Understanding Biblical Betrothal and God's Design for Relationships A Serious Warning About Defrauding In I Thessalonians 4:6, God commands believers not to defraud one another—and this may be the only command where God promises to personally execute vengeance on His own children who violate it. This shows how seriously God takes this issue. The Three Phases of Human Life as God Designed Them: Single (Not Betrothed) - The foundational phase Betrothed (Espoused) - The preparatory phase Married - The covenant phase Each phase has a specific, God-ordained purpose. Phase one provides the foundation for phase two, and together the first two phases establish the foundation for phase three. The Modern Problem: Most people today do not understand God's clear and unique purposes for betrothal (phase two). As a result, they have: Despised and eliminated betrothal from their lives Perverted the pure love that belongs in betrothal Turned what should be love into lust among singles God's Solution to Stop Defrauding: God's method involves two key actions: Put to death inordinate affections by stabbing or starving them Establish betrothals—not through modern courting, but through questions Running Time: 80 minutes