BASIC  TWO  HOUSE  TEACHING

By Rebbetzin Sherry A. Hord

                The following study identifies the Two Houses of Israel, the House of Israel, known as Ephraim, and the House of Judah, as they are found in the Scriptures.

                The study begins with their history, and ends with their fulfillment of the Avrahamic Covenant.  It reveals how the people of Israel have shaped the history of the world. 

                The Two House teaching is one of the most important studies that a believer should have after receiving salvation, and learning the fundamental doctrines of the faith.  Without proper understanding of the Two House theme of Yehowah's Word, the believer cannot properly align the First Covenant with the Renewed Covenant, and that is precisely why false teaching and religious doctrines have thrived in Christianity for centuries. This study begins with the ten instructions of Torah given to the Kings of Israel.  All sources for Scriptures are noted.

Torah Instructions for the Kings of Israel

                Dueteronomy 17:14-20 gives the ten instructions for the Kings of Israel to follow:

                1.  The King must be selected by Yehowah, not the people.

                2.  The King must be an Israelite.

                3.  He shall not acquire many horses.

                4.  He must not have many wives.

                5.  He must not acquire great wealth.

                6.  He must write a copy of Torah for Himself.

                7.  He must read Torah to learn to revere or fear Yehowah.

                8.  He must carefully follow Torah.

                9.  He must be humble.

              10.  He must not turn away/stray from Torah.

                It was paramount for the King to understand that if Yehowah's instructions  were followed, the presiding King of Israel would be greatly blessed, and his descendants would continue to reign over the Kingdom of Israel as a dynasty.

 Yehowah's Punishment for a King's Disobedience                   

                I Kings 9:1-9 Yehowah reminded Solomon to obey Torah.  If he did not,  the Kingdom of Israel would suffer consequences.  If Solomon or his sons turned away from Yehowah and did not follow Torah to serve other elohim/gods or to worship them, THE PEOPLE KNOWN AS ISRAEL WOULD SUFFER.  The following things would happen:

                1.  "....., then I will cut off Israel from the land,"  I Kings 9:7, NIV.   The Hebrew word for "cut off" is "karath" which means to be "destroyed,  consumed, cut down."  The basic understanding of the Hebrew here is that the people "Israel" would be left alone in the gentile/heathen world without Yehowah, separated from Him, and inevitably enter into a pact or covenant  with an enemy to eventually be destroyed or perish.

                2.  Solomon's Temple would be "cast out of Yehowah's sight."  The Hebrew  word for "cast out" is "shalach" meaning "send away from, forsake, leave, depart (to remove His presence, the Shekinah glory)." 

                3.  Israel as a nation of people would become a byword (a proverb,  an epigraph or something amusing from the past and given little thought to),  a thing of mockery, an object of ridicule, scorn, and taunt among all the people of the world.

                4.  Solomon's Temple would be scoffed at.

               5.  People of the world would instinctively know that the people called Israel stopped worshipping Yehowah, and embraced, worshipped, and served other elohim (gods), meaning to participate in pagan Gentile religions. 

A King's Disobedience Brings Division to the Nation of Israel

                I Kings 11:9-13 tells us that Solomon refused to obey Yehowah and follow His Torah.  So Yehowah warned Solomon that as a result of his disobedience Yehowah would tear the Kingdom of Israel in two (divide in two parts).  This would happen  during Solomon's son's reign, and his son would have only one tribe, Judah, to reign  over.  Yehowah would give the Tribe of Judah to Solomon's son for the sake of David. 

A Divided Kingdom - Two Houses - 931-586 B.C.E.

                I Kings 11:26-43 Yehowah sent His prophet Ahiyah to a young man named Yeroboam/Jeroboam.  The prophet tore his new cloak into twelve pieces to represent the twelve tribes of Israel.  To show Yeroboam what Yehowah intended to do to the nation of Israel, Ahiyah gave Yeroboam 10 pieces of the torn cloak to represent ten tribes of the nation of Israel.  Ahiyah then related that Solomon's son would have only one tribe given to him for the sake of David and the City of Yerusalem/Jerusalem. 

The one tribe given to Solomon's son would be the merger of the Tribe of Judah with the Tribe of Benyamin/Benjamin and the Levites.  Yeroboam would become King over the ten tribes in the north, and Rehoboam, Solomon's son would be King over the one tribe merger of the south.  The Kingdom of Israel would be two distinct Kingdoms.  The prophet Ahiyah admonished Yeroboam to follow Yehowah's instructions so that his Kingdom would be blessed and be a lasting dynasty to humble the Tribe of Judah for a period of time.

 Upper Division:  Northern Kingdom of Israel - House of Israel (10 Tribes)

                I Kings 12:25-33 during Yeroboam's reign over the ten tribes of the north, he became fearful that his people would continue to go down to the Southern Kingdom under his rival, King Rehoboam, to celebrate the Feast Days of Yehowah as they were  commanded to do so in  Exodus 23:14-17.  His fear may have been based on several things that most leaders would face.  The distance and effort to cross over borders might cause his people to want to live in the Southern Kingdom to be closer to the Temple in Yerusalem for the Feast Days.  If his people moved to the Southern Kingdom, he would suffer great financial and agricultural losses, and military strength in his Northern Kingdom.

 The Golden Calf Worship System of the House of Israel - Northern Kingdom 

                To keep his people at home and happy in the Northern Kingdom, Yeroboam developed the "Golden Calf Worship System."  He built two temples and strategically placed them in the Northern Kingdom.  One was in the City of Dan near the upper Northern border close to Mt. Hermon, and the other in the City of Bethel on the Southern border that divided the two Kingdoms.  The focus of worship in these temples was a "golden calf."  Yeroboam mixed Torah worship of Yehowah with the revived Egyptian  "golden calf" Sun-god religion that Israel's ancestors had learned  when they were in Egypt during their 430 years of slavery. Yeroboam's greatest sin was that he called his newly formed paganistic religion the true worship of Yehowah. 

                Exodus 32:1-6 relates how the people of Israel fell back into the "Golden Calf Worship" while Moshe/Moses was up on Mt. Sinai receiving Yehowah's Torah instructions for the people of Israel.  These verses give us a clue that the Israelites  had been involved in Egyptian Sun-god worship during their years of slavery. 

                According to Egyptian mythology, the Egyptians worshipped Amen-Ra/Amen-Rah/Rah as their high Sun-god, later called Osiris.  They believed that the gods could not be visibly seen, so they entered into the bodies of animals so that they could reveal themselves through the characteristics of the animal.  Amen-Rah/Osiris was believed tobe like a strong and virile bull, and lived in the body of a special breed of bulls, called Hap-bulls.  These Hap-bulls were kept in the City of Ptah where the Egyptians formed molten statues of the Hap-bulls to be used in the religious ceremonies of worship to Amen-Rah/Osiris.  Eventually the Hap-bull statues became fashioned to look like a half-man, half-bull creature called Apis, (Egyptian Mythology, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2001).   Yeroboam instituted his false worship of Yehowah approximately 930 years before Yahshua came to earth. 

Lower Division - Southern Kingdom (1 Tribe-Judah, Benyamin, Levites) - House of Judah

                I Kings 14:21-31 tells us that  Rehoboam, Solomon's son, ruled over Judah, the Southern Kingdom.  Scripture also tells us that the Southern Kingdom did evil in Yehowah's eyes.

