selecting, and electing in Scripture tells us otherwise.

Ears to Hear

I was listening to an audio version of Leviticus 14 today and was struck by verse 17:

 And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering.

Leviticus is rich with symbolism and this passage made me wonder about the symbolism of the ear.  Walter W. Wilson writes that the ear is a type concerning the consecrated hearing of the believer.  An ear that is touched by oil now only hears God’s Word and is to refuse the call of all other leaders.  In his commentary, David Guzik states that the right ear was chosen because that side was considered to be superior and have more strength and skill.  Most people were right-handed and God wanted their best to be dedicated to him.

I believe it is Pastor Royce Powell who says that whenever Scripture uses the phrase “ears to hear” we need to listen carefully.  The first use of this expression is in Deuteronomy 29:1-4 (emphasis is mine).

 ¹These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.  ²And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;  ³The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:  ⁴Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. 

Jesus uses a phrase similar to “he who hath ears to hear, let him hear” three times in Matthew, three times in Mark, and twice in Luke.  Most of the time, He is speaking in parables.  When the disciples asked Him why He spoke in parables, He replied:

Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.  ¹²For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.  ¹³Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  ¹⁴And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:  ¹⁵For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  ¹⁶But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. (Matthew 13:11-16)

When Jesus first came to offer His Kingdom, Israel shut up their ears, which is prophesied in Ezekiel 12:1-2:

 

 ¹The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,  ²Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. 

Unless believers have eyes to see and ears to hear, I fear that history will repeat itself when Jesus appears a second time.

Judgment Day

Judgment day is coming and I am not talking about those who are unsaved, as one might expect.  No, judgment day is coming for all Christians when we will stand before the Lord and account for our works as believers.

Will our works withstand the test of fire as gold, silver, and precious stones or will they be burned up as wood, hay, and stubble?  Will we experience loss or receive rewards?

In his book, "He That Hath Ears," Gary T. Whipple writes that wood represents the world and hay is cut down grass, which represents the flesh. Stubble is an emblem of Satan. Gold is an emblem of deity (the Father), silver is an emblem of redemption (the Son), and precious stones are an emblem of power (the Holy Spirit).

Where does your heart lie?  
What motivates you each day?  
What idols have taken precedence over your life?  
Whom do you toil for?
Whose will are you following?  

I ask these questions knowing full well that I often fall short on many accounts.  Some days I am a wise virgin.  Other days I foolishly neglect to stock up on oil.  Or remain cautiously silent when I should be shouting "People get ready... Jesus is coming."

Time is short.  What shall we do with it?  

Seek first His kingdom.

Are You Ready for Christ’s Return?

We can rejoice in the knowledge that the Lord will return for His bride! We do not know when that glorious day will be, but Scripture tells us that Christ’s return will occur when the world least expects it (Matthew 24:44). 

While the bridegroom is away, the bride makes herself ready by studying His Word and eagerly anticipating His appearing. She also busies herself with whatever work the Lord has entrusted to her, which is portrayed in the parable of the ten minas or pounds.

Luke 19:12-13: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

The man of noble birth is Jesus, and he is currently sitting at the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19, Acts 7:56, Hebrews 1:13, 1 Peter 3:22). He is interceding on our behalf as our High Priest until that wonderful day when He will return in the clouds and believers will be caught up with Him in the air
(1 Thessalonians 4:17).
 
Luke 19:14-15: “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’ “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

I believe these verses are referring to the time after the rapture, when all believers will appear before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ to be judged for their works (2 Corinthians 5:10). While our eternal security is firmly assured, we will either experience loss or receive rewards (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). 

Luke 19:16-19: “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’ “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’ “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

From these passages, it appears that believers whose works withstand the test of fire (see older posts on salvation of the soul and loss of salvation of the soul) will receive positions of authority — in direct apportion to their works — when Christ Jesus returns to earth to establish His millennial kingdom.

Luke 19: 20-27: “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’ “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’ “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”

The earlier passages describe rewards, while this one points to loss at the judgment seat of Christ. There is a similar parable in Matthew 25 about the servant who was given one talent and did nothing with it, which reveals more about loss. Jesus says in Matthew 25:30:

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Many assume that this passage, and the two other passages in Scripture that speak of outer darkness (Matthew 8:12 and Matthew 22:11-13), refer to unbelievers and hell. Outer darkness is a topic on its own, and one that deserves much greater discussion. I will preface that future discussion by stating that I do not believe that Jesus is talking about unbelievers in this parable. 

