The Two-House Teaching of Scripture Part 5
Last week
we talked about how the gospel of Yeshua was being preached to the lost tribes
that were scattered in the nations, and how Ephraim began being knit together
with believers from the natural born Israelites, Jews, and gentiles.
300 some
odd years passed after Yeshua‘s resurrection, and Constantine came on the
scene. He “legalized
Christianity”, effectively stopping the keeping of Sabbath and the feast days.
Many believers assimilated into this new sun-god influenced religion,
giving up their identity as followers of the true Yahweh and Yeshua.
It held to “Sun”-day worship, and Christmas and Easter type
celebrations. It no longer permitted the keeping of the true seventh-day
Sabbath, and the Lord’s feasts.
After all, the Sabbath is a sign that we are followers of the one true
Elohim - Yahweh. Without it, our
identities are lost!
Exo
31:13 "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying,
'You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this
is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that
I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
This new
“Christian” religion spread throughout the world.
So after
all this… who can we say is Ephraim?
There are many opinions out there, but we must rely on scripture!
As we have
seen, Abram/Abraham was given the promise that in him all
the nations of the earth would be blessed.
Abraham
begat Isaac, Isaac begat Jacob/Israel, Jacob begat the twelve tribes including
Judah and Joseph. Jacob blessed
Joseph as the firstborn, thereby passing down the promise and
responsibility of blessing all the nations of the earth.
Remember Joseph had to shoulder the responsibility, and took Reuben’s
place as the firstborn. Joseph
begat Manasseh and Ephraim. Ephraim
was blessed as the firstborn, and the same responsibility was passed down to him
to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth.
He was to do that by becoming the melo ha’goyim, or the fullness of the
nations.
What is
the only way, in Yahweh’s eyes, to bless the nations? To bring the precious gospel of His Son Yeshua!
Ephraim is made up of blood descendants of the ten tribes of Israel that
have accepted Yeshua as their Messiah. Ephraim
is also made up of blood descendants of many other nations who have accepted
Yeshua (under the name of Jesus) as their Savior.
The groups are woven together into one cloth (remember the mixed
multitude) and are inseparable in Yahweh’s eyes.
Who can we
say that Ephraim is NOT? This is
perhaps more important than defining who Ephraim IS.
Ephraim is
NOT:
- Made up
of only blood descendants of the tribe of Ephraim
- Made up
of only blood descendants of the ten lost tribes
- Made up
of only those who understand the “Hebrew Roots” of Christianity and call
themselves “Messianic”
- A group
that replaces the Jews, or Judah
- A group
made up of white British-American Anglo-Saxons
(We will
talk more about the false teachings of the two-house movement later).
In order
to bless all the nations of the earth, Ephraim has spread far and wide through
the earth. We know for a fact that
there are Christians in all areas of the earth.
Most don’t recognize that they are Ephraim. But Yahweh is beginning to open eyes, and the truth will be
revealed!
What about
the natural blood descendants of the ten tribes of Israel that are not saved?
Of course, Yahweh knows who they are, and will draw them according
to His divine way that only He knows!
We must not put Yahweh in a box. We
must not think that the lines defining Ephraim are clearly drawn.
Remember Ezekiel 37:
Eze
37:16
"And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it,
'For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions';
then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim
and all the house of Israel, his companions.'
Judah has
sons of Israel joined with him, as well as companions.
Ephraim has all the house of Israel and companions as well.
These groups are not clear cut in our eyes, and we cannot pretend to know
exactly what groups in our understanding belong exclusively to Judah, or
Ephraim. Yahweh is sovereign, and
He knows exactly who belongs to which stick.
However, Ephraim is a picture of saved people being grafted
into Israel.
Yahweh
views the natural blood descendants of Israel that are saved, and the grafted in
ones from the gentile nations that are saved, as one entity, Ephraim, as we have
seen. So why has he allowed the
bloodline of many of the natural descendants of the ten tribes to be lost?
I know that there are people in the earth today who can probably trace
their ancestry and know it, but most probably can’t.
