Heir to Riches, Beautiful, and Crowned with Glory

A husband and wife share all that belongs to them. All believers are made joint heirs with Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of their inheritance through Him.

You, too, have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed in him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of God's own possession, to his praise and glory. (Eph 1:13-14 ISV)

The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, also heirs; truly heirs of God, and joint-heirs of Christ, if indeed we suffer together, that we may also be glorified together. (Rom 8:16-17 LITV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he has given us a new birth to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and to an inheritance kept in heaven for you that can't be destroyed, corrupted, or changed. (1Pe 1:3-4 ISV)

In a similar way, you husbands must live with your wives in an understanding manner, as with a most delicate vessel. Honor them as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing may interfere with your prayers. (1Pe 3:7 ISV)

All that Jesus is "rich" in and all that He possesses now belongs to His Wife, the Church.

And it shall be, because you hear judgments, and keep and do them, even Jehovah your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you, and bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your land, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your oxen and the wealth of your flock, in the land which He has sworn to your fathers, to give it to you. (Deu 7:12-13 LITV)

And not any of the cursed thing shall cleave to your hand, so that Jehovah shall turn from the fierceness of His anger, and shall give mercies to you, and shall love you, and shall multiply you, as He has sworn to your fathers, when you listen to the voice of Jehovah your God, to keep all His commandments which I am commanding you today, to do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah your God. (Deu 13:17-18 LITV)

But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:4-7 MKJV)

For You, O Lord, are good and ready to forgive, and rich in mercy to all who call on You. (Psa 86:5 LITV)

Behold, the heavens and the Heaven of the heavens, the earth and all in it, belong to Jehovah your God. (Deu 10:14 LITV)

God is rich in mercy and grace and He imparted these riches to His Wife through the love He demonstrated in Jesus. God created everything and He owns it all! He has made Jesus to reign as King over His Kingdom and has given Him the throne of Israel.

Mercy and truth preserve the king, and his throne is upheld by mercy. (Pro 20:28 LITV)

I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. (Isa 43:15 LITV)

So says Jehovah, the King of Israel, and His redeemer Jehovah of Hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and besides Me there is no God. (Isa 44:6 MKJV)

Nathanael answered and said to Him (Jesus), Rabbi, You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel! (Joh 1:49 MKJV)

God is the Master of the House that He created to dwell and dine in (see previous blog entry - "A Nourished and Enlarged New Soul - Part 2") and He has made His Son, Jesus, to be the King of that House.

And behold! You will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. This One will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob to the ages, and of His kingdom there will be no end. (Luk 1:31-33 LITV)

"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, " (Mat 22:2 ESV)

On the next day, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, a great crowd who had come to the Feast took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him. And they cried, Hosanna! "Blessed is the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord!" And finding an ass colt, Jesus sat on it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King comes sitting on the foal of an ass." (Joh 12:12-15 MKJV)

King Jesus and His Wife share joint legal ownership of the land and the Kingdom that was promised to her family in the beginning.

And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:29 ISV)

And any daughter that possesses an inheritance from any tribe of the sons of Israel to one of the family of the tribe of her father is to become a wife of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel may each possess the inheritance of his father. (Num 36:8 LITV)

Jesus had to marry the daughter of Abraham so that the promised inheritance would remain in the family (see previous blog entry - "A Nourished and Enlarged New Soul - Part 2").

“Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:” (Ezr 7:27 KJV)

The Bride is made beautiful when she is crowned with the King's glory and clothed with His righteousness.

He has sent me to provide for all those who grieve in Zion, to give them crowns instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of tears of grief, and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness. They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, the Plantings of the LORD, so that he might display his glory. (Isa 61:3 GW)

For Zion's sake, I will not be silent; and for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest; until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning lamp. And nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. And you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of Jehovah shall specify. You also shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You no longer shall be called Forsaken; nor shall your land any longer be called Desolate. But you shall be called, My Delight is in Her; and your land, Married. For Jehovah delights in you, and your land is married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you. And as a bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God shall rejoice over you. (Isa 62:1-5 LITV)

The king decorated the Temple with beautiful precious stones and with gold imported from the land of Parvaim. (2Ch 3:6 GNB)

“Give honor and praise to the LORD, whose power and beauty fill his holy temple." (1Ch 16:27 CEV)

Daughters of kings are here, and your bride stands at your right side, wearing a wedding gown trimmed with pure gold. Bride of the king, listen carefully to me. Forget your own people and your father's family. The king is your husband, so do what he desires. (Psa 45:9-11 CEV)

When we love God with all our strength, then we keep ourselves from evil, staying beautiful and holy under the riches of His mercy and grace. We choose to keep the crown of glory on our head that He has given to us through the Holy Spirit when we love God with all of our mind.

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. (Psa 29:2 KJV)

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. (Psa 96:8-9 KJV)

She (Wisdom) shall give a wreath of grace to your head; she shall shield you with a crown of glory. (Pro 4:9 LITV)

But thou, O LORD, art a shield about me; my glory, and the lifter up of my head. (Psa 3:3 JPS)

A Nourished and Enlarged New Soul - Part 1

Along with a new body, Jesus gives His Wife everything she needs so that a new soul can be formed in her. When His Holy Spirit joins with our spirit, a new soul begins to form inside our hearts that will be just like His Soul (see previous blog entry - "Three make One"). His Bride will not be complete and healthy if she does not have His Soul of love.

Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psa 103:1-5 ESV)

A husband provides those things that his wife needs in order to survive and be satisfied. Her body needs food and water to be healthy and her soul needs love in order to be happy and content.

