Tattoos and Body Piercing

It's obvious that tattoos and body piercing are a major fad these days.  Even among Christians this practice is very popular.  In fact, even pastors, evangelists, and other ministers of the gospel are doing it! It's become an epidemic!

The most common age for people to engage in this practice is eighteen to twenty-five years old.  But people of all ages are getting tattoos or body piercing, even parents and grandparents, as well as children. It may seem cool to some. Others may do it to rebel or because their friends are all doing it. Evidently they are just going along with the culture of the world. But many Christians do it because they feel it is a statement of their faith.

I'd like to ask the question whether it is right in the sight of God to get tattoos or body piercings.  With all these motives and reasons for doing it, we can't base our determination whether it is right or wrong on popular opinion or people's motives. We must go by what the Word of God says.

There are two Scriptures that immediately come to my mind.  The first one is that "You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD." (Lev 19:28).  The second one is this: "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." (1Co 3:16-17).

These two Scriptures alone should be plain enough for anyone to see that it's a sin to pierce your body or get a tattoo.  The very fact that it is written in God's Word should be sufficient to convince anyone. Yet these days there is very little regard for what the Bible says.  And if it comes from the Old Testament, then people disregard it all the more.  They claim that since we are not under law, we don't have to pay any attention to commandments of God written in the Old Testament. They claim that we are free in Christ to do this, and somehow they justify it as an expression of their faith in God.  However, we are not free to sin.

Moreover, Jesus and the apostles all taught about the Law and quoted the Old Testament  (Mat 5:17-22; 7:12; 22:40; 23:23; Luk 10:26,28; Luk 16:17; Jam 1:25; 2:8,9,11,12; 4:11; Eph 6:1-3; 1 Cor 7:19b; 9:7-9; 14:34,37; Rom 2:13)  During their days, that was the only Scripture that existed in written form on earth. And when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is, He answered by quoting from the Law.

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"

And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."  (Mat 22:36-40)

The first Scripture that Jesus quoted was from Deuteronomy 6:5. The second Scripture He quoted from was Leviticus 19:18. So the Lord Himself quoted from the Law, including the book of Leviticus.  In fact, He quoted from the same chapter in that book as I have quoted regarding tattoos. So we should not think that it's off limits for Christians to quote verses from these books of the Bible. These Scriptures are still profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. By quoting them, we are imitating Christ.

Paul said, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." (2Ti 3:16)

The Lord is eternal and does not change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb 13:8). His ways are still the same. What was morally evil in His sight 3,700 years ago is still evil today. It did not become good or right in His sight just because of the New Covenant. His ways are still holy, righteous, and good. They are still The Ways of Life, so I encourage you to read my article by that name at that link.

Tattoos Are an Occult Practice
If you don't believe that tattoos are a sin, based on what I have just presented to you, then you need to consider the fact that they are an occult practice. The word occult comes from a Latin word occultus, meaning hidden, secret, or mysterious. Occult practices include things like witchcraft, interpreting omens, tarrot cards, casting spells, palm reading, mind reading, sorcery (magic), spiritism, drugs, child sacrifice, and contacting the dead.  These things are an abomination in the sight of God (Deut 18:9-13).

By getting a tattoo, you are participating in an ancient, occult practice that most likely originated in connection with the ritual of scarification (as in scarring oneself by cutting the flesh) and bloodletting. You are opening up inlets for evil to enter! This is a pagan practice, people! If you are a Christian, you need to avoid having anything to do with that, no matter how innocent, fashionable, or spiritual it may appear to you.

If you have already gotten a tattoo, you will need to receive deliverance from the demons that have entered your life in association with it. For more on this, you should watch a video by brother David Williams, called Making an Agreement with the Devil. You could also read Tattoo: The Cup of Devils and Tattoo: The Mark of Blood, by Terry Watkins of Dial-the-Truth Ministries. 

One last thing I would like to mention are some divine revelations that the Lord has given on this topic recently, which clearly confirm His will on this matter.

James Agboola

In James Agboola's testimony about his revelation of hell he stated:

At a point, I now heard somebody call my name. He said, “James! Stop!” I now heard, “Stop!” It now seemed as if a man had just came from ground and put, and now hold my leg there. I now stop. I fold my hands. I bend my head, as somebody who was standing before the judge to be. And the voice now begin to speak to me in great pain. Jesus Christ speak to me in sadness. He was not happy. He speak to me with a sorrowful heart. He said, “James, you think that you cannot die, or you think you are too young to die. Look at you, but now you are dead. You are not on the planet earth again. You are dead. And where you belong is hellfire. If I should take you now, your place is hellfire because you have backslided from My Way. You have turned your back from My Way. And hell is where you belong. And that is hell that you are going.” He said, “James, do you hear the cry of people in hell?” I said, “Yes, sir.” He said, “Many of them are those who called themselves so-called ‘Christians’ like you. While on earth they claimed holiness and righteousness. But because of ‘little, little, little, little things, small, small, small things’, ‘it doesn’t matter.’” We have heard it here now: “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.” He said, “That is why many of them are in hell. And I hear them crying that now, they believe. They want to change. But it’s too late. It is too late.” He said, “James, when I created man, I created man in my own image. And my glory was upon him.” He said, “But my enemy, the devil, now added a lot of packaging, packaging of the glory I gave man, packaging of earring, necklace, attachments, all of them. God says, “My eye cannot behold it once anything artificial, artificial...” He said, “James, when I created women, did I put hole in their ear?” I said, “No.” He said, “How come I now saw them with hole in their ears?” He said, “James, when I created man, every part of their body that is supposed to have hole, did I not put hole there?” I said, “Yes.”  He said, “How come they now begin to put hole by themselves?” He said, “And once anything artificial has been added, no matter what it is, my face cannot look at them. My face cannot behold them.”

Samuel Oghenetega

In Samuel Oghenetega's testiomony he repeated the Lord's warnings:

Warning to those wearing artificial things: "Remove every artificial thing in your body, because 'Bimbo' Odukoya is in hell crying for mercy. But it is too late."

"Tell those who say, 'Fashion does not mean anything,' it means a lot of things to Me. They are joining to hell without them knowing. The Lord has spoken. Satan will use fashion to capture millions to hell. Do not put on anything artificial like wristwatches, artificial teeth, silver and gold, etc."

"Millions of people are tripping into hell. My Father’s house is empty. Few are there."

Warning to Those Getting Tattoos: "Do not put any marks of snakes or creatures in your body," which is tattoos.