                1.  The people of  Judah were worshipping the sexual, fertility gods and goddesses of Canaanite/Babylonian origin which dated back to Cush, Nimrod, and the "Queen of Heaven, " Nimrod's wife, Simmeranis also  known as "Ishtar, Eostre, Eos, Ostara, Astarte, and Eastre."  From the worship of this goddess, comes the pagan origin of today's Easter celebrations.  Jeremiah 7:18 tells us that even later in Judah's history, the people of Judah continued to worship this goddess by baking cakes as offerings to the Babylonian goddess "Ishtar," (The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop).

                2.  The people of Judah erected stone pillars and altars, and fertility poles called Asherah/Asherath poles on hills or high places.  These poles symbolized the "male genital organ."  The Asherah poles, the Egyptian obelisks, church towers and steeples, the Washington Monument are all related to the ancient poles and obelisks of Sun-god worship.  Male prostitution was also engaged in during Judah's worst sins against Yehowah.

                As a result of these sins, Rehoboam's reign suffered.  Solomon's valuable golden shields and articles were stolen from the Temple in Yerusalem, and continual warfare plagued Judah which probably drained the Kingdom's treasuries. 

The Nation's Punishment for Disobedience

                Dueteronomy. 28:64-68 expressly states that Yehowah's punishment for the nation's (twelve tribes) disobedience  would be the following:

                1.  The people would be scattered among all nations throughout the world.

                2.  They would worship and serve other gods.

                3.  They would have no repose (peace) nor resting place for their feet (be on the move; migrate).

                4.  They would have anxious minds (anxiety; fear; worry; wishful thinking),  eyes failing or weary with longing (to desire something unattainable; crave  for), and sorrow of being (to have self-pity).

                5.  They would be in constant fear, suspense, and dread.

                6.  They would have no assurance of their future (complete uncertainty).

                7.  They would go back to Egypt once again;  Egypt as an example of slavery,  hardship, and turmoil found in the world.

 Exile - Punishment Fulfilled

Northern Kingdom - House of Israel - 732-721 B.C.E.

                II Kings 17:1-40 due to their sins of idolatry and whoredom, the House of Israel, the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom were sent into exile as captives of the Assyrian Empire. The beginning of the exile of the numerously populated ten tribes of the North began in 745 B.C. E. when Yehowah raised up the Assyrians to invade the Northern Kingdom, the House of Israel.  Throughout the following years, Assyrians deported huge masses of Israelites into Assyrian held lands, transplanting them as laborers within the Assyrian Empire. Yehowah's punishment was fulfilled upon the House of Israel, the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel:

                1.  They would be rejected by Yehowah (Jeremiah 3:8, Hosea 9:17).

                2.  They would be invaded and taken captive by the brutal Assyrians (II Kings 17:23).

                3.  Their lands of the Northern Kingdom would be resettled by Assyrian captives taken from other lands (II Kings 17:24).

                4.  They would be scattered among the Gentile nations (Dueteronomy 4:27; Ezekiel 36:21).  The Israelites were scattered among Assyrian held lands.  After the Assyrian Empire declined, they began to migrate further away from  Assyrian lands. The largest portion of the Israelite refugees moved north  toward the European areas to eventually settle.  In the nations, they would  accept Gentile cultures and adopt heathen religions. The Israelites would intermingle and intermarry with Gentile people and have mixed offspring. They would so thoroughly assimilate that they would become like Gentiles, thus they became "invisible" in the world and were believed to be "lost." They continued to move from lands to lands to eventually migrate throughout all the world (Hosea 9:17).

                5.  They would lose their identity as Israelites, and their conscience would be seared (Hosea 7:8, 8:8).  (KJ reads the best on Hosea 8:8.

                6.  The Israelites would not return to their land in Israel as the House of Israel,  or the ten tribes, until their hearts returned to Yehowah (Dueteronomy 4:29- 31), and the prophecies of restoration would be fulfilled Ezekiel 37:21-22;  Hosea 2:22-23). At this point, I would admonish the reader to obtain a copy of The "Lost" Ten Tribes of Israel...Found!, by Steven M. Collins at www.nbizz.com/losttentribes. He has gathered research on the migrations of the ten tribes of the House of Israel and compiled the information into a marvelous book. 

Hosea's Life Becomes An Allegory for the House of Israel

                Hosea 1:2-10 states that Yehowah called the Prophet Hosea to live out an allegory regarding the destiny of the House of Israel, the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  The real life allegorical experience for Hosea was to show him how Yehowah looked upon the House of Israel and how He would mete out punishment for their sins.

                1.  Hosea represents Yehowah as Israel's husband.

                2.  Gomer represents the House of Israel as an adulterous, rebellious wife, a spiritual fornicator and idolator.

                3.  Their marriage represents an unholy union between Torah and pagan religion.

                4.  Jezreel is a Hebrew name that has a dual meaning:  In the negative, it means "to scatter;" in the positive, it means "to regather."

                5.  Lo-Ruhamah is a Hebrew word that means "no compassion."

                6.  Lo-Ammi is a Hebrew word that means "not my people;" term of rejection. The allegory depicts Yehowah's punishment for the House of Israel, the ten tribes.   Hosea and Gomer's marriage depicts how Yehowah sees the House of Israel that was once married to Yehowah, in union with Him, and how Israel as His wife broke the marriage vows.  He gave His Torah to Israel at Mt. Sinai as the "ketubah" or marriage contract which they agreed to abide in (Exodus 19:8).  

                The three children depict what would happen to the House of Israel:

                1. Yehowah would scatter ("Jezreel" in the negative meaning of the name) the  Israelites among the nations as punishment for their sins; exile them. 

                2.  He would have no compassion or mercy on them during their exile.

                3.  He would strip them of their Israelite identity by saying they are not His people thereby rejecting them.  However, Hosea 1:10 also reveals five positive things that would occur with  the House of Israel during their exile among the Gentile nations of the world.

                1.  The House of Israel, the ten tribes of Northern Israel would literally fulfill the Avrahamic Covenant.  The Israelites would become like the sand on the seashore, so many that they can not be measured or counted as stated in the  Avrahamic Covenant (Genesis 15:5).

                 NOTE:  At this point, one should realize that the population ratio between the House of  Israel and the House of Judah from ancient times to modern day has always been a reality that the "Jews" have been smaller in number than the Israelites.  The House of Judah can not possibly fulfill Gen.15:5 by itself. 

                2.  At a future time, Yehowah will no longer refer to the Israelites as "not my people."  They will be reinstated in Yehowah's good favor.

                3.  Yehowah will call the Israelites "sons of the living Elohim."  In Romans 9:24-27, Rav Shaul (Paul) refers to Hosea 1:10 in his statement to the Messianic congregation in Rome. He states that Yehowah is calling His people out from not only the Jews but also from among the Gentiles, and from both Houses a remnant will be saved.  The remnant is Redeemed Israel which  includes the saved from both Houses and non-descendants from the Gentile world.

                4.  The House of Israel will be reunited with the House of Judah under one leader, Yahshua HaMashiach (Jeremiah 3:18; Ezekiel 37:15-28;Hosea 1:11).

                5.  They will come up out of the land (earth) in the Day of Jezreel. This Promise refers to the positive side of the name "Jezreel" meaning "to regather."  This Promise also alludes to two deeper levels of spiritual understanding:

                           A..  The Israelites along with the Jews will be taken from the four corners  of the earth to be regathered in Eretz Israel in the near future  (Isaiah 11:12).

