In sober tones, Messiah Yeshua warned His disciples that “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). This warning is in the passage about the end times. We know from I John 3:4 that “everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness”. In other words, sin increases and love grows cold.
Now, in a blog about the restoration of patriarchy, why am I discussing lawlessness and love growing cold? Well, we know that feminism, homosexuality, and witchcraft prevail all around us. Pete Rambo recently posted on this. Feminism is anti-patriarchy, as in I Corinthians 11:3 “Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ”. Homosexuality is clearly forbidden in Leviticus 18:22. Witchcraft is also forbidden twice in Deuteronomy 18:10,14. Therefore, it should be clear that feminism, homosexuality, and witchcraft are all sins, and lawlessness. The practice of these three sins in particular lead to love growing cold.
About love, what shall we say? A search of the NASB shows that the English word love is used 484 times. But the very heart and core of the Law is love, as Yeshua pointed out in Matthew 22:36-40
“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.”
Matthew 22:36-40
The first and greatest commandment is taken from Deuteronomy 6:5 and is recited as part of the Shema. The second commandment is taken from Leviticus 19, which is a section of law addressing different examples of loving one’s neighbor. There are four particular clauses of this section which are germane to this article. They are:
You shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger
Leviticus 19:10c
You shall not oppress your neighbor
Leviticus 19:13a
You are not to act against the life of your neighbor
Leviticus 19:16b
You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart
Leviticus 19:17a
All of the above cases can apply to a single woman as the object of the clause. A single woman, whether virgin, divorced, or widowed, is uncovered and in need of a husband. In addition, she very well could be a stranger that wants to join herself to Israel (think Ruth here).
With respect to widows, whether older or younger, with or without children, God has said that He is their judge (Psalm 68:5). Pete Rambo analyzed how Paul made provision for widows in the section “God’s Provision for the Widow” in the article “Paul’s Perspective on Polygyny“.
Polygyny, or a man taking more than one wife, and loving each of them (Exodus 21:10; Ephesians 5:28,33) is a loving and lawful response to lawlessness and love growing cold. Taking additional wives reduces the pool of single women who might fall into harlotry, and love abounds and grows warm.
11:3 Restoration 