Emmanuel Agyarko
Brother Emmanuel Agyarko testified about his vision of hell saying:

"I also saw a 17 year old American boy called Phillip. This boy had a spider tattoo on his back. He said his friend told him it would protect him from sickness. I then saw Lucifer pass by him mock him. This boy was in church and thought he was  going to heaven. Unfortunately this boy is in hell now because of the tattoo. Lucifer then said, 'All those who use tattoos, serve me.' I saw many other people in this section of hell, all because they have been tattooed on their bodies. I then saw Lucifer transform himself into a young man with many tattoos on his body, with body piercings and mocking them by quoting Lev 19:28 'Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.' In hell a red hot metal had been attached to the tattoo designs and they were in much pain. I saw one boy who said he did not know about the consequences, he had just imitated a friend doing it, so he also did same. However, this boy is also in hell in much pain for having a tattoo on his body."

Scripture Meditations

We must Remember the Eternal Law of God found in His Word. The Scriptures say:

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Gen 1:27, NIV).

"But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" (Romans 9:20, NIV)

"Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood!" (Isaiah 10:15)

"Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'The potter has no hands'?" (Isaiah 45:9)

"Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." (Isaiah 64:8)

“If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.” (Pr 28:9, NIV 1984)

"But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end." (Psa 102:27).

"I the Lord do not change." (Mal 3:6a).

"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." (Pr 28:13, NIV)

"Blessed is the one who always fears the Lord, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble." (Pr 28:14, NIV)

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  (Jas 1:27)

"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”  (Jas 4:4)

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”  (1Jn 2:15-16)

"Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (2 Cor 7:1, NIV)

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom 12:1-2)

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." (Heb 12:14, NIV).

Summing it Up
I don't advise anyone to get their body pierced or to get a tattoo, not even if it is one with a Christian theme.  This includes pierced earrings. Don't let the devil deceive you by telling you it's a small thing or that it doesn't matter. He is a liar. The Lord is clear in His Word about this, and He has emphasized through recent revelations his hatred for this evil practice.  People are in hell right now for committing these sins.

If you have already committed one or both of these sins, then stop treading the path of your heart's desire, repent with all your heart, and depart from these things. Remove your earrings and other body piercings.  Cover your tattoos.  Stop sinning. Cleanse yourself from these things (2 Tim 2:21). Seek deliverance from the demons that have entered your life through these inlets. Ask the Lord to forgive you and cleanse you in the blood of Jesus. These things are evil in the sight of God, and nobody who practices them will see God's face. Therefore, Ask for the Ancient Paths.

I hope the Lord will grant you repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth. I pray that you will come to your senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken you captive to do his will (2 Tim 2:25-26). I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received, and to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. If you don't know Jesus yet, then I invite you to repent and give your life to Him today. In the section below I'll tell you how (see Do You Want to Know Him?).

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.  The photos are in the public domain, including the ones of the cross tattoos and the Indian lady, which are courtesy of Wikipedia.

Author's note: Please prayerfully consider these testimonies, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to these people.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

You are invited to read The Ways of Life, Abominations in the Sight of God, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Vision of Hell by Emmanuel Agyarko, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetaga, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Separation from the World, Purge the Evil from Among You, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Remember the Eternal Law of God, and my daughter's lovely poem Beauty Unfading. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Angelica Zambrano Fourth Testimony of Heaven and Hell

This is the 4th Experience of Heaven and Hell that the Lord gave to Angelica Zambrano. In December 2014 she was shown the state of the church, heavenly creatures, the spiritual warfare against believers, the importance of testifying, God’s saving love, and that the Lord is coming very soon for a prepared church.

Angelica: … God bless you all my brothers and sisters. It is a huge blessing to be here, to greet you and to bless your lives through this testimony, which God has used to speak to me. He didn’t make it just for me but he made it to bless your life as well so we will be able to persevere in God’s will together.

Ministry
First of all I want to tell you where I come from. I currently live in Chimborazo province in Ecuador. I am here in Cumanda and I can tell you all that it’s been a blessing to be working for the Lord with my husband and my daughter. We are pastors who belong to the MDI Council. We are also here now with our brother Gabriel who helps us editing and producing the ministry called God’s Dream (Sueno de Dios) and also representing the Ministry Word of Prophetic Revelation (Ministerio Palabra de Revelacion Profetica), which God has allowed me to minister in during these years.

It has been a blessing and a big privilege for me to serve the Lord and I want to say that God loves us so much and His love is so big that every day we can see that love in the air that we breath, also in our lives, because one more day of life is one more day of hope. One more chance that God gives to us in order to be able to seek his presence because the scripture says that apart from Him we can do nothing.

The 4th Experience
I will tell you part of the fourth experience that the Lord let me have. It was something very significant which has impacted my life as the other three previous experiences. This one has been the last one that the Lord has given to me. I am very happy and grateful to God because of this revelation. I also know that it is a huge responsibility that God has given to me because one day I will give account to him and my desire is that this message reaches your heart so you will be able to draw near with Him every day. Do not faint, do not look back either because God has called us to be saved but not to be condemned.

When God let me have the fourth experience it was something tremendous because I never thought that I was going to have a fourth experience. A sister in the Lord was praying with me when suddenly God asked her to pray for me because He was going to show me something. It was supernatural because the presence of God descended in that place and when we were praying the Holy Spirit manifested himself in a very special way so that I could see God’s presence moving into that place. His shinning light descended. When I was praying God filled me so much that I heard His voice saying that He was going to give me one more experience, in which He was going to show me something special that God’s people had to know, and immediately He took me out of my body. My spirit came out and when it happened He took me to a place.

The State Of My Church
I found that place so beautiful and it had thousands of jars but it also had one thing that was difficult for me to understand, and I said: Lord, “Why do these jars look like that”? As some were upright and the others were upside down.

I noticed that some had very little oil and they were getting old. The other jars, the upright ones were very pretty and the oil that those jars had was overflowing and they were shinning like gold. I asked Him: Lord, why are these jars different? And He said to me:“Daughter, this is the state of my people”.

I looked up and there was a note that said  “The State of My Church” written on it; and I realized that those jars all belonged to brothers and sisters in the Lord because we all are part of the Christ’s body, we are a family in the Lord and that’s why I want to tell you from God’s side, that you must be concerned about taking care of your jar because we have to look after our spiritual life.