                           B.  The Israelite portion of the remnant along with the other saints will be   resurrected from the earth when Messiah comes in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

 Good News For the House of Israel

                Hebrews 8:8-12 The Messianic author of the Book of Hebrews understood very well the plight of the ten tribes, the House of Israel, and the House of Judah.  He was making note of all the many references in the Prophets concerning the Two Houses.  He made note that in the "last days" the tribes would recover their relationship with Yehowah.  In particular, he referenced that Yehowah will put Torah in the minds of the people of the House of Israel, and write Torah on their hearts.  He further said that Yehowah will be their Elohim (God), and they will be His people once more; He will forgive the people of their sins and remember their sins no more.

                Futhermore, Yehowah intends to rename the people of the House of Israel even while they still exist in exile:  Hosea 1:10b says, "In the place where it was said to them (House of Israel), 'You are not my people (rejection by Yehowah),' they will be called 'sons of the living Elohim (God)," NIV.

                Rabbi Shaul (Paul) told the congregation of Israelites meeting in Rome that those of the House of Israel that had returned to Yehowah, quoting from Hosea 1:10, he exhorted them that they were "the sons of the living Elohim (God);" they were to remain in a humble heart and not look down on the House of Judah because they had not yet returned (Romans 9, 10, 11).

                The Israelites will recover their relationship with Yehowah.  The following Scriptures all speak of their recovery:  Jeremiah 3:11-13, 31:18-20, 33:7-8, 14, 23-26, 50:4-6, 19- 20; Ezekiel 11:17, 36:24-31.   

Yahshua Came To Save the House of Israel  

Matthew 10:6 says, "Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel," NIV.    

Matthew 10:6 says, " But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of  Israel," KJV.  

Matthew 10:6 says, " But rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," The Scriptures.

                The NIV translation has left out the important word "house" in the above verse. The word "house" indicates that Yahshua gave His twelve talmidim (disciples) specific instructions to seek out the descendants of the House of Israel (ten tribes) to bring them the Good News.

  Matthew 15:24 states, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel," NIV.  

Matthew 15:24 states, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house  of Israel," KJV. 

  Matthew 15:24 states, " I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the  house of Israel," The Scriptures.

                Again the NIV translation leaves out the word "house" which clarifies that an important aspect of Yahshua's earthly ministry was to see that the ten tribes of Israel that were in exile beyond the borders of Eretz Israel were given the opportunity to hear the Good News.  Yahshua wanted them to know that their time of exile was over and that they could return to their Elohim (God).

                Matthew 18:11 further says, "For the Son of Adam (Messiah) has come to save what was lost," The Scriptures.  That which is "lost" refers to the ten tribes of Israel, and their descendants down through their generations.  The Great Commission is a seek, find, save, and restore mission (Matthew 28:18-20).  The key word in Matthew 28:19 is "nations" for that is where the tribes were to be found and are to be found even today.  "....To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:  Greetings," James 1:1, NIV.

The House of Israel, Ten Tribes of Northern Israel Are Known By Other Names

                The House of Israel is known by several other names in the Scriptures depending on how Yehowah speaks about them, or depicts them to the Prophet He speaks to.  We must learn to distinguish the following names that pertain to the House of Israel.  Scripture examples are given for each name.

                1.  House of Israel refers to the Northern Kingdom (I Kings 12:21; Jeremiah 31:31).

                2.  Samaria is a reference to their state of idolatry or being like the pagans that Assyria planted in the Northern Kingdom (Hosea 7:1, 8:5-6, 13:16).

                3.  House of Joseph because the two tribes resulting from Joseph's two sons,   Manasseh and Ephraim, literally filled the Northern Kingdom during its existence due to their numbers.  It is also a reference to their numerous  descendants that would continue to fill the nations during their exile (I Kings 11:28).

                4.  Ephraim as a picture of the House of Israel who would spiritually perish in  the Gentile nations where they were scattered because they had forsaken Torah; apart from Torah there is no spiritual knowledge.  It is an allegorical  picture of the House of Israel participating in pagan religions, believing that they have spiritual knowledge but in fact are destroying themselves spiritually (Hosea 4:17, 5:3, 7:1).

                5.  Manasseh as a picture of the House of Israel seen as two tribes, Manasseh  and Ephraim at odds with each other (sibling rivalry) but together carrying hatred toward the House of Judah (Isaiah 9:21). 

Exile - Punishment Fulfilled 

Southern Kingdom - House of Judah - 605-586 B.C.E.  

II Kings 24:8-17, II Kings 25; Jeremiah 52 tells us that Judah also suffered for their sins against Yehowah.  During the years of 605-586 B.C.E., the Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzer invaded the Southern Kingdom of Judah three times. 

The first invasion occurred in Yehoichin/Jehoichin's reign.  He was taken prisoner along with all the officers and fighting men, all the craftsmen and artisans, and taken into exile into Babylon.  In 597 B.C.E., the second invasion took place and more captives of the House of Judah were taken into Babylon.  Then in 586 B.C.E. the Babylonians destroyed Yerusalem, captured King Zedekiah, and executed officials.  Jewish rabbis, scribes and priests were among those taken captive by the Babylonians (God Intervenes in the Middle East, by Marion F. Kremers.  Yehowah's punishment came with the high price of exile into foreign lands under the heavy yoke of the Babylonians.

                Jeremiah 25:11, "This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations (Judah, Benyamin, Levites) will serve the King of Babylon seventy years." 

House of Judah Released From Babylonian Captivity - 536 B.C.E.

                The Book of Ezra tells us that after 70 years of captivity had passed, King Cyrus of Persia/Babylon announced to the survivors of the captivity that Yehowah had appointed him to rebuild the Temple in Yerusalem.  The exiles were allowed to return to Yerusalem to help build the Temple.  A remnant of Judah, Benyamin, and Levites returned to their homeland.  The remainder of the captives chose not to return.  Many remained in Babylon to eventually wander out into other lands.  In those lands, they would be "visible" as "Jews" because they retained Torah practice.  Whereas the House of Israel would remain invisible and thought to be "lost" because they adopted pagan religions and assimilated into Gentile cultures.

 Roman Invasion of Judea - 63 B.C.E. - 70 A.D.

                The rebuilt Southern Kingdom of Judah, then called Judea,  had been re-established for hundreds of years by the time of the Roman conquest.  The Roman armies invaded Judea in 63 B.C.E. They captured Yerusalem and the Temple and entered the kodesh place (Holy of Holies).  Judea was then subject to Rome. 

                At the time of Yahshua's life here on earth, Judea was still under the occupation of Rome. His talmidim thought that He had come to deliver them from Roman oppression as the long awaited and hoped for "Messiah of Israel."  "HaTikvah Yisrael," the Hope of Israel, looks to a time when the twelve tribes are restored under the Messiah and the Nation of Israel is healed and made whole again Acts 1:6 says, " So when they met together, they asked him, 'Master (Lord), are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?' " NIV.   Roman occupation of Judea lasted until 70 A.D.  From May to September of that year, there was a Jewish revolt.  Rome's punishment was horrible, 500 Jews were crucified daily outside of the City of Yerusalem.  On the 9th of Av, the Roman soldiers entered the "kodesh place," the Holy of Holies, to plunder its valuables, and the gold on the building.  They set the Temple on fire to be fully destroyed; it has not been rebuilt to this day (God Intervenes in the Middle East, Marion F. Kremers). The remaining Jews were dispersed beyond the Land of Israel not to return until 1948 A.D.  Daniel 9:26 states,".....The people of the ruler (Rome) who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary," NIV.

