Written By A.R.
The Bride of Messiah is a special group of people specifically chosen by Yahushua for a purpose in the End Times. The Bride of Messiah will gather together, live through the Tribulation, and be on Earth to greet Yahushua at His Return. Many people from different religious backgrounds claim belief in Yahushua or Jesus; however, not every ‘believer’ will be a part of Yahushua’s Bride. It is not for us to judge whether Yahushua has chosen another to be a part of His Bride, nor is it the place of any one of us to presume upon His judgment in this matter. Yahushua’s Bride will respond to an extraordinary calling before His Return.
The Bible has a lot to say about the Bride of Messiah, and from studying it, I have some insights to share. The first and most important attribute is that the Bride of Messiah will have a love story to share. Some people call it a testimony. It’s the story of how they first encountered Yahushua, how He wooed them, and how they responded to His initiation of love. Whether a story is dramatic or simple, it doesn’t matter; the point is His Bride has a personal story to share. Many will share it often in their lifetime, reflecting on the wonderful things Yahushua has done for them. It’s a gift to hear the story of another and to find someone genuinely interested in hearing our story. The Bride knows this joy.
The people who are a part of the Bride of Messiah understand that they have entered into a relationship with Him. They did NOT sign up for church membership or a specific service or ministry. They entered into a relationship based on mutual love and trust. Marriage is the best human relationship which acts as a symbol of the Bride’s relationship with Yahushua.
In marriage, vows promised and acted upon are the essence of commitment from one to another. So it is with Yahushua. The Bride of Yahushua will discover her wedding vows. The Ten Commandments are the wedding vows; they are the sum of all the commandments from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation. In her relationship with Yahushua, the Bride will seek to understand how to apply the commandments to her life. She will study the Scriptures and learn how to please Yahushua through obedience to the Torah. The Bride may struggle to keep all the commandments in our fallen world, but she will lean on Yahushua’s grace when she falls short.
The biblical writing of Song of Songs is one of the greatest love stories ever told. It is a prophetic book. It is an exclusive book specially written for Yahushua’s Bride. Hidden within the Song of Songs are treasures of insight, knowledge, and understanding about the love relationship Yahushua will have with His Bride in the End Times.
When our family moved to Jordan, we learned about 6 references to the country of Jordan in the Song of Songs. From these, it is clear Yahushua’s End Time love story with His Bride takes place in the country of Jordan. The Bride seeks Yahushua in Jordan to prepare for His Return. Living in Jordan, we have continued to search the Scriptures and have found more references to the country of Jordan in this prophetic book. These references are not in plain sight; they are for the Bride to discover. The Bride keeps seeking Yahushua, even after she has found Him.
Song of Songs 5:2 I was sleeping, but my heart was awake – the voice of my beloved! He knocks, “Open for me, my sister, My love, my dove, my perfect one; for my head is drenched with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.”
In this verse, Yahushua knocked on the door of His beloved, His Bride. She was sleeping, but her heart was awake. I would like to suggest that the Bride of Messiah is currently in the same state as the woman in this verse. Many believers do not like to think of themselves as ‘sleeping’ as we know from reading the Bible that the state of sleeping has a negative connotation. We would rather attribute the state of being asleep to someone else rather than carefully examine ourselves. However, many believers are unaware of what the Bible says about Yahushua’s End-Time plan to save humanity. We understand the mess we are all in, but most of us have not studied the Scriptures enough to know what Yahushua plans to do to save us.
The Bride will hear the voice of her Beloved and will respond to Him when He knocks.
Song of Songs 5:3 I have taken off my robe, should I put it on? I have washed my feet, should I dirty them?
The Bride hesitates. When she hears the voice of Her Beloved, she hesitates! She is already in bed. She is clean and comfortable. She isn’t quite sure she wants to put on her robe and follow Yahushua. She stops to question if she really wants to follow Him on this uncertain journey of passion. I get it.
After our family followed Yahushua to the country of Jordan in obedience to His prophetic Word, He initiated with us to seek Him more. When we did, He showed us more about the plan of Salvation for His Bride. We discovered that we were not in the place of His choosing and that we needed to leave our initial landing place and search for where in Jordan He will bring His people together. Our family had adjusted to living in a foreign country (which took years) and we were now somewhat comfortable. Seeking Yahushua further meant I would get uncomfortable again; my family would be uncomfortable again.
Song of Songs 5:4-5 My beloved put his hand by the latch, and my feelings were deeply moved for him. I rose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the lock.
The Bride becomes aware of her true feelings and desires for Yahushua. She does desire Him more than comfort. She will follow Him. She decides to open up for her Beloved.
Song of Songs 5:6 I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away, had gone. My being went out when he spoke. I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
Amid the Bride’s hesitation, Yahushua slipped away. He withdrew Himself. She was looking for Him but was unable to find Him.
Perhaps you know Yahushua in this way, if you are a part of the Bride, you probably do. In a love relationship with Yahushua, He can withdraw. He does this for a reason. He wants us to seek Him!
