1 Corinthians 6:16
16 “Or do you not know that the one who joins [2853- “to glue together, to cement, to fasten together, to cleave, to unite, to join firmly”] himself to a prostitute [4204- see def. below] is one body with her? For He says, "THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.” (1 Cor. 6:16)
NASU
D(definitions. for “cleave” and “joined” in Wwebsters 1828 Dictionary:
“cleave” – “To stick; to adhere; to hold to. To unite or be united closely in interest or affection; to adhere with strong attachment.”
“joined” – “united; associated; confederated” (see 1 Cor. 1:10 – “perfectly joined together” [2675- see def.] KJV/NKJV; “made complete” NASU; “perfectly united” NIV)
NT:4204 porne (por'-nay)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
feminine of NT:4205 [a man who prostitutes his body to another's lust for hire, a male prostitute (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)]; a strumpet; figuratively, an idolater:
KJV - harlot, whore.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
a woman who sells her body for sexual uses
1. properly, a prostitute, a harlot;
in the N.T. universally, any woman indulging in unlawful sexual
intercourse, whether for gain or for lust
(Matthew 21:31 f)
2. metaphorically, an idolatress (Revelation 17:1, 5, 15 f)
HARLOT
porne [NT:4204] – “a prostitute, harlot” (from pernemi, “"to sell”"), is used (a) literally, in Matthew 21:31,32, of those who were the objects of the mercy shown by Christ; in Luke 15:30, of the life of the Prodigal; in 1 Corinthians 6:15, 16, in a warning to the Corinthian church against the prevailing licentiousness which had made Corinth a byword; in Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25, of ”Rahab; (b) metaphorically, of mystic Babylon, Rev. 17:1,5 (KJV, “"harlots”"), 15, 16; 19:2, RV, for KJV, “whore.”"
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
The first thing to be aware of through this verse is to ask the Lord if the congregation you are joined together with is a spiritual prostitute or not in His eyes. To assume you’re safe even though closely associated with a rebellious, harlot body is foolishness that will cause you, and your family, great hardship in the near future (i.e. foolish virgin assemblies). If you continue to partake of their defiled “food,” not separating from their “uncleanness,” you too will be a partaker of their judgment when God acts, for His name’s sake (Revelation 18:4-5). The patience of God to not discipline at this point gives you and I time to escape before it’s too late.
Today, spiritual prostitution is a common it’s a practice among the leadership in Christianity. It has affected, or should I say infected many in the church. Those among God’s people who are spell-bound under the control of their witchcraft in His house through the continued practice of immorality and idolatry (i.e. witchcraft), without repentance (i.e. touching “unclean” things), have desecrated His temple within them, thereby polluting our land/nation.
In the book of Haggai, we see the Lord mercifully calling His people, because of the “uncleanness” of their works, to renew their covenant relationship with Him. He said through the prophet;
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Ask now the priests for a ruling: If a man carries holy meat in the fold [3671- “a wing, an edge, an extremity, a border, a corner (of a garment”] of his garment, and touches bread with this fold, or cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?’ And the priests answered, ‘No.’ Then Haggai said, ‘If one who is unclean [2931- “to be unclean, impure”] from a corpse [i.e. a “dead” body (of believers)] touches any of these, will the latter become unclean [2930- “to become unclean, to become impure, to defile”]?’ And the priests answered, ‘It will become unclean [2930].’ Then Haggai said, ‘So is this people. And so is this nation before Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.’”
(Haggai 2:11-14/NASU)
We cannot transmit holiness to one another, but we can our uncleanness. The state of our nation proves this. It’s been wisely said, “As the church goes, so goes the nation.” Christians are the ones who either bring blessings or curses to those around them (see Leviticus 26, and Deuteronomy 28). We are His light-bearers. Because of our understanding in truth, God holds His people accountable for the condition of their own lives, their families, and their nation. We are the ones who have been given the knowledge of what to do to please the Lord, thereby causing His favor to shield our nation.
