Who is Ephraim?
Copyright August 2008. All rights reserved.
However, anyone may legally copy any part of this and share it with others,
as long as no money or other form of financial exchange and/or barter is involved.
Eventually, when there are any proceeds, they'll go back to God through His people.
I'm looking for a good charitable organization for that.
Psalm 122:6;
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.
Brothers and sisters;
Time is short, so I'll get right to the point; a case of mistaken identity
is tragically causing Christians to repeatedly and horribly break many of God's
covenants. Mistakenly (for most Christians), we've broken God's covenants
with Abraham by dividing the Israelites and encouraging one tribe of Israelites
to oppress another. It's not a question of Jew vs. Arab, Edomite, Ammonite,
Philistine, and the like. It's not a matter of cousins feuding. It's right in the
same family: Jacob's descendents, the heirs of Abraham's covenant, include
Palestinians! They're Israelites along with the Jewish Israelis we already
recognize as being Israelites.
No one can rightly deny that the blood of Edomites, Philistines, and Arabs
is also present in the Palestinian gene pool. If this were the Palestinians' only
heritage the Bible would clearly say they have no rights to land in the West
Bank or elsewhere in Israel. It makes all the difference in the world that
they're also descended from Ephraim and Manasseh, the two tribes descended
from Joseph. All the Laws and prophecies say Christians are supposed to bless
Israel, not divide it! The hell we're bringing on our own country is driven by
our misperception it's God's will we one-sidedly support the modern-day state
of Israel only. God requires us to support all Israelites!
There's no point in referring to Old Testament proofs at this point;
Christians know Jesus freed us from the restrictions of Moses' Law. This is
the beauty of what God set up. The world hangs in the balance. No one but
Jesus can save us. With a single word, he can make millions change what
they're doing and save the world again! As soon as American Christians realize
God wants us to be even-handed in the Holy Land, we'll stop breaking the
covenant and be blessed once more. As long as we break it, disaster will befall
America. Now, people will know exactly why. The only person who can reach
Christians is Jesus, so he's stepped in to save the day. Thank you, Jesus.
Revelation 1:7
Look, he [Jesus] is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him [at the moment he shows us the way],
even those [descendents of the Jewish people] who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.
So shall it be! Amen."
Jewish Israelis will know Christians (and the USA) will no longer give
them one-sided support, and they'll know Jesus was responsible for it.
They'll see him at the same instant they read this and mourn. Christians
will realize they've been misled and mourn. Muslims will realize it was Jesus
who saved the day and they'll mourn, even though their lives are being saved.
All will realize their salvation comes from Jesus. As it is written;
Isaiah 45:23;
By myself I have sworn,
my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear."
Authority and healing must come straight from Jesus' lips. Jesus gave his
life for all mankind two thousand years ago, not just for the people then--
it's for us today, too. It's time we hear irrefutable testimony…
Revelation 1:5, John; …from Jesus Christ,
who is the faithful witness,
the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth."
John 4, verses 1-30, describes Jesus' encounter with a Samaritan woman
at a place known as "Jacob's well". Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a
drink of water. Here's what happened next…
John 4:9-13;
9 The Samaritan woman said to him,
"You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her,
"If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink,
you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
11 "Sir," the woman said,
"you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.
Where can you get this living water?
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us the well and drank from it himself,
as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
13 Jesus answered,
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst."
By referring to Jacob as the Samaritans’ "father", the woman announced
her Israelite heritage. No one but an Israelite is descended from Jacob,
and Jesus didn't correct her on that point. If, as some believe, Samaritans
are full-blooded Gentiles put there hundreds of years earlier by the Assyrians
after every last Israelite was exiled, then Jacob (or his heirs) could not have
given the well to the Samaritans. The Samaritans would have taken possession
of a deserted town and their "father" would have been the king of Assyria,
not Jacob. In verses 17-18 Jesus told the woman details about her past that
no one but God or a prophet He was speaking through could have known. Jesus
accepted the Samaritan woman's claim to Israelite heritage by first listening
to her testimony and then making no attempt to correct her. This is no
accident. God put that scripture in the Bible for a purpose. In this case the
purpose is so Jesus can save Jews, Palestinians, and the rest of the world
through the awesome healing power of God's word! This testimony has been
saved up for now, as it is written;
1 Timothy 2:5-6, Paul;
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men-
-the testimony given in its proper time."
