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"You, son of man, show to the House of Israel the House of G-d"
If you're reading this, you've probably already read the brief description of our position on this issue.
The two-house 'movement' comes out of former Worldwide Church of God adherents, a sister church to the Seventh Day adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses. Herbert W. Armstrong was the first to put forth publicly the notion that Britains were Ephraimites. His followers based this, as do some of its proponents today, on the "similarity" of "Brit" to Hebrew "Breet", or "covenant". So, just because the hebrew word 'brit' resembles the name of the Island of the English, the assumed etymology of the word is that these people are children of the Covenant, which is what the Hebrew "brit" means.
1. Just because one word in one language sounds like a word in another language, that DOES NOT mean that they share etymology [origin].
If that were the case, then our dogs are descended from fish, because the hebrew word for fish is dog. And all the women we English call "Ma" are then cows, because the Chinese word "ma" means cow.
This concept is used again to assert that "Saxon" comes from "Isaac's Sons", and that the Danes are Danites. The actual etymologies of Saxon and Danite are on the previous page, so we won't repeat them here. But further archeological proof against this line of thinking is that the Brits have been in England and Danes have been in Denmark since 3,000 BC, while the northern kingdom of Israel was not scattered until 721 BC [in BC, 3000 is before 721]. So those lands were long settled nearly 2300 years BEFORE Ephraim left Israel. And Ephraim was taken to Assyria in 721 BC, according to scripture. Archaeologists even assert that there have been people in these two places [Britain and Denmark] for 10,000 years. We know that not to be fully accurate, based on the biblical age of the earth, but, nonetheless, we know peoples have been there since WAY BEFORE Ephraim left The Land of Israel. The same is true of the Americas! Archaelogy establishes very ancient Indian settlements here, long before the Ephraimite diaspora.
There is a phenomenon of which the Ephraimite movement takes advantage. If one says something convincingly and often enough, it becomes "true" in some minds, eventually. But, most of the assertions that we have heard/read from the leaders of this movement are just that: vague assertions, with no actual proof whatever. It would be great if we could give a lesson on what "historicity" is, and on what the rules of scientific evidence are. Ephraimites ignore these. As believers in an Almighty G-d, who DESIGNED the earth, we cannot ignore or deny real scientific evidence.
There is a verse in one of the Timothy letters that states:
"Also, do NOT give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith"
We believe we need to heed these words in regard to Ephraimite "theology", which is really "genealogical questioning".
Genealogy in scripture was VERY, VERY important. In order to inherit land in Israel, one had to PROVE his genealogy. In order to be King in Israel, one had to prove his genealogy. Children were taught to memorize their genealogy ALL THE WAY BACK TO ADAM. Miriam and Yosef both related their genealogy to their children. Miriam told Luke her genealogy. Yehudah or Ya'akov likely told Matthew their genealogy, and hence the genealogy of Yeshua, so it is firmly established by multiple witnesses in two different sections of holy writ. We have multiple witnesses establishing the genealogy of our King Messiah, so that we are left with NO DOUBT as to the historicity of whether He has the right to the land or to the throne.
This is near impossible for ANYONE to do today, even Jews. So, when the next "Messiah" steps up, he will obviously MAKE UP his genealogy in order to appear to be the Messiah of Israel. He will likely be Jewish, but he will FABRICATE a family tree back to DAVID, the PROOF Israel needs in order to establish him as "king messiah". This anti-Messiah will be very persuasive.
It is VERY easy these days to get people to "trust", to "believe" that someone is genealogically qualified for a role. Muslims do it all the time, claiming direct descent from Muhammed in order to gain political power. They fabricate a lineage, say it often, and the next thing you know, you have a "king", or an Imam. Mormons have been doing this for years, writing it in a book that the native American indians are the Ephraimites. They fabricated a "hebrew" stone in New Mexico and have persuaded MILLIONS that Joseph Smith's story of "migration" and "genealogy" are true. Mormons were the first Ephraimites, and believe the SAME THING as the "Messianic Ephraimites" today, that Israel will surrender most of the land to them.
2. Say it often enough and pursuasively enough, and someone will eventually believe it. Write it in a book, and millions will believe it, without ever scientifically scrutinizing the claim.
Our current leader has managed to convince well over half the country that he is a "christian", and that he is an American. Anyone with any sense knows that neither of these things is true. But, he had Hawaii manufacture for him a birth certificate, putting it on paper, and he convincingly repeats himself, and now even some of the better minds in America think he is an American. Worse, many of them think he is a christian.
Let's NOT treat the scriptures with such haste and irresponsibility. Let's diligently look into the claims of ALL "prophets" and "teachers", just as the Bereans checked up on the words of Shaul. If Shaul deserved such scrutiny, so does every other teacher claiming Messiah, and claiming to teach any "new" truth.
Hosea's prophecies about Israel and Ephraim uniting have already been fulfilled.
Let that sink in.
