I Will Be Their God/

They Shall Be My People

The phrase, "I will be their God, and they shall be my people," could probably be found at least a dozen times in scripture. This was the very purpose for the creation of man. Man was created for communion, and to bring pleasure to the Father (Rev 4:11). The picture of man in Eden reflects, somewhat, the heart of God. Man was in the midst of a paradise, but he had no one with whom to share his vast estate. Therefore, the Lord created a bride for Adam.

If we move to a later "cameo," the Lord again seeks to reestablish communion with Israel through the means of the tabernacle. When Moses brought Israel out of Egypt, Moses was instructed by God to build a tabernacle. "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle…" (Ex 25:8-9). It was through the pattern of the tabernacle, that God was showing Israel how they could be His people – people whom the Lord could delight in, and not be ashamed to call "brethren." (We recommend a study of The Tabernacle of Moses by Dr. Brian J. Bailey.)

As we have consistently pointed out, Israel never inherited the promise of Jeremiah 31:33. In fact, the Lord withdrew from Israel, and made Himself known to another nation (the Church). Yet, this "putting away" of Israel was only until the fullness of the gentile nations was come in. In other words, they would be reinstated. When the Lord returns, He grants great repentance to Israel, and they turn to Him with all of their hearts. It is at this moment that the literal fulfilment of Jeremiah 31:33 take place. The Lord will literally dwell among them; they will be His people, and He will be their God. The Lord will literally be enthroned in the "Millennial" temple, which will be established above Jerusalem. The very name of Jerusalem shall be called "The Lord is there" (Ezk. 48:35).

Just prior to Jeremiah’s prophetic word concerning the New Covenant, Jeremiah was in a trance, looking at the time of Israel’s reclamation (Jer 31:1-30). Jeremiah is overwhelmed with the vision. Israel is returning to Zion from the Four Corners of the earth. They are weeping, enraptured by God’s goodness. They are singing and dancing – the young and the old. Their days of mourning are over; Jeremiah sees Israel singing in the heights of Zion. The blessing of God is upon them, and their prominence has again been restored in the earth – in fact, much greater than in the days of Solomon. The vision was so great that Jeremiah awakens in a state of ecstasy: "Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me" (Jer. 31:26).

What is so beautiful about Jeremiah’s vision is that it also gives us a picture of the last-day revival in the Church. There is a revival of repentance coming, but that revival will usher us into the fullness of blessing that God has reserved for the Church of His Coming. Yet, there must be a cleansing that precedes the feast of glory (the Feast of Tabernacles). Let us consider what the apostle Paul said to the "carnal" Corinthians:

The apostle is exhorting the Corinthians to sanctify themselves, that the Lord might (indeed) dwell in the midst of them; and that they might reflect the nature of God’s children! The Church has never seen the fullness of what our Heavenly Father has in store. O yes, there have been glimpses of various aspects of God’s glory through out the ages – but never really the fullness! It is the desire of Christ to glorify His Church and His people, and indeed, to dwell in the midst of them. It is an historical fact, that the saints in the early Church actually possessed an aura about them. They had been in His presence, and there was a glow of light and glory upon them.

Jeremiah’s vision illustrates the great restoration of the Church in the last days. The backsliders will come, young and old. There will be singing and rejoicing in the midst of the Church as never before. They shall ascend new heights spiritually – the heights of Zion. They shall rejoice for "the wheat, the wine, and the oil, and for the increase of the herds."

There have been a few visions shared concerning the last-day Church; and one of the common denominators that seems to ring true in every vision is the "youthful/joyful" Church. The last-day Church is youthful. There has been a renewing of youth, and I think we could attribute that to the "joy of the Lord." The prophet Joel tells us that it is the lack of joy that shrivels up the Church (Joel 1:12). Another interesting illustration comes from the book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah is also prophesying of the Lord again dwelling in the midst of His people:

There it is: the Lord not only is dwelling in the midst of His people, but also notice the italicized word "joy." That word in Hebrew has the sense of great exuberance, the sense of spinning around with joy. What a depiction of how much Christ loves His people. He is rejoicing over them in the dance. He is renewing His love to them, and He is mighty in the midst of His Church!

Although, the Church (spiritually) preempts all of the New Covenant promises made to Israel, there is also a literal fulfillment of these promises. What a beautiful picture we see of the "overcoming" Church in the Millennium. They have experienced full redemption – salvation to the uttermost. They have allowed the fiery breath of the Holy Spirit to burn away the infirmity of the fallen nature. They have gotten the dominion over sin and the wicked one, and now they are reigning upon the earth! Revelation 20:6 says, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

The millennial reign is by no means the end; in fact, it is just the beginning for the saints. It is followed by the "new heavens, and the new earth" – and this is just the beginning. As the apostle Paul said, "That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7). O, it is worth paying the price for. Let us not be content to be "Outer Court" Christians, but let us follow on to know the fullness of Salvation – Salvation to the uttermost, because He ever lives to intercede for us. Amen!