The One New Man
The One New Man
Embedded Files
Two Sticks Become One
Two Sticks Become One
One time, a non-believing fella said to me, “IF I were to believe in God, then it would be because of the existence of the nation of Israel in the world today and the change that I have seen in you!” -- too bad he chose not to believe, because he supports the evidence!
Ezekiel chapter 37 is one of those amazing chapters that hold a two-tier time-release punch of prophecy illustrating both Israel’s restoration after her first and second exile! The chapter is chalk full of end-time revelatory truths. However, we’ll unpack just one of the them, the two-in-one imagery beginning in verse 15,
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, as for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: (1) ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, (2) ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand. Ezek 37:15-17
Judah and the children of Israel represents the Jews, in fact, the name Jew comes from, Judah. And do you remember Ephraim, the son of Joseph and a Gentile mother? Ephraim and Manasseh were adopted as joint and equal heirs with Jacobs other sons (not as grandchildren, but sons). However, Jacob prophesied over Ephraim that the fullness of the Gentiles would be fulfilled in him. This is a prophetic vision of both Judah (the Jew) and Ephraim (adoption of Gentiles) being made ONE stick in the Lord’s hand during the end-times. Let’s go on.
And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.’ And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. Ezek 37:18-20
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. Gal 6:15, 16
A little background on Ephraim…
A little background on Ephraim…
Israel started out as a monotheistic people, governed and ruled personally by God. However, they wanted to be like the other guys in the neighborhood and have their own king. God allowed this, though it pained Him. The Kingdom of Israel was united for 120 years under the renowned King Saul, David and Solomon. However, in 926 BC, the kingdom was split. The Ten Northern Tribes seceded and became known as the House of Israel. The two remaining Southern tribes (Judah and Benjamin, and a few Levi’s sprinkled here and there) remained to rule over Jerusalem and became known as the House of Judah.
When the Assyrians conquered Northern Israel (which God not only allowed but purposed because of their unfaithfulness and gross idolatry) the House of Israel was dispersed throughout the Assyrian Empire, the known world of their day, and beyond. They became known as the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Ephraim was a part of this group. Inherent within Ephraim is a two-tier revelation. Ephraim represents both the literal Northern Ten Tribes that will return as well as the fullness of the Gentiles that have come into the house of Israel – both of which are happening daily!
There are some in recent history that would like to equate the Ten Lost Tribes to the peoples of Britain and America to explain the growing prophetic phenomena of Biblical Zionism’s allegiance to Israel and the Jewish people, claiming that they are literally somehow part of the ethnic Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. This is a misappropriation of prophetic identity, and they are grossly mistaken, because the true Bride of Messiah is made up of ethnic Israel and the Gentiles - from every tribe, every tongue, every people and every nation – including, but not exclusive to, a few Brits and Yanks!
Google Sites
Report abuse