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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 YEHOVAH."

Israel departed from her Husband by breaking the marriage vows she made with YEHO-
VAH at Mount Sinai. As a result of Israel breaking her agreement with her husband, YEHOVAH
sent messengers to WARN His people to repent and return to Him. These they mocked and mis-
treated: "But they mocked the messengers of YEHOVAH, and despised His words, and misused
His prophets, until the wrath of YEHOVAH arose against His people, till [there was] no remedy"
(II Chronicles 36:16). Out of love and mercy for His wife, YEHOVAH God tried to warn them to
turn and repent of her adulterous ways. Unfortunately, after many years of warning His wife, YE-
HOVAH finally realized that there was no remedy for Israel's sins -- as we just saw in II Chroni-
cles 36:16. YEHOVAH finally had to put Israel away, and He wrote her a bill of divorce: "Then I
saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away
and given her a CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but
went and played the harlot also" (Jeremiah 3:8 -- NKJV).

As a result, YEHOVAH stated that Israel was to lose her identity and would no longer be
called YEHOVAH's people: "Then YEHOVAH said: 'Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are NOT
My people, and I will NOT be your God. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the
sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place
where it was said to them, you are NOT My people, there it shall be said to them, you are the sons
of the living God.'" This simple truth is very important to comprehend if we are to identify WHO
the GENTILES really are. For Israel not to be called YEHOVAH's people anymore would gener-
ally classify them as "heathen." Many times the Bible talks about the "heathen" -- which generally
could be identified with the Israelites that YEHOVAH had divorced and put away in punishment.
However, these passages also point out that "lost Israel" would grow to such an extent that they
could not be measured or numbered (verse 10). Then, at some future time -- at the end of the age --
they would be called the sons of the living God. Keep this in mind -- remember it -- since this fact
will explain much of the mystery of WHO the Gentiles are.

Israel was divorced from YEHOVAH and was no longer called YEHOVAH's people --
and YEHOVAH was no longer her God. But, in spite of all this, Israel was alive and well and
multiplying. Hosea 1:10 confirms the fact that the covenant given to Abraham was also alive and
well because YEHOVAH fulfilled the promise He made in Genesis 22:17. Abraham's seed (Is-
rael) was as the sand of the seashore -- which could not be numbered.

The Role of Christ

When Christ (Yeshua) appeared on the scene he declared, in Matthew 15:24: "I am not sent
BUT unto the LOST SHEEP (northern tribes) of the house of Israel." This, of course, included the
southern tribes of Israel since this is where Christ was born. The important truth explained in Mat-
thew 15:24 is that he did not take the gospel to any other people beside those his Father divorced
-- the "lost" Israelites. Christ knew very well where these lost sheep were, and correctly stated
that the northern ten lost tribes were "not of this fold": "And other sheep I have which are not of
this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear my voice; and there will be ONE flock and

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