THE N EW COVENANT
WILDERNESS BETROTHAL
"Proclaim, Give Praise,
and say,
'O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.' "
Jeremiah 31:7 NKJV
WILDERNESS BETROTHAL
"Proclaim, Give Praise,
and say,
'O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.' "
Jeremiah 31:7 NKJV
Did you know that the Bible speaks of a New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal that will be far greater than the original Betrothal between God and Israel in the wilderness, after He brought them out of Egypt? It speaks of a time when God will bring dispersed Jews out from the countries from which they were scattered, and fly them to a wilderness where He will betroth them to Himself in marriage again, only this time He will put the Betrothal Contract on their minds and write it on their hearts. The Bible says that the New Covenant will be (and now is) far greater than the Old Covenant that was written on stone. And yet the Original Exodus was so great that even Adam and Eve had never seen anything like it, and they walked in the Garden with God. This is what Moses had to say about it:
Deuteronomy 4:32-40 NIV {32} Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? {33} Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? {34} Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? {35} You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. {36} From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. {37} Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, {38} to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. {39} Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. {40} Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.
Then in referring to the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old, the Apostle Paul makes this statement:
Hebrews 8:6-10 NIV But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said : "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
So by using the Scriptures above, I have shown that during the establishment of the Old Covenant, God performed miracles, the likes of which even Adam and Eve had never seen, and yet Scriptures reveal that the New Covenant is far superior to the Old. Now lets look at what God has promised in Hosea regarding the New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal. I will use boldface, and underlines to bring emphasis on certain points as they relate to this ministry:
Hosea 2:14-23 NKJV {14}"Therefore, behold, I will allure her [Israel], Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. {15} I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. {16}"And it shall be, in that day," Says the LORD, "That you will call Me 'My Husband,' And no longer call Me 'My Master,' {17}For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more. {18} In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely. {19}"I will betroth you to me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; {20}I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD. {21}"It shall come to pass in that day That I will answer, says the LORD; "I will answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth. {22}The earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel. {23}Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people! And they shall say, 'You are my God!'"
So here we have a Scriptural Promise of a Joyous time, when God is going to bring Israel to a wilderness and Betroth her to Himself forever. That is, speaking of the New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal, although it doesn't specifically mention New Covenant in this passage. It really doesn't have to, because when someone is betrothed to God forever, that is the New Covenant. But other Scriptures talk of the time when Israel will find grace in the wilderness and be brought into the New Covenant as well as be brought back to Israel:
Jeremiah 31
{1} "At the same time," says the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." {2}Thus says the LORD: "The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness-- Israel, when I went to give him rest." {3}The LORD has Appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. {4}Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with you tambourines, And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. {5}You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria: The planters shall plant and eat them as ordinary food. {6}For there shall be a day When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim, 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the LORD our God.'" {7} For thus says the LORD: "Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; `Proclaim, give praise, and say 'O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!' {8}Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together: A great throng shall return there, {9}They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble: For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. {10}"Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.' {11}For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. {12}Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD-- For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. {13}"Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and old, together: For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow. {14} I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with MY goodness, says the LORD." {15}Thus says the LORD: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more." {16}Thus says the LORD: "Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears: For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. {17}There is hope in your future, says the LORD, That your children shall come back to their own border. {18}"I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: 'You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained bull; Restore me, and I will return, For You are the LORD my God. {19}Surely, after my turning, I repented; And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh; I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated, Because I bore the reproach of my youth.' {20}Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD. {21}"Set up signposts, Make landmarks; Set your heart toward the highway, The way in which you went. Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back to these your cities. {22}How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth-- A woman shall encompass a man." {23}Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "They shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I bring back their captivity: 'The LORD bless you, O home of justice, and mountain of holiness!' {24}"And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all its cities together, farmers and those going out with flocks. {25}"For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul." {26}After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me. {27}"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. {28} "And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. {29}In those days they shall say no more: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children's teeth are set on edge.' {30}"But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. {31}"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- {32}"not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. {33}"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts: and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. {34}"No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." {35}Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): {36}"If those ordinances depart From before Me says the LORD Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever." {37}Thus says the LORD: "If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done, says the LORD. {38}"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. {39}"The surveyor's line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb; then it shall turn toward Goath. {40}"And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever."