In both parables, Jesus entrusts His servants with the means by which they are to work for Him (minas and talents). 

Would Jesus entrust an unbeliever to do His work?

Is Your Lamp Lit?

In Old Testament times, people used lamps made from small clay saucers that were filled with olive oil.  These lamps typically had a single wick that provided illumination when lit.¹  Prior to a Jewish wedding ceremony, a bridegroom would leave his house and travel to the house of his bride.  This was a celebratory procession that included the groomsmen, musicians and singers, and people holding lamps.^1,2 

Lamps and oil also have symbolic meanings in Scripture:¹  

• Leviticus 8:10-13:  ¹⁰And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.  ¹¹And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.  ¹²And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.  ¹³And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the LORD commanded Moses.

• 1 Samuel 10:1: Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

• 1 Samuel 10:6: And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

• 1 Samuel 16:13: Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.

These Old Testament passages tell us that oil is symbolic of receiving the Holy Spirit.¹  Now see what Scripture tells us about lamps.

• 2 Samuel 22:29: For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.  

• Psalm 119:105: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

These passages tell us that a lamp is symbolic of God’s Word. 

The importance of having oil

Jesus often spoke in parables, a style of teaching that was very common among Jewish rabbis who lived during his time.³  When the disciples asked why He spoke in parables, Jesus said in Matthew 13:11 (NIV):  "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 

Knowing that the Word of God is a lamp, and that the Holy Spirit is the oil that keeps a lamp burning, helps us understand the meaning of Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins. 

Matthew 25:1 tells us: Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  The bridegroom, of course, is Christ Jesus. 

In Matthew 25:3, we learn that the foolish virgins took their lamps, and took no oil with them.  The other five virgins were called wise because they took oil in their vessels with their lamps (Matthew 25:4). 

Then something happened to all the virgins: While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept (Matthew 25:5).  It is my opinion that this parable describes many believers who are sleeping today because they are not eagerly anticipating the Lord’s return. 

Yes, the virgins are believers!

Mathew 25:3-4 states: ³They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: ⁴But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  These passages say that the five foolish virgins did not take any oil.  They do not say that they did not have any oil to begin with (the Amplified Bible reads that they did not take any [extra oil]).  It would be impossible for the five foolish virgins to take something they did not already have. 

The five foolish virgins clearly understand the importance of having oil — and the consequences of being unprepared.  Matthew 25:8 reads: The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'  This is an important distinction because many assume that the five foolish virgins are unbelievers.  But if they were unbelievers, they could never have had any oil (the Holy Spirit) to begin with!

If you have doubts about this, do a word search using the terms “harlot” and “virgins” to see what Scripture says about both.  Never rely on man’s interpretations because humans (myself included, and may God forgive me if I ever err here) are fallible.  Always use Scripture to interpret Scripture, praying for guidance and wisdom.

When the Lord returns

In Matthew 25:6, Jesus says: And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  According to Jewish tradition, the friends of the bridegroom usually traveled at night to bring the bride and her bridesmaids to the home of the bridegroom. 

This was a celebratory procession marked by the shout of the bridegroom: "Behold the bridegroom cometh!" (see Jeremiah 7:34; Revelation 18:23).  The procession occurred at night so that those who worked during the day could attend.⁴  It was also customary for the bridal procession to carry lamps with them. 

When the cry went out, Matthew 25:7 tells us that Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  But something tragic happened to the five foolish virgins when they were on their way to buy oil.  Matthew 25:10 warns us about it: And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Sadly, when the foolish virgins shout for the bridegroom to open the door in Matthew 25:11, saying Lord, Lord, open to us (and if they were unbelievers why would they call the bridegroom Lord?), he tells them, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. (Matthew 25:12).

References: 1. Merril F. Unger and R.K. Harris, ed.  The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary  (Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1988), 253, 753, 818, 819, 937.  2.  Alfred Edersheim.  Sketches of Jewish Social Life.  (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.,1994), 143.  3.  Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg.  Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus.  (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009) 30.  4.  Eager GB.  “Marriage.”  The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.  Orr J, ed.  http://www.searchgodsword.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?action=Lookup&word=marriage&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=Lookup.  Accessed June 17, 2010.