Modern Day Remnant of Judah Returns to Eretz Israel

                    This study would not be complete if we left out the creation of the modern State of Israel.  In 1880, the long held Jewish vision to return to the Land of Israel called "Zionism" came to a reality.   Out of Zionism, emerged the resurgence of the Hebrew language through the work of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda.  During the following years, masses of Russian and Eastern European Jews fleeing the "pograms"(massacres of Jews, especially throughout Russia), found their way to the homeland (God Intervenes in the Middle East, by Marion F. Kremers).  Upon arriving in Israel, they found the following to be true:

                "Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which Yehowah (the Lord) has afflicted it.  The whole land will be a  burning waste of salt and sulphur - nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it....," Duet 29:22-23a.  

                Out of the hot desert, and malaria-ridden swamplands, farmlands and small Jewish communities called "kibbutz" emerged.  Life was not easy, and Zionism was not welcomed by the nations of the world, especially the Arab nations.  During the late 1930's and early 1940's, Jews fleeing Hitler's regime of WWII also found their way to Israel.

                 On May 14, 1948, Israel declared itself to be an independent nation.  The next day, May 15, 1948, the armies of Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq attacked the new state.  January 7, 1949, saw Israel's War of Independence come to a halt with a cease-fire, and the City of Yerusalem divided between Israel and Jordan.  The Six-Day War broke out in 1967 when Jordan attacked Israel again.  The Jews regained control of the City of Yerusalem and the Temple Mount.  Intense Arab hatred of the Jews ensued.  On Yom Kippur, October 6, 1973, the Egyptians and Syrians once again attacked Israel.  On November 11, 1973, a cease-fire was signed. 

                Years later the Jordanian refugees that were left within Israel's borders from the war were refused to be taken back by the Jordanian State.  These Jordanian refugees were left by their countrymen to be at the mercy of the Jewish State.  Israel allowed them to remain within its borders, provided food and other amenities, hospitalization, and jobs. These Jordanian refugees adopted the name "Palestinians" from the Roman name "Palestine" given to the Land of Israel during Rome's occupation, and formed the Palestinian "intifada.".  With no where to go but to remain within Israel's borders, the Palestinian problem arose.

                Today, due to international decisions, the Temple Mount is back in the control of Moslems, Yehowah's cities are devastated by Palestinian uprisings, and the modern State of Israel hangs onto the partial recovery of Ertez Israel.  The House of Judah is only one step away from the time of the regathering of the twelve tribes of Israel, and full restoration to the Land promised to Avraham's descendants (Genesis 15:7, 17:8, 26:2, 28:13).

 The House of Judah's Future Revealed

                Hosea 1:7-11 allows us to understand that Yehowah does not leave the House of Judah out of the allegory given to Hosea.  At the time of Yehowah's revelation regarding the House of Israel's future, the House of Judah was momentarily safe from Yehowah's punishment for its sins.  During the years of 721 B.C.E. to 701 B.C.E., Judah was saved twice from Assyrian invasion.  However, Judah's punishment came in 586 B.C.E. when they were taken captive into Babylon.  The House of Judah's destiny for many following generations would be exile among the Gentile nations, the Holocaust of WW II, and Arab tensions over their present existence as the State of Israel.  Judah has suffered greatly for its sins, but their future will be equal to the House of Israel one day in the near future:

                1.  The House of Judah will reap salvation enmasse when the full number of the House of Israel who are among the Gentile Nations come into salvation; so all  Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26).

                2.  The House of Judah will be taken out from the four corners of the earth to be regathered to the House of Israel (Isaiah 11:2).

                3.  The House of Judah will be enjoined to the House of Israel under one ruler,  Yahshua HaMashiach in the Land of Israel (Jeremiah 3:18; Ezekiel 37:15-28; Hosea 1:11).

                4.  The Jewish portion of the saved remnant of Israel will be resurrected from out of the earth along with the other saints at the time of Messiah's Return  (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

 All Israel Shall Be Saved

                Romans 11: 25-27 states, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited:  Israel (House of Judah) has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles  (House of Israel, the ten tribes) has come in (to salvation).  And so all Israel  (the twelve tribes) will be saved, as it is written:

                'The deliverer (Yahshua HaMashiach) will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob (the twelve tribes).  And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins,' " NIV.   Romans 11:25b is better translated in the King James Bible which states, "that blindness in part is happened to Israel (House of Judah), until the fullness of the Gentiles (House of Israel among the Gentiles) be come in."  The "hardening or blindness in part" means that the House of Judah, Jewish Israel, in general will not be open to the Good News until all of the House of Israel, the Israelites, are spiritually returned from their exile through the salvation work of the Son of Yehowah, Yahshua HaMashiach, and then the house of Judah will acknowledge that He is Messiah.  Judah's "saved" numbers today are small in comparison to the "saved" Israelites due to the overwhelming numbers of descendants of the ten tribes fulfilling the Avrahamic Covenant, and the timing factor of Yehowah's salvation of enmasse for the House of Judah.                  

 Hostilities Between the Two Houses Will End

                Isaiah 11:13 states, "Ephraim's (House of Israel's) jealousy will vanish, and Judah's enemies will be cut off; Ephraim (House of Israel) will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim," NIV. 

The Two Houses Will Unite to Recover Eretz Israel

                Isaiah 11:10-16 speaks of the future time when the scattered people of both  Houses of Israel will return to the Land of Israel as a united army to recover the Land from their enemies.

                Obadiah 17-21 tells us that at a future time the House of Jacob, the twelve united tribes of Israel will destroy the descendants of Esau living on the Land.  The House of Joseph (comprised of Manasseh and Ephraim) will literally burn out (perhaps bomb) the House of Esau.  A great number of descendants of the House of Esau (Edomites) are presently occupying space within the borders of the State of Israel today.  They are the "Palestinians," the unwanted Jordanian refugees.  Their future looks very bleak according to Obadiah.

                Zechariah 9:13 states that at Messiah's Return Yehowah will "bend Judah as He bends a bow" and "He will fill it with Ehpraim."  This is a Hebrew idiom that means that the House of Judah will open up like a bow when its string is pulled back creating a larger space between the bow and string for the House of Israel to fill the space.  This literally means that with the House of Israel will join Judah in the Land, together they will have a military force that will surpass the greatest armies in history.  It also indicates that the House of Israel will join Judah already stationed in the Land.

                Zechariah 10:3-5 also indicates that the Israelites will join the House of Judah in the Land of Israel to become a strong military presence. 

Both Houses Will Take Back the Land of Israel

                Genesis 15:18-19 states, " ....To your descendants (Avraham's seed) I give this land, from the river of Egypt (Nile River) to the great river, the Euphrates - the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites," NIV.  The area of land allotted to the descendants of Avraham covers much more territory than is held onto by the House of Judah today.

                Isaiah 11:10-16 openly states that Yehowah will call both Houses of Israel  from the four corners of the earth, and together they will take back the Land of Israel from those that possess it now at this present time.  Both Houses of Israel will recover their land from the boundaries of the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River which in this present day are Iraq and Iran.