Did you notice that this passage said that God was going to bring them from the north country and out of all the countries from which they were scattered? We find it interesting that God specifically mentions north country but "generally" speaks of the other directions the Jews will be coming from. The Jews are scattered all over the world, but God specifically mentions the north country. We believe this is due to the important part the North Country will play in the New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal, as God has called us to bring the Jews to the Wilderness of Alaska for this purpose.
The whole concept of Betrothal may be foreign to many people. This is due to the fact that most modern day marriage engagements do not follow the Biblical pattern. In the past, when people were "engaged," it was done through a process known as a Betrothal. In a Betrothal, a contract was set up that was legally binding to both parties. To end one was really bad and required divorce papers. Scriptures reveal that God Betrothed Himself to Israel during the original Exodus after He brought them to the wilderness. The Book of Jeremiah records God saying: "I remember you, the kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown (Jer 2:2 NKJV)"
In a traditional Jewish Wedding, they have two witnesses called the Friend of the Groom. It is the role of one witness to escort the Bride to the Groom for her betrothal. Moses was considered a "Friend of the Groom" when he escorted Israel for her betrothal to God in the wilderness. John the Baptist was also a Friend of the Groom as mentioned in Scripture when he said: "You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete" (John 2:28-29)
The first New Covenant Betrothal took place on the day of the Biblical Holiday known as the Feast of Pentecost. This one should not be confused with the New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal spoken of in Hosea. They are both aspects of the New Covenant, but the Wilderness Betrothal will take place in the Wilderness after the Jews have been flown there from their places of dispersion. It is a special time God will use to reveal the Greatness of the New Covenant and His regathering of Israel as promised. In Jeremiah it reveals that this will be so great that they will no longer mention the original exodus but will refer to the later one:
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. "So then, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' Then they will live in their own land." (Jeremiah 23:5-8 NIV)
So lets think about this for a minute: The original exodus was so great that even Adam and Eve had never seen such things. A saying came from that, referring to God miraculously taking them out of Egypt. But now we learn that this later day regathering of Israel will be even greater; which makes sense when understood in the New Covenant context. This is the Covenant that will last for eternity.
In the original Exodus God used terms like, "with a mighty hand", "an outstretched arm", "with great terror" (Deuteronomy 26:8). This terror was not poured out on Israel. It was poured out on those who mistreated them and would not let them go to worship God. Likewise, in the New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal God uses the same kinds of terminology. Lets look at Ezekiel 20:33-38 from the New King James version:
"As I live," says the LORD GOD, "surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. "I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. "And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. "Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you," says the LORD GOD. "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; "I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the Land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD."
So from this terminology we see that the later day regathering of Israel into the wilderness of the peoples will be with great signs and wonders as God shows His power. He will punish those who harm Israel. We see that God will plead His case with unbelieving Jews to show how Yeshua is their Messiah. He will do this face to face, which is not to say that they will see Him. Scriptures say that when two or three gather together in Yeshua's Name, that He will be with them. So this would be face to face even though He is not seen. Or, it could be that the Father is going to manifest Himself the way He did in the original exodus. Which ever way it is, it will be an awesome time. Just as in the original exodus, God will also purge rebellious people from Israel, and they will not enter the promised land. However it also says that He will bring the others into the bond of the covenant. This is the New Covenant and it's saving bond.
The Book of Revelation also gives important information regarding the Jew's Wilderness experience during the end times. In this section of Scripture, it describes the spiritual battle that has been going on in heaven and earth. It uses figurative language consisting of, "The Woman" who represents Israel & Yeshua's Mother Mary; "The Child" who represents Yeshua; and the rest of the 'woman's seed' that represents those who proclaim Yeshua as Messiah. The Dragon represents satan. It covers a large time span from the rebellion in heaven to our day as well as the tribulation.