Wade recently did a teaching about the tribes and how they migrated into
the different areas. But why did
the tribes become lost? Is it
possible that He wanted us to avoid the evil sin of pride that creeps in so
easily?
1Co
1:10
Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made
complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Co
1:11
For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people,
that there are quarrels among you.
1Co
1:12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am
of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and
"I of Christ."
1Co
1:13
Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were
you baptized in the name of Paul?
Yahweh does not want us to brag that we are of a certain tribe, or
even that we are descended from Israel!
This is a problem within Messianic Judaism today!
Many believe that since they are “Messianic” they must be a blood
descendant of one of the ten tribes. Some
therefore think that they are more important than others!
We must not fall into that trap!!! Scripture
plainly teaches that Yahweh views us all equally, if we are in Messiah!
Let’s not forget that verse in Galatians:
Gal
3:26
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal
3:27
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ.
Gal
3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man,
there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal
3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's
descendants, heirs according to promise.
To think
that you are more important, or will receive more blessing, or that Yahweh likes
you better, because you are a blood descendant of Israel is a lie!
We must not fall into that trap!!
Rom
3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom
3:24
being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in
Christ Jesus;
Rom
3:25
whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.
This was to demonstrate His
righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins
previously committed;
Rom
3:26
for the demonstration, I say, of
His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Rom
3:27
Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind
of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
Rom
3:28
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the
Law.
Rom
3:29
Or is God the God of Jews only?
Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of
Gentiles also,
Rom
3:30
since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the
uncircumcised through faith is one.
Rom
3:31
Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the
contrary, we establish the Law.
Is this
perhaps why blindness in part has happened to Israel? That Yahweh does not want us to have any reason to boast?
Rom
11:13
But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an
apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,
Rom
11:14
if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of
them.
Rom
11:15
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their
acceptance be but life from the dead?
Rom
11:16
If the first piece of dough is
holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.
Rom
11:17
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive,
were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the
olive tree,
Rom
11:18
do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember
that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports
you.
Rom
11:19
You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be
grafted in."
Rom
11:20
Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by
your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;
Rom
11:21
for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you,
either.
Rom
11:22
Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell,
severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise
you also will be cut off.
Rom
11:23
And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted
in, for God is able to graft them in again.
Rom
11:24
For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and
were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will
these who are the natural branches be
grafted into their own olive tree?
Rom
11:25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this
mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial
hardening has happened to Israel until
the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
(King
James: Rom 11:25 For I
would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should
be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in
part is happened to Israel,
until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.)
Rom
11:26
and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE
DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."
Rom
11:27
"THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."
What is
this partial hardening that Paul is talking about??
Lets look
at the words:
The word
“partial”:
G3313
μέρος
meros
Thayer
Definition:
1)
a part
1a)
a part due or assigned to one
1b)
lot, destiny
2)
one of the constituent parts of a whole
2a)
in part, partly, in a measure, to some degree, as respects a part,
severally, individually
2b)
any particular, in regard to this, in this respect
Part of
Speech: noun neuter
A
Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from an obsolete but more primary form of meiromai (to
get as a section or allotment)
G3313
(Strongs) μέρος
meros
mer'-os
From an
obsolete but more primary form of μείρομαι
meiromai (to get as a section or allotment);
a division or share (literally or figuratively, in a wide
application): - behalf, coast, course, craft, particular (+ -ly), part (+ -ly),
piece, portion, respect, side, some sort (-what).
And the
word “hardening” or “blindness”:
G4457
πώρωσις
pōrōsis
Thayer
Definition:
1)
the covering with a callus
2)
obtrusiveness of mental discernment, dulled perception
3)
the mind of one has been blunted
3a)
of stubbornness, obduracy
Part of
Speech: noun
feminine
A
Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G4456
G4457
(Strongs) πώρωσις
pōrōsis
po'-ro-sis
From
G4456; stupidity or callousness: - blindness,
hardness.