                Obadiah 17-21 further states that both Houses together will defeat the House  of Esau (Edom), the present day Palestinians/Jordanian refugees, and will once again possess the present day area of the Gaza Strip (vs. 18-19).  They will recover the land as far as Zarephath which is in today's Lebanon (vs. 20), and Sephardic Jews that were in exile in Sepharad or today's Spain will return to possess the Southern area of the Negev (vs. 20).  Mt.  Zion, which is presently located in the Palestinian held West Bank, will be taken back and used by Messiah and His officials as the official seat of renewed Israel's government (vs. 21).

                Zechariah 9:13 states that this will be done through the combined efforts of both Houses which will promote a military force even greater than the hero of Greek military history, Alexander the Great.

Both Houses Will Settle in Eretz Israel Once Again

                Genesis 28:13b-15 says, "....I will give you (Jacob) and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you (and your people) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.  All peoples of the earth will be blessed through you (Jacob) and your offspring.  I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.  I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you," NIV.

                There is so much expressed in the above Scriptures:

                1.  The Avrahamic Covenant which states the boundaries of Eretz Israel in Genesis 15:18-19 was passed onto Jacob who's name was changed to  "Israel" by Yehowah in Genesis 32:28.  Jacob's twelve sons and their descendants also inherit the Land.

                2.  Yehowah told Jacob that his descendants would be numerous, beyond man's  ability to count.  "To be as the dust of the earth" is a Hebrew idiom meaning that there will be so many that it will be beyond man's ability to count them, but not beyond Yehowah's ability to know how many.  No human man can have that many children in his life time so it must mean that generation after generation of descendants up to the present day are counted in that number. 

                3.  Jacob's descendants would spread out to the east, west, north and south.  This of course meant that they would fill the Land of Israel in all directions.  To understand a fuller implication here we must go to point four.

                4.  Jacob's descendants would bless all the peoples on the earth.  For this to be  fulfilled, they would have to move out of the Land of Israel and migrate to the  four corners of the earth to reach all the peoples of the earth to bless them.  The blessing to the world by Jacob's descendants would come as a result of the  provisions of the unconditional Avrahamic Covenant.  As Jacob's descendants  moved into Gentile lands thereby filling the earth over generation to generation, they carried the blessing of the Avrahamic Covenant with them.   Galatians 3:29 says, "If you belong to Messiah (Christ), then you are Avraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (Avrahamic Covenant)," NIV.

                The above Scripture takes into account that all those that are saved by faith become the offspring of Father Avraham and heirs of the Covenant.  If a believer was not a descendant of Israel before salvation then he became an "Israelite" upon adoption into the family of Avraham and made an equal heir upon salvation.  There is no separation or disparity in the family of Avraham between descendants and non-descendants.

 The Avrahamic Covenant - Genesis 17:6-14

                1.  "I will make you very fruitful,"  vs.6.   Avraham will have many descendants.

                2.  "I will make nations of you (come out of you)," vs.6.  Avraham's descendants will form nations (countries) (more than one).

                3.  "Kings will come from you," vs.6.   Avraham's descendants will be kings (leaders, presidents, have ruling  authority over nations).  NOTE:  There is no stipulation that this is just   during ancient Israel's time.

                4.  "I will establish my covenant between me (Yehowah) and you (Avraham) and  your descendants after you for the generations to come," vs.7. Avraham's descendants will have the same Covenant privileges with  them during their generations.  NOTE:  There is no stipulation of that  timing ending.

                5.  "I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant," vs.7. There will be no end or change to this unconditional Covenant, and Yehowah will be their Elohim.

                6.  "I will give possession of the land of Canaan to you (Avraham) and your descendants after you," vs. 8.  The deed to the Land of Israel (ancient Canaan) with its specified   boundaries was given to Avraham and his descendants as noted in the  in the Book of Genesis. 

                7.  "The possession of the land of Canaan is an everlasting possession," vs. 8  The Land of Canaan known as "Israel" belongs to all of Avraham's  descendants forever.

                8.  Male descendants in each generation and those males that join Avraham's  people are to be circumcised as a sign that they belong to the Avrahamic Covenant or are aligned with the people of the Covenant (vs. 9-16).  

                NOTE:  Galatians 3: 16-19 seems to stumble many believers.  But when it is taught properly one will see that the unconditional Avrahamic Covenant is separate from Torah which is conditional:

                "The promises (of the Avrahamic Covenant) were spoken to Avraham  and his seed.  The Scripture does not say "and to his seeds" (meaning all of his sons which would include Ishmael), meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Messiah (who was born of the Tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes originating from Jacob).  What I mean is this: The Torah (law), introduced 430 years later (after the Avrahamic Covenant was given),  does not set aside the covenant (Avrahamic) previously established by Elohim (God) and thus do away with the promise (Avrahamic Covenant).  For if the inheritance depends on Torah (the law), then it no longer depends on a promise; but Elohim (God) in his favor (grace) gave it to Avraham through a promise," NIV.

 Torah's Relationship to the Avrahamic Covenant

                It is important to understand the following about Torah:

                1.  Torah was given 430 years after the Avrahamic Covenant was established.

                2.  Torah was given as a "conditional" covenant between Yehowah and His people Israel.  Both parties agreed to its provisions.  An "unconditional" covenant takes only one party to agree to fulfill the provisions of the covenant.

                3.  Torah was given in addition to the Avrahamic Covenant for the purpose of  ruling over the Nation of Israel, and to reveal Yehowah's rule to the Gentile  nations.

                4.  Torah does not change the Avrahamic Covenant. 

                5.  Torah was conditional and thus could be ratified by Yahshua's Blood.

                6.  Disobedience to Torah does not disqualify one from inheriting the  Avrahamic Covenant.

                     NOTE:  The author does not condone disobedience to Torah in  any way or measure.  The intention is to point out the "unconditional" aspect of the Avrahamic Covenant.

                7.  Torah was given because of transgression.

                8.  Torah is not opposed to the Avrahamic Covenant.

                9.  Torah was given to lead the people to faith in Yehowah and to see their  physical need of salvation and deliverance through Yehowah's Messiah.

          10.  The physical Torah written on stone became a "living spiritual Torah" with Yahshua's fulfillment of the physical Torah.  Yahshua did not put an end to Torah but completed the physical aspect of Torah.  He did this by living out Torah completely as a member of  the Nation of Israel so that He could release the "living spiritual Torah" through His death.  His death changed Torah existence on earth from a physical manner of worship based on works which included Yehowah's "curses" or retributions for disobedience to His instructions, to a spiritual fulfillment based on faith.  Yahshua, who is Torah, came in the physical realm of man to abide for awhile in order to perfectly fulfill all "works" of the physical Torah that man was incapable of doing.  Yahshua's physical body dying on the cross is a picture of  "Yehowah's physical curses or retributions" of Torah dying or ending by way of the cross.  Yahshua's resurrection is a  picture of the "blessings" of Torah being separated from the "curses" of  Torah; the "blessings" of Torah being released from the physical Torah to be made anew in the "Spirit of Torah."  The "curses" of  Torah (law) were nailed to the cross so that we could be forgiven of our sins and not reap the "curses" of  Torah for our future sins.  Surely, we continue to sin but do not have to receive the retribution of those sins any longer. 

                Colossians 2:13b-15 states, "....He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations (curses), that stood against us (the curses were the only part of Torah against us); he took it away (curses), nailing it (curses) to the cross," NIV.

