Mankind's Spiritual Husband: A New Name
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to the Messiah.” 2 Corinthians 11:2
YHWH, our heavenly Father, is drawing all men unto Himself through the fellowship of His Son. YHWH knows that when we realize the magnitude of the gift He has given us in His Son as the “greatest dowry every paid” and the “largest inheritance ever received”, that “His goodness will lead to humanity’s repentance (Romans 2:4).
This series shows how one grows from a baby born again Christian into the bride of Yahushua waiting for His soon return and how that growth corresponds with the different segments of the sanctuary.
A New Name
Have you ever heard someone described as a “Christian in name only” in a derogatory manner? What is meant by this statement? It means that even though someone calls himself a Christian, his actions betray him showing that he isn’t. This person believes that there is a Messiah; that the Messiah died for the sins of the world, but he hasn’t allowed Yahushua to be his/her sanctifier. They have faith in the Messiah, but they haven’t moved from faith to faith [Romans 1:17] into experiencing the indwelling faith OF Yahushua. They have never left the courtyard of the sanctuary. They are not letting Yahushua lead them through the sanctuary into the fellowship with our Heavenly Father in the most holy place. The seed of Yahushua cannot bear fruit because the consummation of the spirit hasn’t taken place.
We, as Yahushua’s bride, take upon ourselves His name, just as a woman will take her husband’s name. Women today have many options in the name they will take at their marriage. Using George’s and my name, I will give you several examples. When I married George, I had the option of becoming:
- Mrs. George Kerr,
- Mrs. Melodee Kerr,
- Melodee Kerr,
- Melodee Gillham-Kerr, or the last choice of staying with my maiden name
- Melodee Gillham
Which of these choices illustrates the greatest unity? The choices become more independent the farther one proceeds down the list. In this day and age it is as popular to keep your maiden name or hyphenate your name as it is to be some kind of hyphenated American! (1) In the past, women were always known by their husband’s name. When someone would come to visit a home and the husband would be outside he quite often would say, “Let’s go in and see the ‘Mrs.’.”
It is interesting to note that in the Bible, Adam and Eve had one name until they sinned. They were “Adam” (Gen. 5:2). They were Mr. Mrs. Adam so-to-speak. YHWH said “Let us make man in our image” (Gen. 1:26); this included male and female. Adam called his help meet woman for she was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. Adam was “man” and his helpmeet was “woman” until she sinned, then she became “Eve, the mother of all living” (Gen 3:20). In the marriage vows, the two are asked if they will take “this woman” or “this man”.
Yahushua addresses Mary at the tomb and His mother at the cross with the name “woman”. I used to read this and think, “How insulting.” Now I understand it to represent a special unity of spirit.
As I thought of this, I began to introduce myself as Mrs. George Kerr; telling the person that they could address me as Melodee if they wished to do so. When I was visiting in a new congregation one day when George was away from home, I introduced myself to the Pastor as Mrs. George Kerr. He was taken back; then he commented, “Your husband must be one special guy!” This brings me to my next illustration.
The Value of our Married Name
Children on earth are named after their father. The Bible says, “Every being in heaven and in earth is named after our heavenly Father” (Ephesians 3:14-15). When a bride takes the name of her husband, she also has the name of her groom’s father. Every name of YHWH the Father also belongs to Yahushua, for YHWH proclaimed, “My name is in Him” (Ex 23:21). As the bride of Yahushua, we take His name (Eph. 5:23) as our own—we become Mrs. YHWH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS (Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16).
When I married George, I did not equate it with becoming a part of the Lewis Kerr family. I just felt I was marrying George Kerr. However, when one thinks of a royal family, one DOES assume that marrying the son of the king allows one to be a part of the royal family. When Lady Diana Spenser married Prince Charles of England, she became a part of the kingdom of Charles’ father. How many of us would like to marry a prince? We CAN by submitting to Yahushua’s spirit.
In making these marriage parallels, I wondered how one would transition from being a bride of Yahushua into a child of the Father. That is when I realized that the marriage illustration will further enlighten that process. At the beginning of the wedding ceremony, the Pastor will ask, “Who gives this bride to this man?” The parents of the bride will respond that they do. The bride’s parents free her to take the name of her husband to be. The husband doesn’t take the name of the wife, the wife takes on the name of the groom.
