~~ The Dowry ~~

Today is Jan. 16, 2004 at 5:15AM. I want to make this note before starting the message. I just like to keep these things for my own personal memory of the origin of the message.

I stayed on the computer until after 1AM this morning. I had typed so much my fingers and hands hurt almost to the point of not being usable. I had trouble going to sleep. At 3:30AM I awoke. I could not go back to sleep; my stomach was not feeling good, so I went to my kitchen to drink a little soda water. As I stood there drinking it, the Lord spoke to me and gave me this message of the dowry.

Up until this very morning I did not know just what a dowry is. I did not really understand the word 'endued'. As I stood there God gave me more on this. I knew this is how my most anointed messages always come. I knew I get His anointing as I sacrifice sleep and come to the computer and type up what He gives me. If I sleep on it, many times I will forget it. But this time I was just too tired to do it. So I went back to bed. I lay there a few minutes, but could not go back to sleep. My mind kept receiving more on this message. So at 5AM I again arose and knew I must come and do this message.

I have only had 1 1/2 hours sleep. So I ask all who read this to remember me in prayer. I know my God promised to meet all my needs according to his riches in glory. Health comes from God, not what I eat or how I sleep. Every time this happens to me, I always say thank you Jesus for not letting me sleep. This is better than sleep anytime.

Now to the message.

Dowry: -- The first meaning listed in the Webster's for dowry is the property, which a woman brings to her husband in marriage. But there is also another meaning. = A gift of money or property by a man to or for his bride.

Dower: -- But we also need the meaning of dower. = The part of or interest in real estate of a DECEASED husband given by law to his widow during her life.

Curtesy: --The opposite of dower is curtesy. = A husband's interest upon the death of his wife in the real property of an estate that she either solely owned or inherited provided they bore a child capable of inheriting the estate.

Now I am telling you there is marvelous revelation is this.

Another meaning for dower is: - to supply with a dower or dowry: endow.

Endow: --to furnish with an income; ESP: to make a grant of money providing for the continuing support or maintenance of. 2: to furnish with a dower. 3: to provide with something freely or naturally.

Endue or endued: -- provide, endow. 2: - transfuse.

Transfuse: - to cause to pass from one to another: transmit. Permeate. 2: a transfusion - to transfer (as blood) into a vein of a person or animal.

Now I have never done a message with this many dictionary meanings brought into it before. But it is absolutely necessary to understand this message to get the meanings of these words.

It is evident from the meanings of these words that we are discussing something concerning a marriage or wedding.

The union of Christ and his people is likened to a marriage. But what is it in reality? Now we know that it does not mean a natural wedding or marriage in the sense of what we humans have as marriage. So it must be something spiritual which is in the same pattern or like a human wedding or marriage.

Lets start with the dowry. It lists first the property a woman brings to her husband at the marriage. So first who is this bride? She is the human beings who give their life to Jesus and serve his. To be his wife she must give of herself to him. She must give up her own right to live her life to please herself and life it to please him. She must give him her everything and not hold anything back. This then is her dowry to him. She has no other property she can give him. She has nothing prior to marrying him. Herself is her dowry to him. This is all she has which he desires.

But the other meaning of dowry is the gift of money or property the husband gives to his wife at marriage. So now what is the dowry the husband, Jesus gives to his wife?

We must let His Word give us the answers.

Now look at the meaning of dower. This is marvelous. It is the part of or interest in real estate of a deceased husband given to his widow during her life. We were endowed with an endower. This means God gave us an endower, which was Jesus. Jesus was our husband, which died. He died on the cross. At that time we were as widows. We had nothing to keep us 'living'. Jesus provided that we be cared for after his death during our lifetime.

Jesus died in order to be able to give us his own property or power in our lifetime. This is the dower. He gave us the right to all that was his to have in our lifetime here on earth. This means we do not have to wait until our own death to inherit all that was his. He freely gave us all that was his before his death. He provided for our needs here in this life by his dower.

So what was his dower? Lets start with Mark 16: 17. And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

The use of the power in his name is his gift to us. This is his dower. He gave us provision right here for our needs: cast out devils, speak with new tongues, serpents or deadly things will not hurt us, we can heal the sick. This is a marvelous dowry.

Gen. 30: 20. And Leah said God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.

Leah loved her husband, Jacob. But Jacob had not loved Leah, he loved Rachel. Leah had nothing to offer Jacob at her wedding. But now she has born him six sons. She called this a good dowry, which God had endued or provided her with. Now she has given to her husband something of great value of her life, her six sons.

