Marriage and Divorce

Video - Gender Equality and Remarriage after Divorce

<mediaplayer width='800' height='600'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq1lF8GUfng</mediaplayer>

New Testament Scriptures on the Remarriage Issue

Matthew 5:31–32 (NASB95)

“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.

Matthew 19:3–9 (NASB95)

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.”

Mark 10:10–12 (NASB95)

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.”

Luke 16:18 (NASB95)

Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.

1 Corinthians 7:10–11 (NASB95) - Addressed to married couples where both are Christians

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.

1 Corinthians 7:12-17 (NASB95) - Addressed to married couples where one is a Christian and the other is an unbeliever

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. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.

Video Transcript

Is the Bible your absolute or is it something else?

And now, we wish to read some Word over here in the Bible, 'cause I know that my words is the word of a man. These is God's Words, so It can't fail. (WE WOULD SEE JESUS 62-0712)
It's got to come to one final absolute, and my absolute is the Word, the Bible. (CHURCH.ORDER_ JEFF.IN COD THURSDAY_ 63-1226)
That's our Bible. Let other man's words fail. This, no man can add to It. You don't add no more to the Bible. No, sir. This is the complete Revelation. It's all. (CHRIST.IS.REVEALED.IN.HIS.OWN.WORD_ JEFF.IN V-4 N-10 SUNDAY_ 65-0822M)

Behind me is Branham Tabernacle, where in February 1965, Brother Branham preached a sermon entitled “Marriage and Divorce”. In this sermon, he said that it was OK for men to remarry after divorce, but not for women.

It is not stated against him to remarry, but her...
Remarrying, now notice, he can, but she can't.…” (65-0221M – Marriage and Divorce)

However, in the book of Luke, Jesus said that “whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery…” (Luke 16:18)

Brother Branham appears to be in disagreement with what Jesus said. Bro. Branham also stated that a man could divorce his wife if she cuts her hair or for any other reason if he really wanted to.

And the Bible rights gives any man a right to leave and divorce and leave his wife, that'll cut her hair. That's the Bible. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD. (The Worst Sinner in the City 56-0218E)
Notice, he can put away his wife any time he wants to, but she can't put him away...
I have told you the Truth, THUS SAITH THE LORD, all the way through! (65-0221M – Marriage and Divorce)

But Jesus in the book of Matthew said that "whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery…" (Matthew 5:32 NKJV)

Jesus is clearly putting the blame for a divorced wife’s remarriage back on her previous husband,if he puts her away for any reason other than sexual immorality. It’s not the wife’s fault, it’s the husband’s.

Now I appreciate that divorce and remarriage is a complicated subject, and so our comments here are just focused on this one issue - was it appropriate for William Branham to say that his teaching on remarriage was “Thus Saith The Lord”?

Bro. Branham said that the Bible is the truth of God.

But in the book of Mark, Jesus said: “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (Mark 10:11-12)

So Jesus taught that there is gender equality when it comes to remarriage. He was very clear that there was not one set of rules for men and another more restrictive set of rules for women.

Why did Brother Branham change the teachings of Jesus to make the rules for men more lenient? Why did he say that his teaching was “Thus saith the Lord”? Did he feel that he had the right to change what Jesus plainly said?

Do you believe the words of Jesus on this issue or do you believe the words of William Branham?

You can’t believe both.

“The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. (Mal 2:16 NIV).

Quotes

DEMONOLOGY.RELIGIOUS.REALM_ CONNERSVILLE.IN DE 41-78 TUESDAY_ 53-0609A

The Bible claims, if a woman cuts her hair, a man's got a right to put her away in divorcement, because she's not honest with him. We have to get down and preach the Bible here some of these days. Said, "If she bobs her hair, she dishonors her husband." If she's dishonorable, she ought to be put away. You can't marry another one, but you can put her away. Whew. Boy, that--that's going hard; I can feel it. But that's the truth.

QUESTIONS.AND.ANSWERS.ON.GENESIS_ JEFF.IN COD WEDNESDAY_ 53-0729

Therefore He said, "Let the man cut his hair because of Christ. And let the woman have her hair, for if she cuts her hair she dishonors her husband." See? See what I mean or what the Scripture says?
I had a hot one on that down the other day in Shreveport. They was talking about the women, and should women wear long hair. And I said, "A woman that bobbed her hair, her husband had a right and a Bible right to divorce her." That's right. That's what the Bible said. That's exactly right. Oh, my. Holy Ghost women setting there, just the way they been taught; that's all... See? Yes, that's...?... loosely. And if...
He said, "Now, if they would cut it, if there's something wrong they had to cut their hair," said, "let them take a razor and shave it all off and make her hair real slick until it come out their head." That's right. That's what the Scripture said. It says if she cuts her hair, she dishonors her husband. And a woman that's dishonorable has a legal right to be put away in divorce. But he can't marry again now. But he--but he can put her away in divorcement. That's right. That's Scripture. Oh, brother, what we need is some question nights. That's right. That's I Corinthians the 14th chapter, if you want to read it. All right. Now, that--that... Now, this woman...