Verses 9-13 are Jesus' testimony that Palestinians (Samaritans) are
Israelites, descendents of Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh. The name of
the town where the meeting at Jacob's well took place is "Sychar", which is
situated in the "mountains of Israel" between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.
The name "Armageddon" from Revelation 16:16 comes from the Hebrew "Har-
megiddo" or "Mount Megiddo", which is situated at the northern border of
Manasseh's hill country. The meeting at Jacob's well occurs in a location that
connects proof of the Samaritans' identity with crucially important elements
of prophecy. This plays a part in the prophetic downfall of false teachers who
promoted the heresy that Palestinians have no Biblical rights to their land and
in the process overturns much mainstream Christian eschatology. A detailed
explanation of how these Israelite tribes came to be known collectively as
"Samaritans" and later, "Palestinians", follows shortly. Before that, we need
Jesus to testify a second time. After the Samaritan woman told her friends
about Jesus, many of them accepted him as the Messiah…
John 4:39-42;
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him [Jesus]
because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did."
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.
41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman,
"We no longer believe just because of what you said;
now we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."
5 "Do not go among the Gentiles
or enter any town of the Samaritans.
6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel."
Jesus would have included Samaritans with the "Gentiles" if they weren't
Israelites. Since the Samaritans were accepting his gospel, they weren't
"lost" and there was no reason for the apostles to preach to them. Instead,
Jesus sent the apostles to the Israelite tribes who hadn't accepted him,
the tribes associated with Judah. Jesus was very clear about the Samaritans
being Israelites. An essential part of Jesus' mission was to establish proof of
their identity so that at the "End of the Age" salvation would come through
his gospel. Other examples of this theme are found in Luke 9, 10, and 17,
John 8. Let's take a look at Luke 9:52-56;
52 And he sent messengers on ahead,
who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him;
53 but the people there did not welcome him,
because he was heading for Jerusalem.
54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked,
"Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"
55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56 and they went to another village."
Samaritans opposed Jesus. That's not the case. They didn't reject Jesus--
they were disappointed he chose to go to Jerusalem instead of staying with them.
Jesus understood this, which is why he rebuked James and John, who wanted
to deal harshly with the Samaritans. Then, there's the parable of the "Good
Samaritan" in Luke 10. The first four verses indicate that Jesus is speaking
about salvation, after which in the following eight verses Jesus presents a
non-Jew Samaritan as being worthy of salvation. This lesson is meant to be
transferred to the descendants of the Samaritans, too…
Luke 10:26-37;
26 "What is written in the Law?" he [Jesus] replied. "How do you read it?"
27 He [a "teacher of the law" ] answered:
" `Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ;
and, `Love your neighbor as yourself.' "
28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29 But he ["teacher of the law" ] wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Luke 10:26-37, cont.;
30 In reply Jesus said:
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes,
beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
31
A priest happened to be going down the same
road,
and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,
passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was;
and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.
Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper.
`Look after him,' he said, `and when I return,
I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36 "Which of these three do you think
was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise [like a Samaritan!]."
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem,
Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.
12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice,
"Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."
And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back,
praising God in a loud voice.
16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
19 Then he said to him,
"Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
The Jews answered him [Jesus],
"Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"
Acts 8:25;
When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord,
Peter and John returned to Jerusalem,
preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages."
All this was put in the Bible purposely. Don't misunderstand this message--
Samaritans (and their Palestinian descendents) were imperfect people who
backslid and brought much of their present woes upon themselves. It's not my
place to judge, simply present the gospel and God's will written in the Bible.