2 Chronicles 30 tells us of the remainder of Ephraim being invited by Israel, through King Hezekiah, to come back to Jerusalem and celebrate Pesach. They did. This is in clear fulfillment of what Hosea, the prophet to the Ephraimites, declared would happen. This also fulfills Isaiah's prophecy in his chapter 11 about the enmity being removed between Ephraim and Judah.
Isaiah's other prophecies about Ephraim have also already been fulfilled. He prophesied shortly before the northern kingdom was conquered. Everything he said of Ephraim has already come to pass.
Jeremiah was a prophet who came to JUDAH, some 100 years AFTER Ephraim was destroyed and the remnant of Ephraim returned to Jerusalem at second Pesach. Jeremiah speaks to Israel. At the time, Only JUDAH was Israel! In chapter 3, he distinguishes between "Judah" the southern Israel and "Israel" the northern Israel, saying that they will "walk together" some day in the future [verse 18]. What day? Many "Ephraimites" claim that that day is now. However, the previous verse tells us when this happens:
Clearly, this has NOT happened yet. This is speaking of the time when Messiah, Yahweh, shall rule ON EARTH. And the prediction about Ephraim FOLLOWS this event.
Jeremiah also speaks of Ephraim in his 31st chapter in future tense.
This chapter speaks about Ephraim/Israel, and how Yah longs to bring her home to the land. But the phrase he uses repeatedly is "in days to come", and "in those days". This chapter has clearly begun to be fulfilled in Brit Chadasha days, as Shaul quotes the 30th thru 32nd verses several times in the book of Hebrews, telling us we are seeing the fulfillment unfold before us. BUT, be careful, because there is nothing in these verses that speak of "two houses". There is only ONE ISRAEL! The dividing of it is the result of SIN. In the eyes of G-d, there has always been only ONE HOUSE. The 30th verse 'seems' to separte the kingdom into two houses:
Analysis of the text shows us that this is only ONE house. If it were more than one house, there would be more than one covenant! But, more important than that, the 32nd verse makes it very plain that it is ONE HOUSE:
Notice that He addresses a SINGULAR "HOUSE", calling the WHOLE NATION "Israel". SURELY, Yahweh would not be excluding the House of Judah from the renewed covenant? After all, it was ONLY the House of Judah who was living in Israel at the time of Messiah Yeshua! The first recipients of this covenant were JEWS!
ONE HEART! SINGULAR! Check the grammar. "libam" in Hebrew means "their heart". It's ONLY ONE heart! In the Shema, we pray "al levaveycha", "upon your hearts"; here, we see that Israel and Judah are ONE HOUSE with ONE HEART],
"Ahm" is people, singular. If they were "two houses", there would have been the word "ahmim", PEOPLES.
IF the covenant had been made with two houses, Yah, who is very smart and very specific and meticulous, would have stated that He was making it with "Israel" AND "Judah". In this context, ISRAEL IS ONE HOUSE. And, according to the book of Hebrews, THIS is where we are in history.
Jeremiah goes on to finish his prophecy by referring to the farthest boundaries of ALL the land of singular Israel! This is clearly NOT a "two house" prophecy.
The important thing to remember is that this is an ongoing prophecy. It began being fulfilled 2000 years ago, and at that time, Israel consisted of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, and a tiny remnant of the other 12 tribes, who are now identified as JEWS. Because of this remnant, Jeremiah spoke to both the northern and southern kingdoms about the renewed covenant we all now enjoy. The rest of the Hebrews had been scattered. The majority of Ephraim had been LOST. The only ones who could PROVE their genealogy at this time were JEWS, or the Kingdom of Judah, represented by those three tribes, and a HANDFUL of Ephraimites [and other northern tribes]. And Yahweh refers to THEM as ONE ISRAEL, with ONE HEART, in the promise of the renewed covenant. The "goyim", the nations, are grafted into that covenant.
One of the root scriptures that Ephraimite/Two-housers use as foundational is Genesis 48:19, in which Ya'akov blesses Ephraim over the b'chor Menasheh, and states in the blessing: "his seed shall be a multitude of nations". The erroneous assertion is made that the word for 'nations' means 'gentiles'. The Hebrew word here is "goyim". The singular for goyim is goy. Goy means, "people", synonymous to the word "ahm". If "goy" meant "gentile", [gentile is an english word which means "people", but is often understood today as meaning "non-Jew"] in the context of modern understanding, then G-d would not call Israel a goy! But He does! To Avram He declares, "I will make you a "goy gadol". [Gen 12:2] "Avraham shall become a great and mighty "goy". [18:18] To Jacob, whom He renamed ISRAEL, He states, "for there [in Egypt] I will make of YOU a goy gadol" [great people]. [46:3]. There are many references in scripture that state "Goy Israel", the People of Israel. So, goy does NOT mean "gentile" in the way many today understand it: non-jew. It simply means "people".
Above is the verse in question, with the Hebrew on the top, and the Aramaic on the bottom. The last word in each is the word in question. The Hebrew is "hagoyim", 'the people'. The last word in the Aramaic text is "am'mayah", which means "peoples". This word is very close to the Hebrew "amim", coming from the same root, the synonym "ahm". The Hebrew "amim" is "people". About what SPECIFIC "people" would Ya'akov be speaking? The "hagoyim" means THE people. What people?