We can dress well, we can speak well, we might have a well known ministry or not; we can have God’s calling and He is able to use us because the gifts are irrevocable, but we have to understand something and to have it very clear, it’s that the soul is something very valuable and salvation is individual. We must fight for our salvation. (Phil 2:12-16)

There are many jars, which are very old because people have forgotten to renew that oil. People are not concerned about seeking the presence of God anymore. They think that fasting is just about spending time but the real fasting is to look for God’s presence, and to subdue the flesh because Jesus said that “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” (Matt 26:41)

The flesh doesn’t like to keep vigilant. Flesh doesn’t like praying nor fasting, but get up in the name of Jesus and this is the time for you to start to seek the presence of the Lord so that your jar will be restored because if it’s not restored, nor renewed or without new oil you will be condemned.

Let’s remember that the Bible talks about five foolish virgins (Matt 25:1-13). They did not take care of their lamps, nor were they concerned about having their lamps filled. When the bridegroom took the five wise virgins with him, the foolish virgins realized that it was too late for them.

Brethren, do not wait until the same situation happens to you. Do not wait because God is giving us an opportunity and I believe that you have to get up through these words. This is not with the purpose of bringing you down or for you to say, “It’s all over for me”. No brethren, this message is for you to get up in the name of Jesus and persevere because God has even more gifts for you!

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. "Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' "Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. "The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' "But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. "Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' "But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour." (Mat 25:1-13)

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’  But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

Heavenly Creatures
Then, the Lord moved me out from that place to another one and I was very content, I was feeling happy while I was walking with the Lord, because He was showing me lots of things about the current state of His Church.

Then, He said to me: “Daughter, now look at this.” I saw marvelous horses and every horse was so attractive, big and white, with long tails. What can I say, every horse had a golden plaque on them and they looked lovely. I was truly amazed. I have never seen horses like them. They were many of them and the Lord told me that every horse has an owner and they belong to us, to His Church. It impacted me, and I can say that we all have a horse up there because the word of God talks about white horses.

Prepare Yourself, He Is Coming Soon
After that, the Lord took me to another place. He did not show me as much as the previous experiences but one of the things that he reminded me was to talk to His Church about His coming. To announce that He will come soon and I want to remind you one more time that Christ comes soon for a prepared Church. This is one of the messages that nowadays are difficult to hear in many places, because people call that “legalism”; but I really want to tell you that Christ will come back soon! So let’s prepare ourselves because the Word of the Lord says that no one knows the day or hour when He will come, not even the angels, only our Heavenly Father. Let’s get ready because one day He will come for you and for me and we will enjoy ourselves up there in the presence of the Lord, forever and ever. (Note: Angelica was shown in her 3rd experience that only 20% of the evangelical church was ready for the Lord’s coming).

"Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not [a]shrink away from Him in shame [b]at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him." (1 John 2:28-29)

The Spiritual Battle
The enemy has come only to steal and kill and destroy. The enemy has destroyed many people and for that reason the Lord showed me part of Hell. He took me to a place where I saw many demons together but I saw a special place there; a high place with kind of ladders for the demons to walk up. I did not know what was happening but I saw that the demons were walking up and they opened a big book. They were talking one to each other but I couldn’t understand; they were pushing each other and it seemed to me that they were arguing. I asked the Lord: What are these demons doing here? And what is the meaning of that book? The Lord showed me names of His servants in that book. As there is a book of Life in the Kingdom of Heaven, there is also a book in Hell, and I don’t know the name of that book because the Lord did not show me a name. I can only tell you what I saw, as the Bible says that nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.

I could see many servants of God who I know and others that I don’t know and the demons were planning to destroy those ministries, to destroy those servants of God and their names in Hell are very important because I can say that the cost of each head of each servant written in that demon’s book is very high for them.

The devil has many things to destroy ministries but listen carefully to me! In the name of Jesus all plans from the devil against your ministry is rebuked and also against all purposes that God has for you. If the devil hit you in the head in order to finish the plan that God has for you, he won’t achieve that! That is what he wants to do but the Bible says that the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world.

There is no weapon forged against us that will prosper. The devil can do lots of things but while you and I persevere in the gap, he won’t destroy you, you won’t fall, you won’t faint and you will see a major victory from God. You might have done a lot of deliberations, or you might have fought with the devil and you have battled every day with what God has given to you. Keep it doing like that because this is a daily battle. The spiritual battle is not just for a day but 24 hours a day, if I can say it like that.

While I was watching, the demons were down there lining up and each one was in charge to destroy one of the servants. I mean, they basically had a task. If they have tasks to do in hell to present them to devil, we even have many more tasks, as we are Jesus Christ’s church that has a major responsibility. The Bible says “Go and Preach the Gospel to all creation”, and this is the time for us to take up that responsibility; this is the time for us to say Lord, It’s true that one day I will give an account to you. Because do you know what? The Bible says, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire”. Do not let yourself to be cut down but start to bear good fruit. Because of that good fruit you will have great reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.

After that, the Lord took me to another place where I saw many jails like I had seen in the previous experiences. All of them had names and numbers, so we went into one of those jails and I saw weird things. I saw demons; many of them and I could see that those demons were coming to confuse people. I could see that the demons task was to confuse many servants but as they couldn’t achieve their goal, they ended up there, in jail, tied and tormented by other demons. In other words I would like you to understand that when they came to earth to confuse God’s servants with false words, with false messages, the servants discovered the demons purposes and they rebuked them, they sent them out in Jesus Name so the demons fell to that tormented place and when they fell they were tormented by other demons. Those Demons are currently being tormented and the Bible talks about that.

I want to keep encouraging you now. I keep saying to you that is time for you to open your eyes and wake up and don’t let the devil come to give you a spiritual dream but do the opposite instead! Fight my brother! Fight my sister! Because we are living in the final days and many things are coming up. The Bible says, "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold." (Mat 24:12)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. (Eph 6:10-13)

Speak Up

After that, the Lord took me to another place and He was talking to me saying that I had to do the job on earth. He said that I had to fulfill it without being quiet; and I said, Lord, That’s true. I have to do it because one day I will give an account to you for everything. He said “Daughter, don’t stop preaching my Word, and don’t stop announcing what I have shown you!”

Several times the devil has risen against me. Many people might not believe it; many people do; but nevertheless, one of the things that God reminded me was that He is my faithful witness and if He is so, I must keep going because one day I will give an account to Him.

My brother, I want to tell you that the Lord said to me: “I have revealed things like these to many of my servants; and I have revealed many things in words. I have revealed about Heaven and Hell but they have been afraid and they have been silent without saying anything. Go and tell them to do it, because if they don’t do it, I will demand of them”.

Brethren, if God has revealed something to you, then speak out! Don’t keep it to yourself! Don’t be quiet! You will go to Hell if you remain in silence. You will go to hell because God will ask you and account for that.