Both Israelite factions broke the covenant binding them together. This ongoing
national sin of mutual contempt and in-fighting among family members led to
the destruction of both factions. After the Babylonian exile, it was Sanballat,
Ephraimite governor of Samaria, who tried to stop Nehemiah from rebuilding
Jerusalem's walls. A Samaritan is said to have suggested to a Roman emperor
to alter the dimensions of a rebuilt Temple, which led to the Jewish revolt in
72 A.D.--in which the Temple was destroyed. In 132 A.D., the Jewish tribes
again revolted against the Romans in the "Bar Kochba" rebellion. This was put
down in 135 A.D., after which the tribes associated with Judah were expelled
from both Galilee and Judea. The Samaritans never revolted. Consequently,
they weren't exiled. They remained in Samaria (later to become "Palestine")
as the "stump in the land" in the next prophecy…
Isaiah 6:13, God;
And though a tenth remains in the land [during the Babylonian captivity],
it will again be laid waste [by the Romans].
But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed [Ephraim—the Samaritans] will be the stump in the land."…
…where "stump" means the common people remaining after the lofty upper
branches, the ruling class, have been cut down. After the Romans drove out
the Jewish Israelites, their brothers, the Samaritans, moved in, along with
Edomites and later, Arabs. The early Samaritan Christians centuries later
were the Christians in the Holy Land the crusaders were supposedly coming
to save. Centuries later the land was called "Palestine" and the people first
known as Ephraimites, then Samaritans, now became known as "Palestinians".
Same people, name change only. The point is, Jesus clearly indicated who
and what Samaritans are. Why? Because God's promises, both in covenants
and prophecies, together with Jesus' testimony today, will heal and save
this sick world by divine grace and power. Before going further, let's take
a look at what God said regarding the Israelites;
Genesis 12:1-3;
1 The LORD had said to Abram,
"Leave your country, your people and your father's household
and go to the land I will show you.
2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
Every time a piece of U.S.-made military ordnance kills a Palestinian
Israelite on land granted him by God's covenants with Abraham, America
is cursed by God. Look around you, fellow Americans! Look what breaking
the Law does! Violence, unending violence, and the ruin of the nation!
Zechariah 2:8-9, the Lord Almighty;
8 "…for whoever touches you [Israelites] touches the apple of his eye--
9 I will surely raise my hand against them…
Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me."
This is one of the main reasons why we're suffering in this country today.
A historical explanation of how all this came to pass is on the following pages.
First, Christians need unmistakable proof the Father wants Palestinians saved
alongside Jewish Israelis. That's why Jesus stepped in to testify. Remember
as you read these prophecies, "Ephraim" means, "Palestinian".
Jeremiah 31:6, 9, God;
6 There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim,
'Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.' "
9 "…I will lead them beside streams of water
on a level path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel's father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son."
Hosea 11:8-12;
8 "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?…
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man--the Holy One among you.
I will not come in wrath."
Zechariah 10:7-8, God;
7 The Ephraimites will become like mighty men,
and their hearts will be glad as with wine.
Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.
8 I will signal for them and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous as before."
Certainly, God loves "Ephraim". His prophecies promising salvation must be
fulfilled. Is it wise for Christians to oppose His will? Salvation and peace come
only through God. Believers must hold firm to the Rock, to the Word, no matter
who tries to tear us away and destroy us. Trust God! Next, some history…
Jacob (a.k.a. "Israel") is father of the "Israelites". He had twelve sons;
six by Leah (his first wife), two by Rachel (his second wife), two by Bilhah
(Rachel's handmaiden) and two by Zilpah (Leah's handmaiden) (Genesis 35:22-26).
Each of his sons became head of a tribe of "Israelites". The sons of Leah,
Bilhah and Zilpah were jealous of their brother Joseph (Rachel's eldest son).
Following Judah's (Leah's fourth son) advice, rather than kill Joseph, they
sold him to a band of merchants (Genesis 37:12-28). Joseph was taken to Egypt,
where he married an Egyptian named Asenath (Genesis 41:45, 50). She bore him
two sons, "Manasseh" first, then "Ephraim".
