Spiritual adultery is not physical or sexual sin but the adulterating of God's truth by mixing paganism, idolatry, and false doctrine with biblical Christianity.
In Les Feldick's teaching, spiritual adultery happens when two religions that have no business together are brought together, such as Judaism and pagan systems, or the church and New Age doctrines. This is pictured in Revelation 17 as a religious system, not a literal immoral woman, holding a cup full of abominations. God hates and will judge this kind of unfaithfulness.
Revelation 17:4-5 — The woman's golden cup of abominations and her title 'mother of harlots' directly picture spiritual fornication and adulterated religion.
2 Peter 2:14 — False teachers are described with 'eyes full of adultery,' connecting spiritual adultery to the adulterating of God's Word.
Deuteronomy 31:16 — God warns that Israel would 'go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land' — a picture of spiritual unfaithfulness through idolatry.
The Bible uses adultery and whoredom as pictures of unfaithfulness to God. In Deuteronomy 31:16 the LORD told Moses that after his death the people 'will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land' — a description of idolatry, not physical immorality. In 2 Peter 2:14 false teachers are described as 'having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin.' Revelation 17:4-5 pictures a woman described as 'THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH,' holding 'a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.' Her fornication is tied to Babylon, the religious system, not a literal prostitute. The Bible also uses the marriage analogy in Hosea, where Israel's departure from the LORD is called 'great whoredom' (Hosea 1:2).
Les Feldick defines spiritual adultery as mixing paganism, idolatry, and false teaching with true biblical truth. In the Old Testament, he says Israel's commingling with pagan systems was spiritual adultery that God hated. He applies the same principle to the New Testament church: when the body of Christ commingles with doctrines such as the New Age movement, that too is spiritual adultery and God will judge it. He also teaches that the 'great whore' in Revelation 17 is not a literal immoral woman, but a wealthy religious system whose golden cup is full of abominations and 'filthiness of her fornication' — an amalgamation of idolatrous worship. Les further distinguishes the church as the 'virgin, pure bride of Christ' and Israel as the 'adulterous, restored wife of Jehovah,' using the book of Hosea to illustrate that this is a positional picture, not sexual.
In Deuteronomy 31:16 the LORD told Moses that Israel would 'go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land.' Les explains that God already knew Israel would not annihilate the pagan nations but would spare them and commingle with them, and that commingling was a spiritual adultery that God hated. He stresses that this was not physical but spiritual — bringing two religions together that have no business being together, such as the Mosaic system and any pagan system.
Les teaches that the woman in Revelation 17 is a religious system, not a literal immoral woman. He points to her great wealth, her golden cup 'full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication,' and the name on her forehead: 'Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.' He describes her fornication as spiritual — an amalgamating of idolatrous worship with so-called biblical worship. Even though some translations use 'immoralities,' Les says it is not primarily physical sexual immorality but spiritual adulteration.
Les says it is no different today: when the true church begins to commingle with other doctrines, such as the New Age movement, that is spiritual adultery and God is going to judge it. He also points to false teachers in 2 Peter 2 who come right into church fellowship while being filled with false teaching. Their 'eyes full of adultery' describes the way they adulterate the Word of God by mixing paganism with true biblical truth.
Les uses the book of Hosea to explain the distinction between the church and Israel. The church is referred to as the 'virgin, pure bride of Christ,' while Israel is referred to as the 'adulterous, restored wife of Jehovah.' He cautions that this does not mean bigamy or sexuality; it is a positional picture. Hosea was instructed to marry a woman of the street to live out the picture of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness and God's restoration.
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Israel's Commingling With Pagan Gods Is Spiritual Adultery
Les teaches that when Israel commingled with pagan religions, it was spiritual adultery God hated — and the same applies when the church blends with false doctrines like the New Age movement.
False Teachers Adulterate God's Word
Les explains that Scripture's use of 'adultery' often means mixing paganism with true biblical truth, and false teachers do this by fellowshipping with believers while spreading false teaching.
The Woman of Revelation 17 Is a Religious System
Les shows that the woman in Revelation 17 is not a literal prostitute but a wealthy religious system whose golden cup is full of abominations and the filthiness of her spiritual fornication.
Bringing Two Religions Together That Have No Business Together
Les defines spiritual adultery as bringing together two religions that have no business being together, such as the Mosaic system and any pagan system.
Your Body Is the Temple of the Holy Spirit — 1 Corinthians 6:19
Now as a child of God, you are on totally different territory, you are now a totally different person, and when you begin to involve yourself with immoral activity, you are literally adulterating your position with Christ. Plain enough? I hope so, because this is exactly what the picture is.
The Golden Cup of Spiritual Immorality
Les describes the great whore's cup as full of the filthiness of spiritual immorality — an amalgamation of idolatrous worship and so-called biblical worship, not primarily physical sexual sin.
Israel as the Adulterous Wife; the Church as the Pure Bride
Les uses Hosea to show that Israel is pictured as the adulterous, restored wife of Jehovah while the church is the virgin bride of Christ — a positional picture, not a sexual one.
Deuteronomy 31:16: And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
God prophesied Israel's spiritual adultery through idolatry — going after the gods of the nations rather than remaining faithful to Him.
2 Peter 2:14: Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
This describes false teachers whose 'adultery' is connected to deceiving and corrupting the truth.
Revelation 17:4: And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
The woman's golden cup is full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication — the picture of a corrupt religious system.
Revelation 17:5: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
The name identifies the woman as a religious system — Babylon the Great — whose harlotry and abominations are spiritual in nature.
Hosea 1:2: The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
God uses the picture of a whoring wife to describe Israel's spiritual departure from the LORD.
No. Les Feldick explains that spiritual adultery is not physical or sexual immorality. It is the mixing of paganism, idolatry, and false doctrine with true biblical truth. The Bible sometimes uses words like adultery and whoredom to describe spiritual unfaithfulness.
Les teaches that it is spiritual, not physical. The great whore's fornication is the amalgamating of idolatrous worship with so-called biblical worship. Her golden cup is full of abominations and the filthiness of her spiritual immorality.
God's covenant relationship with Israel is pictured as a marriage. When Israel pursued pagan gods and mixed pagan religion with the Mosaic system, that was spiritual adultery. Les uses the book of Hosea to show Israel as the adulterous wife whom God restores.
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