G4456
πωρόω
pōroō
Thayer
Definition:
1)
to cover with a thick skin, to harden by covering with a callus
2)
metaphorically
2a)
to make the heart dull
2b)
to grow hard, callous, become dull, lose the power of understanding
Part of
Speech: verb
A
Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: apparently from poros (a kind of stone)
G4456
(Strongs) πωρόω
pōroō
po-ro'-o
Apparently
from πῶρος
pōros
(a kind of stone); to petrify, that is, (figuratively) to indurate
(render stupid or callous): - blind, harden.
This
“blindness in part” is a picture of the stony heart that we have before we
are saved. When we accept Yeshua as
our Messiah, we receive a heart of flesh. But
these words also suggest dulled perception and loss of understanding.
Could it
be that Yahweh has hidden the ancestry of many from the ten lost tribes to keep
them from boasting? If people were
boasting about being from one tribe or another, it would keep those from other
nations from wanting to become a part of “Ephraim”! They would think they were not qualified, and may reject the
good news of Yeshua! How
tragic it would be if someone thought they were excluded from the love of Yahweh
because they don’t have the right bloodline!
With
Israel being blinded to their blood ancestry, the fullness of the gentiles can
come in. People can rely on faith
alone, not bloodlines. The “melo
ha’goyim” can be accomplished!
Now
that we have defined who Ephraim is, and is not, how are the two sticks
going to be joined? Garry has been
telling us about the exciting events going on with the “Biblical Zionists”,
and their working with Israel to allow Ephraim to come home to the land!
There is also a move among Ephraimites to support Israel and our brother
Judah in many ways. Yahweh will bring the two sticks back together very soon!
How exciting to see this happening in our lifetime!!
Lets
look at the well-known prophecy in Ezekiel again:
Eze
37:1
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of
the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.
Eze
37:2
He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there
were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they
were very dry.
Eze
37:3
He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I
answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."
Eze
37:4
Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O
dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.'
Eze
37:5
"Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath
to enter you that you may come to life.
Eze
37:6
'I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with
skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am
the LORD.'"
Eze
37:7
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a
noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
Eze
37:8
And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin
covered them; but there was no breath in them.
Eze
37:9
Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man,
and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds,
O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'"
Eze
37:10
So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and
they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Eze
37:11
Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house
of Israel; behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope has
perished. We are completely cut off.'
Eze
37:12
"Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,
"Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your
graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.
Eze
37:13
"Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your
graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people.
Eze
37:14
"I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I
will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have
spoken and done it," declares the LORD.'"
Eze
37:15
The word of the LORD came again to me saying,
Eze
37:16
"And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For
Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions';
then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and
all the house of Israel, his companions.'
Eze
37:17
"Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that
they may become one in your hand.
Eze
37:18
"When the sons of your people speak to you saying, 'Will you not
declare to us what you mean by these?'
Eze
37:19 say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will
take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of
Israel, his companions; and I will
put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they
will be one in My hand."'
Eze
37:20
"The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their
eyes.
Eze
37:21
"Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take
the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will
gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;
Eze
37:22
and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of
Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be
two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
Eze
37:23
"They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with
their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver
them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse
them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God.
Eze
37:24
"My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one
shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe
them.
Eze
37:25
"They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in
which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and
their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever.
Eze
37:26
"I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an
everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and
will set My sanctuary in their midst forever.
Eze
37:27
"My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God,
and they will be My people.
Eze
37:28
"And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel,
when My sanctuary is in their midst forever."'"
In 37:19
Yahweh promises to take Joseph’s stick which is in the hand of Ephraim
(remember Ephraim is Joseph’s firstborn and carried the promise and
responsibility of the firstborn) and the tribes of Israel his companions
(all those that have joined to Israel/Ephraim by grace through faith in
Messiah) and join them with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick!
I want to
take a look at this word “companions” before we go any further.
H2270
חבר
cha^be^r
khaw-bare'
From
H2266; an associate: - companion, fellow, knit
together.