God To Give Persecuted Jews
TWO WINGS OF A GREAT EAGLE
To Fly Them To The Wilderness
(Rev 12 NKJV) {1}Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. {2}Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. {3}And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. {4}His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. {5}She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. {6}Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. {7}And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. {9}So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. {10}Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. {11}"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. {12}"Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." {13}Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. {14}But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times a half a time, from the presence of the serpent. {15}So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. {16}But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. {17}And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
So from this we see that the Jews will be flown to the wilderness and that it will be for her protection from satan. After satan tries to destroy the Jews, God will supernaturally protect her and satan will become enraged and turn his rage against those who keep the commandments of God and have the Testimony of Yeshua.
So as we have seen from the Scriptures above, there is going to be a Second Wilderness Betrothal that will take place under the New Covenant. It will be greater than the first which was greater than anything Adam and Eve had ever seen in their lifetime.
To sum up what has been said, lets look at the following Scriptures:
This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
"See, I will beckon to the Gentiles,
I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
they will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
Isaiah 49:22 NIV
I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.
See, they will come from afar--
some from the north,
some from the west,
some from the region of Aswan.
Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, O mountains!
For the LORD comforts his people
and will have compassion on his
afflicted ones.
Isaiah 49:11-13 NIV
Who are these that fly along like clouds,
like doves to their nests?
Isaiah 60:8 NIV
Surely the islands look to me;
in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,
bringing your sons from afar,
with their silver and gold,
to the honor of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.
Isaiah 60:9 NIV
Pass through, pass through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner for the nations.
The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth:
"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your Savior comes!
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.'"
Isaiah 62:10-11 NIV
For the LORD'S portion is his people;
Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
He found him in a desert land,
and in the waste howling wilderness;
he led him about,
he instructed him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle stirreth up her nest,
fluttereth over her young,
spreadeth abroad her wings,
taketh them,
beareth them on her wings:
So the LORD alone did lead him,
and there was no strange god with him.
Deuteronomy 32:9-12 KJV
This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say,
'Let us go with you,
because we have heard that God is with you.'" An Oracle
Zechariah 8:23 NIV
"So then, the days are coming,"
declares the LORD,
"when people will no longer say,
'As surely as the LORD lives,
who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,'
but they will say,
'As surely as the LORD lives,
who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north
and out of all the countries where he had banished them.'
Then they will live in their own land."
Jeremiah 23:7-8 NIV
" ... I will bring health and healing to it;
I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.
I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before.
I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.
Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it;
and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it."
Jeremiah 33:6-9 NIV
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and
proclaim to her that her hard service
has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for...
Isaiah 40:1-2 NIV
A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Isaiah 40:3-5
You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"
Isaiah 40:9
Yeshua (Jesus) is His Name!
Luke 13:34-35
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear."
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
Then the angel said to me,
"Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
Revelation 19:7-9
Deuteronomy 4:32-40 NIV {32} Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? {33} Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? {34} Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? {35} You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. {36} From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. {37} Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, {38} to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. {39} Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. {40} Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.
Then in referring to the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old, the Apostle Paul makes this statement:
Hebrews 8:6-10 NIV But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said : "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
So by using the Scriptures above, I have shown that during the establishment of the Old Covenant, God performed miracles, the likes of which even Adam and Eve had never seen, and yet Scriptures reveal that the New Covenant is far superior to the Old. Now lets look at what God has promised in Hosea regarding the New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal. I will use boldface, and underlines to bring emphasis on certain points as they relate to this ministry:
Hosea 2:14-23 NKJV {14}"Therefore, behold, I will allure her [Israel], Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. {15} I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. {16}"And it shall be, in that day," Says the LORD, "That you will call Me 'My Husband,' And no longer call Me 'My Master,' {17}For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more. {18} In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely. {19}"I will betroth you to me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; {20}I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD. {21}"It shall come to pass in that day That I will answer, says the LORD; "I will answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth. {22}The earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel. {23}Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people! And they shall say, 'You are my God!'"
