Ephraim
Some years ago I purchased a book, written by an Israeli Jew
(most Jews are from the tribe of Judah), about the ten lost tribes of
Israel. Its purpose was to prove that the tribe of Ephraim was in Britain
and the tribe of Manasseh was in North America.
Many of us in the Church of God cut our teeth on a booklet
entitled "Britain and America in Prophesy". In it Herbert W. Armstrong
attempted to prove the same thing: that England was Ephraim and America
was Manasseh, along with current prophesies about the destiny of both. I'm
sure many of you are familiar with it.
Over the years my confidence in Mr. Armstrong's book waxed
and waned as I heard various other opinions on the subject. When I heard
about the Jewish book on the same subject, I was strongly motivated to
obtain it to see if the two books agreed. In fact, as far as the travels
and current locations of these two tribes is concerned, they do agree -
very closely. The supporting material differs considerably from a Jewish
writer, as you might expect. I mentioned this in my sermon "Who
are the Lost Ten Tribes?"
Today I want to take you through the main points made in the
book "Ephraim" by Yair Davidy. Much of what I tell you today will be old
news but I think you will be surprised by the new information this and
other books provide.
I suggest you read all of 2 Kings 17 but let's just read the
climax of the chapter in verses 22-23:
2 Ki 17:22-23 (KJV) For the children of Israel walked in
all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; {23}
Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all
his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their
own land to Assyria unto this day.
The ten tribes of Israel, what is popularly called The Lost
Ten Tribes of Israel, still haven't returned to their own land. Most of
their land lies within the area now known as the country of Israel
including what many call the West Bank - though they seem to be giving it
away as fast as they can to satisfy world pressure. Some of the ten
tribes’ land lies in what is now called Jordan and Syria. More on that
later.
According to scripture the Lost Ten Tribes or at least the
descendants of Joseph were destined to possess the gates of their enemies
(i.e. strategic thoroughfares, ports, and passes); to be in the Isles of
the Sea in the west, the north, and the north-west; to be militarily
powerful; to be very numerous; and economically bounteous. Let's look at a
few scriptures which describe each of these six characteristics:
1. Israelis shall possess the gates of their enemies:
(Gen 22:17 NKJV) [That in] "blessing I will bless you, and
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.
What are some of these gates?
(1st). The Panama Canal, giving the world access between
the Pacific and the Atlantic without going 8,000 miles around South
America and risking the perils surrounding Drake's Passage - a trip
taking an extra 17 days. It was formerly built, owned and controlled by
the U.S. In 1978 the U.S. Senate, under President Carter’s order, voted
to give it to Panama. It is now owned by Panama and controlled by Red
China.
(2nd). The Suez Canal, giving the world access to the Far
East from the Mediterranean Sea without going an extra 5,000 miles
around South Africa. It was formerly built, owned and controlled by the
British. It is now owned and controlled by Egypt.
(3rd). The islands controlling the Atlantic approaches to
the Panama Canal were all owned by Israelitish nations: The U.S.,
Britain, France and Holland.
(4th). Britain controlled the Mediterranean Sea via
Gibraltar, Suez, Aden, Malta and Cyprus.
(5th). Britain controlled the access to the North Sea and
Baltic Sea. Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, all Israelitish
nations, also controlled the Baltic.
(6th). Britain, Norway and Denmark controlled the North
Atlantic via the Norwegian Sea, Iceland, Greenland, Scotland, and
Canada.
(7th). The Indian Ocean was controlled by Britain via South
Africa, India, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and various islands
such as Diego Garcia.
(8th). Access from the western Pacific to the Indian Ocean
was controlled by Britain, Holland, and the U.S. via Malaysia,
Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, the Dutch East Indies and
Australia. Indo-China was owned by France.
(9th). Access through Drakes Passage at the southern tip of
South America was controlled by Britain via the Falkland Islands and
other nearby islands.
(10th). The Bering Straight and Bering Sea was controlled
by the U.S.
(11th). The Northwest Passage went through Canada.
(12th). Hawaii, Wake Island, Guam and Midway, all owned by
the U.S., control the mid-Pacific. In addition, the southern mid-Pacific
was controlled by the British and French from their many, many islands
in that region..
