All Scripture used is with the Restored
Names and Titles.
One of the biggest questions mankind faces is ‘who
am I’, and the body of the Messiah is no different.
Therefore, it is no surprise that many in the body
are currently experiencing an identity crisis. In
addition, there are many more who are merely confused,
and frustrated and do not understand why because there
is no apparent reason, ah but there is. In order to
discover what is happening, first we must identify
the symptoms, and then examine the scriptures closely.
Let’s begin with the symptoms. Have you ever
been setting in “church” and thought to
yourself, there must be something more than this?
It’s not that your experience is bad, just not
as fulfilling as it once was. Perhaps you have been
really active in the congregation, and find yourself
going from one committee meeting to another, and then
on to bible study, and wondered ‘what am I doing,
nothing ever seems to change?’, or perhaps you
have been given a vision for ministry, and apathy
is at such a level in your congregation that there
is no response and you wonder, ‘why is everyone
seemingly so excited on Sunday, but could care less
on Monday?’ Are you currently feeling distant
or disconnected? Then I would say that either you
are currently experiencing an identity crisis, or
at the very least find yourself in a frustrated position
in the body of Messiah. There is a reason, but before
we examine the scriptures, we must stop for a moment,
pray and reflect so that we can clearly hear Fathers
voice, as we ask ourselves a simple question, ‘Who
are we?’ Are we simply members of a congregation,
or a denomination, or do we belong to something much
deeper and just don’t understand? Perhaps you
feel guilty for having these types of thoughts and
feelings, or perhaps you have even questioned your
salvation because you have told yourself, ‘true
believers wouldn’t feel this way’. If
these feelings and questions describe your current
experience, then understand that they are first of
all very real, and second that they are becoming more
common as time passes, and they are for a purpose.
Then understand that guilt comes forth from the pit
in order to confuse and mask the discernment of the
believer. I am familiar with these types of feelings
and questions because throughout my experience as
a pastor in a mainstream domination, I have not only
counseled many congregates that felt this way, but
I have felt this way myself as well. Before we as
believers can fully understand and be effective for
the Kingdom of Yahweh it is imperative that we understand
who we are and the fullness of our faith. In an attempt
to bring some clarity to this issue, Yahweh has directed
me to compile this teaching. There may be some information
here that you have never heard, and for some students
it be may a review, whatever the case, I ask that
you proceed with prayer and let Yahweh lead you into
truth.
The
first scripture that we need to examine in our quest is Galatians
3:29 “And if you are Messiah's, then you are Abraham's
seed and heirs according to the promise.” Now what
does that really mean? Through the centuries the fullness
of this scripture has been lost. Let’s examine it. First
Galatians 3:29 poses a condition, “if you are Messiah’s”,
and then makes a statement, “then you are Abraham’s
seed and heirs to the promise”. Plainly this verse does
not apply to everyone, only the ones that have accepted Yahshua
(Jesus) as their Messiah, and are washed in His blood. To
put in church lingo, Galatians 3:29 only applies to those
who have been ‘born again’. Now that may sound
harsh, but that is the condition, ‘if you are Messiah’s’,
which is set forth in the verse. Now that we have identified
that this verse is written to the Believers, the statement
that comes forth gives us a glimpse of who we are. Simply
put, this verse states that if we are a ‘believer’
in Messiah, then we ARE Abraham’s seed. In other words,
every believer in Messiah, is a descendant of Abraham, whether
physically or spiritually, and therefore an heir to the promise,
or rather the covenant. In addition the Greek word that is
translated as ‘heir’ is kleronomos {klay-ron-om'-os},
which not only denotes sonship, but also alludes to the rights
of the first, non disqualified, first born son, the son of
promise. Kleronomos is defined directly as “one who
receives his allotted possession by right of sonship”.
