FEEDBACK about the ARTICLE on TWO HOUSE ISRAEL
________________________________________________
I don't understand why the writer of the "Two House Israel?" article says that
Ephraim doesn't exist and isn't a tribe. Or at least that is what I think the
writer is saying, and therefore the writer feels that Two House teaching is
false.
Hi,
Glad to hear from you,
We will jump right into the reply:
one has to understand the context of the article. People sometimes advocate
views without understanding the background or the hidden agenda of
some of the LEADERS who promote those
views.
Some of the people who advocate the Two-house theory are NOT friends of Israel
or friends of Jews.
Often the idea of the two house theory is intended as a bridge to
something called Replacement Theology. There are many replacement
theologians and Kingdom theologians [so-called] who are "in favor of Israel"
because they are not referring to actual Jews but rather
to themselves. When they are talking
about Israel, people can think that they are referring to the Jews in Israel
today. Much of the time, they are speaking about THEMSELVES.
They think that THEY are the Jews. They believe it is Christians who will take
over and dominate Israel and Jerusalem BEFORE the return of Jesus Christ, and
from Jerusalem, THEY are the ones who will usher in – through their own efforts
– the Kingdom of God on Earth.
They do NOT believe that Christ will come back and re-order the world after the actual affirmation and obvious proof that He is the Son of God. THAT is what most Christians believe: Christ comes back at his Second Coming [which occurs AFTER the Rapture has taken place] and HE (Jesus Christ - in the Flesh - will direct the events in the world from HIS throne in Jerusalem).
Now that might seem a far reach to people who know little about Christianity. But they should be comforted by this perspective, because it contains BUILT IN safety margins for everyone.
Safety factor # 1: In traditional historic (Reformation) Theology, it is CHRIST who comes back to Earth and takes control of the planet and of Christians. In other words, it is NOT the Christians acting on their own, or on their own initiative that believe that they have the responsibility for the ordering of Jerusalem or the World.
In traditional Christian theology, the Christians perspective on their control of Jerusalem remains THEORETICAL only.
This control occurs ONLY 1) upon the Initiation of the Millennium (the 1000 year Reign of Jesus Christ), and is ushered and directed by Jesus Christ.
We want to be sure and clarify this point: It is Jesus Christ acting as GOD, who would control the planet.
It would have to be Jesus Christ with those kinds of powers, that would be demonstrated and recognized BEFORE Christians follow His commands.
(actually that point is irrelevant, since true Christians would INTERNALLY recognize Him already. But those watching Christianity from the outside, should be sure to note the MANY limitations on the Traditional and historic Christian Doctrine both a) about Jerusalem and b) about the Reign of Christ:)
Safety factor # 2: The Identity of the RIGHT Jesus Christ: -
Who is the "RIght" [correct/accurate] Christ ?
The Christ "OF GOD"
1. It is Jesus Christ who actually has returned to Earth.
2. It is Jesus Christ is the SAME Jesus Christ that was crucified and risen 2000 years ago.
3. It is actually Jesus Christ who is bodily actually physically himself.
4. It is NOT any "Christ Consciousness".
5. It is NOT someone ELSE who has the title of "Christ" or Messiah.
6. It is NOT someone ELSE who is NOT Jewish.
7. It is NOT someone ELSE who is NOT of the ROYAL line of the Kings of Israel.
So here we have a contrast between traditional (Protestant Theology) that affirms that Jesus Christ comes bodily back to Earth. HE directs activities from Jerusalem and his identity and role are obvious and beyond question, and "on a GOD scale", meaning activities that obviously ONLY a God could do.
However, with SOME of the Kingdom Theologians (who have coincidentally made alliances with the Vatican), what those Kingdom Theologians are proclaiming is a REVISED and CHANGED version of theology, that affirms that it is THEY who must take control of the Earth, including Jerusalem, in order to USHER in and Initiate the Return of Christ.
Traditional Christianity then has 1. Christ coming first and 2. The Followers of Christ...ACTING AS FOLLOWERS.
KINGDOM THEOLOGY reverse this. Kingdom theology affirms that it is
1. The Kingdom Christians who take over Jerusalem and
2. THEN and ONLY THEN can CHRIST come back.
They cannot both be correct. The Theological perspective of historic Christianity is diametrically opposed to the Kingdom Now / Kingdom Theologians.