The Lord told me that when we keep quiet many souls are lost and besides that, that their blood will be demanded on our head. I encourage you in the name of Jesus, because the Lord asked me to tell you so. I don’t know where you are, I don’t know who you are, but if you are one of the ones who have heard the voice of God and also have seen what God has shown you, Don’t be quiet! Don’t be quiet because if you remain silent, you will have a horrible consequence.

Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. "When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. "But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life." (Eze 33:7-9)

After that, the Lord moved me out from those jails and I was crying, asking Him to take me out from that place (Hell). I didn’t want to be there anymore. I was saying: “Lord! I don’t want to be here anymore; I want to keep working for you! Please take me out from here and bring my life back.” I asked things like that to the Lord. I said, “Please bring me my life back because you have the power to do it.” And while I was asking Him those things, how can I say it, He spoke to me about His love and He said: “Go and say to the humanity that I love them; go and tell people that I gave my life because of them, to give them eternal life.”

I was just listening to all that the Lord was saying to me, and I was crying and crying, because I truly can say that in the first experience the Lord Gave me, He said three things to me before He brought me back into life:

    I will take you to many places and you will go with me.
    You will see my Glory but never boast yourself about anything; and also,
    Tell the humanity that I love them.

God So Loved …
I remembered those things and that’s why I cried a lot because He was talking about His love. I remembered many things of the previous experiences and God shook my heart; it was so special because what Christ did for us was something unique that was significant in the history of the nations. I can say that nobody gives her/his life for other person, but Christ did it! He did it all due to His love, because the Bible says “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5, 9)

He didn’t mind His pain, He didn’t mind about the pain that He had in His body; He didn’t mind! Although He already knew what was going to happen, He didn’t mind anything because He cares about us: the Humanity. The last drop of His body was spilt when He gave His life in order to die for us; and He died to be resurrected because He is alive and He resurrected to come to tell us that He is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.

So that I now can tell you that the love of God is so big and, many people say that they don’t believe in God, that God doesn’t exist. They are truly wrong. If you don’t believe in God, Repent! You might say: `I don’t see God`, but you breathe even if you don’t see the air, you are breathing. God is like that! You feel the air that runs through your cheeks and your body and you can breathe but you can see that air. God is that real. God gives us the air and He exists. He is real and eternal and because of that reason, He is the only one who gives us eternal life and nobody else does. We find salvation in Him. Because His love covers a multitude of sins, no matter the life that you have or who you are! If you repent He will forgive you.

Something that I remember from a long time ago, this is a testimony. I was preaching in a place and a man came in there; and the man crying asked me: “Do you think that God loves me?” And I answered: “Yes, God loves you.” But he also asked, “Why do you believe that He loves me?” And I replied, “Because He loves the humanity. The Bible says that He loves the sinner but He hates sin.” Then the man asked, “Do you think that God will forgive my sin?” And I said, “Yes! God will forgive your sins because the Bible says if we confess our sins, The Lord is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.”

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).

I remember that the man fell on his knees and crying he said: “I don’t believe that God forgives me because I have caused a lot of damage. I have caused a lot of damage to people and you say that God loves me and forgives me? I don’t believe that.” I said to him: “The man thinks one thing but God thinks another thing and God’s thoughts are not as men’s. Because men’s thoughts are limited, but God’s thoughts, the one who is all powerful, the one who is alive, real and eternal has unlimited and the best thoughts ever.”

The Man kept crying and said, “I don’t know; I don’t know if God forgives that I’ve killed many people and that I have done a lot of damage.” I said to him, “Perhaps many people may not forgive you but God does!” So the man ended up receiving Jesus into his heart and when this happened he was not crying of pain or sadness anymore. He was crying as a child, saying, “I’ve never felt so much joy, so much joy! What I’m feeling now in my heart is something unique and special! I feel that something fills me. I feel something empty that is being filled by something that I can’t understand!” I said to him, “That is God’s love! Because Christ died for us to give us salvation and eternal life, and to give us peace and joy. Because the Bible says: `Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.`”. When the man heard that, he said: “That true, that’s true!” This man got up and started to honour, to glory and worship God. I bless that man’s life because I know that God has big plans for him. The truth is that this is a very beautiful testimony because that man could see God’s power, God’s love and God’s restoration in his life.

I am thankful with God because He lets us see His love in all of us and even more , you may seek love’s God but you don’t find it, but you don’t find it yet because you haven’t opened the door of your heart. Open it! So Jesus will enter to live in you and once it happens all in your life will change and I assure that to you, because the Bible says that we have everything with Christ. Although the devil comes against us, Christ will give us the victory.

It is wonderful to have Christ living in us. I feel very happy serving God and that’s why I encourage you to seek the love of God, to seek the way of eternal life, to seek salvation and to keep going in Christ; because the Bible says that away from him we can do nothing, We can’t do anything nor save ourselves. We can enter to the third Heaven just with Him; only Him. Because it is him who will come one day for us in the clouds and He will take us to the third Heaven. I believe that it will be a great blessing for your life.

Lets Pray …
I will pray for you now. I don’t know the situation of your life, I don’t know what you are living now. Perhaps you are lost; perhaps you don’t know Christ yet and you are living a difficult situation, an intense moment in your life without exit, without solution; but I introduce you to the exit now. I’ll introduce you the solution that is Jesus Christ. You will find the victory in your life with Him. I invite you to close your eyes wherever you are and repeat after me this prayer. Ask the Lord to restore your vessel. Ask the Lord to fill you with new oil so; He will be able to restore you in the name of Jesus. Close your eyes and say:

Heavenly Father, I approach to you to ask you to forgive me, to ask you to restore me, to ask you to fill me with your holy presence and to do your perfect and holy will with me. I reconcile myself to your presence and ask you to rewrite my name on the book of life. I give you my life in this moment because it belongs to you today. I also give you my burdens today for you to absolutely control my life. Lord, I need you, I need you to be the King of my life, the King of my salvation. Father of Glory, help me to persevere in your way. Do not let me despair; do not let me be diverted; do not let me go back away from your path. Help me to persevere on a firm and constant way until you come for me.

Father, thank you for the life; thanks for the salvation. Thank you because you are good and your mercy is forever. Glory, Honour and praise to you Holy Spirit, you are real and precious and you are here. I pray you Lord bless everyone who is watching this video (or reading this testimony), whoever who has seen these words. Lord I pray that every word will be restoration and reformation and every plan that the devil had against each life, against ministries, against your purpose is rebuked by the power of your Word and they are broken in the name of Jesus. Disable! In the name of Jesus Christ we declare that the devil and his demons are confused. We declare the victory of Christ in every life. I declare that every lamp is restored and renewed.

