Frequently Asked Questions
How long did it take to write this book?
It is the culmination of twenty years of study. There were loose threads that I felt were dangling in scripture. However, once I began to look at it from the perspective of a marriage, they all came together.
Are there any other books dealing with this subject?
If there are, I am unaware of them. Most books that refer to a "Wife" of God make mention of the Church. There are about two or three references in the New Testament where the Church is called a bride. This book is not built upon those references. This book uses the over fifty references and the whole chapter in the Old Testament dedicated to showing the details of God's marriage to His people.
Why do you feel like this story needed to be told?
The story is already in the Bible, it's just not being highlighted or even spoken about. I believe that people who are actively seeking to learn as much as they can about the Bible and about how God operates should have as much information at their disposal as possible. I sought to bring the story to the forefront because in this one book, you have the entire story line of the Bible, including heaven, hell, salvation, virgin birth, world destruction, and redemption. All of which are written in such context as to make it difficult for the reader to misunderstand it again.
Why did you feel it was necessary to use a different version of the Bible for each chapter?
Initially, my intent was to use just the New King James version because that was the version that I studied from. However, copyright laws prevented me from using the amount of scriptures that I wanted to use in this book. Therefore, I began researching other versions of the Bible and began to understand that God intended for me to bump into that obstacle. I learned that other versions were telling the same story in a much clearer way. It took a while to narrow down which versions were true to some of the things which were important to me (such as the capitalization of pronouns referring to God) but ultimately I settled on the six different versions that I would use. I cite the locations of all the scriptures used so that if the reader is biased against certain Bible translations they may feel free to reference the version of their choice.
How would you respond to someone calling the book, the title, and the concept - blasphemy?
Lovers of God and religion are typically protective of the ideas they have established regarding their faith. These ideas are established at such an early age that most find it difficult to alter, amend, or expand them. Unfortunately, so much faith is placed in our teachers to tell us everything...every verse, every analogy, and every parable...so much so that if we haven’t already heard it from them, then we assume it doesn’t exist. God's "Wife" is mentioned from cover to cover in the Bible. It is the longest running analogy in the entire Book. If there is blasphemy in suggesting that God has a wife, then it is a sin that is committed by the writers of the Bible, not by the readers nor by those who quote it.
Other than God having a wife, what new concepts, if any, does your book introduce to its readers?
Traditionally, the story of the children of Israel is told from the perspective of the minor prophets. The major prophets (Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah) also tell the story of the destiny of God's people. Surprisingly, (though being in agreement with each other) their version of events differ from that of the minor prophets. This book tells the story and the sequence of events from the vantage point of those prophets the scholars honored with the title "Major," but whose sequence of events have heretofore remained ignored.
How can this story have been in the Bible for thousands of years and no one has heard of it until now?
This story is not hidden in the Bible. This analogy is actually the longest one the Bible has, spanning 43 verses in some places. The question of it not being heard is a testament as to why we should be more diligent in reading the book ourselves. Part of the problem is that we expect those who read it for us to tell us everything in it and it is a very big book. What becomes of our understanding if our teachers never get around to teaching this subject?
Do you claim to be smarter than those who have greater credentials than your own?
I don't claim to be smarter or have impressive credentials. In my twenty years of study, I was blessed to come across these scriptures and was able to show their importance in the story line of the Bible. I put the story in this book, quoted where I got it from, and now leave the reader to decide if they believe it is worth knowing. Lastly, when it comes to comparing the credentials of individuals, we have to be careful not take authority as the truth - but rather truth as the authority. Here is something to consider: Lets say you have a child who has gotten lost, but then is found and returned home by a kind stranger. Do you turn your child away just because the one who returned them wasn’t the trusted detective you paid to do the job...or do you embrace your child with all your might, grateful of that which was once lost is now found regardless of who returned them to you?
In the world post-Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code," is your book making any sensational claims regarding the life of Jesus?
This book is focused more on the children of Israel and their relationship with God. Though there is a role in the story for the Savior (and I have dedicated almost two chapters to His interaction with the people), His identity isn't identified as Jesus. The major prophets identified Him only as "The David-King," "The Son of David," or “The Chosen One," but never was the name Jesus used. In this respect, I have stayed true to the Scriptural references. In terms of sensationalism, I think the reader will find it interesting that the interactions between God and the David-King, and the mission God bestowed upon Him, is much more than we currently understand it to be. I would rather have my readers experience this in their own comprehension versus giving the story away. But I will suggest that they should compile a list detailing what they believe His mission to be. Then, after reading the book, refer back to that list and see if their thoughts regarding His mission has changed at all. I believe what they find may prove to be sensational.
Would you say your book is kid-friendly?
That would depend on how you rear your children. If you rear your children to believe that the lessons in the Bible are beneficial, then that would include them learning how Abraham was told to kill his son, that Lot was willing to throw his daughters to a frenzied mob to save strangers, that Noah's daughter-in-law dressed as a prostitute and seduced him, and that Jesus told people to eat His flesh and drink His blood. If these stories are considered child-friendly, then the Scriptures I quote are no different than these. However, if one would seek to protect their children from Bible stories like these, then I would suggest that they read the book before offering it to their children so that they may decide what they are prepared to discuss.
Why did you chose that image for the cover of the book?
The Bible says that God got so upset with His wife (His people) that He allowed foreigners to come and carry her away from His land to make her a slave in theirs. After generations pass, God visits her but in her place now stands her decedents. The people He sent off of His land have long since died and their children are now the ones in bondage. In the Bible, the reference to God’s people as a "wife" now changes to "daughter,” for the people are the descendants of the wife. However, this daughter (the decedents of God's people) never knew the prophets, never had the presence of God in their midst cultivating them, thus the labeled "Virgin" was added to the label "daughter." Because God decided to raise up a Savior-king/David-king in her midst, she (the Virgin Daughter) is said to have given birth to the one destined to save the people. I saw parallels to the story of the Virgin Mary and her Son, The Savior. By using that picture, I sought to subtly draw attention to the similarities of those two stories.