Our soul hungers and thirsts just like our body does. Feeding our soul with God's Word and Truth and doing His will by keeping His commandments makes our soul satisfied. It in turn makes our body (flesh and bones) healthier and stronger, like a fertilized and watered garden or field.

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. (Pro 16:24 MKJV)

A woman of virtue is a crown to her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. (Pro 12:4 MKJV)

And Jehovah shall always guide you and satisfy your soul in dry places, and make your bones fat; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters fail not. (Isa 58:11 MKJV)

Jesus provides and prepares all those things for His Wife, the Church. All she has to do is dine (or feast) with Him in the house where He is dwelling with her (see previous blog entry - "A Close Relationship").

Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat with me. (Rev 3:20 ISV)

Jesus told them, "My food is doing the will of the one who sent me and completing his work." (Joh 4:34 ISV)

“Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." (Joh 6:27 ISV)

"For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Then they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread all the time." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never become hungry, and the one who believes in me will never become thirsty.” (Joh 6:33-35 ISV)

So Jesus told them, "Truly, truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. The person who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” (Joh 6:53-56 ISV)

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. (Joh 6:63 ISV)

Jesus answered her, "Everyone who drinks this water will become thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never become thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." (Joh 4:13-14 ISV)

Our love for Jesus increases when we spend more time dining with Him. Communication is open and close when a husband and wife dine together. It is a time when they can sit down and talk face to face. The more we love Him with all of our soul, then the more we will be filled by His spiritual food and drink.

Don't get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living. Instead, be filled with the Spirit by reciting psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for your own good. Sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts. Always thank God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Eph 5:18-20 GW)

“though indeed He did not leave Himself without witness, doing good, giving rain and fruitful seasons to us from heaven, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” (Act 14:17 LITV)

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness! For they shall be filled. (Mat 5:6 LITV)

As we dine with Jesus, we will also begin to have God’s heart of love, we will realize the power over sin in our life that He gives, and we will gain the wisdom and understanding that He gives us through His Holy Spirit. When our body is properly nourished, then the fruit of the Spirit can grow in us so that our new soul can come to fullness - like a tree that produces fruit.

But those on the good ground are the ones who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. (Luk 8:15 MKJV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23 KJVR)

And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, for you to abound in hope, in power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13 LITV)

For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
(2Ti 1:7 MKJV)

If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them, then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. (Lev 26:3-4 MKJV)

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. (Isa 61:3 KJV)

A Nourished and Enlarged New Soul - Part 2

A husband and wife must "be fruitful and multiply". The joining of Jesus and His Wife by Spirit produces the fruit of her new soul. In a healthy and loving marriage, a husband and wife multiply and have children so that they can share their love with them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Gen 1:28 ESV)

Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. (Mal 2:15 ESV)

God could not produce "godly offspring" with sinful and unfruitful Israel. So God established Himself on the earth as Jesus so that He could join Himself with His Wife, the Church, to conceive "godly offspring".

Rejoice, O unfruitful one that never bore; break out a song and shout, you who never travailed. For more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married woman, says Jehovah. Make the place of your tent larger, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings. Do not spare, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes; for you shall break out on the right hand and on the left. And your seed shall inherit the nations, and people will inhabit ruined cities. (Isa 54:1-3 MKJV)

When God's Spirit unites with Mankind, it always produces new life - physical and spiritual.

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (Mat 1:20-21 ESV)

Just as Mary conceived a Son (Jesus) by the Holy Spirit, we as the Church conceive spiritually when we allow the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in our lives - forming the Bride's new soul. When the Church body brings others to a relationship with Jesus, then that is how the Wife's body multiplies and produces "godly children". We become children of God when we accept Jesus as our Lord and have His Spirit dwelling in our hearts.

The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, also heirs; truly heirs of God, and joint-heirs of Christ, if indeed we suffer together, that we may also be glorified together. (Rom 8:16-17 LITV)

And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:29 MKJV)

Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.
(1Pe 3:6 MSG)

When the Church confidently calls Jesus her Husband, then she becomes a true daughter of Sarah and Abraham. As the Wife of Jesus, the Church becomes joint heirs with Jesus, sharing in all the promises that God gave to His Son and to Abraham, her Father (see previous blog entry - "The Death of the Husband").

When Israel, God's wife, was spiritually reborn, she was also given a new and personal name, just like when God gave us His new name - Jesus, the Son of God! (See previous blog entries – "A Close Relationship" and "All My Soul - #1") I believe that Israel's new and personal name is Jerusalem, the daughter of Abraham. It is in Jerusalem where the King's House (or Temple) is located and that is where He holds His feasts.

In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
(Psa 116:19 KJV)

Praise the LORD in Zion, in Jerusalem, his home. Praise the LORD! (Psa 135:21 GNB)

It shall be eaten in one house. You shall not carry any of the flesh out of the house. Neither shall you break a bone of it. (Exo 12:46 MKJV)

When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. (Joh 2:13 MSG)

That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. (Eph 2:19-20 ISV)

For we are partners working together for God, and you are God's field. You are also God's building. (1Co 3:9 GNB)

Jerusalem is the city where His earthly house was built and New Jerusalem is where the Lord's Spiritual House is being built. That new city is where He will dine forever with His Bride, whose body, soul, and spirit is united, fully formed, and perfected.

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
(Psa 107:1-9 KJV)

Therefore the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, shall send leanness among his fat ones; and under his glory He shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. And the light of Israel shall be as a fire, and His Holy One as a flame; and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day. And it shall burn up the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a sick one faints. And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a boy might write them. And it shall be in that day, the remnant of Israel, and those who have escaped from the house of Jacob, shall never again lean on him who struck them; but truly lean on Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel. The remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
(Isa 10:16-21 MKJV)