Holy Spirit, fill each jar with new oil in the name of Jesus. Lift up the ministries that have fallen; Father, restore them in the name of Jesus. Holy Spirit of God, father I pray you bless every purpose of every person who is here, lovely Lord; your purifier presence overflows. Holy Spirit of God, we can feel your presence because it is real. Because you are omnipotent, you are omniscient. In the Name of Jesus I declare that its time of restoration for your life I declare that it’s revival time, time of purification in the name of Jesus; a new rebirth in the name of Jesus. Holy Spirit of God, what has been seed, will be harvested today. I pray that this word won’t stay in the air or in the empty space but it will restore in the name of Jesus. Father of Glory, yours are the praise and the honour, only yours! The homage, the majesty and the Glory are only yours. You are Holy. You are precious and wonderful. We say thank you my God; in the name of Jesus. Amen and Amen. Glory to God!

God bless all my brothers and friends in a special way. What could I say, let’s keep going because Christ comes for a prepared church. Do not be dismayed, because our reward is up there. God Bless you.

-- By Angelica Zambrano

SHARE THIS TESTIMONY, THAT SOULS MAY BE SAVED

*The video recording of her testimony has been removed from Youtube along with all her previous testimonies as well. I do not know why they were removed.

Author's note:  Angelica is not personally connected to this website. Please prayerfully listen to her testimony, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to her.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

We have aimed to help spread the message God gave her with an English translation of her fourth experience by Christ is Coming. If you have not yet read the testimony of her first experience, then please read Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven. She has also had a third experience, which I covered in my blog Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Two Divine Revelations. If you enjoyed this post, please also read Ibrahim's Experience in Hell. You may find more blogs like this one at the Main Directory for Eternal Destinations, and find a collection of all my blogs at Writing for the Master.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Hell Hath Enlarged Itself

Yesterday on Sunday, March 8, 2015, I had read two articles by David W. Daniels on Chick Tracts called "Gehenna is not hell, is it?" and "Who Needs Hell?"  Daniels was responding to a skeptical reader who had sent him a question about "gehenna," the Greek word that is translated into "hell" in English. This reader sought to prove that gehenna does not mean hell, but Daniels did an excellent job of proving that gehenna most certainly does mean hell.

The skeptic tried to make the false claim that all Bible translations prior to 1400 AD did not contain the English word "hell."  However, Daniels proved that the Wycliffe Bible of 1380 did in fact contain the word "hell" for the Greek word "gehenna." And all the versions after that one until the late 1800's contained the word hell.

"No Hell" Bibles
So I did some research on "no hell" Bibles, and found that Young's Literal Translation (1863) was the first Bible translation that did not contain the word "hell" at all. In fact, there is an observable trend whereby modern Bible translators since that time have been moving away from using the word "hell." The "Authorized" King James Version (1611) contained the word "hell" 31 times in the Old Testament and 23 times in the New Testament for a total of 54 times in the Bible. The New King James Version only contains "hell" 19 times in the Old Testament and 13 times in the New Testament for a total of 32 times. The New International Version (best-selling English Bible) contains the word "hell" only 14 times in the entire Bible, and all of those are found in the New Testament. The New American Standard Bible is about the same, except the number of times is 13 and they are all in the New Testament.  There are now 28 "no hell" Bibles in existence that do not contain the word hell one single time!

Hell Hath Enlarged Itself
Very early this morning, Monday, March 9, 2015, I arose before dawn. During my morning devotions, I had been reading the verses in the Geneva Bible of 1599 containing the word "hell." One of those verses was Isaiah 5:14. It says in that version:

"Therefore hell hath enlarged itself, and hath opened his mouth without measure, and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth among them, shall descend into it."

I was led by the Holy Spirit to study about hell this morning, and just happened to be reading the verse from Isaiah 5:14, in which it says that hell has enlarged itself and opened its mouth all the way.  I was specifically observing that in this verse, the Hebrew word "sheol" was translated using the English word "hell" in the 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV).

This verse literally means that hell has enlarged itself and opened its mouth completely.  I have also heard a sister from Hungary testify of this, whom the Lord took to hell.  She said, "Then we started to go down through the hole, and this hole was enormous. And the Lord said that there was a stairway leading down, but they don’t use it anymore because so many souls are going down that it became this wide."

It is also important to note that in that verse in the Greek Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament composed in the third century BC), the Jewish translators used the Greek word "hades" for the Hebrew word "sheol," thus making them synonymous. "Hades" is the Greek word translated as "hell" in the GNV and KJV versions of the New Testament (e.g., Lk 16:23; Mat. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; Acts 2:27,31; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13,14). On the other hand, most modern versions transliterate the term, "hades," which is a meaningless term to most readers.  By transliterating a word, the letters of that word in the original alphabet in which it was written are simply changed to their equivalent English letters, and the word is left untranslated!  This is what the enemy has systematically done to "sanitize" the Bible and delete the word "hell" from it.

Lastly, "hell is never satisfied," according to the Bible says in Proverbs 30:15-17. Although the Hebrew word "sheol" and its Greek synonym "hades" are used in that verse, most English versions translate these words as "grave."  But the Scripture says that hell is one of three things that are never satisfied and four that never say "enough."

Silly Talk, Course Joking, and Gossiping
Two days ago, on Saturday, March 7, 2015, I was sharing with my family this little study below about silly talk.

You see, the joy of the Lord is our strength. It is a fruit of the Spirit, and there is no law against it. The Lord has a great sense of humor. But His smiles and joy are so loving, kind, gentle, gracious, and always pure. He doesn't get laughs at other people's expense, for example.

We need the Lord to help us not to open our mouths so easily, and to avoid idle words or chatter.

The word for silly talk in Eph 5:4 is the Greek word mōrologia, meaning "silly talk, that is, buffoonery: - foolish talking". (Strongs).

Morologia comes from two root words. The first word is moro, meaning literally "dull or stupid (as if shut up), that is, heedless, (morally) blockhead, (apparently) absurd: - fool (-ish, -ishness)." (Strongs).

The second of the two root words for morologia is lego, meaning "ask, bid, boast, call, describe, give out, name, put forth, say (-ing, on), shew, speak, tell, utter." (Strongs)

Buffoonery means "The arts and practices of a buffoon; low jests; ridiculous pranks; vulgar tricks and postures."  One commonly used type of low jest is sarcasm.

When I shared all of this with my family on Saturday, I also mentioned "course joking."  I told them that includes dirty jokes.  It also includes vulgar wittiness or gestures that are meant to be funny but are actually obscene. These things are sins and we as Christians must avoid them.