We must bear 'sons' to our husband, Jesus. This is to be our dowry to him.

Luke 24:49. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Now Jesus, our husband told them to tarry at Jerusalem until ye be endued or transfused with power from on high. This was his dowry to us. This was his dower to us. He gave us this after his death, but it is a gift to us when we marry him. His dowry was this power from on high to do what he had done and more.

All these gifts or dowry comes in or by or through the use of his name. The power or dowry is in the name. We can only tap into this dowry or power if we carry his name. The only way of doing this is to be baptized in water in the name of the husband, Jesus. This is the marriage. This is when we receive the name of the husband. We are then baptized into his body and he puts his spirit into our body. This is the marriage. This is when we become his bride or wife.

Unless we know him (marital relationship) and he knows us, we are not his wife. Unless you are baptized in his name, receive his spirit through the baptism of the Holy Ghost, you have not married him.

By one spirit are we baptized into his body. There is no other way. I am dealing first with Jesus' dowry to us. He said he ascended up on high and gave gifts to men. This is his dowry.

Acts 2:1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now there is where he kept his promise and gave them his gift of the Holy Ghost. This fulfilled the prophesy in Mark 16 that they would speak with other tongues and have the same power to heal the sick, cast out devils and all the things which the husband, Jesus had had in his lifetime. He endued them with this same property or power. This was his dowry to them and to us.

Acts 2: 36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

I think none of us realized how important this Scripture is in Acts 2. This is the only place where Luke 24:49 was ever fulfilled. This is where he kept his promise to endue us with power or his dowry to us. This is the only place where he fulfilled his dower to us. He gave us his power or property to provide for our needs here after his death and at our wedding to him right here in Acts 2:36-39.

Notice Peter told them first this is Jesus whom ye CRUCIFIED. This was showing that Jesus had the right or power to give to his wife, (those who would come and marry him by being baptized in his name), his dower because this proved he had died. Had he not died, then he could not be a dower or leave us his property or rights of power after his death. Peter proved here that Jesus was the husband who had died and left his wife his dower or rights to his own property. This power was his, not ours. We only receive it as his gift to us. You will not find any other Scriptural reference to anyone being endued with power other than this in Acts 2. So this has to be his dowry to us. So unless you obey this, receive this his dowry, then you are not his bride or wife.

So then the GIFT of the Holy Ghost is his first gift to his bride. This is the first step of his giving us his dowry or dower. Under this gift comes many other gifts. But the main header is this gift of the Holy Ghost. After one receives the gift of the Holy Ghost, then the Holy Ghost gives us other gifts. If you do not desire spiritual gifts, then you are not his wife for you do not want to receive his dowry. He gives his dowry to his bride. He then gives his dower to his widow. We are both his wife and his widow. He died so he could empower us as his widow. Thus we receive the full inheritance of his estate while in our lifetime.

The gifts of the spirit are listed in 1Cor. 12. In the list you will see the fulfillment of Mark 16. He lists the power to heal the sick, speak in tongues and others. Unless you receive some of these gifts you are not his wife, for he has not given you his dowry. If you did not receive his dowry you did not marry him.

Psm 149:4. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

Now this beautifying the meek with salvation is part of Jesus' dowry to us. He gives his bride her wedding dress. This is her beauty. Remember this bride had nothing to offer him. She had no property of her own. She was poor. She had no dowry for him. So her wedding dress and ornaments had to be provided by the bridegroom. He loved her enough to give her this beautiful dress. What was her wedding dress? It was salvation or righteousness. He gave her his own righteousness. He said the righteousness of saints is our wedding garment.

Rev. 19: 7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

See it was granted to her to have this fine linen wedding dress. She had to be given this wedding dress, for she was too poor to buy it for herself. It is part of the bridegroom's dowry to her. He beautified her with salvation, or righteousness, and this was not our own righteousness, for we had none. It was his righteousness. He himself arrayed his bride with her beautiful garments and ornaments. These ornaments are those gifts of the Holy Ghost. They were given to her to make her ready for the wedding. It is typed by the gifts given to Esther as she prepared to go marry the king. She required nothing for herself. She accepted what was given to her. So the gifts given to us by the Holy Ghost is the same as the chamberlain gave to Ester to prepare her to go to the King. Without these gifts, you will not be chosen as the bride. The king rejected all the other contestants who required things for themselves. He accepted Ester who let the chamberlain decided for her what to wear.