Arabs are descended from Abraham and Hagar, who was Egyptian, also
(Genesis 16;1 & 15, 25:9-18). Because both Asenath and Hagar were Egyptian,
Joseph's descendents are the same genetic mix as Arabs. That's why
Joseph's Israelite descendents (Palestinians) are often mistaken for Arabs.
Jacob accepted Joseph's sons into his family (Genesis 48:5-20), but switched
their birth order, so Ephraim is regarded as the elder.
Ephraim and Manasseh were each given a separate inheritance in Canaan
(Deuteronomy 33:13-17, Joshua 14:1-5, 16:1-17:17, Ezekiel 48:5-6), making the
Israelites essentially thirteen tribes. Moses, God’s representative, authorized
Joshua to set tribal boundaries (Deuteronomy 31:7-13). Boundaries are one
form of "covenant" in the Bible. Joseph’s allotted portion ran from the
Jordan River west to the Mediterranean Sea and from the southern edge
of the Sea of Galilee to just north of Jerusalem (Joshua 16:1-9, 17:10-11).
Eventually, the Israelites united as a kingdom, "Israel", under King Saul,
who was followed by kings David and Solomon. After Solomon died, "Israel"
split into two kingdoms, "Judah" in the south and "Israel" in the north.
From this point on, the name "Israel" refers to the northern kingdom only,
an area half the size of Solomon's "Israel". "Judah" was comprised of the
tribes Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon. "Israel" (the northern kingdom) was
comprised of the tribes Ephraim and Manasseh (hereafter collectively called
"Ephraim"), Reuben, Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, and Gad.
Since all the prophets (other than Moses or the Psalmist) lived after the split,
whenever reference is made to "Israel" as either the region or its inhabitants, Ephraim must be included. However, sometimes other tribes aren't included as
"Israel". Examples of this are found in Isaiah and Jeremiah, where separate messages are directed to the "House of Israel" and "House of Judah".
In 722 B.C., the Assyrian (Iraqi) Empire conquered the northern kingdom
of Israel. After the conquest, the Assyrians named Ephraim and Manasseh's
lands, "Samaria". Most of the Ephraimite ruling class was exiled, but most
common people were not. This is a crucial distinction. Not understanding this
fact has led generations of American Christians to provide one-sided support
to the modern-day state of Israel. Christians are taught to support "Israel",
but to serve God properly they must support the Bible's "Israel", not the one
of theological "tradition". The following verse is oh, so sadly, true…
Hosea 4:6; my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge."
Let's allow God's word to continue illuminating a path of truth for us out
of our present distress. 2 Kings 17 apparently says every last Ephraimite
was exiled by the Assyrians, part of the basis for the misunderstanding.
2 Kings 17:5-6, 23-24;
5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land [Israel], marched against Samaria
and…6 …captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria…
23 So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria,
and they are still there.
24 The king of Assyria brought people
from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim
and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites.
They took over Samaria and lived in its towns."
2 Kings 17:5-6, 23 appears to say the entire Israelite populace was
removed. Taking these verses literally, every last Ephraimite was carried off
into exile, leaving not a single soul behind. This has virtually no historical
precedent for a country the size of Israel, especially when the conquerors
were limited to foot soldiers and cavalry. Also, absolute exile was not in the
conquerors' best interest. The usual practice was to destroy the ruling class,
priesthood, and military for control and to scare away potential adversaries,
yet leave the poor behind for slaves and profit. That's what we see in the
following example of Judah's exile by the Babylonians…
2 Kings 25:21, 11-12;
21 So Judah went into captivity, away from her land."
11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the [Babylonian] guard carried into exile
the people who remained in the city [Jerusalem], along with the rest of the populace
and those who had gone over to the king of Babylon.
12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land
to work the vineyards and fields."