(13th). The southern mid-Atlantic was controlled from the
British islands of St. Helena, Ascension Island, and the Tristan da
Cunha group.
Is that enough examples of gates controlled by Israelites?
The gentile world could not move without Israel's consent, partly because
the sun never set on the British Empire.
2. Israelis shall be located in the islands and coastlands of
the sea, such as the British Isles:
Isa 11:11 (KJV) And it shall come to pass in that day,
<that> the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the
remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from
Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar,
and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
Cush, Shinar and Hamath are ancient names but they are
identifiable.
(Isa 24:14-15 NKJV) They shall lift up their voice, they
shall sing; For the majesty of the LORD They shall cry aloud from the
sea. {15} Therefore glorify the LORD in the dawning light [in the
east], the name of the LORD God of Israel in the coastlands [islands]
of the sea.
Isa 42:4 (KJV) He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till
he have set judgment [justice] in the earth: and the isles [islands]
shall wait for his law.
(Isa 49:1-6 NKJV) "Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take
heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb; from
the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. {2} And He has
made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has
hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden
Me." {3} "And He said to me, 'You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I
will be glorified.' {4} Then I said, 'I have labored in vain, I have
spent my strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just reward is
with the LORD, and my work with my God.'" {5} "And now the LORD says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to
Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the
eyes of the LORD, And My 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, 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.'"
The tribes have been preserved throughout history to this
day.
(Isa 51:4-5 NKJV) "Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to
Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My
justice rest as a light of the peoples. {5} My righteousness is near, My
salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The
coastlands [islands] will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust.
(Jer 31:6-10 NKJV) For there shall be a day When the
watchmen will cry on the Mountains of Ephraim, 'Arise, and let us go up
to Zion, to the LORD our God.'" {7} For thus says the LORD: "Sing 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!'
{8} Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather
them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the
lame, the woman with child And the one who labors with child, together;
a great throng shall return there. {9} They shall come with weeping, and
with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the
rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble; for
I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. {10} "Hear the
word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar
off, and say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him
as a shepherd does his flock.'
3. The tribes of Israel shall be located in the north and
west:
(Hosea 11:9-12 NKJV) I will not execute the fierceness of
My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man,
The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come [into the city] with
terror. [He will not cause His presence to be felt in any city except
Jerusalem.]
(Verse 10) "They shall walk after the LORD. He will roar
like a lion. When He roars, Then His sons [children] shall come
trembling from the west; [the exiles in the west shall be
gathered together to return.]
(Verse 11) They shall come trembling like a bird from
Egypt, Like a dove from the land of Assyria. And I will let them [the
exiles] dwell in their houses," Says the LORD. {12} "Ephraim has
encircled Me with lies, And the house of Israel with deceit; But Judah
[the Jews] still walk with God, Even with the Holy One[s, the Saints]
who are faithful.
(Hosea 12:1-3 NKJV) "Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues
the east wind; He daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a
covenant with the Assyrians, And oil is carried to Egypt. [Notice that
during Ephraim’s departure from the land of Israel, it feeds on the east
wind; that is the east wind blows Ephraim westward.]
{2} "The LORD also brings a charge against Judah, And will
punish Jacob according to his ways; According to his deeds He will
recompense him. [We see that both Isaiah and Hosea speak of the exiled
Ten Tribes of Israel (represented by "Ephraim" in Hosea) as being in the
West in the End Times.]
(Jer 16:14-15 NKJV) "Therefore behold, the days are
coming," says the LORD, "that it shall no more be said, 'The LORD lives
who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,' {15}
"but, 'The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the
land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.' For
I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.
[More on that later.]
Isa 49:12 (KJV) Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo,
these from the north and from the west; and these from the land
of Sinim. [The land of Sinim is believed to be Australia. Interestingly,
Israel is northwest of Australia.]
4. The tribes of Israel would be militarily powerful:
(Micah 5:8 NKJV) And the remnant of Jacob shall be among
the Gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts
of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, who, if he
passes through, both treads down and tears in pieces, and none can
deliver.
5. The tribes of Israel shall be numerous:
Gen 48:16 (KJV) The Angel which redeemed me from all evil,
bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my
fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in
the midst of the earth.
