Israel's Return to Israel is a sign

Deuteronomy 28:64–65 “The LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other…” Deuteronomy 30:1–5 “If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee… and bring thee into the land…” Isaiah 11:11–12 “The Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people… from the four corners of the earth.” Isaiah 43:5–6 “I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west…” Isaiah 49:22 “I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles… and they shall bring thy sons in their arms…” Jeremiah 30:3 “I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” Ezekiel 11:16–17 “Although I have scattered them among the countries… I will gather you from the peoples, and give you the land of Israel.” Ezekiel 36:24 “I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.” Zechariah 8:7–8 “I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.” Luke 21:24 “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

All about Biblical Marriage

Matthew 19:4-6 He (Jesus) answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast 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 not man separate.”

Genesis 2:18-25 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for[e] him.” -- But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

The definition of marriage: becoming one flesh

It is clear from the original establishement of marriage that it has nothing to do with religion, community or even romantic love. The act and reality of "becoming one flesh" is the foundational truth of marriage. This is later recognized in scriptures such as

Exodus 22:16: If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife.

In other words: although the man-made cultural concept of marriage can be useful, it too must be made to follow the deeper underlying reality of "being one flesh", which - when it has taken place - constitutes marriage before God, and we should respect it. This is worth repeating:

What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:6

Multiple wives

1 Cor. 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

Abraham had Sarah, Hagar and Keturah (Genesis 11:29; 16:3; 25:1). Jacob had Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, Zilpah (Genesis 30) David had Ahinoam, Abigail, Haggith, Abital, Eglah, Michal, Maaca, Bathsheba and other women (1-2 Samuel)

There is no prohibition in the bible against a man having multiple wives. This is a simple fact. It seems the headship of the man over his wife/wives is a key factor: there is no conflict as there is only one head. Similarly, it is forbidden for a woman to leave her husband to be joined to another man. A woman, therefore, is simply forbidden from having multiple husbands.

But it's not just me. Let's listen to the great protestant reformer, Martin Luther: Letter to Chancellor Gregory Bruck, January 13, 1524 (De Wette II, 459, pp. 329, 330)

I confess that I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict the Scripture. If a man wishes to marry more than one wife he should be asked whether he is satisfied in his conscience that he may do so in accordance with the Word of God. In such a case the civil authority has nothing to do in the matter.

Now there are hints that this is not the ideal arrangement. Appart from the fact that God only created one woman for Adam our father, there are two places in scripture where the number of wives is restricted: for kings and for new testament church leaders. Apparently there are at least practical reasons to only have one wife (or in the case of a king, "not many wives", what ever that means).

Deuteronomy 17:17 And he (king) shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

1 Tim 3:2-3 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

Adultery

The basic definition of adultery is simple: having sex with another man's wife. Leviticus 20:10 If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

This extends to remarrying: But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Here there is an important distinction:

Music in the Bible

Psalms 150:1-5 1 Praise the LORD.Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Psalms 98:1-7 1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the LORD, the King. 7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Instruments mentioned: trumpet, harp, lyre, timbrel, strings, pipe, cymbals, ram's horn

And verily We gave unto Moses the Scripture and We caused a train of messengers to follow after him, and We gave unto Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs [of Allah's sovereignty], and We supported him with the Holy spirit. Is it ever so, that, when there cometh unto you a messenger [from Allah] with that which ye yourselves desire not, ye grow arrogant, and some ye disbelieve and some ye slay? 2:87 Say [O Muslims]: We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. 2:136 Of those messengers, some of whom We have caused to excel others, and of whom there are some unto whom Allah spake, while some of them He exalted [above others] in degree; and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs [of Allah's Sovereignty] and We supported him with the holy Spirit. And if Allah had so wiled it, those who followed after them would not have fought one with another after the clear proofs had come unto them. But they differed, some of them believing and some disbelieving. And if Allah had so willed it, they would not have fought one with another; but Allah doeth what He will. 2:253 [And remember] when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near [unto Allah]. 3:45. O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three" - Cease! [it is] better for you! - Allah is only One Allah. Far is it removed from His Transcendent Majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Defender. The Messiah will never scorn to be a slave unto Allah, nor will the favoured angels. Whoso scorneth His service and is proud, all such will He assemble unto Him; 4:171-172 “And [He will make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel [who will say]: ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I will create for you out of clay the form of a bird, then breathe into it and it will become a bird by the permission of Allah. And I heal the blind and the leper, and I give life to the dead by the permission of Allah. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Surely in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.’” 3:49 ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and upon your mother when I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit; you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity; and when I taught you the Book and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel; and when you fashioned from clay [what was] like the form of a bird with My permission, then you breathed into it and it became a bird with My permission; and you healed the blind and the leper with My permission; and when you brought forth the dead with My permission; and when I restrained the Children of Israel from [killing] you…’” 5:110 [And remember] when the disciples said, “O Jesus, Son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven? [Jesus] said,” Fear Allah, if you should be believers.” They said, “We wish to eat from it and let our hearts be reassured and know that you have been truthful to us and be among its witnesses.” Said Jesus, the son of Mary, “O Allah, our Lord, send down to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven to be for us a festival for the first of us and the last of us and a sign from You. And provide for us, and You are the best of providers.” Allah said, “Indeed, I will sent it down to you, but whoever disbelieves afterwards from among you – then indeed will I punish him with a punishment by which I have not punished anyone among the worlds.” 5:112-115 Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! Such was Jesus, son of Mary: [this is] a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. 19:33-34 When Jesus came with clear proofs [of Allah's Sovereignty], he said: I have come unto you with wisdom, and to make plain some of that concerning which ye differ. So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me. 43:63 4:59. Lo! the likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said unto him: Be! and he is. 4:55. [And remember] when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will [all] return, and I shall judge between you 4:157. And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger - they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain.