Such is the case when Isaac inherited with the passing of
Abraham in Genesis 25:25 “Abraham gave all that
he had to Isaac”. Technically, Isaac was not the
first born, Ishmael was, yet Isaac was the son who inherited
the birthright, why? Because, even though Ishmael was the
firstborn son to Abraham, he was not the son born according
to the promise of Yahweh to both Abraham and Sarah, Isaac
was. In addition, Isaac was the first born son to Sarah, and
Ishmael was firstborn
to Haggar, however Isaac was the son of promise which in turn
disqualified Ishmael and made Isaac the Kleronomos, or heir,
of Abraham. In short, Abraham had two first born sons. One
was born according to Yahweh’s plan, making him the
son of promise, and one was born of Abraham’s plan,
which in turn disqualified him from the rights of sonship
or Kleronomos. Both of these sons were descendants, yet only
one had the ability to inherit. This is an important point
to understand, because the blood of Messiah does not merely
make us descendants of Abraham in Galatians 3:29, it elevates
us to state of firstborn, giving us the privilege of the inheritance
of the promise.
Paul
further clarifies this fact in Romans 11:17-20 where he states, “17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you,
being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them
became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18
do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember
that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19
You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be
grafted in." 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken
off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.” Notice Paul tells us that we, as Believers, are a wild olive tree,
not a wild apple, or orange tree, but rather an olive tree. For
many years, I read this verse completely oblivious to the depth
of the information that Paul was trying to communicate, simply because
I never realized the truths governing ‘grafting’. Grafting
is defined as an action that causes a section to be united with
a stock to form one plant, not a new plant. There are three main
parts to the grafting process. First there is the graft, that which
is to be added to the existing plant, second, the stock or the existing
plant, and third the root, that which supports not only the stock,
but also the graft. When we examine Paul’s discourse in Romans
chapter 11, the spiritual application becomes apparent. It is the
root that supports the entire tree, stock and graft. In the last
part of verse 18, we find these words “remember that you
do not support the root, but the root supports you”. Obviously, the spiritual connotation of the root in this verse is
depicting Messiah Yahshua as the support, or rather the foundation.
In addition, the olive tree most often represents national Israel
in scripture, and in these verses is compared to the stock. We can
see proof of this in verse 17, “and you, being a wild
olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker
of the root and fatness of the olive tree”. In addition, in preparation for the graft, pruning is usually done
to make room for the new branch, verse 19 depicts this very thing “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." Indeed, branches were broken off with the scattering of the Northern
kingdom on or about 722 B.C. by the Assyrian army, and they are
still referred to as “the lost 10 tribes of Israel”
today. Once the branches were ‘broken off’ from the
olive tree, national Israel, then they became wild, or uncultivated
as they were scattered among the nations of the world, yet they
remained olives. How do we
know this, because in Revelation chapter 12 we find the calling
forth of the 144 thousand. Twelve thousand from all 12 tribes, even
the lost 10 tribes. With this understanding of how the olive tree
became wild, combined with the understanding that the believers
in Messiah are represented in Romans 11 as the wild olive tree,
and they are grafted into the olive tree, or national Israel, the
stock, then what does that say about our heritage. Simply, Paul
is stating in Romans 11:17-20, that Israel and the believers in
Messiah are now one. Please keep in mind that the purpose of the
grafting process is to make one plant, both the graft and the stock
now become one, and are supported by the root, Yahshua. One key
factor in the grafting process that I have only recently became
aware of is the fact that you can only graft trees of the same species.
If you attempt to graft one species into another, then the graft
will wither and die, and occasionally, both the graft and the stock
perish. In other words, you may graft citrus trees to citrus, fruit
to fruit, or nut bearing trees to other nut trees. However, it is
impossible to graft a fruit tree, such as an apple, into a citrus
tree, such as an orange. But it is possible to graft grapefruit
into orange, and pear into apple. Why is this important? Because
Yahweh is the Elohim of order, and He created all things after it’s
“own kind” or species, as depicted in Genesis chapter
1. Keeping all of this in mind, remember, the olive tree, the stock,
represents Israel, as witnessed to in Jeremiah 11:16 and the graft
represents the believers in Messiah. Although we have now become
one through the blood of Messiah, we each have our own purpose.
Let me try to explain further, I grew up in the country in North
Texas, and like most families we had cattle. My dad raised Black
Angus for beef and Jerseys for milk. The Jerseys and the Angus were
both types of cattle, the same species, yet they had different functions.
In other words, my dad raised the same species of animal but they
were of different types, depending on their purpose. We did not
milk the Black Angus, nor did we utilize the Jerseys for beef, each
had its own purpose. So it is with the grafting process in Romans
11:17-20. Each type of olive has its own function, but they are
now together in one plant with one root. One is not better than
the other, they merely have different functions. Listed below are
additional scriptures about the heirs or descendants of Abraham.