6. The tribes of Joseph shall be economically bounteous:
(Gen 49:25-26 NKJV) By the God of your father who will help
you, and by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven
above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts
and of the womb. {26} The blessings of your father have excelled the
blessings of my ancestors, up to the utmost boundaries of the
everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown
of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
All of these attributes and more taken together are to be
found in the Northwest European peoples especially among the
English-speaking branch which includes the peoples of North America, South
Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Historically, the exiled Israelites have been identified
with, or as confederated parts of the Cimmerians, Scythians, and Goths.
All of these peoples from the northern Middle East region, using different
paths, moved eventually to northwest Europe.
As I said, the author of the book "Ephraim" is Jewish. As a
result, most of his sources are Jewish - sources including the Talmud.
Since I will be quoting from some of his sources, I want to take a moment
to explain them. I have been told to accept the Torah (the Pentateuch or
first five books of the Old Testament) but to reject the Talmud. The
Talmud, I have been told, is simply an un-canonized collection of
rabbinical comments. The Talmud is actually a collection of writings
constituting the Judaic civil and religious law. It consists of two parts,
the Mishna (text) and the Gemara (commentary). The Mishna was written
about 200 AD and contains oral interpretations of scriptural ordinances.
It is basically an early compendium of oral rabbinic law. The
Gemara is a commentary on the Mishna.
There are many accepted commentaries on the Bible today. You
may have Ungers or other commentaries in your library. As you read through
these commentaries, you tend to accept some comments as valid and others
you reject. But most people find Bible commentaries very useful. Judaism
uses the Gemara in the same way except that they seem to accept most if
not all of what they read. They have great respect for their sages who
were ancient wise and influential rabbis.
You could probably compare the Mishna with the codes our
Government agencies write in response to legislative laws. Because the
Mishna was written by Pharisees, Christians tend to take what was written
with anathema or at least a grain of salt. But many references in the
Talmud are completely accurate and, if they do not conflict with the words
of Jesus Christ (Yeshua ha Mashiach, which is His correct name and title
in Hebrew) or the Apostles, Christians should feel generally comfortable
with them.
As we know from Genesis 48:1, 5, Joseph had two sons,
Manasseh [H4519, meaning "causing to forget," the first born, and Ephraim,
the second born. The Patriarch Jacob, their grandfather, passed his
blessing on to them but set Ephraim before Menasseh. Let's read about it
in Gen 48:14-20.
(Gen 48:14-20 NKJV) Then Israel stretched out his right
hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left
hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was
the firstborn. {15} And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom
my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life
long to this day, {16} the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
bless the lads; let my name be named upon them, and the name of my
fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the
midst of the earth." {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 [Manasseh] 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." {20} So he blessed them that day, saying, "By
you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as
Manasseh!' " And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
The descendants of Manasseh and Ephraim migrated to Britain
and from there to North America. Many of the early colonizers of North
America came from areas in Britain whose clan and place names are those of
Manasseh. The North American type of delegated Representative Democratic
Government in principle is encapsulated in the Hebrew meaning of the name
Manasseh. The British on the other hand possess the characteristics of
Ephraim whose very name in Hebrew connotes the British Aristocratic
system.
In general there are seven characteristic traits and
prophetic proofs of Israelis:
1. They possess a relative lack of anti-Semitism.
2. They are doers of justice which implies social empathy.
(Amos 5:15 NKJV) Hate evil, love good; establish justice
in the gate [courts]. It may be that the LORD God of hosts will be
gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
3. They are possessors of military prowess.
(Deu 33:29 NKJV) Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like
you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help and the sword
of your majesty [excellency]! Your enemies shall submit [themselves]
to you, and you shall tread down their high places."
4. They are intellectually wise.
Deu 4:6 (KJV) Keep therefore and do <them>; for this <is>
your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which
shall hear all these statutes, and say, surely this great nation <is>
a wise and understanding people.
5. They would receive economic and physical blessings.
Despite the relative decline of the U.S. and Great
Britain and some of the other Israelite nations in recent years, a
foretaste of the said blessings was achieved in the past. In terms of
longevity, good health, possession of raw materials, and overall
wealth, the Israelite Ten Tribes' countries for many decades topped
the world's lists and still do on the whole.