So here we have a Scriptural Promise of a Joyous time, when God is going to bring Israel to a wilderness and Betroth her to Himself forever. That is, speaking of the New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal, although it doesn't specifically mention New Covenant in this passage. It really doesn't have to, because when someone is betrothed to God forever, that is the New Covenant. But other Scriptures talk of the time when Israel will find grace in the wilderness and be brought into the New Covenant as well as be brought back to Israel:
Jeremiah 31
{1} "At the same time," says the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." {2}Thus says the LORD: "The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness-- Israel, when I went to give him rest." {3}The LORD has Appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. {4}Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with you tambourines, And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. {5}You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria: The planters shall plant and eat them as ordinary food. {6}For there shall be a day When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim, 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the LORD our God.'" {7} For thus says the LORD: "Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; `Proclaim, give praise, and say 'O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!' {8}Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together: A great throng shall return there, {9}They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble: For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. {10}"Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.' {11}For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. {12}Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD-- For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. {13}"Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and old, together: For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow. {14} I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with MY goodness, says the LORD." {15}Thus says the LORD: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more." {16}Thus says the LORD: "Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears: For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. {17}There is hope in your future, says the LORD, That your children shall come back to their own border. {18}"I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: 'You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained bull; Restore me, and I will return, For You are the LORD my God. {19}Surely, after my turning, I repented; And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh; I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated, Because I bore the reproach of my youth.' {20}Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD. {21}"Set up signposts, Make landmarks; Set your heart toward the highway, The way in which you went. Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back to these your cities. {22}How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth-- A woman shall encompass a man." {23}Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "They shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I bring back their captivity: 'The LORD bless you, O home of justice, and mountain of holiness!' {24}"And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all its cities together, farmers and those going out with flocks. {25}"For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul." {26}After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me. {27}"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. {28} "And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. {29}In those days they shall say no more: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children's teeth are set on edge.' {30}"But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. {31}"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- {32}"not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. {33}"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts: and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. {34}"No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." {35}Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): {36}"If those ordinances depart From before Me says the LORD Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever." {37}Thus says the LORD: "If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done, says the LORD. {38}"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. {39}"The surveyor's line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb; then it shall turn toward Goath. {40}"And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever."
Did you notice that this passage said that God was going to bring them from the north country and out of all the countries from which they were scattered? We find it interesting that God specifically mentions north country but "generally" speaks of the other directions the Jews will be coming from. The Jews are scattered all over the world, but God specifically mentions the north country. We believe this is due to the important part the North Country will play in the New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal, as God has called us to bring the Jews to the Wilderness of Alaska for this purpose.
The whole concept of Betrothal may be foreign to many people. This is due to the fact that most modern day marriage engagements do not follow the Biblical pattern. In the past, when people were "engaged," it was done through a process known as a Betrothal. In a Betrothal, a contract was set up that was legally binding to both parties. To end one was really bad and required divorce papers. Scriptures reveal that God Betrothed Himself to Israel during the original Exodus after He brought them to the wilderness. The Book of Jeremiah records God saying: "I remember you, the kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown (Jer 2:2 NKJV)"
In a traditional Jewish Wedding, they have two witnesses called the Friend of the Groom. It is the role of one witness to escort the Bride to the Groom for her betrothal. Moses was considered a "Friend of the Groom" when he escorted Israel for her betrothal to God in the wilderness. John the Baptist was also a Friend of the Groom as mentioned in Scripture when he said: "You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete" (John 2:28-29)
The first New Covenant Betrothal took place on the day of the Biblical Holiday known as the Feast of Pentecost. This one should not be confused with the New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal spoken of in Hosea. They are both aspects of the New Covenant, but the Wilderness Betrothal will take place in the Wilderness after the Jews have been flown there from their places of dispersion. It is a special time God will use to reveal the Greatness of the New Covenant and His regathering of Israel as promised. In Jeremiah it reveals that this will be so great that they will no longer mention the original exodus but will refer to the later one:
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. "So then, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' Then they will live in their own land." (Jeremiah 23:5-8 NIV)
So lets think about this for a minute: The original exodus was so great that even Adam and Eve had never seen such things. A saying came from that, referring to God miraculously taking them out of Egypt. But now we learn that this later day regathering of Israel will be even greater; which makes sense when understood in the New Covenant context. This is the Covenant that will last for eternity.
In the original Exodus God used terms like, "with a mighty hand", "an outstretched arm", "with great terror" (Deuteronomy 26:8). This terror was not poured out on Israel. It was poured out on those who mistreated them and would not let them go to worship God. Likewise, in the New Covenant Wilderness Betrothal God uses the same kinds of terminology. Lets look at Ezekiel 20:33-38 from the New King James version:
"As I live," says the LORD GOD, "surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. "I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. "And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. "Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you," says the LORD GOD. "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; "I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the Land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD."