And one more thing that happened recently was that only five days ago on March 4, 2015, someone left a comment on one of my blogs.  The reader asked me to give a definition of gossip.  Here is what I responded with:

Gossip in 2 Cor 12:20 comes from the Greek word "psithurismos" meaning (a whisper; by implication a slander; whispering, that is, secret detraction: - whispering. (Strongs). In 1 Tim 3:11, "gossips" comes from the Greek word "diabolos" meaning a traducer; specifically Satan; false accuser, devil, slanderer. (Strongs).

Webster's dictionary says gossip can mean "To run about and tattle; to tell idle tales." It can also mean "To prate; to chat; to talk much." It can mean "Mere tattle; idle talk." Also a gossip can be the person who does the gossiping. In other words, "One who runs from house to house, tattling and telling news; an idle tattler."

Slander is "A false tale or report maliciously uttered. and tending to injure the reputation of another by lessening him in the esteem of his fellow citizens..." (Webster). It can also mean "To defame; to injure by maliciously uttering a false report respecting one; to tarnish or impair the reputation of one by false tales, maliciously told or propagated." (Webster). I hope that helps. [End comment].

That was the content of my response to the reader asking about gossip. I think it is not just a coincidence that Rachael said in her email today, "The Lord showed me the punishment for gossipers, liars, people who tell dirty jokes, dirty stories, and use their tongues in sin."

The Scriptures say, "The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, But the perverse tongue will be cut out." (Pr 10:31, NKJV).

"Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked." (Pr 10:6, NKJV).

"Wise people store up knowledge, But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction." (Pr 10:14, NKJV).

"May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that speaks proud things." (Ps 12:3, NKJV).

Often times people fail to realize that these Scriptures literally mean what they say.  In hell the demons will cut out perverse tongues and tongues that speak proud things. They will cut off flattering lips, cover the mouth of the wicked with violence and destroy their mouths. The problem is not that God has failed to warn us in His Word, it is that we have failed to believe it.

Putting it All Together
May the Lord help each one of us to take this message seriously and repent while we still have the chance to do so.  Repent of your sin and turn to God. Unbelievers, cowards, murderers, the immoral, idolaters, liars, gossipers, slanderers, witches, homosexuals, perverts, fornicators, adulterers, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, smokers, addicts, and all who are pursuing the world will find themselves in hell. Jesus died to save you from that place. Today is the day of salvation. Mercy is only available on earth.  Let's prepare in holiness for the Lord's soon return.

Author's note: This article originally stated incorrectly that John Wesley's New Testament (1755) did not contain the word "hell".  That was a mistake on the part of the source I was quoting, for which I apologize. Wesley's translation was merely an update or revision of the King James Version of the New Testament, and it certainly contained the word "hell", which you can verify for yourself. As Wesley himself said in his preface, the changes he made to the Authorized Version were relatively minor.

I also want to mention that the Geneva Bible was once the most popular English Bible among Protestants, and it continued to be for decades after the first release of the King James Version in 1611! It is known as the “Bible of the Protestant Reformation.”  The Geneva was also the first Bible taken to America, and the Bible of the Puritans and Pilgrims. I encourage you to read it with it's accompanying notes. I also encourage you to read the prayers found in the Geneva Bible as well.

You are invited to read or listen to more amazing testimonies of the supernatural like this below.  You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations	Ask for the Ancient Paths	Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven
Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven	Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies	Forty Days in Heaven and Hell
Lynn Veasley's Revelation of Hell	Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead	Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Divorce -- Three Divine Revelations

While many sweethearts are finding romantic ways to show their love for one another on Valentine’s Day, not all couples are doing so at this time of year. A NY Post article pointed out that the number of requests for divorce lawyers spikes dramatically around Valentine’s Day compared to the previous six months. On average, the increase is around 40 percent, according to Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo, a site that offers ratings and profiles for lawyers and medical doctors. This has become a new trend in the past few years.

In fact, even in the church it has become common for people to get divorced, which is so sad. This of course raises the questions about remarriage afterward, so we really need to know what the mind of God is on this matter. For that we turn to the Word of God, because the Scriptures are our source of truth, wisdom and guidance on divorce. One passage of Scripture that addresses divorce is found in Mark’s gospel.

Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. "But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. "FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. And He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery." (Mar 10:2-12)

Let’s look at this passage verse-by-verse.

Is it lawful to divorce your wife?
The Pharisees wanted to know if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus answered with a question. He asked them what Moses commanded, and they replied with a quote from Moses. So they felt that they had established a legal right for this practice.

Hardness of heart
Jesus explained that the only reason Moses wrote this was due to the hardness of men’s hearts. It was not the original plan of God. So when a man or woman files for divorce, it reflects unwillingness on the part of one or both parties to reconcile or resolve the conflicts. Jesus referred to this as hardness of heart.

Incidentally, hardness of heart is not compatible with new life in Christ. Rather it is associated with rebellion (Heb 3:7,8,15). We are to be tender hearted, forgiving, and resolve all conflicts with one another (Lk 17:3-4; Mt 6:14-15; 18:15-17; Eph 5:32). Therefore, no disciple of Christ should claim his own hardness of heart as an excuse to divorce.

God’s original intention
Jesus went on to explain that what Moses wrote was not a command but rather permission he granted, if they remained hard hearted. Yet God’s original intention for man was that he would leave his parents and become one flesh with his wife. Paul’s statement to the Corinthians makes clear the meaning of "one flesh." He wrote:

"Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, 'THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.' " (1Co 6:15-16).

My friend, Jim Garrett, made an excellent point about this when he commented, "Here Paul states that when one has sex, he becomes one flesh with the one with whom he has sex. Thus, a man who is a fornicator is one flesh with a lot of women – what a mess. In such a situation, a man becomes one flesh with a woman and there is no covenant (at least objective intentional covenant) involved."

This reminds me of a medieval practice in England, known as Drawing and Quartering, which was used as a punishment for treason. The person's four limbs were tied to four horses. Then as the horses moved away from the person, the poor soul was torn apart. That's what it's like when you join yourself to multiple sexual partners and there is no covenant to keep you together. The Lord intended to protect us from such a situation with His plan for one man and one woman to become one flesh together, and remain together for life.

Let no man separate
Once you begin to get this picture of what really happens to the people involved when a one flesh relationship is torn apart, you can better understand the heart of God regarding separation. You can look at the Greek all you want and try to get around it, but the Word of God from the mouth of Jesus was “Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate.” In this sentence, He affirmed that it’s God Who joined the married couple together, and He further affirms that no man should separate them. That’s pretty cut and dry, plain and simple. It’s not complicated at all, unless you try to make it that way. His main point was that it’s not God’s will for married couples to separate, in spite of the fact that the Law of Moses permitted it.