While verse 11 says all Jews were exiled, verse 12 qualifies that, saying
the poorest people remained to work the fields. It's highly likely the methods
used by the Babylonians were also used by the Assyrians against Ephraim.
It's important to mention that the "royal house" of a nation may be referred
to as being the nation itself, in the same way royalty uses the term "We" to
mean the entire nation. Here's an example;
1 Chronicles 9:1;
All Israel was listed in the genealogies
recorded in the book of the kings of Israel…"
If you go to 1 Chronicles you will not find the name of every last Israelite,
only the leaders. Once we include usage of the royal "We" to the list of
possible interpretations, we also discover it makes the most sense based on
criteria of historical precedent, scripture, and logic. 2 Kings 17:24 specifically
states the Assyrians resettled outsiders in the "towns" of Israel/Samaria, not
in the countryside. This helps explain why the Assyrian king sent an Ephraimite
priest back to Samaria in the following passage…
2 Kings 17:27-28;
27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order:
"Have one of the [Ephraimite] priests you took captive from Samaria
go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires."
28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel…"
[Note: Bethel was a city within Samaria.]
2 Kings 17:25-26 (not shown here) says "lions" were killing the newcomers
because they weren't doing "what the god of that country requires". Yet, if no
Ephraimites were present in Samaria it's unlikely an Ephraimite priest would be
needed to solve the problem. More likely the king would have dispatched horsemen
and archers to kill the "lions". (Remember how Joseph's brothers showed Jacob
a bloodied robe and claimed Joseph was killed by a wild beast? (Genesis 37:33))
The Ephraimites remaining in Samaria mixed with foreigners the Assyrians
resettled from the "nations", as it is written…
Hosea 7:8, God;
"Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over."
The following passage takes place after the Babylonian exile, which was
long after the Assyrian Empire fell…
1 Chronicles 9:1-3;
1 All Israel was listed in the genealogies
recorded in the book of the kings of Israel…
2 Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns
were some Israelites… 3 …from Judah, from Benjamin,
and from Ephraim and Manasseh…"
If Ephraimites returned from Babylon some must have avoided the earlier
exile by the Assyrians, or else were descendents of those whom the Assyrians
returned. Furthermore, even after the Babylonians carried off the ruling class
of Judah, the Bible says Ephraimites were still in the land. This next passage
takes place while most of Judah was in Babylon…
2 Kings 25:25;
In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama,
who was of royal blood [Joseph], came with ten men and assassinated Gedaliah
and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah."
This is an example of what is stated as absolute in one place being clarified
elsewhere to mean something less extreme. Here it means the ruling class only
was taken away, while common people remained in the land. What was true for
Judah was also true for Ephraim. The "Holman Bible Atlas" (page 139) states,
credit for the capture of Samaria, the Bible implies that Shalmaneser was
primarily responsible for the final destruction of the Northern Kingdom Israel
(2 Kings 17:5). During Sargon’s early reign many Israelites were deported and
resettled in the upper Habor Valley (Gozan), near Nineveh at Halah, and as
far away as Media (2 Kgs 17:6; 1 Chr. 5:26). Sargon’s inscriptions mention
27,290 captives taken from Israel…Some Israelites fled southward, seeking
refuge in Jerusalem, but most had to suffer the indignity of Assyrian
occupation in the newly formed Assyrian province of Samaria."
The Assyrian Empire fell in 612 B.C., and in its place the Second Babylonian
Empire arose. In 586 B.C., the Babylonians defeated and exiled the populace
of Judah, the southern kingdom. Samaritans then violated the borders, occupying
vacant land belonging to Judah, breaking the Covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31-32).
However, as a consequence of Judah’s unfaithfulness (1 Chronicles 9:1-3), God
gave land rights as Israelites to the Samaritans who moved into the vacated
areas during the Babylonian captivity.
Ezekiel 47:21-23, God;
21 "You are to distribute this land among yourselves
according to the tribes of Israel.
22 You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves
and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children.