6. There are archaeological and historical proofs.
(Josh 4:3 NKJV) And command them, saying, 'Take for
yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan,
from the place where the priests' feet stood firm. You shall carry
them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge
tonight.
(Jer 31:17,21 NKJV) There is hope in your future [your
latter end], says the LORD, that your children shall come back to
their own border..... <21> Set up signposts; make landmarks; set
your heart toward the highway, the way in which you went. Turn back, O
virgin of Israel. Turn back to these your cities.
There are dolmens and other megalithic monuments both in
Israel and in most countries through which the Ten Lost Tribes passed
which appear very similar. As we read in Jeremiah, these monuments
make a roadmap to show where the Israelis are and how they got there.
7. There is much Biblical evidence, some of which we
have already read.
We stated earlier that Ephraim moved to Britain and that
Manasseh moved to North America. Let me show you some very strong evidence
that that is true.
The name "Yank" is derivable from a possible pronunciation of
the Hebrew name Yaacov or Jacob which is rendered "Yankel" in Yiddish.
Deu 29:28 (KJV) And the LORD rooted them out of their land
in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into
another land, as <it is> this day.
The Mishna (Sanhedrin 10) opines that this verse refers to
the Lost Ten Tribes who are destined to remain in "another land" until
close to the End Times.
Earlier we read that Manasseh (cause to forget) was the son
of Joseph. Many Bibles show that the verb "forget," H5382, is from "Nosheh"
in Hebrew," but "forget" is not the only translation of Nosheh. If you
look in a Hebrew Lexicon you will find that Nosheh also means "becoming a
creditor or lender." Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, who lived in the 1800s,
wrote that "forget" was incorrect. He wrote that Manasseh really means "a
creditor or lender". What position does a creditor have? Isn't it someone
who has a claim on someone else because of what was lent? Now let's take
this one step further. What is representative government? It is a
government where the citizens temporarily assign a person to represent
them in managing the government. They lend the person the job and in so
doing have a claim on that person. Just like lending money: the other
party can use it but must return it. In Representative Government, the
representative can use the position but must return it to the
citizens at the end of a certain period so it can be lent to someone else
(or the same person).
Now what has all this to do with Manasseh and the U.S.? We
seem to have found three characteristics from Manasseh's name.
1. He tends to forget.
2. He tends to be a lender or creditor.
3. He tends to believe in representative government, what
he now calls democracy.
Let me give you a few distinguishing American characteristics
from American history:
1. "No taxation without representation" (representative
government).
2. After the war of Independence, 13 colonies formed the
country. Could it have anything to do with the 13 tribes?
3. Our founding fathers proposed and seriously considered
to adopt Hebrew as the national language and the Mosaic Code as
obligatory Constitutional law.
4. Even today foreigners are amazed that Americans judge
the right and wrong of a matter by whether it is constitutional.
5. Other countries are democratic but only the U.S. makes
republican democracy an expression of itself. Only the U.S. is Manasseh.
6. Remember Lincoln's statement: "Government of the people,
by the people, and for the people".
I said earlier that Ephraim was a nation of aristocrats.
Let's go into that. Britain is distinguished from other nations by its
monarchy and its aristocrats. Gen 41:52.
(Gen 41:52 NKJV) And the name of the second he [Joseph]
called Ephraim: "For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my
affliction."
A person from the tribe of Ephraim is called an Ephrathi. The
Hebrew dictionary HaMalon HaChadash defines Ephrathi as (1.) a member of
the tribe of Ephraim; and (2.) an aristocrat, honorable and respected.
Other rabbis and writers have described Ephrathites as being
of refined character and humility, being of high-birth, sons of the
high-born. In Talmudic literature, Ephrathi is taken to mean someone from
the tribe of Ephraim or of noble birth or both.
In Britain exist two basic classes, Commoners and Nobility.
Membership of the Aristocracy is acquired by birth, though gifted and/or
rich generous commoners may obtain an "honorary" title for the duration of
their lifetime.