The apostle Paul later reiterated this when he wrote to the Corinthians, “But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife.” (1Co 7:10-11). Again, this is very plain. The wife should not leave her husband and the husband should not divorce his wife.

Marriage after divorce
The disciples further questioned Jesus about this later in the house. His reply was, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.” In another passage, Jesus taught that if you divorce your spouse and they remarry, you are causing them to commit adultery. He said, “but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Mat 5:32). Notice he said that the one who initiates the divorce makes the other person commit adultery. At the most basic level, it’s clear that there is a problem – a sin committed – when a person divorces his or her spouse and marries someone else. The reason a sin is committed is that man separates what God has put together, and then man joins together with another spouse.

To put it differently, God does not want man separating the married couple, since He has joined them together as one. And when man does this and then marries another, God sees it as adultery. How could it be adultery, if they have a legal certificate of divorce, which proves they are no longer married? It’s adultery because God still sees the original couple as one flesh. How else could it be adultery? Adultery can only occur when a married person enters into a sexual relationship with someone who is not his or her spouse.

There are basically three parties who end up committing adultery following a divorce: the person who initiated the divorce proceeding, the spouse who was subject to the divorce, and the person who marries the one who was divorced. So if God considers remarriage after divorce to be adultery, then it’s not desirable to do it. It should be avoided!

The apostle Paul reiterated this when he wrote to the Corinthians, “A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband." Paul’s teaching agrees with Jesus by instructing us not to get remarried after divorce, but rather be reconciled with our spouse.

There was one instance where Jesus acknowledged the legitimacy of divorce and that is where there has been unfaithfulness, otherwise known as unchastity or sexual sin (Greek, porneia). Many people have analyzed this and tried to determine what constitutes unfaithfulness. Obviously if one spouse commits sexual sin during the marriage, such as adultery, then that is unfaithfulness, which is grounds for a divorce. It does not mean that God requires the couple to divorce, because if there is repentance on the part of the offending spouse, then this can be forgiven and they can be healed and go on together. That is, provided the offender does not continue in this sin of adultery afterward. So when there is unchastity, God allows the two to become divorced.

One situation that Jesus did not address explicitly is desertion. When one spouse deserts the other, he or she suddenly separates from the other, and this can sometimes happen without any prior notice or explanation. The sudden and unexpected disappearance of a spouse can be devastating to the one who remains, especially when the remaining spouse was faithful. And in some cases, the one who departs moves far away to another geographical location. What is the remaining spouse to do in such a situation? Obviously, the first step is to pray and seek reconciliation with the offended party. But what if the offended party refuses all attempts at reconciliation? These are the types of things that are not explicitly addressed, but we know that the Lord commands us to forgive and to love. He teaches us how to resolve conflict. So as we read the Word and pray through such situations, the Lord will give direction.

The apostle Paul describes one such scenario where one spouse is a nonbeliever. He says, “But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.” (1 Cor 7:15). In this case, if the nonbeliever leaves, the believing person is no longer bound to stay married to the nonbeliever. He or she is free.

There are all kinds of scenarios in life that can happen, and it’s not my intention to analyze each one. It’s best for you to search the Scriptures prayerfully yourself, reading the passages where Jesus and Paul taught on divorce, and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you clearly through the Word. You have got to hear from the Lord on this matter. Afterward, you may sit with a mature believer who is impartial, such as a Bible-believing pastor or elder, and work through your situation with his counsel.

Forgiveness
I want to stress one very important thing. While divorce leads to adultery, which is a sin, it is not the unforgivable sin. If you have done everything to seek reconciliation with your spouse, and in the end, you find yourself divorced without intending to be, there is still hope. If you can still reconcile with your former spouse, you should do so. You should seek reconciliation very diligently! It may require a long process to work through issues with the help of a third party. It will require great mercy, forgiveness, love and patience from both spouses.

A great movie that portrays this is Fireproof. In this movie, the wife has decided to divorce her husband. But he decides to love her unconditionally through it all. He asks her to forgive him for the ways he has offended her. Then patiently waits for her heart to heal and turn back. She eventually does turn back, forgiving him and being reconciled to him once again.

But there comes a point where that might not be possible, due to the hardness of the other person’s heart. In this case, you should just forgive, seek the Lord for help, and cast yourself upon His mercy. Seek His forgiveness for any part you played in the divorce. And then receive it.

In some cases, people were divorced before they became a believer in Jesus Christ, and they cannot go back and change that situation. Sometimes their former spouse is already remarried. This is also portrayed in the movie Fireproof, in which a Christian man had been divorced before he came to know Christ. He is happily remarried, but he has remorse over the fact that he helped bring about a divorce between himself and his former wife before he knew the Lord. Once he came to know Christ, he wanted to reconcile with his wife, but it was too late. She had already remarried. This is another example of a situation that happens.

I would challenge anyone in such a situation to search the Scriptures and find the verse that allows them to be remarried, because God will hold you accountable for it. I cannot think of any verse that would directly allow for remarriage in such a situation, as long as the person's former spouse remains alive (Ro 7:2-3). So let's open a discussion about this in the comments section. You will have to give an account for every action before the judgment seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10; 2Co. 5:10). I suppose some possible Scriptures a person might possibly rely on in such a situation to indirectly give them hope would be those about God's mercy and grace. But they must still reckon with Rom 7:2-3. I will cover this in more detail in the next two sections of this article below, as well as the section on divine revelations.

If you have been divorced and are unable to reconcile with your spouse after all your attempts to do so have failed, the worse thing you can do is go out and try to fill the emptiness by finding a new mate. You need to get healed first. It could take a year, two years or more. You should allow the Lord to do a work inside of you, before you consider ever getting married again. The reason is that your own dysfunctional behavior may have contributed to the divorce. Allow the Lord to search your heart and show you how you may have helped bring about the demise of your own marriage. It’s so important that you identify where you need healing and get it from the Lord before you consider a new relationship.

If you seek the Lord first and seek to be healed, He will fill your being with his love, His joy, and His peace. Find other ways to occupy yourself for the Lord through worship, Bible study, and service in the kingdom. And do this with the attitude that if you must stay single for the rest of your life, then you will do so. If you feel an overwhelming need to be remarried, then cry out to the Lord with that need. Every time it seems to overwhelm you, get on your knees and bring it to the Lord, even with tears if you need to. He will hear and answer.

Restoration and remarriage
I would like to address the matter of restoration and remarriage, but only for those who are in very specific and limited scenarios where that is allowed by God in Scripture. Paul says to those who are unmarried, “Do not look for a wife.” (1 Cor 7:27). That means exactly what it says. Don't look for a wife. And for women, don't look for a husband. You need to lay that on the altar unless the Lord decides to give you another spouse.