Genesis
22:15-18
15 Then the Angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time
out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says
Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld
your son, your only son — 17 blessing I will bless you, and
in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of
the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants
shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the
nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My
voice.”
Genesis
28:13-15
13 And behold, Yahweh stood above it and said: “I am Yahweh
Elohim (God) of Abraham your father and the Elohim of Isaac; the
land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14
Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall
spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south;
and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall
be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever
you go, and will bring you back to this land; for
I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
Genesis 48:17-19
17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on
the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s
hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s
head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father,
for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know.
He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly
his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants
shall become a multitude of nations.”
To further answer the question of “who are we” it is
important to understand that many times Yahweh refers to Israel
in the Tanakh (old testament) as sheep, and in the Brit Chadasha
(new testament) Yahshua refers to Himself as the ‘Good Shepherd
in John 10:11-18. “I (Yahshua) am the good shepherd. The
good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand
is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf
coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks
the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a
hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I (Yahshua) am the
good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – 15 just
as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down
my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this
sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice,
and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my
Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take
it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my
own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take
it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
In these verses, not only does Yahshua refer to Himself as the
Good Shepherd, but He also refers to the Believers as His sheep
in verse 14. Notice that in verses 16-17 Yahshua states that He
has “other sheep, not of this pen”. Pay attention to
the words used here. Yahshua said “not of this pen”
not different sheep. In other words, the sheep were the same kind,
or species, but just in two different pens or flocks. At the close
of verse 16, Yahshua states that these two flocks will come together
forming one flock with one Shepherd. Why, because they are the same
kind. Remember that Torah (first 5 books of the Old Testament) forbids
cross breeding. We are directed to keep the lines pure and have
no mixing of the seed. Therefore if there is to be only one flock,
scripturally they all must be of the same kind. There has been much
debate on the identity of the sheep in the other pen. However, I
believe that scripture defines scripture, and therefore see the
sheep of the other pen as Israel, especially in the light of Galatians
3:29, and Romans 11:17-20, as we have already discussed. That being
the case, John 10:16 can be viewed as representation of Ezekiel
37:16-28 in which Yahweh molds the stick of Judah and the stick
of Ephraim into one stick, one people, one flock, with one Shepherd
or King over all.
Ezekiel 37:16-28
“16 And you, son of man, take a stick and write on it,
For Judah and for his companions, the sons of Israel. And take another
stick and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all
the house of Israel, his companions. 17 And join them to one another
into one stick. And they shall become one in your hand. 18 And when
the sons of your people shall speak to you, saying, Will you not
declare to us what these mean to you? 19 Say to them, So says the
Adonai Yahweh: 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 him, with the stick of Judah, and will
make them one stick, and they shall be one in My hand. 20 And the
sticks on which you write shall be in your hand before their eyes.
21 And say to them, So says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will take
the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone,
and will gather them on every side, and will bring them into their
own land. 22 And I will make them one nation in the land on the
mountains of Israel, and one King shall be king to them all. And
they shall not still be two nations, nor shall they be divided into
two kingdoms any more at all. 23 Nor shall they be defiled with
their idols, even with their filthy idols, nor with all of their
transgressions. But I will save them out of all their dwelling places,
in them where they sinned, and will cleanse them. And they shall
be to Me for a people, and I will be to them for God. 24 And David
My servant shall be King over them. And there shall be one Shepherd
to all of them. And they shall walk in My judgments, and obey My
Laws, and do them. 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have
given to Jacob My servant, the land in which your fathers have lived.
And they shall dwell in it, even they and their sons, and the sons
of their sons for ever. And My servant David shall be their ruler
forever. 26 And I will cut a covenant of peace with them. It shall
be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them, and
multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever.
27 And My tabernacle shall be with them. Yea, I will be their God,
and they shall be My people. 28 And the nations shall know that
I Yahweh sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in their midst
forever.