They BOTH claim to be Christian theologies. Only the Kingdom theologians have taken much of the TRAPPINGS of historic Christianity and changed the meanings of words, of doctrines, and the mission.
The Traditional Mission of Christianity is to SAVE souls, and it is up to EACH INDIVIDUAL - without coercion - to make up his or her mind, and to accept or reject what is being offered.
But some Kingdom theologians perceive themselves in control of vast legions of people who would be at their disposal.
That they affirm this is not disturbing, as long as they are the only ones who believe this. But when they begin to have the
funds and the machinery to accomplish their ends, and make alliances with greater forces, Those alliances raise questions.
Most Christians reject those Kingdom Now doctrines. But many have started to embrace them.
The concept that Christians displace Jews PRIOR
to the coming of CHRIST is a False Doctrine. Christians would not displace Jews
in any case when the one and only Jesus Christ comes back. Jesus
was Jewish and it is Christians who are themselves grafted into the JEWISH tree
of Salvation. The Millennium [Millennial Reign of Christ] does not deny this. It
rather AFFIRMS it.
Christians will inhabit the New Jerusalem in the
Millennium, but for the moment, it is the historical Ethnic Jews that DO
presently inhabit that land and who SHOULD inhabit that land. The land of
Israel is NOT intended as a place for Gentiles to "take over".
These Kingdom Theologians (Read the book:
Vengeance is Mine by Al Dager) use the concept of the Two
House theory to transition people
into thinking that they have become "jews"
in the eyes of God.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile in the context of the CHURCH, but that is
not true concerning the Jews in the End Times, OR the return of the Jews to
Israel.
The point is that it is the Ethnic Historic Jews who are returning (and have
returned) to Israel, NOT Christians who are gentiles who are simply going to
call themselves Jews.
The Two- House theory begins with the concept that the Ethnic Historic Jews are
also the Actual Jews.
But after an innocuous beginning, a change takes place as this errant doctrine
is taught by Kingdom Theologians. Then SOME of those Jews could be in other
lands and nations today, and then that point of view moves to imply that
after all, we Christians are the "real" Jews.
That is simply not accurate. The method used to interpret the Bible Verses in
that manner is errant. Those who are in the Land of Israel are
actual Jews, descended from Jews. By the
way, there is much more to this picture.
This is another contrast between those who take the Bible literally and those who do not. Jews have historically been afraid of the wrong people. The fear of secular jews was about Christians who believed the Bible literally. What many of the Jews seem not to have noticed is that is the TAKING of the New Testament LITERALLY that preserves the Identity of the Jewish people as separate.
Yes, Jews are eligible to become Christians if they want, just as much as anyone else can ALSO become a Christian. But
Jews are treated as a literal actual distinct people-group by those who believe in the Bible LITERALLY.
However, for those who take the Bible FIGURATIVELY, or METAPHORICALLY, or as an ALLEGORY, the Jews are not
a group to be taken LITERALLY but rather SYMBOLLICALLY. The Result is that this perspective on HOW to interpret the question of WHO the Jews are in the EYES of God, has the effect of displacing Litteral Physical Jews, with Symbolic ones who would be Christianized. Those who have believed this in the past are first Vaticanized Roman Catholics, and second
those who are Eastern Orthodox. Many of the Patriarchs of the Eastern Orthodox Churches have treated the Jews as though THEY are the ones who are on the land of others, because from the Eastern Orthodox Theology, it is THEY who are the ones who HAVE replaced the Jews.
The Eastern Orthodox Patriarchates have the title to the deeds of much of the land now in strategic places in Jerusalem and Israel. But they lack ONE MAJOR component: the international status as sovereign nation-state. Because of this, the Patriarchates are forced into a Natural Alliance with the Roman Catholic Church of the West, which is the Vatican. And therefore the Eastern Orthodox count on their alliances with the Vatican to uphold their THEOLOGICAL claims to ALSO be
among those who have the RIGHT to be in the land of Jerusalem, instead of those who would be Modern False Claimants,
those who claim to be Jews in Israel today. That perspective, places the Jews and their government in a position of being considered Internationally illegitimate, in their own historic lands.