So from this terminology we see that the later day regathering of Israel into the wilderness of the peoples will be with great signs and wonders as God shows His power. He will punish those who harm Israel. We see that God will plead His case with unbelieving Jews to show how Yeshua is their Messiah. He will do this face to face, which is not to say that they will see Him. Scriptures say that when two or three gather together in Yeshua's Name, that He will be with them. So this would be face to face even though He is not seen. Or, it could be that the Father is going to manifest Himself the way He did in the original exodus. Which ever way it is, it will be an awesome time. Just as in the original exodus, God will also purge rebellious people from Israel, and they will not enter the promised land. However it also says that He will bring the others into the bond of the covenant. This is the New Covenant and it's saving bond.
The Book of Revelation also gives important information regarding the Jew's Wilderness experience during the end times. In this section of Scripture, it describes the spiritual battle that has been going on in heaven and earth. It uses figurative language consisting of, "The Woman" who represents Israel & Yeshua's Mother Mary; "The Child" who represents Yeshua; and the rest of the 'woman's seed' that represents those who proclaim Yeshua as Messiah. The Dragon represents satan. It covers a large time span from the rebellion in heaven to our day as well as the tribulation.
God To Give Persecuted Jews
TWO WINGS OF A GREAT EAGLE
To Fly Them To The Wilderness
(Rev 12 NKJV) {1}Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. {2}Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. {3}And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. {4}His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. {5}She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. {6}Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. {7}And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. {9}So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. {10}Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. {11}"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. {12}"Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." {13}Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. {14}But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times a half a time, from the presence of the serpent. {15}So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. {16}But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. {17}And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
So from this we see that the Jews will be flown to the wilderness and that it will be for her protection from satan. After satan tries to destroy the Jews, God will supernaturally protect her and satan will become enraged and turn his rage against those who keep the commandments of God and have the Testimony of Yeshua.
So as we have seen from the Scriptures above, there is going to be a Second Wilderness Betrothal that will take place under the New Covenant. It will be greater than the first which was greater than anything Adam and Eve had ever seen in their lifetime.
To sum up what has been said, lets look at the following Scriptures:
This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
"See, I will beckon to the Gentiles,
I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
they will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
Isaiah 49:22 NIV
I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.
See, they will come from afar--
some from the north,
some from the west,
some from the region of Aswan.
Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, O mountains!
For the LORD comforts his people
and will have compassion on his
afflicted ones.
Isaiah 49:11-13 NIV
Who are these that fly along like clouds,
like doves to their nests?
Isaiah 60:8 NIV
Surely the islands look to me;
in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,
bringing your sons from afar,
with their silver and gold,
to the honor of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.
Isaiah 60:9 NIV
Pass through, pass through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner for the nations.
The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth:
"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your Savior comes!
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.'"
Isaiah 62:10-11 NIV
For the LORD'S portion is his people;
Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
He found him in a desert land,
and in the waste howling wilderness;
he led him about,
he instructed him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle stirreth up her nest,
fluttereth over her young,
spreadeth abroad her wings,
taketh them,
beareth them on her wings:
So the LORD alone did lead him,
and there was no strange god with him.
Deuteronomy 32:9-12 KJV
This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say,
'Let us go with you,
because we have heard that God is with you.'" An Oracle
Zechariah 8:23 NIV
"So then, the days are coming,"
declares the LORD,
"when people will no longer say,
'As surely as the LORD lives,
who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,'
but they will say,
'As surely as the LORD lives,
who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north
and out of all the countries where he had banished them.'
Then they will live in their own land."
Jeremiah 23:7-8 NIV
" ... I will bring health and healing to it;
I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.
I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before.
I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.
Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it;
and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it."
Jeremiah 33:6-9 NIV
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and
proclaim to her that her hard service
has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for...
Isaiah 40:1-2 NIV
A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Isaiah 40:3-5
You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"
Isaiah 40:9
Yeshua (Jesus) is His Name!
Luke 13:34-35
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear."
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
Then the angel said to me,
"Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
Revelation 19:7-9
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