The Holy Ghost is with us to prepare us for the wedding. We must let him empower us with his gifts or the bridegroom will not accept us as his wife.

Remember that this groom is giving his wife his own property or right to his power. If we reject his gifts then he will reject us. The bride had made herself ready. This means she put on the beautiful wedding dress and ornaments he sent to her.

Now we have covered the dowry of the husband to the bride. But we must find what the bride it to present to her husband.

Dower: -- But we also need the meaning of dower. = The part of or interest in real estate of a DECEASED husband given by law to his widow during her life.

Now see that the dower is the part of or interest in what the husband had and it is given to the wife after the husband is dead. So after Jesus died, he gave us his dower or part of his estate. This has been explained. But the action has to be completed.

Curtesy: --The opposite of dower is curtesy. = A husband's interest upon the death of his wife in the real property of an estate that she either solely owned or inherited provided they bore a child capable of inheriting the estate.

Now remember that the bride had nothing before the wedding. She had no dowry for the husband. He even had to provide her with her wedding dress. But she still has to provide something for him.

The 'curtesy' is the husband's interest in the real property of an estate which the wife had before the marriage which he receives at her death. But one condition is provided and that is that they bore together a child capable of inheriting the estate.

This is powerful and marvelous. But her estate, which she had before her wedding to him, was herself. This was all she had to offer. She had only her body. This is her estate. Now she has to die before he can inherit this property or estate. Not only that but they had to have produced a child capable of inheriting the estate.

When we come to be married to Jesus we must die. Yes, we must die to our old or first self. This is our estate before we marry him. So you cannot become his wife or bride unless you are willing to let your first or old man, the first-man Adam nature die. You must die to yourself. You must let your fleshly desires and thoughts die and receive his transfusion of the Holy Ghost. He must infuse you with His Spirit or his real property or estate. This comes in Acts 2.

Romans 12: 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Sacrifice: -- = to suffer loss of, give up, renounce, injure or destroy, esp. for an ideal, belief, or end. & The killing of a victim on an altar. 3: destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else.

So from this we see what the curtesy of the wife is. She must die before she can convey this to her husband. She must present her body, her only property, a living sacrifice. He did not require for her to actually be killed, but only for her to do this as a living sacrifice. She must be willing to do this for him. Since he did require for her to actually be killed, then she must do the thing of being a living sacrifice. She must exchange her old ways for new ways, which suit him. She must kill her old man and let a new man be formed in her.

This forming of the new man, Christ, inside her is this child she must bear him so that he can inherit her first estate. He will not accept her under any other conditions. He explains the way she accomplishes this. There in Romans 12 he said be not conformed to the world. So he requires that she change her old ways and not act any longer like the world around her.

He said for her to be transformed, or made anew by renewing her mind. She can only accomplish this by feeding upon His Word daily and obeying this word. Part of this word is not to conform to the world around her. Now if she loves the world and the things of the world and continues to act like the world and partake of the world, then she is refusing to obey him by not conforming like the world. She refuses to be transformed by renewing her thoughts by feeding upon his word daily and obeying his rules for righteousness.

If she is rebellious this way he will not marry her and place his Spirit into her. Then she will not be able to bear that child, the Christ in us. If she does not bear this Holy Child, he cannot inherit her original, real estate, which is her body or herself.

Thus the bridegroom will disown her. The marriage will not take place. She will not be given the beautiful wedding dress and his precious gifts as his dowry to her.

Not only that but the best part, he saved for last, she will miss. This was to be his last gift to his wife. And what is that?

Her Heavenly home. Her heavenly mansion. And what is that?

Phil. 3: 20. For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

21. Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Paul said our body is our 'house' or what we live in. So our mansion in heaven is our glorified body, fashioned like unto the husband's glorious body. That is why she must die to this first, corrupt, vile body. If she continues to live according to the lusts of this vile body, then the husband will reject her as his bride and she will never be given this new glorious body or heavenly mansion.

So we must die to our first self in order to let him fill us with his Spirit or the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. We must take his name by the water baptism in His Name. By receiving this gift or his dowry to us, we then can bear the necessary Holy child, the Emmanuel or Christ in us. Without this child we can never give our curtesy to him. This entire process has to be completed for the Heavenly Wedding to take place. It starts here on earth as we die to self, present our bodies a living sacrifice so he can transform us or infuse us with his own spirit and make us a new creature. We must die to all the old ways and let everything become new.

By: Jo Smith

Jan. 16, 2004. It is now 7:37 AM.