Various Talmudic sages taught about the mysteries of the
Pentateuch from about the second century through the thirteenth century
AD. The Zohar is a collection of writings mainly purporting to transcribe
these teachings. Most Orthodox Jews who study the Zohar consider it to be
inspired. It does contain observations of value for the understanding of
Scripture, and here and there also concerning the Lost Ten Tribes. For
instance, regarding Isa 49:21
(Isa 49:21 NKJV) Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has
begotten these for me, since I have lost my children and am desolate, a
captive [in exile], and wandering to and fro? And who has brought these
up? There I was, left alone; but these, where were they?'"
The Zohar addresses the word "these" by referring back to the
time when the Patriarch Israel (Jacob) was about to die and his son Joseph
had brought his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to him to receive a final
blessing and he said "Who are these?". The Zohar relates: "Rabbi
Abba began to explain `who are these' by relating it to the verse in Isa
49:21. What does this verse imply? - That the Patriarch Israel [Jacob]
foresaw the Children of Israel assembling before him in the future:
(Isa 11:11 NKJV) `In that day the LORD shall set his hand
again the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall
be left from Elam, from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the Isles of
the Sea.’
The Zohar continues: "And they shall assemble together and be
multitudinous; the Divine Presence will wonder and ask, `Where did you all
come from? Is it not possible that there exists among you someone
blemished, of foreign seed?' They will answer, `We are all your sons.
There is no foreigner among us'. And they will divide from each other. The
foreign non-Israelite element will voluntarily separate from them, and
they will be circumcised, and convert, and these converts will return with
and to Israel, and they shall be one" [with the Jewish people].
Micah 7:14 and Zech 10:10 show the Ten Tribes are destined to
resettle from the Nile to beyond the Euphrates, with Manasseh inheriting
Syria (Bashan and Gilead) and Lebanon.
(Micah 7:14 NKJV) Shepherd Your people with Your staff, the
flock of Your heritage, who dwell solitarily in a woodland, in the midst
of Carmel [fertile pasture]; Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as
in days of old.
(Zec 10:10 NKJV) I will also bring them back from the land
of Egypt, And gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land
of Gilead and Lebanon, Until no more room is found for them. [There
won’t be room enough for them.]
Bashan is the Biblical name for the Golan Heights region,
formerly occupied by the tribe of Manasseh. Gilead is the Biblical name
for the southern region of Syria and western region of Jordan, formerly
occupied by the tribes of Manasseh and Gad.
Relatively recent Jewish sources speak of the need for
re-unification between Judah and the Lost Ten Tribes. The two sides are
linked to each other in the Bible, have highly individual characteristics
that complement one another, and their eventual union is connected with
the rebuilding of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The complete return of
Judah is dependent upon the return of Samaria. Ezekiel says that Judah has
an obligation to help the Ten Lost Tribes to return. Let’s look at several
verses in Ezekiel 16 which provide some hint of that.
(Ezek 16:55 NKJV) [addressing Judah] "When your sisters,
Sodom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Samaria and
her daughters return to their former state, then you and your daughters
will return to your former state.
Samaria lies just west of Gilead.
(Verse 61 NKJV) "Then you will remember your ways and be
ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I
will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with
you.
This seems to imply that Judah must seek to bring the Lost
Ten Tribes back. God makes the participation of Judah in the process of
returning the Lost Ten Tribes a prior condition for the rehabilitation of
Judah herself. The Knesset has discussed how to do this.
(Verse 62 NKJV) "And I will establish My covenant with you.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
God will once again accept Judah and all Israel.
For another view of the reuniting of Judah and Joseph (i.e.
Manasseh and Ephraim), read Ezekiel 37.
Rabbi Zvi Kalisher lived in Russia from 1795 to 1874. The
prophet Hosea is understood by Rabbi Kalisher as intimating that at first
the Jews (i.e. Judah) will return and prepare the land so that it
ultimately will be able to support a great community. Then part of the
Lost Ten tribes will return and together with the Jews build the Third
Temple. Then the remainder and numerically greater part of the Lost Ten
Tribes will also come back. The Messiah appears and reigns in Jerusalem.
The Great End-Time War of Gog and Magog follows at the conclusion of which
the name of God is hallowed by all, and all worship Him in unison with one
tongue. Rabbi Kalisher, referred to the words of Nachmanides [Ramban]
regarding Isa 56:8. Let's read it:
(Isa 56:8 NKJV) The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of
Israel, says, "Yet I will gather to him <others> besides those [his own]
who are gathered to him."