Does this mean that we are all Jews? Absolutely NOT. In order to
understand more fully, let’s examine the lineage of Abraham’s
promise. The lineage goes like this; Abraham’s son of promise
was Isaac, Isaac’s son of promise was Jacob, who was later
renamed Israel. Israel had 12 sons of promise (Reuben, Levi, Simeon,
Asher, Dan, Gad, Naphtali, Issachar, Zebulun, Judah, Joseph and
Benjamin) who were to become the 12 tribes of Israel. One of Israel’s
sons was named Judah. The word Jew is derived from the word Judah
and therefore describes the descendants of Judah, not all 12 sons.
For example, my dad had two sons. We were born to the same mother,
and grew up in the same household, yet we are drastically different.
Everything from our hair color and physical features, to our likes
and dislikes, and our temperaments are vastly different. One is
not better than the other, we are just different, yet we had the
same mom and dad. If my brother and I are so much different having
the same parents, can you imagine how different Israel’s 12
sons were being born to different women? They probably did not look
alike, think alike, or act alike. They probably did not have the
same likes and dislikes or even the same talents and abilities.
I would say that they were worlds apart from each other, yet each
of the 12 were sons of the promise and Abraham’s seed, and
heirs or Kleronomos. In other words, they were not all like their
brother Judah. One of the issues with the word “Jew”
is that it has come to describe everyone who follows Torah, who
eat clean, and who holds Sabbath on the 7th day, not Sunday. This
description is wrong when seen through the fabric of the scriptures,
but none the less, it has developed a mindset in modern times, mainly
due to a lack of understanding.
At this point you may be wondering one of two things: 1) If we
are the same as Israel, then why are we as believers so different
today, and 2) Being so different, how can we ever come together
as one flock, one stick, with one Shepherd, or King? I believe that
in order for us to understand where we are today, we must realize
where we have been, and exactly what happened along the way.
Remember that both Yahweh and Yahshua call us sheep, which in itself
is not very flattering. My dad raised sheep, two of their traits
quickly became apparent to me as I was usually the one looking over
the sheep. One was the fact that not only were they the most un-intelligent
animal in creation, but sheep also give up very easily when in distress
making them easy prey, causing a great need for a shepherd. Left
to themselves sheep simply would not survive. They would either
run away, isolating themselves from the flock and making themselves
easy prey, or they would simply perish due to their own ignorance.
Whichever the case, I realized as a boy that it was only by their
great numbers that any survived to the present day. When I started
studying scripture, I found it ironic that it was this animal that
Father chose to describe His people. Although, after being a pastor
in one of the main stream denominations, I must say that the description
is accurate, but not very flattering. As we search for what happen,
we must realize that Yahweh’s people have been running away
and getting lost for a very long time. It happened to Adam, it happened
to the Northern kingdom, it has happened to you and to me today,
and it has happened in the centuries in between. To put it plainly,
most of us know what it is to be a lost sheep and the power of a
redeemed life. As a matter of fact King David states that very thing
about himself in Psalm 119:176 “I have strayed like a
lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands” and again Yahweh tells that we are lost sheep through the prophet
Jeremiah in Jeremiah 50:6-7 “6My (Yahweh’s) people
have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused
them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill
and forgot their own resting place. 7Whoever found them devoured
them; their enemies said, `We are not guilty, for they sinned against
Yahweh (LORD), their true pasture, Yahweh, the hope of their fathers”. The question now is, how did we get lost? Under King David’s
rule all of Israel, all 12 tribes, were united in one kingdom, which
I believe is a shadow picture Yahshua’s Kingdom to come. King
David died and passed the kingdom to his son Solomon. Even though
Solomon was the wisest of all who have ever lived, he strayed from
Yahweh’s commandments and began to worship the idols of his
many wives and concubines. Because of Solomon’s sin Yahweh
told him that the kingdom would be split after his death, during
the reign of his son Rehoboam. In 1 Kings 11:11-13 we find these
words“11 And Yahweh said to Solomon, Since this is done
by you, and since you have not kept My covenant and My statutes
which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from
you and will give it to your servant. 12 But I will not do it in
your days, for David your father's sake, but I will tear it out
of the hand of your son. 13 Only, I will not tear away all the kingdom,
but I will give one tribe to your son for David My servant's sake,
and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.” and so
it was because of the hardness of King Rehoboam’s heart as
depicted in 1 Kings 12:6-24, and again in 2Chronicles chapter 10,
the kingdom was split.