                Colossians 2:13b-15 states,"....having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances (curse) that was against us, contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross;" KJV.

                The Torah given to Moshe contained 613 instructions. The Ten Commandments or Decalogue were given first to be the foremost national and individual instructions.  The remaining 603 instructions were given in particular categories to govern the society.

In these 603 instructions, there were 248 positive "the Do's" instructions that brought blessings when followed, and the remainder were 365 negative "the Do Not Do's" that reaped only negative retribution or curses from Yehowah.  These 365 negative "Do Not Do" were the regulations that stood against us; they were the ordinances of Torah that were against us.

                Is Torah valid for today; must we keep Torah today?  Yes, as the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) instructs us we must obey His instructions which never deviate from Torah. Are all the teachings of Torah applicable to us today?  No, some have changed.  Today we do not have the official Levitical priesthood of ancient Israel.  But we have the spiritual continuation of the Levitical concept of being "a kingdom of priests and holy nation" (Exodus 19:5-6) and (I Peter 2:9).  We no longer have the sacrificial system to practice because Yahshua became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins

(Hebrews 10:12).  But we are to continue to remember His death as a memorial during the Passover observance (I Corinthians 11:26).  Are we to continue to keep Passover even though Yahshua fulfilled it?  Yes, because fulfill does not mean to end or do away with.  Rav Shaul (Paul) speaks very clearly to the believers in Corinth about keeping Passover, " Therefore let us keep the Festival....," I Corinthians 5:8, NIV.

 Scriptures Confirming the Return of the Twelve Tribes to Eretz Israel

                Isaiah 11:12, 27:12-13; Jeremiah 3:14-18, 16:14-15, 23:7-8, 31:1-10, 13-17, 27-28, 33:7-11, 14; Ezekiel 36:6-12, 28-38, 37:21-26, 47:13; Hosea 1:11, 2:22-23; Amos 9:14-15; Micah 7:8-20; Zechariah 8:1-13, 10:6-12.

 Restored Israel Will Bless the People of the World and Be a Nation of Priests 

A Nation to Bless the World

                Genesis 12:2-3 says, "I will make you (Avraham) into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name (Israel) great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you," NIV.

                During ancient Israel's day, the Kingdom of Israel was the most blessed nation upon the face of the earth.  The nation was widely acclaimed and highly honored for its wonderful state of existence.  This will  be true of the nation once again during the future Messianic Kingdom Age.  Yehowah will have the Restored Nation of Israel even more   honored, renowned and celebrated than that of the past.  It will be greater than any nation or empire that He has set-up through the Israelite migrations.  Israel will always be Yehowah's best here on earth.  No nation on earth will ever surpass it, not even the empires that have passed, and the ones which will pass in the future including the Western Democracies.

                Dueteronomy 26:19 states, "He has declared that he will set you (Israel) in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you (Israel) will be a people set-apart (holy) to Yehowah (the Lord) your Elohim (God), as he promised," NIV.       

                Today, Yehowah's Promise of the future restored Nation of Israel is within the hearts of  believers.  Luke 17:21b says, "....because the kingdom of Elohim (God)  is within you," NIV.  This will be until Yahshua HaMashiach returns to earth and then the world will see Yehowah's Reign on earth once again.

                Avraham's people are the most blessed individuals on earth.  They in return have blessed the world beyond measure. Everywhere the descendants of Avraham, Isaac, and Jacob have gone, they have contributed to humanity's best.  Through the Avrahamic Covenant, Yehowah mapped out the destiny of the world, and used His people to fulfill His Will for the earth. 

                The true destiny of the world is predicated by the Avrahamic Covenant.  The Avrahamic Covenant has placed Yehowah's people throughout the earth.  He has used them to build great nations throughout the centuries and extend ruling power over the world for the benefit of all people on earth.  This provision of the Covenant will continue  until Yahshua personally returns to set up His Messianic Kingdom at which time the whole world will then be under His authoritative rule.  In other words, Avraham's descendants are Yehowah's chosen settlers of the earth, and have become rulers over their established nations of the earth until Messiah returns.  At this point, we must understand that the "blessing" which has benefited all  the peoples of the earth comes by way of only Avraham's descendants.  This capacity for blessing comes through these descendants in many ways: 

                1.  Through ruling power or the establishment of well-organized governments that are concerned about their people's welfare. 

                2.  Through strong economies and banking systems.

                3.  Through vast global food production and trade.

                4.  Through large militaries and peacekeeping abilities. 

                5.  Through past seafaring explorations throughout the territories of the earth, and space exploration of modern times.

                6.  Through great advancements in technology, invention, industry, science and  medicine, and many other areas. 

                One can only envision the extent of the Avrahamic Covenant that has already been employed on the earth and delegated down through the centuries for the betterment  of humanity.  The great nations that resulted from the working out of the Avrahamic Covenant reaped great prosperity during their imperial heights.  In direct contrast, one can see the poor state of the nations on the earth that have traditionally refused to be blessed by the abilities of the Avrahamic Covenant and its proprietors.

 A Kingdom of Priests

                Yehowah's Plan has always been to have the people of Israel to be a kingdom of priests and a nation that is set-apart from the other nations of the world: 

                Exodus 19:5-6 says, "Although the whole earth is mine, you (Israel) will be for me a kingdom of priests and a set-apart (holy) nation," NIV.

                Leviticus 20:26 states, "You (Israel) are to be set-apart (holy) to me because I, Yehowah (the Lord), am set-apart (holy), and I have set you (Israel) apart from the nations to be my own," NIV.

                Dueteronomy 7:6 states, "For you (Israel) are a people set-apart (holy) to Yehowah (the Lord) your Elohim (God).  Yehowah (the Lord) your Elohim (God) has chosen you (Israel) out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession," NIV.

                Isaiah 27:6 further states, "In days to come Jacob (twelve tribes) will  take root (return to Eretz Israel to stay), Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit," NIV.

                To some extent fulfillment of the above verse has begun to take place.  A minority of the House of Judah has returned to the Eretz Israel to settle.  Agricultural exports from Israel are finding their way into the modern world.  But spiritually speaking, there is a deeper implication to this verse.  It is referring to the time of the Messianic Kingdom Age under Yahshua HaMashiach.  Under His care, Renewed Israel  will bud and blossom spiritually and fill all the earth with spiritual fruit, the Word of Yehowah and Way of Torah.

                Yehowah's ancient Israel once stood before all the earth to testify to His Name  and to His Word, Torah.  In the future, Yahshua will return to set-up Yehowah's Kingdom in perfection.  The time span between these two Kingdom times leaves the Kingdom of Yehowah virtually invisible because "the Kingdom of Yehowah is with us."  So, with the "light" or the spiritual knowledge of the Kingdom that is coming residing in us, we are therefore to "shine" that light and preach the gospel of the Kingdom to others:

                Matthew 24:14 says, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come," NIV.

                Matthew 24:14 says, "And this Good News of the reign shall be proclaimed  in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come," The Scriptures.

                Today, with the Kingdom within us, we are to manifest the light of the knowledge of the Kingdom Coming.  We are to be the living examples of Yehowah's Plan for His people, redeemed Israel, because we are, "....like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a set-apart (holy) priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Elohim (God) through Yahshua HaMashiach," I Peter 2:5, NIV.  We are not to fall into unbelief and disobey this message of Yehowah's Kingdom because we are destined to be a part of the Messianic Kingdom Age.

