Although Israel’s end-time wandering in the wilderness is comparatively brief, it has the same purifying and sanctifying effect of preparing God’s people to inherit promised lands as did Israel’s ancient wilderness wandering. God appoints his end-time servant and others to lead their wilderness journey as did Moses and Joshua. Not only does God provide water for his people in the wilderness as before, he also regenerates the wilderness so that its trees provide shade.
Isaiah 55:12–13You shall depart in joy and be led back in peace;
the mountains and hills shall sing at your presence
and the trees of the meadows all clap their hands.
In place of the thornbush shall come up the cypress,
in place of nettles, the myrtle.
This shall serve as a testimony of Jehovah,
an everlasting sign that shall not be done away.
Isaiah 49:8–12I have created you and appointed you
to be a covenant of the people,
to restore the Land and reapportion the desolate estates,
to say to the captives, Come forth!
and to those in darkness, Show yourselves!They shall feed along the way
and find pasture on all barren heights;
they shall not hunger or thirst,
nor be smitten by the heatwave or the sun:
he who has mercy on them will guide them;
he will lead them by springs of water.
All my mountain ranges I will appoint as roads;
my highways shall be on high.
See these, coming from afar, these, from the northwest,
and these, from the land of Sinim.
Isaiah 41:17–19When the poor and needy require water,
and there is none,
and their tongue becomes parched with thirst,
I Jehovah will answer their want;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.I will open up streams in barren hill country,
springs in the midst of the plains;
I will turn the desert into lakes,
parched lands into fountains of water.
I will bring cedars and acacias,
myrtles and oleasters in the wilderness;
I will place cypresses,
elms and box trees in the steppes.