1 Kings 12:6-24
“6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before
his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, “How
do you advise me to answer these people?” 7And they spoke
to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people
today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to
them, then they will be your servants forever.” 8But he rejected
the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young
men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9And he said
to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this
people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which
your father put on us’?” 10Then the young men who had
grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak
to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father
made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’ —
thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker
than my father’s waist! 11And now, whereas my father put a
heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised
you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!” 12So
Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the
king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.”
13Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice
which the elders had given him; 14and he spoke to them according
to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your
yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you
with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!” 15So the
king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from
Yahweh (the LORD), that He might fulfill His word, which Yahweh
had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
21And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house
of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand
chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel,
that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
22But the word of Yahweh (God) came to Shemaiah the man of Yahweh,
saying, 23“Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah,
to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people,
saying, 24‘Thus says Yahweh (the LORD): “You shall not
go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let
every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.”
Therefore they obeyed the word of Yahweh, and turned back, according
to the word of Yahweh.”
The result of this split was the formation of two kingdoms, the
ten tribes of the North who called themselves Israel, and the house
of Judah in the south. None remained faithful to the house of David
except for Judah. These two kingdoms are known as the Northern kingdom,
or Israel, and the Southern kingdom, or Judah. Jeroboam was set
as king over the northern kingdom, and Rehoboam remained king of
Judah in the south and the harmony of David’s kingdom was
broken even until this day. If you have ever survived a church split,
you are probably aware of the hostilities associated with such divisions.
People are wounded deeply and unfortunately some of those wounds
seem to never heal. Such was the case in the dividing of David’s
kingdom. As a matter of fact, 1 Kings 12:19 tells us that “Israel
has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day”. This is important to remember because as you will see, I believe
that the institution of the “church” rose up from the
descendants of the Northern kingdom, and to this day there is animosity
between them and Judah, or rather the Christians and the Jews.
Unfortunately, King Jeroboam strayed from the commandments of Yahweh
due to jealously, fear, and an unhealthy power trip. As a matter
of fact, King Jeroboam was afraid that he might lose some of “his”
people to King Rehoboam in the South when they returned to Jerusalem
for the three annual pilgrimage feasts as described in 1 Kings 12:26-33.
1 Kings 12:26-33
“26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom
may return to the house of David: 27 If these people go up to offer
sacrifices in the house of Yahweh (the LORD) at Jerusalem, then
the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam
king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king
of Judah.” 28 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves
of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to
go up to Jerusalem. Here are your elohim (gods), O Israel, which
brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29 And he set up one
in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Now this thing became
a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.
31 He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every
class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi. 32 Jeroboam ordained
a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast
that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did
at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel
he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. 33
So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on
the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had
devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children
of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.”
In short, Jeroboam, because of his fear of losing people, re-wrote
Torah and caused all of Israel to sin in the eyes of Yahweh. Unfortunately,
this same scenario is played out in ministries and churches around
the globe. One of the biggest fears a pastor has today, is that
he may lose some of ‘his’ people to another ministry.
Sadly, this fear will cause the pastor to many times quit listening
to Father and preach what ‘his’ people want to hear.
I know because as I have said, I was once a denominational pastor.
That’s exactly what happened to Jeroboam. Jeroboam was guilty
of four main areas of sin, they are as follows:
The Sins of Jeroboam (the House of Israel)
1. He made two golden calves and told the children of Israel to
look at the gods that brought them out of the land of Egypt. This
is a return to the “mixture” worship of Yahweh and idolatry,
or “golden calf worship”.
2. He made a house of high places (a house of worship, or temple,
where Yahweh was not worshipped).
3. He made priests of the lowest class of the people, which were
not of the house of Levi. Yahweh commanded His priests be only from
the tribe of Levi.
4. He ordained a feast on the eighth month, which was not one of Yahweh’s Feast Days.
Even though some of the kings to come would repent for some of
the sins of the nation, none repented back past Jeroboam and restored
Yahweh’s Torah. As a matter of fact some Samaritans still
feast on Mount Gerizim to this day. Because of this lack of repentance,
Israel as a nation would be exiled as documented in 2 Kings 17:22-24.