You are to consider them as native-born Israelites;
along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
23 In whatever tribe the alien settles,
there you are to give him his inheritance,”
declares the Sovereign Lord."
Ezekiel 47 has wonderful redemptive value for the people of the entire
Middle East. One of the covenants that appears to be so troublesome is
Genesis 15:18-21;
18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said,
"To your descendants I give this land,
from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates--
19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
Some people believe Genesis 15 gives Jewish Israelis rights to Jordan,
Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon as well as the Holy Land. No problem.
Just remember more than 30,000 Ephraimites were resettled in Iraq over two
thousand years ago and that Ezekiel 47 gives legal recognition of mixed-bloods
and outsiders as Israelites. When we do this, we see Genesis 15 represents
the situation on the ground today. People of mixed Arab and Israelite blood
inhabit all of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. By being taken
prisoner into exile and spreading their seed in this manner, the Israelites
"took possession" of all the lands eastward and northward to the Euphrates.
There's no need for one group of Israelites to be dispossessed by another
group of Israelites. By mixing, the sons of Ishmael and Isaac became one!
Next, let's look at further prophecies whose testimony indicate Palestinians
are descendents of Ephraim and Manasseh. Please make special note of the
lands the from which the refugees return. These precise descriptions found in
ancient prophecies of locations where Palestinian exiles live today are one way
God is proving He's here with us today and watching what we do.
Isaiah 11:10-13;
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples;
the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious."
Isaiah 11:10-13, cont.;
11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time
to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people
from Assyria [northern Iraq],
from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush [Sudan],
from Elam [Iran], from Babylonia [southern Iraq],
from Hamath [Syria]
and from the islands of the sea [expatriate Palestinians worldwide]."
the places Palestinians fled to after 1948, 1967, etc.]
Isaiah 11:10-13, cont.;
he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.
13 Ephraim's jealousy will vanish, and Judah's enemies will be cut off;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim."
Zechariah 10:6-10, God;
6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah [Israeli Jews]
and save the house of Joseph [Palestinians].
I will restore them because I have compassion on them.
They will be as though I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.
7 The Ephraimites [Palestinians] will become like mighty men,
and their hearts will be glad as with wine.
Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.
8 I will signal for them and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous as before."
What an awesome God, quick to save! Through His Word God promises
salvation for Palestinians and because of that, they will live and thrive!
Zechariah 10:6-10, God;
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me.
They and their children will survive, and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria [whose territory encompassed Iraq & Syria].
I will bring them to Gilead [Jordan's "East Bank"] and Lebanon,
and there will not be room enough for them."
Ephraim returns from "distant lands" and from the Muslim countries of
Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. Please note they're returning to Muslim Jordan, and
Muslim/Christian Lebanon. This isn't where European Jews would settle, but
Palestinians who'd received compensation for their land would happily settle in
Jordan and Lebanon. This is fully consistent with God's promise to Ephraim in
the prophecy above and the two following ones…
Jeremiah 31:8-9, God;
8 See, I will bring them from the land of the north
and gather them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor;
a great throng will return.
9 They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water
on a level path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son."
Hosea 11:8-12;
8 "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim?
My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man--the Holy One among you.
I will not come in wrath.
10 They will follow the LORD; he will roar like a lion.
When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria.
I will settle them in their homes,"
declares the LORD.
12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit…"
So, we find God promising salvation for Ephraim. Jesus even spoke a special
parable about the "Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:25-37). In verse 12 above and
elsewhere, scripture says Ephraim backslid and would pay the cost with exile.
However, it's clearly God's will Palestinians receive forgiveness and salvation
along with Israeli Jews. God decrees salvation for both Israelite tribes in His
prophecies. Remember when reading Jeremiah 31 (coming next) that after
Solomon's reign, Israel split into two kingdoms; "Israel" in the north (mainly
Ephraim and Manasseh) and "Judah" in the south, which included Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 31:31-34, God;
31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel [Ephraim] and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,"
declares the LORD.