                I Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a set-apart (holy) nation, a people belonging to Elohim (God), that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness (the world including its religions) into his wonderful light (the light of Yehowah is Torah wisdom)," NIV.

                NOTE:  At this point, the author would like to confront you with a controversial question.  As a believer, what "gospel of the kingdom" message are you following?  There are two gospel messages in the world today, and two kingdom messages preached. Really, can that be true?  Oh, yes, definitely! 

                1.  The Gospel or Good News of Yahshua's HaMashiach's atonement for sin   accomplished through His death for the descendants of Avraham, Isaac, and  Jacob, the people of Israel, and all others that will believe on His Name; His burial and resurrection that set us free from the curses of Torah.  The purpose of the Gospel of the Kingdom is to go throughout all the nations of the world to look for the "lost sheep of the House of Israel" to tell them that their exile is over and they are forgiven by Yehowah, and can return to Him to be  "regathered" and "restored" as the Kingdom of Israel.  The first step of   "restoration" is to be restored to Yehowah's Torah, and strive to be among the  "saved remnant" which will be the Bride of Yahshua, wearing her "bleached  linen" garment of righteous acts stemming from a renewed faith in Yehowah (Revelation 19:8). 

                2.  Or the manmade religious gospel or lying news that comes from the Roman  Catholic Church that Jesus Christ (manmade name and religious icon) died on the cross for people's sins; if you ask him into your heart you will be saved; go to church because that is the kingdom of  God on earth; the "universal" or worldwide church is the Bride of "Jesus Christ," and you will go to heaven because that is where the church is going, regardless of its sins, because the  church is the Bride (theology that stems from the Roman Catholic "universal" Church and retained by Christianity).

                May the reader decide which gospel or Good News lines up with the true Word of Elohim (God). 

The Scepter Shall Return to Tribe of Judah

                Genesis 49:10 says, "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he (Shiloh) comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his," NIV.

                Psalm 2:6-9 also states that Yehowah will install His Son, Yahshua HaMashiach, as King over Israel, and He will reign from Mt. Zion; Torah will be proclaimed (and taught); Yahshua will inherit all the nations of the world to be their ruler, and He will rule with an "iron scepter." 

                This "scepter" or ruling power belongs to the Tribe of Judah. The power of the scepter is mandated on the wisdom and instruction of Torah.  The "teachers of Torah" were to come from the Tribe of Judah.  The Ten Commandments were given by Yehowah to be Israel's constitution, and the 603 remaining commandments were given to rule over various segments of the Israel's society, marriage, judicial, loans, etc.  The teachers of Torah were to teach Yehowah's instructions to the people, explain them to the people for whatever circumstance arose, thereby ruling over the people.

                Yahshua was born as a member of the Tribe of Judah which enables Him to take the "scepter," the ruling power, over the restored Kingdom of Israel.  This will be His Duty as the Messiah of Israel during His Messianic Kingdom Age.  However, Yahshua's ruling power will extend beyond Israel's borders to be over the entire world.

                Where has the "scepter" been since the Nation of Israel went into exile for its sins?  For a while the scepter left the Land of Israel with the Jews that went into exile in Babylon.  It then returned with them when the remnant returned from Babylon to rebuild Yerusalem.  Years later,  when Yahshua came to the House of Judah, He instructed  The Parable of the Tenets" to the "teachers of Torah," (Matthew 21:43).  He basically told the House of Judah that as "teachers of Torah" they had failed because they no longer had faith in Yehowah, so He would take the reign, ruling power, kingdom rule of Elohim (God) from them and give it to a people who would be fruitful in their responsibility of teaching Yehowah's commands because they would have faith.  The ruling power based on Torah wisdom would pass temporarily from Judah's hands to another as a result of unbelief.

                To whom would the "scepter" pass to?  The only possibility is to the House of Israel scattered among the nations.  Would Yehowah give the "scepter" to a Gentile people?  To find the answer, we must look at the Greek word "ethnos" used in Matthew 21:43.  The word "ethnos" is translated as "people, tribe or nation" but actually implies that the "ethnos" are Gentile, heathen, pagan people, tribe or nation.  So, would the "scepter" be given to a Gentile people? 

                Since Yahshua's death, the "scepter" of ruling power has been temporarily with the House of Israel scattered among the Gentile nations.  However, in the hands of the House of Israel, the power of the scepter seems to have been somewhat dimmed.  The House of Israel used the authority of the scepter to set-up nations or empires in the world and to rule over them, but they chose not to become "teachers of Torah" for their empires.  Instead, the House of Israel chose to follow the way of the "church," a mixture of Torah teachings thought to be over and done with and pagan Sun-god worship, thereby diluting the scepter's power.  The scepter's full ruling power and authority will return to the Tribe of Judah when Yahshua returns.  For further understanding and deeper insight on the scepter's whereabouts, go online to www.yourarmstoisrael.org and read The Mystery of the Hidden Scepter by Rabbi Moshe Yoseph Koniuchowsky.  

 The Throne of Yehowah Will Return to Restored Israel

                Jeremiah 3:17-18 tells us that in the day of the House of Israel and the House of Judah's re-uniting, Yerusalem will be called "The Throne of Yehowah (the Lord)."  All the nations of the world will go to Yerusalem to honor the Name of Yehowah, and they will no longer follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.  The nations will be under the Messiah's control.

                Isaiah 2:2-4 states that Torah will go out from Mt. Zion; the people will be taught from Torah so that they may be walk in His paths; righteous judgment based on Torah wisdom will settle disputes between the nations so that there will be no war.

                Ezekiel 37:26-28 further tells us that the twelve tribes of restored Israel will  have an everlasting covenant of peace with Yehowah (they will never be banished into exile again); they will increase in numbers again greatly; Yehowah will place His sanctuary in their midst and dwell with them as He once did in ancient Israel.

                Joel 3:16-17 says that Yehowah's voice will be heard from Mt. Zion where Yahshua will reign from, and His presence in Yerusalem will make the earth and sky tremble and shake. But He will be a refuge, a protective dwelling place for His people Israel, and foreigners, the heathen, will not set foot in the City of Yerusalem again.

                Zechariah 14:16-19 firmly states that the people of all the nations that attacked Yerusalem will be commanded to go annually to worship Yahshua HaMashiach, the King of Israel, and celebrate "sukkot," the Feast of Tabernacles. This will be a humbling experience for the Gentiles to live in a "sukkah" or makeshift structure/lean-to for 8 days in honor of ancient Israel's Torah commandments (Leviticus 23:33-36; Dueteronomy 16:13-17).

 Additional Information to Go With the Study of the Two Houses of Israel  

Joseph, Son of Jacob

                To complete this study on the Two Houses of Israel, we must take a deeper look into the Scriptures regarding Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel).  Before Jacob's death, he blessed his twelve sons and their descendants.  To Joseph he said the following blessing:  Genesis 49:22-26 states, "Joseph is a fruitful vine (or tree), a fruitful vine (or off-shoot of a tree) near a spring (or fountain) whose branches climb over a wall.  With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility.  But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father's Elohim (God), who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb.  Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of  the ancient mountains (ancestors), than the bounty of the age-old hills.  Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers (because he was separated from his brothers)," NIV.