There are 3 groups that will deny these things:
1. The Vatican,
2. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Most of its Patriarchates, and
3. The Government of Israel (especially when connected with Shimon Peres or Olmert)
But if we examine the worldview, and the Historic theologies of the Vatican and of the Patriarchates after 1054/56, those theologies reconcile to what has been described above.
For this reason, the Jews are actually much MORE vulnerable than most of them have any understanding of. And while some of the richer ones have spent their time undermining Christian values throughout the world [think ACLU etc], they will find that their strategy should have been the opposite.
The Vatican teaches and believes that THEY are the ones who are supposed to be
in charge of Jerusalem in the End Times.
http://www.exorthodoxforchrist.com/pope_power_grab.htm
http://www.exorthodoxforchrist.com/vatican_plans_for_jerusalem.htm
The Vatican believes that the church (by which they mostly mean the Roman
Catholic Church) HAS replaced the Jews in the eyes of God. Notice now the
conclusion about how this point of view merges with the point of view of KINGDOM
NOW theologians:
By virtue of its global power and influence, the Vatican is the Main advocate of
Replacement Theology, because it sees the millions of Roman Catholics as the
legitimized supplanters of Jews.
That has been the standard Roman Catholic doctrine for
hundreds and hundreds of years.
This does not mean that Roman Catholics all believe this. Many do
not even know this is a Vatican doctrine.
But if a Messiah returns to EARTH to usher in his kingdom and also sign a Peace Treaty with Israel, THEN THAT is the moment when Roman Catholics will very much care not only who is occupying Israel, but who has the RIGHT to occupy Israel.
And on that day, God help those who are still in Israel
who are Jews.
What then is the position of the [False] Evangelical Kingdom Theologians ?
In the eyes of God, many of them have already demonstrated that they advocate False Doctrines and doctrines that are historically contrary to Actual Christianity (the Christianity found in the New Testament).
When you change and alter the meanings of words and doctrines so that they come to mean the opposite of what they have historically meant to the Christian church, that NEW theology can no longer be truly called Christian.
The Old Testament has one designation for this new GOD, who is worshipped by those who fell away from the accurate doctrines of Christianity. According to the book of Daniel, those Apostate Christians will worship the "GOD of FORCES".
That lines up rather well with the advent of a FALSE messiah, who preceedes the REAL one. According the New Testament, that False Messiah will ALSO be one who can do "Signs and Wonders", another name for Miracles.
Most of The Kingdom Theologians are among the leaders of the Apostate Church. But they teach replacement theology and insist that they will be the ones who usher in the Kingdom of God on Earth, (rather than the Literal Jesus Christ himself returning and initiating it first) skipping over the Rapture and the Tribulation, because the Rapture - according to Kingdom Now theologians - is not true (they say) and the Tribulation has already happened around 70 A.D.
Most of the Kingdom Now theologians ALSO deny the concept
of a litteral Seven Year period of Tribulation, though their doctrines on this
point seem both to accept AND reject this, depending on the month and their
audiences.
That leaves Kingdom Theologians in an interesting position AFTER the Rapture HAS
taken place. They will be the leaders of the Apostate Church comprised of false
Christians who have NOT been Raptured. It is interesting to note that
many of those Kingdom Teachers have left a great deal of room (in their theology
and teachings) for allegiances to Rome and to Official Roman Catholic Doctrine.
And this would also make Roman Catholic Doctrines and
Vatican International Politics directly relevant to Prophecy and those who are
interested in a study of these topics and current events.
You DO understand that the Vatican is currently in final stage negotiations to
take custody of the Holy Sites of Jerusalem ? They know their role very well.
If one wants to suggest that Ephraim is a tribe in the sense in which the Old
Testament accurately [exegetically] explain it, that remains possible,
so long as it is NOT understood as being a
Replacement Tribe. Many of these Kingdom Theologians are using the concept that
there are SOME Jews scattered in other nations, as the basis to suggest that
this is really those who are Gentile Christians. To teach that
as an EXCEPTION, as a small MINORITY is one thing. To allege
however that Ephraim then becomes the Tribe
of Millions and millions of Gentiles that would replace the Jews, because the
Other Jews do not really count…is something very different, and Biblically
incorrect.