H2266
חבר
cha^bar
khaw-bar'
A
primitive root; to join (literally or figuratively); specifically
(by means of spells) to fascinate: - charm (-er), be compact, couple
(together), have fellowship with, heap up, join (self, together), league.
Note that
the definition includes being “knit together!” Remember the mixed multitude? Remember the explanation of the word in Genesis 12:
“…and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”?
“Blessed” can mean interwoven or knit together!
So here is another confirmation that those who join with Israel as
believers in Messiah are knit together with Israel, becoming Israel, as one
cloth, viewed as one entity by Yahweh!
Yahweh
also promises to draw us back to the land and plant us there forever!
There are numerous prophecies in scripture that talk about the
re-gathering of the lost tribes.
Deu
30:1 "So it shall be when all of these things have come upon
you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them
to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you,
Deu
30:2
and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and
soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons,
Deu
30:3
then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have
compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD
your God has scattered you.
Deu
30:4
"If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD
your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back.
Deu
30:5
"The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers
possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you
more than your fathers.
Deu
30:6
"Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart
of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all
your soul, so that you may live.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jer
3:12
"Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, 'Return,
faithless Israel,' declares the LORD; 'I will not look upon you in anger. For I
am gracious,' declares the LORD; 'I will not be angry forever.
Jer
3:13
'Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the
LORD your God And have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green
tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,' declares the LORD.
Jer
3:14
'Return, O faithless sons,' declares the LORD; 'For I am a master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family, And I will bring you
to Zion.'
Jer
3:15
"Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed
you on knowledge and understanding.
Jer
3:16
"It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in
the land," declares the LORD, "they will no longer say, 'The ark of
the covenant of the LORD.' And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember
it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be
made again.
Jer
3:17
"At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the LORD,' and
all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD;
nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart.
Jer
3:18
"In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of
Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that
I gave your fathers as an inheritance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jer
16:13
'So I will hurl you out of this land into the land which you have not
known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will serve other gods day and
night, for I will grant you no favor.'
Jer
16:14
"Therefore behold, days are coming," declares the LORD,
"when it will no longer be said, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the
sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,'
Jer
16:15
but, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land
of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.' For I will
restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jer
23:1 "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering
the sheep of My pasture!" declares the LORD.
Jer
23:2
Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who
are tending My people: "You have scattered My flock and driven them away,
and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil
of your deeds," declares the LORD.
Jer
23:3
"Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the
countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and
they will be fruitful and multiply.
Jer
23:4
"I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them;
and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be
missing," declares the LORD.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jer
31:7
For thus says the LORD, "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, And
shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise and say, 'O LORD,
save Your people, The remnant of Israel.'
Jer
31:8
"Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, And I will
gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Among them the blind and the
lame, The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; A great
company, they will return here.
Jer
31:9
"With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them;
I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they
will not stumble; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My
firstborn."
Jer
31:10
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare in the coastlands afar
off, And say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him And keep him as a
shepherd keeps his flock."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eze
11:17
"Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will gather you
from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been
scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel."'
Eze
11:18
"When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things
and all its abominations from it.
Eze
11:19
"And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them.
And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of
flesh,
Eze
11:20
that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them.
Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zec
10:6
"I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of
Joseph, And I will bring them back, Because I have had compassion on them; And
they will be as though I had not rejected them, For I am the LORD their God and
I will answer them.
Zec
10:7
"Ephraim will be like a mighty man, And their heart will be glad as
if from wine; Indeed, their children will
see it and be glad, Their heart will
rejoice in the LORD.
Zec
10:8
"I will whistle for them to gather them together, For I have
redeemed them; And they will be as numerous as they were before.
Zec
10:9
"When I scatter them among the peoples, They will remember Me in far
countries, And they with their children will live and come back.
Zec
10:10
"I will bring them back from the land of Egypt And gather them from
Assyria; And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon Until no room
can be found for them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hos
1:10
Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them,
"You are not My people," It will be said to them, "You
are the sons of the living God."