Throughout multiple kings, Israel never fully repented from the
sins of Jeroboam, despite the many warnings of the prophets, as
a nation Yahweh would have them exiled for the next 2730 years as
described in the following scriptures, and they are still referred
to as the lost tribes of Israel.
The Exile of the House of Israel (2,730 Years)
Ezekiel 4:4-5
4 “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of
the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days
that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. 5 For I have
laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number
of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the
iniquity of the house of Israel.”
Leviticus 26:18
18 “And after all this, if you do not obey Me (Yahweh),
then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.”
Hosea 1:2-11
2When Yahweh (the LORD) began to speak by Hosea, Yahweh said
to Hosea: “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry And children
of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry By departing
from Yahweh.” 3So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim,
and she conceived and bore him a son. 4Then Yahweh said to him:
“Call his name Jezreel, for in a little while I will avenge
the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and bring an end
to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5It shall come to pass in
that day That I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
6And she conceived again and bore a daughter. Then Elohim (God)
said to him: “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer
have mercy on the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them
away. 7 Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them
by Yahweh their Elohim, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword
or battle, by horses or horsemen.” 8 Now when she had weaned
Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then Elohim said: “Call
his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people, and I will not be your
Elohim. 10 “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 sons of the living Elohim.’ 11 Then the children
of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together,
and appoint for themselves one head; and they shall come up out
of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel!”
Hosea 4:6
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you
have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest
for Me; Because you have forgotten the Torah (law) of your Elohim
(God), I also will forget your children.
Amos 9:9-10
9 “For surely I will command, and will sift the house
of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet
not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. 10 All the sinners
of My people shall die by the sword, Who say, ‘The calamity
shall not overtake nor confront us.’”
Hosea 7:8-9
8 “Ephraim (the House of Israel; the Northern Kingdom)
has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned.
9 Aliens have devoured his strength, but he does not know it; yes,
gray hairs are here and there on him, yet he does not know it.”
Hosea 8:8
8 Israel is swallowed up; now they are among the Gentiles like
a vessel in which is no pleasure.
Hosea 8:12
12 “I have written for him the great things of
My Torah (law), But they were considered a strange thing.”
Hosea 9:3
3 They shall not dwell in Yahweh’s (the LORD’s)
land, But Ephraim shall return to Egypt, And shall eat unclean things
in Assyria.
Ezekiel 4:12-13
13 Then Yahweh (the LORD) said, “So shall the children
of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, where I will
drive them.”
Hosea 9:17
17 My Elohim (God) will cast them away, Because they did not
obey Him; And they shall be wanderers among the nations.
Hosea 13:12-14
12 “The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; His sin is stored
up (hidden). 13 The sorrows of a woman in childbirth shall come
upon him. He is an unwise son, for he should not stay long where
children are born. 14 “I will ransom them from the power of
the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your
plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from
My eyes.”
Hosea 14:8-9
8 “Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore
with idols?’ I have heard and observed him. I am like a green
cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me.” 9 Who is wise? Let
him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them.
For the ways of Yahweh (the LORD) are right; the righteous walk
in them, but transgressors stumble in them.
Romans 11:17-18
17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being
a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became
a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not
boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you
do not support the root, but the root supports you.
That’s how we became lost sheep, and forgot our way which
Yahweh Himself tells us in Jeremiah 50:6-7, “6 My (Yahweh’s)
people have been lost sheep;their shepherds have led them astray
and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain
and hill and forgot their own resting place. 7Whoever found them
devoured them; their enemies said, `We are not guilty, for they
sinned against Yahweh (LORD), their true pasture, Yahweh, the hope
of their fathers.”
In His discourse in Matthew 15:21-28 “21 Leaving that
place, Yahshua (Jesus) withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out,
“Master (Lord), Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter
is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” 23 Yahshua did
not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send
her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24 He answered,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Master, help me!”
she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s
bread and toss it to their dogs.” 27 “Yes, Master (Lord),”
she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from
their masters’ table.” 28 Then Yahshua answered, “Woman,
you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter
was healed from that very hour.” Yahshua states that
He came for the “lost sheep of Israel”. In addition,
when He sent His disciples out in Matthew 10:5-10, “5
These twelve Yahshua (Jesus) sent out with the following instructions:
“Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this
message: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the
sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out
demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Do not take along
any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10 take no bag for the
journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is
worth his keep.” He gave them strict instructions in
verse 6, to “go rather to the lost sheep of Israel”.