Our current unchecked, open borders are the result of unguarded hearts among Christians. They allow our enemies to pour in uncontested, first within us, and then our nation. Again, our national borders are secure as the hearts of God’s people. One is a manifestation of the other.
Through the prophet, we see the Lord’s desire to renew the covenant relationship with His children that have rebelled against Him, causing their lives and their nation to be in shambles. I believe the Lord is approaching us today with the same desire, for the sake of a remnant of His people lest when He judges the land, they perish with the wicked whom they have joined themselves together with through mutual participation. As Paul declared to the Romans, there is no partiality with God (Romans 2). While there is still time, we must seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal any wickedness in us that we need to separate from. As a nation, we have already crossed God’s line. Peace and safety are now an individual matter. Because He is impartial, the Lord will bring justice against our open rebellion.
To take this lightly is to be as the Israelites who did not recognize the opportune time of their visitation and were destroyed by their enemies (Luke 9:41-44). The Greek for “visitation” is defined as, “inspection, visitation.” According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, it is “that act by which God looks into and searches out the ways, deeds, character, of men, in order to adjudge [“pronounce, declare”] them their lot accordingly, whether joyous or sad.”
We, His people, must recognize the opportune, or seasonable time that now lies before us. We have been given ample time to repent before our visitation when the true condition of our devotion to Him is revealed before all. Because the majority of Israel missed their opportunity to repent, their land was leveled by the Romans in A.D. 70, just as Jesus had prophesied. We too have filled up the full measure of wickedness before the Lord. Our overflowing cup of rebellion has caused Him to declare His disciplining hand upon our defiant backsides by our enemies. Until the decree is carried out, our only hope for mercy will be through those who stand in the gap, confessing their sins and the sins of our nation, remembering from where we have fallen, repenting, and then renewing the covenant as Israel did on various conditions through a Sacred Assembly.
The vast amount of unchecked sin in the church, caused by the lack of carrying out God’s command of church discipline, has leavened the church in America, shipwrecking many Christians faith (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Jeremiah 23:11). Our disobedience has affected the walls of God’s protection surrounding our nation as well. Again, our open borders are a sign of the unguarded hearts of God’s people in America..
For many years the Lord has been crying out against the sin in the church in America. Instead of repenting, we have waded deeper into depravity. This is why His patience is about to give way to His chastising hand in our churches, and our nation. In 1 Chronicles 21, David’s sin of numbering the people caused the Lord to pour out His wrath on the nation, killing 70,000 men of Israel (v.14). How many will die on our soil because of the sin of our spiritual leaders?
In His rebuke of Israel, the Lord went on to say through Haggai;
“The revolters [7846- “a departure from the right, i.e. sin; a swerver, a rebel, deeds that swerve”] have gone deep in depravity [NIV; “deep in slaughter”], but I will chastise all of them. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; For now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot [2181- “to go a whoring, commit fornication, be a harlot, serve other gods (idolatry), to be unfaithful to God”], Israel has defiled [2930] itself. Their deeds will not allow them to return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry [2183- “adultery, fornication, prostitution”] is within them, and they do not know [3045- “to know, to admit, to acknowledge, to confess, to make known, to declare”] the Lord.” [See Romans 1:28 regarding those who do not acknowledge the Lord.]
(Hosea 5:2-4/NASU)
The Lord said their deeds/works would not allow them to return to Him. This is why it is so crucial that we turn away (i.e. repent) from our evil deeds and return to Him, in order for Him to return to us.
The first word of the forerunner ministry at the first coming of Christ was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Repentance among “His own” prepared their hearts for His coming to them. It will do the same among “His own” at His second coming. The majority of Christians, at least in our nation, are totally unprepared at this time. It will take a great shaking to awaken them from the “spirit of deep sleep” that is currently upon them (Isaiah 29:9-10, Proverbs 19:15).
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