                Breaking this down, we can see that Joseph is promised to have a several things:

                1.   His offspring or descendants will be great in numbers (fruitful vine or family tree); so many in fact, that they will spread out over their boundaries like a  vine sprawls out or how branches of trees spread out over walls.  This is a  prophecy of  how Joseph's descendants will fulfill the Avrahamic Covenant while they are scattered among the nations of the world.

                2.  The Gentile nations will be jealous and hostile toward the House of Joseph as they settle throughout the world and build empires and govern over nations through their leadership or "scepter" authority.

               3.  They will remain throughout their generations because Yehowah watches over  them as He fulfills the Avrahamic Covenant.

                4.  Joseph's descendants will receive greater success and material wealth than  anyone else. 

 The House of Joseph - Manasseh and Ephraim

                The people that come from Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, will literally fulfill the Avrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:2-3, 17:5-8).  The Tribe of Manasseh was the largest populated tribe in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  When scattered among the Gentile nations along with the other tribes of the House of Israel,  the two tribal brothers, Manasseh and Joseph, would align closely to one another throughout their exile.  Their migrations as a large mass of people, would move them toward the North and Northwest to eventually settle throughout the European areas of the world.  Later, smaller numbers would migrate even further West to settle in North America.  

The House of Israel Becomes Known as Ephraim

                In the Scriptures, Yehowah refers to all of the House of Israel as "Ephraim," alluding to their similar sins of idolatry.  We can see idolatrous  "Ephraim" by light  of the Scriptures:

                1.  Yehowah loves Ephraim but not their sins (Hosea 11:7-9).

                2.  Yehowah refers to the two tribal brothers, Manasseh and Ephraim, by the same name of Ephraim because both are in the same idolatry.

                3.  Ephraim is located in the West (direction of their migration and Western Democracies; both Ephraim and Manasseh are to the West because they are mixed together to a large degree) (Hosea 11:10).

                4.  Ephraim lies to Yehowah and to the House of Israel (Hosea 11:12). 

                5.  Ephraim feeds on the wind (air, breath, anger, exchange violent words)  (Hosea 12:1).

                6.  Ephraim pursues foreign policies and trade with enemies (Hosea 12:1).

                7.  Ephraimites are great merchants but use lies, dishonesty, and fraud in their business dealings (Hosea 12:7).

                8.  Ephraimites are very wealthy and take pride in their wealth.  They believe their wealth hides their sins (Hosea 12:8).  However, Yehowah can see through Ephraim's pride, and He can see their "hidden" sins.  The congregation  of Laodicea is a picture of Ephraim throughout the generations and can be applied to the "Laodicean Church" today.

                     Revelation 3:17-18 states, "You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth  and do not need a thing.'  But you do not realize that you are wretched,  pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined  in fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can  cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see, " NIV.

                9.  Ephraim provokes Yehowah to bitter anger for their sins (Hosea 12:14).  Ephraim is found in "church" religions until their hearts are "revived" and they are returned to the "living spiritual Torah" which isYahshua HaMashiach.

 The Two Types of Believers in Ephraim

                Within Ephraim there are two types of believers.  The meaning of the names of Manasseh and Ephraim give us a clue to the characteristics of the two types of believers. 

                1.  The Hebrew name "Manasseh" means "to forget/forgetfulness."  Thereby,  the name "Manasseh" becomes a view of the children of the House of Israel  who "forget" their Elohim and His Torah.  In their exile, they moved out among the Gentiles and adopted pagan ways and religions to their liking.  A characteristic of "Manasseh" type believers are those Israelites that even after hearing the Good News that their sins are forgiven through Yahshua's death,  and they can return to Yehowah, they do not want to totally let go of the "pleasures" found in the Gentile cultures and religions.  They are only willing  to accept Torah as a history book, and continue to worship their Gentile church "gods."

                              Today, the majority of the House of Israel, the "Manasseh" type  believers, are primarily found in the Christian Church, and its offshoot  religions.  Christianity is a "Manasseh" type religion that extends from the   Roman Catholic Church.  It is a "Manasseh" religion that continues to mix  Yehowah's Torah, as a history book, with pagan worship that is centered  around the same manmade religious "icon" as the Roman Catholic Church,  Jesus Christ.  Christianity and Roman Catholic theology both replace  Yehowah's Israel with the "universal church."  Christianity has flourished especially within the Western nations because the "Manasseh" type  believers have "forgotten" their Hebrew roots.

                2.  The Hebrew name "Ephraim" means "double blessing or double fruit."  Thereby, the name is characteristic of those Ephraimites that spiritually rise above the "Manasseh" type believers and come out of "Manasseh" type  religions.  These saved Ephraimites reveal the double nature of the Ephraim  name:  great material wealth that Manasseh and Ephraim have both enjoyed as a result of their father, Joseph's blessing, and added to that they receive greater spiritual wealth than Manasseh type believers.  From these highly  spiritual "Ephraimite" type believers will come the "remnant" believers who  will form the "Bride of Yahshua HaMashiach."  They will be the "Bride" because they reject the "Manasseh" religions, and return to Yehowah, His  Torah, and walk in their Hebrew roots. 

A Torah Remnant Appears in Ephraim

                Found among the Manasseh church "forgetfuls," are Ephraimites that have a uniqueness in their hearts that enables them to reach a point in their lives when they realize that their personal wealth and Gentile way of life no longer satisfies their hearts.  They are a picture of Yehowah's remnant people who have settled among the Gentile nations, who have assimilated into Gentile society but yet struggle deeply with Gentile religion.  At some point in time, their hearts begin to yearn to return to their Elohim but they can not find Him in the Gentile world and religions.  When they hear the Good News of the Kingdom that is being revived today, they welcome the salvation message and desire to be restored to their Elohim and His Spirit of Truth.  They desire

to learn His Torah, and truly look for Messiah's Return as they diligently work for the restoration of the Messianic Kingdom Age.  These are the "sons of the living Elohim," that are "doubly blessed" and show forth "double spiritual fruit," the "Spirit of Truth" and the "living Torah," Yahshua HaMashiach.

Judah Keeps the Torah In Their Midst

                Unlike the House of Israel, the House of Judah has retained Torah in its midst. But their religion today is more devoted to rabbinical traditions than to Yehowah's Torah.  They, too, have spiritually "forgotten" Yehowah and have replaced the "Spirit of Torah" with planting "good" works among the nations as their way of salvation.  But because Judah has retained Torah in its midst, and when the Good News of Yahshua HaMashiach's atonement for sin is preached to Judah, and they believe, the "Spirit of Torah" returns to Judah.  Also upon salvation, the ruling authority of the "scepter" returns to Judah giving Judah the responsibility to teach Torah to the redeemed Israelites.  Saved  Judah is included in the remnant or Bride of Mashiach.  Thereby, The House of Israel and the House of Judah, all "Israel," shall be saved. 

Acknowledgments

                The author would like to thank Rabbi Moshe Yoseph Koniuchowsky of Your Arms To Israel ministry in Miami, FL, for the wonderful Sacred Name, Two House teachings that he has put forth to the Body of Moshiach under the guidance of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).  Without his teaching and shepherding through the Word of Yehowah, this study would not have been accomplished to the extent that it is done.

                Throughout the study, credit to other authors was given particularly for historical reference.  Credit is also due to researcher and author, John Hulley for his booklet Ephraim WHO??, A Step by Step Bible Study on the Lost Tribes of Israel In the Old and New Testaments, published by his wife Jill Hulley.