Morning Meditation:"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then He said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." - Revelation 21:1-5

When we first opened up the pages of our Marriage Covenant 40 days ago we were greeted with the sound of our Creator's voice announcing His presence and manifesting His holiness with a grand display of glorious light which consumed the entire earth. What began in Creation will be completed in the final consummation of the kingdom when the bride of Christ is revealed on the earth. "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 21:6a) He will have perfected His bride in all the ways of holiness, and will now be able to dwell with her without interruption or opposition. All our troubles and sorrows will be wiped away by the tender hand of our loving Father who will welcome us in to our full inheritance which He promised us from the beginning in His covenant of love. "He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be My son" (v.7). Jerusalem will be given a new name to represent her new identity; she will be called "the City of Truth" (Zechariah 8:3a), and be known as the "City of Righteousness, the Faithful City" (Isaiah 1:26b). No longer will they be separated from the Lord for their marital unfaithfulness. "...because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods" (Jeremiah 22:9). Instead, God is reconciling them to Himself and from now on they will be known as HOLY TO THE LORD (Exodus 29:36). "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,' says the LORD your Redeemer" (Isaiah 54:7-8). Let us pray for the salvation of all Israel, and for the fulfillment of God's covenant with them, for it will mean peace for all of us and all Israel, and will bring the peace and restoration that all of creation has been waiting for since the beginning.

Heavenly Father, You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being. Holy Father, You established Your covenant with the day and night and fixed the laws of heaven and earth, You are faithful and loving to all You have made and You will restore the fortunes of Israel and have compassion on them, for You have promised restoration and all will one day be fulfilled. Lord, we pray for the days when Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety, and they will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. To them you will give within Your temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; You will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. You will wipe away every tear from their eyes and their sorrow and suffering will be no more. The nations will no longer fight and war over Your holy land, but will come to Your Holy City and give You the praise and honor You deserve. And from that time on the city will be called: THE LORD IS THERE (Jehovah-Shammah), because Your dwelling will be with Your people and You will be their God. Father, we pray for the peace of Israel, because we know that their peace will mean peace for the whole world. Give strength to You people and bless Your people with peace. "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on the earth will be blessed through you." Move us as a nation to stand alongside Israel, with gratitude for the light we have been given because them; and help us to be a blessing to them by being faithful stewards of that light, with the time we have been given, so Your light can return to them and Your glory fill the earth. In the name of the Holy One of Israel, Yeshua, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture references: Genesis 12:3;Psalm 29:11;Isaiah 51:11; 57:5;Jeremiah 33:16, 25-26; Ezekiel 48:35; Revelation 4:11.]

"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,

for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,

till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,

her salvation like a blazing torch.

The nations will see your righteousness,

and all kings your glory;

you will be called by a new name

that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.

You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand,

a royal diadem in the hand of your God."

Afternoon Devotion:"Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." And He carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and tree on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."- Revelation 21:9-14

The Holy City, Jerusalem, will come down out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband, and she will radiate the glory of God like precious jewels in His crown. The city will be a place of beauty where the Lamb and His bride will reside. All the perfection of Eden, in its original state, will be restored in this glorious city of the Lord. There will be a wall around it with gates to secure the city, and His bride will be eternally secure and safe. "No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise" (Isaiah 60:18). The gates will be named for the twelve tribes of Israel and its foundations will be named for the twelve apostles, and they will be a visible picture of the uniting of the old and new covenants that will be for the protection of the eternal city of God. "We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith" (Isaiah 26:1). The glory of the Lord once departed the temple and Israel was a land deserted, but now the Lord will take great delight in His people and their land will be married (Isaiah 62:4b). Israel's relationship to the Lord will be restored. God hates divorce and wants His people to be reconciled; to Him and to each other (Malachi 2:16; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11). Let us pray for the protection of God's people, they are surrounded on all sides, but they are safe within God's heart; and He will gather them, and the Holy City of Jerusalem will no longer be a place of sacrifice, but will be a house of prayer. "These I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56:7).

Heavenly Father, "The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. Righteous Father, bring restoration to Your people; reconcile them to You and bring them heath and healing. Heal the unfaithfulness and wandering ways of Your people and let them enjoy abundant peace and security, and rebuild them as they were before. If they repent you will restore them that they may serve You; You will make them a wall for the people, a fortified wall of bronze; enemies will fight against them but will not overcome them, for You are with them to rescue and to save them. You will save them from the hands of the wicked and redeem them from the grasp of the cruel. Grant peace to their borders. Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way of the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring before all nations. Father, bless the apple of Your eye; protect her and bring her to Your salvation, and let her radiate the beauty of the Lord so Your praise will fill the earth. Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies. You are awesome, O God, in Your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. Praise be to God! May Your eyes watch over them for their good, and bring them back to this land. Build them up and not tear them down; plant them and not uproot them. Give them a heart to know You, that You are the LORD. May they be Your people, and You be their God, for they will return to You with all their heart. "To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever! In the holy and majestic Name of Jesus Christ, our Beloved and Faithful Bridegroom. Amen.

[Scripture references: Psalm 68:34; 147:14a; Isaiah 33:5-6; 61:10-11; 62:10; Jeremiah 15:19-21; 24:6-7; 33:6-7; Revelation 5:13b.]

"No longer will they call you Deserted,

or name your land Desolate.

But you will be called Hephzibah,

and your land Beulah;

for the LORD will take delight in you,

and your land will be married.

As a young man marries a maiden,

so will your sons marry you;

as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,

so will your God rejoice over you."

(Isaiah 62:4-5)