Notice the context of the verse, in Deut. 4:27
27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few
in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
They are FEW in numbers. Replacement Theologians have those few in numbers
growing to be the majority in certain nations. If that were the case, it would
not be "FEW" in number.
There is nothing in the Bible to suggest that only the tribe of
Judah and Benjamin are in Israel today. Yes, they are in Israel, but SO are the
rest of the Tribes. We know simply from current events that
there is MORE than only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the land of Israel.
Specific genetic markers have identified the lineage of priests who are the
descendants of Aaron (therefore from the family of Moses), all over the world.
They are the Jews whose name is Cohen, Kahan, and several other variations. The
point is that they have genetic markers UNLIKE any other group of Jews and any
OTHER tribe. They are from the line of Aaron and that alone, proves that
those in Israel are NOT restricted to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (as far
as we know). [The lineage of the Lemba in Africa ALSO proves this].
http://www.exorthodoxforchrist.com/tribe_of_levi_-_levites_-dna.htm
But the passage in the book of Revelation suggests that the Tribes have already
been gathered BACK into the land of Israel, when the events of the
Tribulation take place.
They had to have already been in Israel.
Revelation 7
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have
sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an
hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of
Israel….
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of
all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
The passage from Revelation establishes that there are 144,000 witnesses to
Jesus Christ in the Tribulation who are Jewish. That would be 12,000 from each
tribe. According to that same passage, those witnesses are from ALL of the
tribes of Israel.
It is easy to think that some tribes are lost, and therefore cannot be found.
They are lost to history perhaps in some cases, but they are NOT lost to God.
Yes, there are Jews who do not know their identity. Yes,
there are some who think they are gentiles for some time. But those questions
are being answered today. They are SELF-Identifying Jews, not
Christians who are being told that they should now CLAIM that they are
replacement Jews because some Kingdom Theologian
told them to.
-------------------
RELEVANT VERSES for DISCUSSION
Matthew 10
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the
way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
[This instruction is modified later on in Marc 16:
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel
to every creature.]
Matthew 15
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him,
saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of
the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
There are a few things to notice about these verses. In Matthew 10, notice that
there is a Prohibition against going to the Gentiles. The Disciples were
instructed at first to reach out to those who were already Jews IN ISRAEL. They
were not YET instructed to go into all of the world. God took care of the
Jews FIRST. Jesus wanted to be sure that the witness about Him would take place
in Israel FIRST.
That is consistent with what Jesus said in the Great
Commission. Notice the order of who is to be instructed first:
Luke 24
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
We know from the New Testament that the Early Christians were instructed to
FIRST go to Jerusalem and Israel.
The Apostles STARTED with witnessing in Israel, but eventually established other
Churches, as described in the New Testament Book of Acts.
Suggesting that large amounts of Gentiles are actually Jews is going to get
theologians into a lot of trouble, for going BEYOND what the Bible
instructs.
As Christians, our responsibility is to proclaim the Text itself, and its
message. Too many people take the text much further than it was
ever intended and then attempt to compel that Bible to fit other concepts. When
that happens, it usually results in distortions that are retroactive to the
theology of that person, and show up in other misinterpretation of the Bible
also.
There is a problem with accounting Gentiles and Gentile Tribes as being Jewish.
The Bible lays out 72 People Groups that the world descends from
in Genesis 10.
If you look into the records of most nations, and certainly most ethnic
groupings within Empires (which became nations later on), they suffer from one
KEY flaw, that prevents the assertion that they would be Jewish.
They suffer from an
ABUNDANCE of documentation
of who they come from, who their ancestors were.
We are not suggesting that most of this information is yet available to the
public. It does exist but the public does not know or understand how to find it.
But that information does exist, and what that information does, is establish
the lineage of Kings on a global basis. The lineage of the Gentile Nations is
established for thousands and thousands of years. They are also confirmed by the
Christian Archeologists who established the field of Archeology.