ISRAEL!!!
Look at the 16th verse: "Let them [Ephraim and Menasheh] grow into a multitude in the LAND."
Clearly, Ya'akov is not thinking of all the "gentiles" of the world, but of Ephraim filling up "Israel", being 'large' among THE People, Israel!
In the Genesis 48 blessing, Ya'akov/Yisrael declares "he will be a multitude of the people". Some translations read, "he will become the fulness of the nations". Two-housers assert that it reads, "he will be the fulness of the gentiles". The Hebrew reads, "yiyeh m'loh hagoyim". M'loh means "fulness"; it is a noun. But, it also means "handful", and can represent a "small" measure of fulness! To take from this singular verse and assert that all gentiles who believe in Yeshua are 'genetically' Ephraim is a stretch, especially considering Ephraim's history. He became the largest among the Israelite people! Among the twelve tribes, he became very large! "Full". That was fulfilled in the book of Joshua: Joshua was an Ephraimite, and he tells his tribe: "And Yehoshua spoke to the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and Menasheh, saying: "You ARE a great people." [ahm rav]. So, what the patriarch prophesied occurred! In the time of Joshua, they had become a great people. Moshe also prophesied about Ephraim and Menasheh, some 430 years after Ya'akov did. He states, "To his [Yosef's] firstborn ox is glory. His horns are the horns of a re'im. With them, he will gore peoples together throughout the ends of the land; these are the myriads of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Menasheh". [Deu 33:17]. This also was fulfilled in the book of Joshua: Ephraim and Menashe are seen taking more and more land in THE LAND. So, the prophecies about Ephriam and Menasheh are seen fulfilled in the book of Joshua.
The ONLY other prophet to deal directly with Ephraim is Ezekiel. Ezekiel's prophecy in chapter 37 CLEARLY happens AFTER the resurrection, and AFTER Messiah Yeshua is RULING ON EARTH ON HIS THRONE IN JERUSALEM. The "two trees" in this passage are NOT joined until AFTER the time appointed for man ENDS and the Messiah is HERE, BODILY, ruling the whole kingdom. He RAISES ISRAEL/EPHRAIM from the dead! BEFORE the two trees are joined. There was always a remnant in Israel! Yah made this CLEAR to the prophet Elijah, who was in the NORTHERN KINGDOM, in the time BEFORE the fall of Israel to Assyria. In His day, and in Elisha's days, Israel always had a remnant. THAT REMNANT will be resurrected. THAT is the "bones" about which Ezekiel prophesies. This CLEARLY has not happened. And, that resurrection is the WHOLE HOUSE of Israel - meaning Ephraim and Judah together. ONE HOUSE.
The notion of Ephraimites being able to prove genealogically who they are today is ludicrous. The arbitrary assertions they make fall apart under the weight of scrutiny. Their treatment of scripture is outside of context, and irresponsible. In the case of Battya Wooten [a former member of the Herbert W. Armstrong cult] and Monty Judah, the founders of "Messianic Ephraimites", the Hebrew interpretations of scriptures they give are simply ERRONEOUS, or deceptive.
Some of these "prophets" have made prophecies in the name of YAHWEH, and have LIED. Monty Judah is one we know for certain did this. We are commanded by Torah NOT TO LISTEN TO HIM. We are also aware of one of the others who has done similarly, but have not verified the claim, so we will not cite it here. But, we must be CAREFUL to whom we listen, and scrutinize their words, and their motives. What we have seen of even some of the "better" ones in this camp is that they are in it for money and fame. Selling books. Having conventions in which to raise money. They have, in our view, "Gone the way of Balaam". If the "truth" they preach is so precious and sacred, IT SHOULD NOT BE FOR SALE.
With careful study of the entire book of Ezekiel, one sees a very clear message: HE WAS WRITING/SPEAKING TO ONE ISRAEL. Today's nation of Israel is WORRIED about the Ephraimite movement, which has presented itself in the Knesset DEMANDING LAND. Israel has scarce enough land for its own who can PROVE their lineage. They do NOT need the worry of MORE unverified claims to their land, such as the "Palestinians" already trouble them with.
If the WORD ALONE does not tell us of an "Ephraimite phenomenon", and it clearly does not, then it does NOT exist. Ephraimite thinking REQUIRES outside proofs, which do not exist, so they manufacture them. The more one genuinely studies this, the more one sees, only by HIS WORD and the disciplines of learning, that it is not a valid claim. It is our deepest prayer that Bat-Tzion NEVER AGAIN suffer division over this doctrine, as we have in the past. It is also our prayer that our Body, Bat-Tzion, is responsible in STUDYING TORAH OURSELVES, and not filtering it through the eyes of "profits" with agendas that do not unify the Body. This doctrine has only served to divide, every time we've come in contact with it. That speaks volumes.
"Also, do NOT give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, RATHER than godly edifying which is in faith"