In my humble opinion, if the Lord eventually shows you that it’s His will to grant you a second chance in His great mercy, then accept it. But seek godly counsel throughout the whole matter. Don’t enter into any new relationship according to the flesh. You don’t want to make another mistake! The person must belong to the Lord or else you will be unequally yoked together (2 Co 6:14).

Bathe it in prayer, and keep the relationship holy and chaste. Ask God to confirm everything to you and take it slowly. Make sure you know this is God’s will for your life. If you have both received confirmation from Him that He is putting you together in marriage, and other mature disciples agree, who are in a position of oversight and care in your life, then go forward with the Lord’s blessing. You can know that when God forgives, it is complete.

When the Lord chooses to give you a second chance, receive it with gratitude. But be careful not to take it lightly or abuse his grace and mercy.

Remarrying Your First Spouse
The ideal situation is to be reconciled with your first spouse and get remarried to that person. Simply repenting for committing the sin of divorce and not going back to your spouse is not enough. You must make restitution!

However, if your first spouse has already been remarried, I do not see any Scripture that allows you to remarry that person. Even if their second spouse divorces them or dies, the Bible teaches that it is an abomination for your to remarry your first spouse once they have been married to someone else.

"When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife, and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.” (Deu 24:1-4).

Likewise, the Lord declared through the prophet Jeremiah, "If a husband divorces his wife And she goes from him And belongs to another man, Will he still return to her? Will not that land be completely polluted?" (Jer 3:1)

Therefore, the only scenario in which Scripture allows you to remarry your first spouse, in my opinion, is when neither of you have been remarried after divorcing. In fact, if you have been divorced and neither you nor your spouse have been remarried, you should certainly repent and remarry your spouse if he or she is willing to do so. However, there is no biblical basis for remarriage to one's first spouse after divorce and remarriage has already occurred. Doing so would violate the Word of God, and teaching people to do so would nullify one of God's commandments.

Our Lord said, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mat 5:17-20)

Inevitably there will be someone who will say that my position is invalid, because it is based on Old Testament passage of Scripture, even though the Lord said He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. However, to those who may do so, I kindly refer you to my articles, The Ways of Life, The Law of Christ and Law of Love in the New Testament. 

Other Scriptures About Divorce
Here are some additional Scriptures about divorce to prayerfully consider.

"For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously." (Mal 2:16)

"It was said, 'Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce'; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Mat 5:31-32)

Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?" And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." They *said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?" He *said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Mat 19:3-9)

"For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man." (Rom 7:2-3)

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals..." (1Co 6:9)

"Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge." (Heb 13:4)

"But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her." (1Co 7:12)

Thus says the LORD, "Where is the certificate of divorce By which I have sent your mother away? Or to whom of My creditors did I sell you? Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, And for your transgressions your mother was sent away. (Isa 50:1)

"And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. (Jer 3:8)

Also see Deu 22:13-29.

Divine Revelations
I would now like to share some divine revelations on the topic of divorce for you to read and evaluate prayerfully.

Michael Thomas Sambo
As I have written in my article Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, my friend Michael Sambo received a revelation in 2003 from the Lord. He died and experienced heaven and hell. He told me, "In my encounter with Jesus. A man came to the gate of heaven having married and divorced his wife. But was later permitted by his church to remarry. The angel of the Lord told him in heaven he is known as an adulterer." This is a serious warning, since no adulterers inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9), so let us take heed.

Samuel Oghenetega (Ogenetega)
Near the end of June 2013, a fourteen-year-old boy in Nigeria, named Samuel “Tega” had a visitation from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy and Righteous One, as I documented in my article, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega. The Lord gave him a revelation with many warnings, one of which was a warning to those who divorce: "People who divorce do not enter my kingdom." (Listen to his video on You Tube for more details).

Emmanuel Samson Jude
A Nigerian teenager named Emmanuel Samson Jude, claims to have had a revelation of hell in August 2014. He states:

I saw a man in hell fire, being in great agony and pain, in great torment, he stretched forth his hand if he could be delivered, but a demon was climbing on his back, cutting his head with an axe. I asked the man the reason why he ended his life there, he told me "I divorced my wife, I chased her out because I didn't have interest in her anymore. I got married to another woman. That is what brought me here. I blame myself. I am very sorry" (1 Cor 7:10-11).

Putting it all Together
The Scripture is clear that it was never God’s intention for married couples to become divorced. From the beginning, God intended the husband and wife to be one and never separate. So those who are married should not divorce. While it may break the legal union in the civil sense, the couple is still one in God’s eyes. That’s why divorce leads to adultery if the divorced person gets remarried. Those who are committing divorce need to know that it’s an abomination in the sight of God. Jesus hates divorce!

We know that Moses permitted divorce due to the hardness of man’s heart. So there are cases where divorce may be necessary. But if you leave your spouse, you must remain unmarried.

The Lord takes unfaithfulness (unchastity) very seriously. When one spouse is unfaithful and unwilling to reconcile, then the Lord allows for divorce. And when a nonbeliever chooses to leave a believer, then the believer is no longer bound to that person. The believer is free.

But those who are unmarried should not seek a spouse. They should call upon the Lord in their distress and allow Him to meet the need. A great deal of healing is needed after divorce, and this must happen before entering into any new relationship.

I solemnly caution you with reservations, if you have a second chance to marry, because yours is one of the scenarios that God allows and says you are free, and the Lord confirms that He has brought you together with a believing spouse, then treat it like your last chance. And when you get married again, make a commitment before the Lord to be together for the rest of your lives.

If you have never given your life to Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are missing the most important key to a loving marriage. Without Him in the center of your life and your marriage, you cannot experience marriage to the fullest like God intended for you.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this article shall be construed as advising anyone to get a divorce or to remarry after divorce. This article was written to the best of my ability based on the Word of God with much thought and prayer, as well as advice from wise and trusted brothers. However, we only know in part, and prophesy in part, so my humble opinions, where stated, could be wrong or incomplete. Therefore, the Holy Scriptures must take precedence over anything I have written, where there appears to be any apparent contradiction.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: Samuel and Emmanuel are not personally connected with this site. Please prayerfully consider their testimonies, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to them. For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Adultery According to Jesus, A Warning for Married Christian Couples, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Is Obedience Optional?, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Is Contraception a Sin? -- a Divine Revelation , Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Restored Truth, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, A Warning to the Nay Sayers, The Ways of Life, and the other posts on the home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.