“The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler; he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the jizya tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts).” Sahih al‑Bukhari, Hadith 2476

“There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (peace be upon him). He will descend … he will break the cross, kill swine, and abolish jizya. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist …” Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 4324

irreconcilable differences and divorce

The bible is clear on how marriage:
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous. (Heb 13:4)
let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The bible doesn't say much about marriage, and there are very few stories of marriages in the bible that go into any detail. However, it is clear that God's commandment is to follow his design, and that design is love in a covenant relationship.
What this means is faithful "tolerance" of your spouse through the hard and good times and to love - or to take care of - the other as long as you live (Rom 7:2).

It has become common for even Christians to view marriage from the lens of the visible - the external issues. Things like "compatibility" of values, profession, socioeconomic status etc. For many women I've found even their spiritual calling becomes a rival to their covenant of marriage, which they at some point in their lives might be ready to leave behind - just because they see a future that is more alluring.
The simple truth is that we've been called to be patient in love. If you have challenges in marriage (we all do!), that is the time to simply continue in denying yourself and yielding to the love of God. Continue in prayer and see how love takes over and covers even the great differences.

Why there is no poison in the wine

Worship involves yielding to God on all levels and simply worhiping Him. When you are deeply entrenched in dogmatic battles of doctrine, you may have a hard time letting go and thus the worship does not flow purely. This is not to be taken as an indication that you are wrong, but that these "things" just matter too much to you: matters of sexual purity, matters of the role of women, matters of charity and doing good works, ... matters - in general - of our horizontal reach between people. As much as you believe in the importance of your doctrinal persuasion, please hang it out to dry when you worship God. Worship God with no bars held, giving everything to Him.

Bible Answers in the midst of the Deceptions of Our Time

Below are some true statements that go against the spirit of the present world

Adultery is not okay

I have to admit, I've thought about this rather critically myself. Why couldn't a man and a woman enjoy the pleasures of the flesh if they're not hurting anybody? Meaning outside marriage of course. Many do it and in fact even some married couples say they enjoy the idea of their spouse going off to enjoy a wild night with someone else (open relationship or swinging lifestyle), or even orgies with multiple partners.

The argument we could make is that the old reasons for protecting marriage are no longer valid. We have contraception so the problem of having both parents is not a problem anymore. Nor is there the problem of who is going to take care of the woman once she loses here "market value" and becomes pregnant etc. after all, marriage was basically an occupation for a woman, where the man would take care of here financial needs (food, clothing and marital rights, as the torah puts it).

I asked God about this one day and his answer was terse: the bond is unbreakable. In other words, adultery cannot be tolerated anymore than

You see, there is an invisible bond created between man and woman when they have sex (not when they stand on a red carpet by the way). Even more than this, there is a relationship on the earth between a man and a woman that reflects the eternal love between God and His creation.

I find that the best way to think of marriage is that it's an act of worship to God, where we give up time and effort to please God. This is not about you, your spouse or how good the sex life is. This is about faith! And faith means this: to be obedient to God when you don't

2. Men and Women are not equal

- gender is God's idea: Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (Genesis 5:2) - Women can marry men, men can't - Men can be leaders of churches, women can't (1 Tim 3 "a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife")

3. Killing is not forbidden, murder is

- Exodus 20:13: Do not murder - Numbers 35:30 ""Every murderer of a human being is to be executed only according to testimony given by multiple witnesses. A single witness is not to result in a death sentence." - Deuteronomy 20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: - 1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. - The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing

4. Truth is more important than your feelings

2 Timothy 4:3- preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.