33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,"
declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God, and they will be my people."
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother,
[or a Jew or a Muslim or a Christian] saying, `Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,"
declares the LORD.
"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
Here God speaks of further of His will regarding the Israelites…
Ezekiel 37:16-22, God;
16 "Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it,
'Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.'
Then take another stick of wood, and write on it,
'Ephraim's stick, belonging to Joseph
and all the house of Israel associated with him.'
17 Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand."
18 "When your countrymen ask you,
'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?'
19 say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
I am going to take the stick of Joseph--which is in Ephraim's hand--
and of the Israelite tribes associated with him,
and join it to Judah's stick, making them a single stick of wood,
and they will become one in my hand.'"
[God clearly intends the Palestinians and Israelis be united as one nation, not two.]
Ezekiel 37:16-22, God, cont.;
20 Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on 21 and say to them,
'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone.
I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.
22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.
There will be one king over all of them
and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms."
[Verse 22 is the key part of Covenant Law that George Bush's "Road Map" breaks.
The "Road Map" permanently separates the tribes and creates permanent enmity.]
There it is. The Bible confirms Palestinians are "Ephraim" and God promised
them deliverance. This is a central theme of Old Testament prophecy. As this
is the case, what are Christians doing? Do we serve God by giving one-sided
support to one Israelite tribe while encouraging both tribes to break God’s
covenant? According to the Bible, Christians' support of the modern-day state
of Israel’s settlement building policy in the West Bank defies God's Law.
Christians are helping one Israelite tribe break a sacred covenant by stealing
land allocated to another Israelite tribe. This is so important an issue that it
impacts our personal salvation, too. The following passages clarify that…
Matthew 5:17-19, Jesus;
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear,
not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen,
will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
Many Christians believe since Jesus freed us from the Law's restrictions,
there's no value for us in applying the Law in regard to Israelite boundaries
or anything else. Look at it this way; we've borrowed a neighbor's power
saw to do some work. Our neighbor asked us to agree to some precautions
when using his saw. Now, if our neighbor said, forget those restrictions,
would that make us refrain from using the saw? Of course not! Jesus never
said "Forget the Law." Anything but that. So, Christians are free to use the
Law when by doing so it brings peace through God's word. This approach
makes even more sense considering what King David said;
Psalm 19:9-11, David;
9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward."
Psalm after Psalm David spoke of his love for the redemptive qualities
of the Law. If people are freed from its restrictions, it doesn't mean they
shouldn't partake of its benefits. Especially when Jesus appears quite upset
with people who ignored God's will (not restriction) written in the Law;
Matthew 5:17-19, Jesus, cont.;
19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do the same
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,
but whoever practices and teaches these commands
will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus;
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
23 Then I will tell them plainly,
'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' "
God's children known as Christians, Jesus is talking to us! We're the only
ones on the planet who acknowledge him as "Lord". Here's what God thinks
about the value of His covenants, whether in the Old Testament or New;
Psalm 105:8-11; 8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the word he commanded…
9 the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11 "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit."
Ecclesiastes 3:14;
I know that everything God does will endure forever;
nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it."
Isaiah 59:21;
"As for me, this is my covenant with them…
"My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth
will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children,
or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,"
says the LORD."
Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33, Jesus;
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The HOLY BIBLE
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION
Copyright 1984 by International Bible Society
Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan
The World Publishing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
The New American Bible
[Catholic]
World Bible Publishers, Inc., Copyright 1987
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
and International Bible Students Association, Inc.
tanakh Translation
Jewish Publication Society, Oxford University Press
THE TORAH
THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Holman Bible Atlas
Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee
The NIV Study Bible - Basic Library ( On CD ROM )
by Zondervan Publishing House which contains the NIV NAVE’S TOPICAL BIBLE
One Last Thing
Matthew 10:8, Jesus;
…Freely you have received, freely give."
Revelation 21:6;
To him who is thirsty
I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life."
All glory goes to God!
Direct comments or questions to Robert Leon Mendelson