God has many names in the Bible. We tend to focus on “positive” ones, like Jireh (provider), Rapha (healer), or El Shaddai (Lord Almighty). All these names, and countless more, are true and reflective of the holy character and heart of God. Among these divine names is one that garners comparatively little attention: El-Kanna — meaning “the all-consuming fire,” a reference to His holy jealousy. This is not the earthly, human jealousy that is completely self-centered. No, this jealousy is a divine and holy desire for all of you and of me — for all of us in our entirety, without the sin.

Have you taken your place on the wall?

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God wants the first place in your heart, but He won’t force you to place Him there. He wants you to choose wholehearted devotion to Him (see Deuteronomy 6:5 and Luke 10:27). The Almighty Creator of heaven and earth can have anything He wants — and He wants you. He is jealous for His Church.

You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you (Exodus 34:14 NLT).

For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24).

Idolatry and Adultery

For your Maker is your husband — the LORD Almighty is his name — The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth (Isaiah 54:5 NIV).

The heart of idolatry is the same as adultery. Idolatry is being unfaithful to God. Throughout the Old Testament, we read how the Israelites went after other gods, provoking the Lord to jealousy. They forgot about the Lord and went a whoring after other gods, as the KJV renders Judges 2:17. In Ezekiel 16 God says Jerusalem has acted like a harlot with the Assyrians. And He describes Israel and Judah as adulterous in Jeremiah 3. The Bible says: They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor … (Psalm 106:28 KJV). Jesus uses the word “joined” to describe the blessed union between husband and wife: 

So, they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate (Matthew 19:6).

The Song of Solomon is a love story of the betrothed who is waiting for her Beloved. We know this book is a representation of Christ and His people. Marriage is more than a union — it is a mystery, according to Ephesians 5:22-32. It’s a picture of our Bridegroom and His bride. The way a husband is to lead, protect, and provide for his wife is a picture of the way Christ loves His Church, except that the love of Christ is absolutely perfect. 

What a merciful, loving God He is. Even when His chosen people abandoned Him and chased other lovers, He let them go. In His mercy, He did send His prophets to warn them and to call them back, time and again, but the people wouldn’t listen. He even had the prophet Hosea marry a prostitute as a living illustration of His unfailing love and long-suffering kindness to an unfaithful bride. Prophets spoke God’s truth, and this often made them targets (see 1 Kings 18:4, 1 Kings 22:13–28). Sometimes the people would cry and repent and return to worshiping other gods. 

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him (2 Corinthians 11:2 NIV). 

The Lord El-Kanna is jealous for His bride. The Hebrew word qanah means “to be jealous” — or similarly, “zealous.” We know what zeal is: It is to be fiery and passionate in the pursuit of something. We should be zealous for the Lord. This is that first-love fire that He is calling His Church back to in the letter to Ephesus (see Revelation 2:1-7). The believers in the church in Ephesus didn’t love Jesus like they had at first. This is similar to the wooing, exploration, pursuit, and excitement of a new relationship. When you first know Jesus, all is new and exciting, and you can’t help but proclaim Him to everyone. But, as years passed, something happened. Just like in natural marriage, the honeymoon phase ends and life gets real. It gets complicated, problems arise, and your relationship with God can become routine. The initial excitement wears off. That fire that once burned brightly becomes dim like a candle that’s about to burn out. Now you’re just going through the motions. You no longer have the zeal you once had for Jesus and something else now has your attention and affection. 

Would you be jealous if your husband took another lover or many lovers and treated that casually? I would be livid and extremely hurt. Many of us would send such unfaithful husbands packing without a second thought — but the Lord is merciful. He is calling, and He keeps calling, saying: “Return to Me, and I will return to You.” 

Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty (Zechariah 1:3 NIV).

A Pure and Spotless Bride 

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him (2 Corinthians 11:2 NIV). 

We are the Bride of Christ, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. The standard for purity and faithfulness stands. As a bride, we are to be without spot, wrinkle, or blemish (see Ephesians 5:27). In the Old Testament, the Lord established His covenant with His people on Mount Sinai. In the New Testament, we are told that we have a better covenant, established through the blood of Jesus. 

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:22-29 ESV).

God’s Holy Fire

Fire can be destructive, quickly destroying anything in its path. Yet it is also symbolic of much more. Fire can represent the judgment of God. Fire consumes God’s enemies (see Psalm 97:3, Psalm 18:6-8). Fire is a purifying agent. He uses the refiner’s fire to remove everything from our character that keeps us from being like Jesus (see 1 Peter 1:7, Isaiah 48:10, Proverbs 17:3). The testing serves for us to come forth like pure gold to the honor and glory of our Lord and Bridegroom Jesus Christ. To be pure means to be untainted, without mixture. Laodicea was a mixture of hot and cold. The Israelites mixed the worship of Yahweh with pagan worship. Paul warned the Corinthian church that we cannot drink of the Lord’s cup and the cup of demons (see 1 Corinthians 10:21). Only a pure bride for Jesus Christ will do.  Our God is a consuming fire. He longs to burn away the worthless dross or things that are detrimental in our relationship with Him. If we desire to be pure, it’s going to happen by the way of His fire.

The Bride Must Be Ready

The Church has been warned. We must offer to God acceptable worship — in spirit and in truth. Such worship comes only from an unadulterated and pure first love. 

The Bible tells us there will be a wedding — the marriage supper of the Lamb, the glorious, long-awaited union between Christ and His Bride. We should not treat it casually. We are instructed to be wise and prepared for His return (see Matthew 25:1-13). This parable should make us examine our hearts.

In Revelation, John saw Jesus with eyes as flames of fire. If we are not ready to gaze into those eyes, we can become ready. This is a call to make ourselves ready now, before it’s too late. The book of Revelation describes the marriage supper, for which the Bride has made herself ready. Are we really ready for Him? 

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure” — for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God” (Revelation 19:7–9 ESV).

The heart of this series is the call to thoroughly examine our hearts before the Lord and allow Him to cleanse the temple, especially the inner hidden parts of the temple no one can see. As we close, if you need to repent and come clean before God, now is the time. 

Let’s pray together:

Father, forgive us for those times we’ve provoked You to jealousy with other “lovers.” Come into Your temple and flip over the tables of offense. Expose any idols, and reveal our blind spots. Cleanse the temple of our hearts and fill us with Your presence. Empty us of everything that is not from You. Lord Jesus, be enthroned in our hearts; we make room for You and You alone. El-Kanna, the all-consuming fire, we welcome Your refining flames into our lives. Purify us, Lord, so that the Church might be that chaste, pure, unspotted Bride You are waiting for. We pray to hear and embrace Your call to holiness and reverence. Raise up and send out Your prophets to cry aloud and to spare not, even if it’s not popular or politically correct. Make us ready, a people prepared in spotless garments, lamps filled with oil, eagerly awaiting the Bridegroom. Amen. 

Do you believe the Lord’s return is near? Share your thoughts and prayers for the Church.

This article is part of a series:

Cleansing the Temple, Part 5: Pride
Cleansing the Temple, Part 4: Offense
Cleansing the Temple, Part 3: Compromise
Cleansing the Temple, Part 2: Self-Worship
Cleansing the Temple, Part 1: The Religious Spirit

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: ninjaMonkeyStudio/Getty Images.