I’ve never really liked the game of Hide and Seek. One person hides, and the other looks for them. I suppose there is a fear there. What if I hide and the other gets tired or is not interested in looking anymore? I’ve never actually had this experience while playing the childhood game, but there have been occasions in my life. For example, I stopped celebrating Christmas, and people became cold. I said, “I am moving to Jordan,” and my friends did not say, “Help me understand.” Oh, I’ve had the occasional friend, who has shown interest, but still, Hide and Seek can be a lonely game when played by only two—even for Yahushua and His Bride.
Song of Songs 5:7 The watchmen who went about the city found me. They struck me, they bruised me; the keepers of the walls lifted my veil from me.
When the Bride went alone to seek Yahushua, she was mistreated by the watchmen. They struck her, bruised her, and removed her veil. I have a theory about these watchmen. Perhaps they are ‘religious’ people, not the good kind of religious people, but the know-it-alls, the religious people who keep us down and hold us back from pursuing Yahushua. The kind of people who bring about a lot of hurt and confusion yet have some appearance of helping.
Following Yahushua in the End Time Calling of His Bride, my family has a unique perspective from which to examine teachings on the internet about the End Times. From seeking Him here, with hearts fully surrendered to this call, we can discern so many erroneous beliefs related to End Time prophecy, the modern country of Israel, and the prophetic purpose of the modern country of Jordan, just to name a few. Even teachers who know Jordan is a place of safety for the Bride of Messiah tend not to understand the specifics of what the Bible teaches about it, and they spread a lot of misinformation. Only a person truly surrendered to this call, and who begins to walk it out, could understand it from Yahushua’s heart.
The ‘watchmen’ have caused a lot of pain, and they continue to as long as we put our trust in them rather than seeking Yahushua ourselves without their help.
Song of Songs 5:8 I have put you under oath, O daughters of Yerushalayim if you find my beloved, that you inform him that I am faint with love!
The Bride calls upon the ‘daughters of Jerusalem’ to help find Her Beloved. I have had some differing thoughts about the daughters of Jerusalem, but one possibility is that the daughters of Jerusalem are pure believers, in other words, a remnant of believers, in the city of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15-16). They are interested in seeking Yahushua too but are separate from the Bride at this point. The Bride thinks that the daughters of Jerusalem might see her Beloved first, before her. So, she puts them under oath to tell her when they see Him. I suspect these daughters of Jerusalem will join the Bride.
There is another Hide-and-Seek type game that I have always loved. It is called Sardines. Perhaps you have played. You start with a large group of people, the more the better, and establish boundaries. One person hides and everyone else tries to find their hiding spot. The game is best played in the dark with lots of good nooks to hide in. Once the one hiding has been given enough time to enter their hiding place, the group begins to look for him/her. When a person finds the hiding spot, they enter into the place with the original hidden one. When another finds the place, they too enter and hide along with the other two. This continues until all have found the hiding spot.
As people enter the hiding place, it is more easily found. There are more clues to follow. There will be giggles from those who are gathering. You might witness someone’s leg hanging out of the hiding place because the place is too small to contain the crowd—hence the name Sardines. You may watch another slip into the new hangout, and you can follow that person. For those already in the hiding place, the sense of community increases as each person joins the group. Those hiding anticipate those still needing to find the place and they look forward to their arrival. It is a game that starts and ends with a sense of togetherness.
I would like to suggest that Yahushua has prepared an End Times game of Sardines for His Beloved Bride. He has chosen and prepared a hiding place, a place to keep His Bride safe when He comes to judge the nations. He has set boundaries. Clues about this place are in the written Word in almost every book of the Bible! His Bride will seek Him to find this place.
After being in Jordan seeking Yahushua, I can say with a good amount of confidence that Yahushua’s Bride is not yet in the hiding place. If you are in another country, you are not too far to start the journey. Those who have come to Jordan still have a lot of seeking to do, if they are going to enter Yahushua’s protective place. When people find and enter the place, it will become easier for others to find it as well. It will be a place of joy and gladness as the Bride unites together in preparation for her marriage ceremony with Yahushua.
Song of Songs 6:1 “Where has your beloved gone, O beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned aside? Let us seek him with you.”
The daughters of Jerusalem respond to the Bride. They ask where her Beloved has gone. They want to seek Yahushua together with His Bride.
If you, like the daughters of Jerusalem, are asking where to look for Yahushua. I’ll share the boundaries for where to look.
- In the modern-day country of Jordan
- North of Aqaba
- South of Amman
- In the western part of Jordan
- In Edom and Moab, the part under the Eagle’s Wings
Of course, each person must examine the Scriptures for themselves to locate this place.
When Yahushua’s Bride awakens to seek Him, she will discover an adventure that surpasses all her dreams. Yahushua will give her knowledge and insight when she is ready to leave her place of comfort. His love story will unfold in real-time, and His Beloved will enter the place He has prepared for her protection.
Song of Songs 7:11-13 Come, my beloved, let us go forth to the field; let us stay in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see whether the vine has budded, the grape blossoms have opened, the pomegranates have bloomed. There I give you my carnal-loves. The love-apples have given fragrance, and at our gates are all pleasant fruit, new and old, which I have laid up for you, my beloved.
Game on! It’s time to seek Him…together!