He stated, "This verse is explained: In the beginning will be
gathered many of the outcasts of Israel but not all of them. After the War
of Gog and Magog will the above-quoted expression, `Yet will I gather
others to him', be pertinent: Meaning that they will once again be
ingathered together with those who were gathered previously. This applies
to those who were lost in the Land of Assyria (Isaiah 27:13) from the Lost
Ten Tribes. They will be regathered.
The author of the book, "Drishat Tsion" queried the above
opinion of Nachmanides as apparently contradicting what Nachmanides
himself had written elsewhere in his commentary on "The Song of Solomon"
where he had said that the Lost Ten Tribes will be ingathered first of
all. He then went on to say that "If a great community of those who were
lost in the Assyrian Exile would be ingathered first of all, how could
they be brought to a wasted and desolate country? Without doubt they will
have to be preceded by their brothers in order that the land may bring
forth bread. Afterwards all of them will be able to come to the country
full of God's blessings.
(Hosea 6:11 NKJV) Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for
you, when I return the captives [fortunes] of My people.
Commentators in the past have found the above verse difficult
to explain, but according to our understanding that Ephraim represents the
Lost Ten Tribes, it becomes easy to understand. Judah will bring the
Ten Tribes Back Food for thought these days.
(Hosea 6:2 NKJV) After two days He will revive us; on the
third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.
According to the foremost Rabbinical Commentator Rashi, this
verse is referring to the "Building of the Third Temple". After that Hosea
continues his exhortation and says:
verse 4 "O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what
shall I do to you? For your faithfulness [H2616 kindness or goodness or
love toward God] is like a morning cloud, And like the early dew it goes
away [disappears].
Rashi then continues in the same vein he had previously began
concerning the third day interpreted as the Third Temple. As we read in
Hosea 6:11, Judah will set a harvest for Ephraim when God returns the
captivity of His people, after which there will be a great ingathering,
and afterwards will come the Messiah. Some time later, will arrive Gog,
who will wage war against Israel and be defeated, thereby sanctifying the
name of the Almighty. Such is the commentary of Rashi.
There is one more Biblical subject I should mention here:
Ezekiel 37, which talks about the uniting of the sons of Joseph with
Judah. I will not read it here, but I would encourage you to read it. This
union should have great meaning to you.
Now let's leave the Old Testament scriptures and the writing
of Yair Davidy for a moment and turn to some New Testament references to
the tribes of Israel. The most obvious one is Rev. 7:4-8 which describes
the 144,000 servants of God who are protected from the results of the
seventh seal.
Rev 7:4-8 (KJV) And I heard the number of them which were
sealed: <and there were> sealed an hundred <and> forty <and> four
thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. {5} Of the tribe
of Judah <were> sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben <were>
sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad <were> sealed twelve
thousand. {6} Of the tribe of Asher <were> sealed twelve thousand. Of
the tribe of Nephthalim <were> sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
Manasseh <were> sealed twelve thousand. {7} Of the tribe of Simeon
<were> sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi <were> sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar <were> sealed twelve thousand. {8} Of
the tribe of Zabulon <were> sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
Joseph <were> sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin <were>
sealed twelve thousand.
We see an interesting thing here: Verse 4 describes the
144,000 as coming from all the children of Israel. But there were
13 children of Israel, not 12. Dan has been left out! Supposedly the
descendants of Dan live today in the country of Denmark (Danmark, as the
Danes call it), and are the Celts of Ireland and Wales. Much has been made
of the very pro-Catholic Irish being left out but what of the Danes and
Welsh? And why do these verses specify Joseph and Manasseh? Because
Ephraim is also left out, one would have to assume Joseph, in verse 8,
includes or is Ephraim (the subject of this sermon). Also, the tribes of
Simeon and Levi are included. Both these tribes are today interspersed
with the tribe of Judah (Yehuda) in the modern country of Israel. Does
that mean that 36,000 will come out of modern Israel while only 12,000
will come out of the U.S.? That's the way it looks. Might Dan be left out
because Dan is the foundation of a new world order?