This is where the Covenant of Peace comes into play. The Covenant of Peace is expressed through the cause and effect of breaking or keeping the law of YHWH—The Law of Sin and Death or the Law of the Spirit of Life in the Messiah Yahushua (Christ Jesus) [Romans chapters 7 and 8]. Our physical heritage from our GREAT grandfather Adam (under the dominion/sovereignty of death because we are sinners) will not allow us to marry another, for the law cannot die as YHWH’s eternal standard. The law will always lay out the cause and effect of sinfulness and righteousness. The law revealed righteousness in the beginning; then it revealed the consequences of sin brought about by Adam and Eve’s sin. The only Biblical option for remarriage other than adultery is the death of the spouse. So if the Law will not die so that we are free to marry Yahushua and the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, we find ourselves in deep trouble. Our only hope is that Yahushua died the eternal death the Law of Sin & Death demanded, so we can be free to marry another (Romans 7:1-4). By uniting our spirit with Yahushua’s spirit while we are engaged to Him on this earth we become more than an “in-law” by marriage. We will become the ACTUAL ADOPTED son or daughter of our Heavenly Father. We will have entered into a fellowship greater than what was possible before sin, for before sin we were sons or daughters of YHWH by CREATION. As created beings we were covered with a garment of light and stewards of Yahushua having been given dominion of this earth. When humanity sinned the robe of light left them and they realized they were naked. We were servants of righteousness. Paul says it this way:
“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraved in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.” 2 Corinthians 3:6-9
The promise of the Father’s holy Spirit as a robe of righteousness allows those who live under its sovereignty to partake of that spirit!!! Because they have a part of the Father they can be adopted children and actually be a part of that family!!!!
Intermarriage between nations
Intermarriages between royalties of different nations were used to solidify the relationship between the two kingdoms. King Solomon married many princesses from other nations to solidify his relationship with that kingdom. However, the relationship with these princesses was the undoing of Solomon. These marriages turned Solomon’s heart away from YHWH.
In early twentieth century Europe, the grandchildren of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX were prevalent throughout most of Europe’s royal court.
Our Heavenly Father gave His Son, the Prince of Heaven, in marriage to fallen earthlings so that YHWH’s relationship with humanity could never be broken. The marriage of Yahushua with believing humanity will solidify the relationship between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of earth forever.
A name shows ownership
A name shows ownership as well as implying authority over what is owned. Ownership gives one authority over the possession, as well as responsibility for that possession. We will learn in the next installement that YHWH has ownership and authority over all His creation. We will also learn that the authority for this earth was given to the first man who then passed it to his wife. The wife then passed it to the devil. The devil has now become the Prince of the earth and rules it with darkness.
In the Old Testament, YHWH laid claim to Israel, the temple, the ark, and Jerusalem, not by naming them, but by calling out His name over them (2 Chronicles 7:14, Jeremiah 7:10, and 2 Samuel 6:2). He was “tabernacling” with them by having a sanctuary in the midst of the camp. He was available to them through His Son as represented by the cloud above the sanctuary. This act declares that they now belonged to Him. Israel was now under Yahushua’s authority and protection (2 Samuel 12:28, Psalm 49:11, Isaiah 4:1). The people of Israel are YHWH’s peculiar possession, subject to His rule and under His protection (2 Chronicles 7:14, Isaiah 63:19, Jeremiah 14:9, 15:6).
King David couldn’t claim the city of Jebus by just naming it Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 10:4-7). He had to POSSESS the city!!!
Yahushua has always manifested His Father’s name. Before His incarnation He interacted with humanity through His spirit. While on earth He personally manifested His Father’s name (or character; John 17:6, 12, 26) to humanity. Yahushua was the representative of YHWH the Father. He was Immanuel----El with us—He worked for and beside humanity. After the cross, Yahushua is able to be IN us by the indwelling of the Spirit, through faith. When He is in us, the Father will dwell in us too [John 14:23]. When one speaks in the name of a person they are speaking and acting for that person (Exodus 5:23, 1 Samuel 17:45, 1 Kings 21:8); Yahushua spoke in the name of the Father. We are to speak in the name of Yahushua.
Somewhere along the way, Eve did not understand the value of who she was or the safety she had because of her husband’s name she had acquired. This will be illustrated further as the series continues.
(1) America’s unity is, in my opinion, being broken down by the special classifications demanded by ethnic or special interest groups. I have thought to myself, “I don’t classify myself as German-American; I am simply an American.” I remember reading an article about evangelizing New York City for Christ. The article brought out the significance of working with many different ethnic groups, one of which was “Euro-Americans”. I said, “Ah, I HAVE BEEN classified; I wonder how long it will take before this name is widely used?”
Mankind’s Spiritual Husband: Part 1
Mankind's Spiritual Husband: The Courtyard Experience
Mankind's Spiritual Husband: The Holy Place Experience
Mankind's Spiritual Husband: The Marriage/Most Holy Place Experience and Honeymoon