Hos
1:11
And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together,
And they will appoint for themselves one leader, And they will go up from the
land, For great will be the day of Jezreel.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amo
9:8
"Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, And I
will destroy it from the face of the earth; Nevertheless, I will not totally
destroy the house of Jacob," Declares the LORD.
Amo
9:9
"For behold, I am commanding, And I will shake the house of Israel
among all nations As grain is shaken in a
sieve, But not a kernel will fall to the ground.
Amo
9:10
"All the sinners of My people will die by the sword, Those who say,
'The calamity will not overtake or confront us.'
Amo
9:11
"In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up
its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of
old;
Amo
9:12
That they may possess the remnant of Edom And all the nations who are
called by My name," Declares the LORD who does this.
Amo
9:13
"Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "When the
plowman will overtake the reaper And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
When the mountains will drip sweet wine And all the hills will be dissolved.
Amo
9:14
"Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they
will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them;
They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat
their fruit.
Amo
9:15
"I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be
rooted out from their land Which I have given them," Says the LORD your
God.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Isa
11:11
Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover the
second time with His hand The remnant of His people, who will remain, From
Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of the
sea.
Isa
11:12
And He will lift up a standard for the nations And assemble the banished
ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of
the earth.
Isa
11:13
Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, And those who harass Judah will
be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, And Judah will not harass
Ephraim.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mic
2:12
"I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob, I will surely gather the
remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold; Like a flock
in the midst of its pasture They will be noisy with men.
Mic
2:13
"The breaker goes up before them; They break out, pass through the
gate and go out by it. So their king goes on before them, And the LORD at their
head."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And the
story of the “prodigal son” is a prophecy of Judah and Ephraim being
re-united:
Luk
15:11
And He said, "A man had two sons.
Luk
15:12
"The younger of them said to his father,
'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his
wealth between them.
Luk
15:13
"And not many days later, the younger son
gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and
there he squandered his estate with loose living.
Luk
15:14
"Now when he had spent everything, a severe
famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.
Luk
15:15
"So he went and hired himself out to one of
the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Luk
15:16
"And he would have gladly filled his stomach
with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything
to him.
Luk
15:17
"But when he came to his senses, he said,
'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying
here with hunger!
Luk
15:18
'I will get up and go to my father, and will say
to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight;
Luk
15:19
I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make
me as one of your hired men."'
Luk
15:20
"So he got up and came to his father. But
while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for
him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
Luk
15:21
"And the son said to him, 'Father, I have
sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your
son.'
Luk
15:22
"But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly
bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and
sandals on his feet;
Luk
15:23
and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us
eat and celebrate;
Luk
15:24
for this son of mine was dead and has come to
life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate.
Luk
15:25
"Now his older son was in the field, and
when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
Luk
15:26
"And he summoned one of the servants and began
inquiring what these things could be.
Luk
15:27
"And he said to him, 'Your brother has come,
and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back
safe and sound.'
Luk
15:28
"But he became angry and was not willing to
go in; and his father came out and began
pleading with him.
Luk
15:29
"But he answered and said to his father,
'Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a
command of yours; and yet
you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;
Luk
15:30
but when this son of yours came, who has devoured
your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.'
Luk
15:31
"And he said to him, 'Son, you have always
been with me, and all that is mine is yours.
Luk
15:32
'But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this
brother of yours was dead and has begun
to live, and was
lost and has been found.'"
I want to
read an excerpt from Eddie Chumney’s book “Restoring The Two Houses Of
Israel” p. 512-514
Yahweh
knows our ancestry even if we don’t. We
know that during the tribulation, 144,000 chosen men will be appointed from each
of the 12 tribes. Although Yahweh
views us as one entity in Messiah, whether we are descended from one of the
tribes of Israel or one of the other nations, He still views Israel as being
made up of the 12 tribes. So
even if we are blood descendants of some other nation, Yahweh grafts us into one
of the twelve tribes.