Many people do not know that the
pioneer archeologists were Christian Scholars out to prove
the Bible. All of this information is contained WITHIN the works
of the Rawlinson Family from the 1800s (i.e. George Rawlinson etc), and the work
of Sayce, as well as the work of Layard.
That is why we promote books dealing with archeology and will release many more
Ebooks later this month, including several dealing with these questions.
However, it is still important to keep in mind that some of those issues are
addressed directly, but some are only addressed indirectly. It just depends on
what a person is seeking.
The point is that the Lineage of the Gentiles is VERY WELL established,
historically and archeologically.
While we understand the human impulse to want to be part of history, it
is important that people study much more carefully the relationships between
geography and ancestry, and not attribute to themselves or the Church,
characteristics that belong to Israel. Don't be too concerned with being "part
of history". If you are living in this time period, know God and serve HIM, and
you will be part of plenty of History. The whole Human Race has waited for THESE
Days.
---------------------------
Most gentiles are NOT jews, nor descended from Jews, nor do they have
connections to Jews. And when one studies the history of the Jewish Ghetto
system in Europe and around the world, it becomes very obvious how DIFFICULT it
would have been for Jews to Intermarry with those from the local Gentile
populations. Some did, but very very few.
The problem in the social context here is not the issue of the roots of the
Jews, but rather the opposite problem:
The problem of the LACK OF ROOTS of most gentiles.
Society has done a great job of cutting off most people
from any knowledge of their family, their nation of origin, their own roots, and
their own Christian Heritage.
There is a great deal of information about church Doctrine and Church History
that most people have no idea exists. But even when they find out, there is
still a barrier because modern societies do not educate people beyond the 6th
grade level in most cases.
A high School education today is only the equivalent of the 8th grade 40 years
ago, and [Bible] versions like the NIV are designed for a 6th grade reading
level.
Therefore most Modern Christians today are un-equipped to handle the wealth of
material that other Christians have left from previous generations. The modern
generations is so conditioned to instant gratification and reading material for
children, that serious conversations are rarely possible. On the other hand, to
those who make the commitment to increase their knowledge, their reading level,
and their understanding, a HUGE amount of information is available. However,
almost none of the material is found in newer books or in Modern Churches.
Every person can find and should find something to be proud of, about their own
heritage. Too many people today are taught to dislike themselves, and most
people today are being taught and educated to accept to feel GUILTY about their
own heritage, because a few of those of the same ancestry might have done bad
thing.
It is just like aristocrats to set that kind of system in motion. The elites
commit horrible actions around the planet, and then those same elites fund
systems of educations designed to make people who had nothing to do with
those crimes, feel guilty for issues and events that had no relationship to.
That process of programing
society could not happen if people knew their own heritage and where their
families came from. There is something good and something to be proud of in
EVERY race and historic background.
Many people in the Churches are looking for ways to identify with certain
groups. The reason, among others, is that they are NOT ONLY searching for
something to belong to, many of them are searching for who they are.
They have no idea of what they should study or think about their own background.
It is rather tragic, but that explains SOME of the impulse behind the movement
now for all Christians to belong to Israel and declare themselves to be the long
lost tribes of Israel.
A few years ago, many of those same people were claiming to show that they were
related to North American Indians. Indians noted that the real tribe those
people belonged to was totally different; the tribe of the Wannabbees (i.e.
Want-to-be’s).
[That same process is now taking place with global warming also.
There is no way that individual humans can possibly account for their
supposed pollution in the same manner as the thousands of industrializing
factories and their mostly rich shareholders. But people’s sense of
wanting to belong is so strong, they will admit
guilt on pretty much any issue and any question – whether they actually have any
guilt or not].
Hope that helps answer some of your questions about the article. We may be
releasing Ebooks also that have relevance to this topic and to prophecy.
Write anytime,
Regards,
Staff
http://www.exorthodoxforchrist.com/tribe_of_levi_-_levites_-dna.htm
http://www.exorthodoxforchrist.com/vatican_&_jerusalem.htm
http://www.exorthodoxforchrist.com/free_ebooks_instant_downloads_pdf.htm
Hebrew Roots: A Tale of 2 Movements: The Real “Back to Hebraic Roots Movement” and its “Counterfeit”