Some writers make a big issue over the "great multitude" of
verses 9-14. Let's look at it:
verses 9-10 (KJV) After this I beheld, and, lo, a great
multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds
[tribes], and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before
the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms [palm branches] in their
hands; {10} And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God
which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
verses 13-14 And one of the elders answered, saying to me,
What [who] are these which are arrayed in white robes? and from where do
they come? {14} And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me,
These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
But these people have to endure the tribulation while the
144,000 are protected from it. There is a distinct difference for those
affected. This "great multitude", however are also to be saints, forced by
the tribulation to turn to God after washing their lives in the blood of
Yeshua (Jesus).
Let’s review some scriptures and comments from Mr. Davidy
which seem to describe the imminent return of the Ten Tribes:
The Lost Ten Tribes will return and Judah will play the major
part in bringing this about:
{Jeremiah 3:18} In those days the house of Judah shall go
unto (not walk with, as in the KJV) the house of Israel, and they shall
come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given
for an inheritance unto your fathers.
The Midrash says:
These are the Ten Tribes. The exiles of Judah and Benyamin
[i.e. the present-day Jews] are destined to go unto them and bring them
back in order to merit with them the Messianic Era and life in the
World-To-Come. This is as it says, In those days the house of Judah shall
go unto the house of Israel and they shall come together out of the land
of the north unto the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your
fathers (Jeremiah 3:18). -Yalkut Shimeoni, Song of Solomon 905.
According to Mr. Davidy’s understanding, the Bible describes
in reverse order from the end to beginning:
1. At the Very End: All the Tribes will receive their own
inheritances and dwell alongside each other in unity but each in his own
sphere (Ezekiel 37). Before then Judah and Joseph will unite and they will
co-operate together in the Land of Israel and expel the Palestinians.
Isa 11:14 (NKJV) But they shall fly down upon the shoulder
of the Philistines toward the west; Together they shall plunder the
people of the East; They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; And the
people of Ammon shall obey them.
2. At some stage the Ten Tribes led by Joseph will conquer
Lebanon and Gilead and Bashan (Syria and other surrounding areas) and
settle there (Zechariah 10. Micah 2, which we read earlier).
3. Descendants of Ephraim (of the Lost Tribes) will return
and settle in the cities of Samaria (Jeremiah 31:20-21).
(Jer 31:20-21 NKJV) Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a
pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him
still; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on
him, says the LORD. {21} "Set up signposts, Make landmarks; Set your
heart toward the highway, The way in which you went. Turn back, O virgin
of Israel, Turn back to these your cities.
4. Judah will return, then some of the Lost Tribes, then the
rest of the Lost Tribes together with the rest of Judah.[This was
explained in the book Ephraim, chapter ten, based on Hosea 6:1-11 in the
light of Nachmanides and Rabbi Zvi Kalisher.]
In recent years very many Christians in the USA have been
taking pro-Israeli positions and they have become THE major ally of Israel
in the USA at a time when the USA has become the ONLY full time protector
and open ally of Israel with most of the other nations becoming
increasingly opposed to Israel and the Jewish people. The pro-Israel
Christians in question are therefore very important and their importance
is liable to increase. These people are concentrated in areas of the USA
that we have identified (in Mr. Davidi’s book Joseph. The Israelite
destiny of America) as populated especially in the Gilead section of
Manasseh. Tradition says that these will be the first amongst the Lost Ten
Tribes to be regathered. Could these pro-Israel American Christians be the
vanguard of the return of Joseph?
We’ll close with two more scriptures.
Zec 14:9 (KJV) And the LORD shall be king over all the
earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
Zep 3:9 (KJV) For then will I turn to the people a pure
language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him
with one consent.
Zep 3:9 (WEB) For then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that they may all call on the name of the LORD, to serve him shoulder to
shoulder.
This is the final chapter in the return of the Lost Ten
Tribes to Israel.
I hope this review of an old subject through Jewish eyes has
been profitable to you. I think we can all rejoice that all the Israelites
and converted Gentiles will soon be together to worship and serve our LORD
with one consent. Let's be sure we're among them.
Sermon
given by Wayne Bedwell
December 26, 2009
Copyright 2009, Wayne Bedwell