The
word for “tribe”:
H4294
מטּה
/ מטּה
maṭṭeh
/ maṭṭa^h
BDB
Definition:
1)
staff, branch, tribe
1a)
staff, rod, shaft
1b)
branch (of vine)
1c)
tribe
1c1)
company led by chief with staff (originally)
Part of
Speech: noun
masculine
A
Related Word: from
H5186
Rev
7:2
And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the
seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to
whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
Rev
7:3
saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have
sealed the bond-servants of our God on their
foreheads."
Rev
7:4
And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and
forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
Rev
7:5
from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were
sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the
tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
Rev
7:6
from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the
tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh
twelve thousand,
Rev
7:7
from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the
tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar
twelve thousand,
Rev
7:8
from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the
tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin,
twelve thousand were sealed.
Now
we’ve been talking about Ephraim all this time… but where is Ephraim among
the 144,000? Have we been wrong
about Ephraim being made up of believers in Yeshua?
Why is Ephraim not in this list?
Remember
Ephraim represents the ten lost tribes, not just one tribe.
Ephraim is a picture of all believers in Yeshua.
Ephraim is made up of many from all the ten tribes, as well as many from
the nations that don’t have any blood link to the original tribes of Israel.
Note that Joseph is one of the twelve in this list, and Ephraim is
Joseph’s appointed firstborn. So
Ephraim is not excluded, he is simply woven in among all the
tribes!
This
brings up another question… How will Yahweh place us within the tribes?
Who are we going to be joined to? Again,
He is sovereign, and He knows where each and every one of us belong.
Scripture does not tell us specifically how Yahweh will decide which
tribe we will be joined to.
How were
the mixed multitude joined with Israel after coming out of Egypt?
At the risk of speculating, perhaps they joined up with families that
they already knew. Perhaps they joined with families that they had intermarried
with already. Or perhaps it was a
matter of logistics, and they joined with families within Israel that they were
closest to physically as the millions of people wandered through the wilderness.
Will
Yahweh place those of us who have a blood lineage to Israel within the tribe
that we come from? Probably.
And He knows where each of us who doesn’t have a blood
lineage to Israel belongs. But I am
content to leave it up to Him… only He knows how it will all play out in the
end! The important thing is that we
are one in Messiah!
Now I want
to address a more disturbing subject… that of some false teachings and
misunderstandings about the two houses that are being circulated.
I feel
that this is of extreme importance. We
are learning of the recent movement of the “Biblical Zionists”.
How exciting that a group is being formed that has a heart for our
brother Judah, and who is willing to stand, not only in speech but in deed, at
Judah’s side in these last days!
However,
there is much misunderstanding about the “two house teaching”, and I
am concerned that many people will view this movement as a threat to the state
of Israel and the Jewish people. Many
people view the two house teaching as flawed at best, and as heresy at worst.
It’s so important that we be able to share the truth about the two
houses of Israel according to scripture to allay some of
these concerns.
In
preparing for this teaching, I came across two articles.
One is titled The Ephraimite Error, and the other is
titled The Ephraimite Error, Critical Errors.
The latter was written in response to the first.
The first was written by Kay Silberling, Ph.D and was submitted to the
International Messianic Jewish Alliance. The
latter was written by J. M. McKee, who authors the website www.tnnonline.net.
The first
article was not addressed to Mr. McKee, but he wrote the second article as an
open response to the first. He
wanted to clarify some of the errors that were in the first article.
The
articles can be found at these web addresses:
http://seedofabraham.org/downloads/ephraimite%20error.pdf
http://www.tnnonline.net/two-housenews/judah/ee-ce/Ephraimite_Error_Critical_Errors.pdf
Please let
me know if you want a hard copy of this if you don’t have access to a
computer. Or I will be glad to
email them to you. Both articles go
into a lot of detail, and are worth reading to get a good idea of the
controversy that we must be aware of. I
will leave the web address on the screen at the end of the teaching.
I am going to list and discuss some points that I feel are important to address. These points have generally been taken from the article that was written by Kay Silberling, but I have generalized the points a bit, as I think there are widespread opinions about the two house teaching that are similar to these points. Kay ha