Plainly by His own words, Yahshua tells us that the plan of redemption
is to restore the lost sheep of Israel. That may sound contrary
to what we have learned in church, but none the less it is the truth,
and the Messiah depicts this in his parable in Luke 15:3-7, “3Then
Yahshua told them this parable: 4“Suppose one of you has a
hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine
in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on
his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors
together and says, `Rejoice with me; I have found my lost
sheep.’ 7I tell you that in the same way there will
be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” You may be wondering, how does this apply to John 3:16, where Yahshua
states “whosoever believes” will have everlasting life?
In light of all this information, that question perplexed me for
some time. However, I learned through the scriptures, that those
that come to Yahshua, are those that Yahweh brings to Himself and
that Abraham’s seed has now literally been spread throughout
all the nations of the Earth. In addition, in a prophecy about Messiah
in Isaiah 49:6, Yahweh states: “6 Indeed He says, 'It
is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the
tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I
will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be
My salvation to the ends of the earth.” As Believers,
we need to realize that all of those who come to a saving knowledge
of Yahshua Messiah have three things in common; 1) they have been
drawn by Yahweh, 2) they are a restored one of Israel, and 3) they
are described as a “whosoever” in John 3:16.
Indeed Yahshua shed His blood as atonement for all who should believe,
and in doing so has and still is redeeming the whole house of Israel.
In short, the lost tribes are not really lost, they are just scattered,
and asleep. One day they all will be restored. We know this because
in Revelation, Yahweh calls forth 12 thousand from all 12 tribes,
not just 144 thousand Jews. Perhaps they have forgotten Yahweh’s
ways, His commandments, His feast days, and His Sabbaths. Many are
in church every Sunday, going through the frustration of an identity
crisis, and just waiting to be awakened to their roots and their
heritage. Yahshua is doing that very thing in this hour as described
in the following scriptures. That’s what makes us a Holy nation,
and a Royal priesthood, a descendant of Abraham. So who are we?
As believers, WE ARE ISRAEL!
Yahshua will Restore the Two Houses of Israel
Matthew 15:24
24 But He (Yahshua) answered and said, “I was not sent
except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Isaiah 49:5-6
5 And now Yahweh says, “Who formed Me from the womb to
be His Servant, to bring Jacob (the restored Whole House of Israel)
back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him [for I shall be glorious
in the eyes of Yahweh (the LORD), and My Elohim (God) shall be My
strength], 6 Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that
You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob (all twelve
tribes), and to restore the preserved ones of Israel (the exiled
Northern Kingdom); I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
John 10:15-16
15 “As the Father knows Me (Yahshua), even so I know the
Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 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 one shepherd.”
Ezekiel 34:12
12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among
his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them
from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark
day.
1 Peter 1:3
3 Blessed be the Elohim (God) and Father of our Master (Lord)
Yahshua Ha Maschiach (Jesus; Messiah-Christ), who according to His
abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Yahshua Ha Maschiach from the dead.
1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a set-apart
(holy) nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the
praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous
light; who once were not a people but are now the people of Elohim
(God), who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Romans 9:24-26
24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of
the Gentiles? 25 As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them
My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not
beloved.” 26 “And it shall come to pass in the place
where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’
there they shall be called sons of the living Elohim (God).”
Hebrews 8:8-10
8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the
days are coming, says Yahweh (the LORD), when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah —
9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in
the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land
of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded
them, says Yahweh. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put
My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will
be their Elohim (God), and they shall be My people.
For too long we have been in bondage to our sins and the sins of
our fathers, living in darkness as to who we are and our spiritual
roots – Hebrew, not Jewish. In this hour Yahweh is wakening
us up so that we can see that we, as Believers, are part of the
remnant of the House of Israel.
Shalom Chavarim,
Tom Blair
Other Resources available on this subject:
Redeemed Israel: Reunited and Restored - Batya Wootten
Ephraim and Judah – Israel Revealed - Batya Wootten
Restoring the Two Houses of Israel – Eddie Chumney |
