POSTED 15 NOVEMBER, 2002

The "Ephraimite Error": Critical Errors

by J.K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net

Many of you who are familiar with the Two-House teaching of Judah and Ephraim have no doubt encountered, in some form or another, “The Ephraimite Error” white paper. This theological position paper is a co-production of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) and the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC), under the auspices of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance (IMJA).[1] The white paper is an analysis of the Two-House teaching and basically says that it is in error, flawed, and even heretical. These are the conclusions drawn by most who read it.

TNN Online takes issue with much of what has been said about the Two-House teaching in “The Ephraimite Error” paper. While we advocate a belief in the reunion of all Israel, and a return of all Believers to the truths of God’s Torah and their Hebraic Roots, we also adhere to a widely conservative and evangelical Biblical theology. As a third party that was not referenced in the white paper, we offer our analysis of it and the principal problems that we have with it.[2] 

The Issues at Hand

Whether proponents admit it or not, espousing some kind of belief in Judah and Ephraim is controversial. It is controversial first and foremost because we believe that there are more Israelites—physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—on Planet Earth than just the 14-15 million Jews of today. We believe that there are possibly many more millions of lost “Israelites” on Planet Earth descended from the scattered Northern Kingdom of Israel/Ephraim that was taken into Assyrian exile in 721 B.C.E., which never corporately returned to the Land of Israel. We believe that in this hour the God of Israel is gathering Judah, or the Jewish people, together with scattered Ephraim (many of whom may be found in today’s Christianity) as one people in Messiah Yeshua. We believe that God has only one group of elect, the people of Israel, composed of Judah and Ephraim and their companions. We do not believe in a separate entity called “the Church.” And, we believe that all Israel is called to uphold and follow the Torah—the constitution of Israel.

Much of this runs completely contrary to what is taught in mainstream Christianity and most of Messianic Judaism. Evangelical Christianity widely teaches that God has two groups of elect: Israel and “the Church.” Most in Messianic Judaism believe the same, and that as Jewish Believers they can co-belong to both assemblies.[3] The vast majority of Christians and many Messianic Jews do not believe that non-Jewish Believers should follow (any of) the Torah. And, because the Lord has two groups of elect, it is often said that “the Church” will be whisked away into Heaven prior to the Seventieth Week of Israel in the pre-tribulation rapture, leaving a faithless Israel—considered to be the Jewish people—behind to face the antimessiah/antichrist.

As it should be stated quite candidly, TNN Online does reject these beliefs.

Letting Others Define Ourselves

One of the biggest problems that we have with “The Ephraimite Error” white paper and with those who believe what it says—or more likely those who read the “Short Summary” of the white paper and/or hear second hand reports from other people (who have skimmed it)—is that others are defining what we believe. We fully recognize that Messianic Judaism is diverse and that broad-sweeping statements about it should not be made, but many in Messianic Judaism will often not give the fledging Two-House movement this same courtesy. Just as there is a wide perspective of views and beliefs among those who are a part of Messianic Judaism, so is there among those who believe in (some form of) teaching on the Two Houses of Israel. TNN Online is as unique as the next ministry that promotes the restoration of all Israel. There are Two-House advocates that are fundamentalists and Two-House advocates who significantly frown on Jewish custom and tradition, and Two-House advocates who simply believe in an egalitarian form of Messianic Judaism where all can be considered equal before God and the prophecies of Israel’s restoration can be discussed.

What Messianic Judaism Says About Us & What TNN Believes

The following statement comes from page 1 of “The Ephraimite Error.” This is, in essence, what they believe about most, if not all, Two-House advocates, and what we will be addressing in this analysis:

A movement alternately known as the “Ephraimite,” “Restoration of Israel,” “Two-Covenant Israel,” or “Two House” movement has recently gained ground in some areas among ardent Christian Zionists. Proponents of this movement contend that members of the “born-again” segment of the Christian church are, in fact, actual blood descendants of the biblical Israelites who were dispersed as a result of the Assyrian invasion of the ancient kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C.E.

The movement's proponents further argue that these dispersed “Israelites,” or “Ephraimites,” whose identities have remained undisclosed even to themselves until recent times, primarily settled in areas now recognized as largely populated by Anglo-Saxons. At times they argue that all Anglo-Saxons, and even all of humanity, are descended from these lost Ephraimites. At other times, that only born-again Christians can claim descent. In either case, Christians from Anglo-Saxon lands, such as Great Britain, Australia, Canada, and the United States, can feel assured that they are most likely direct blood descendants of the ancient people of Ephraim.

It is now incumbent upon these members of “Ephraim,” they argue, to “accept their birthright” and live as members of Israel. They urge Gentile Christians to keep the Torah in obedience to the Hebrew scriptures, to strive to re-educate Jews and other Christians about their new, “latter-day prophecy,” and to work toward the repatriation of the land of Israel by their own number.

Based on these three paragraphs, there are indeed some truthful statements concerning what TNN Online believes and advocates concerning the reunion of all Israel:

1. We do believe that many non-Jewish Believers (“Christians”) may be flesh-and-blood descendants of the Northern Kingdom Israelites captured and dispersed by Assyria in 722-721 B.C.E.

2. We do believe that non-Jewish Believers in Yeshua are coming to a knowledge of their Hebraic heritage and should obey God’s Torah.

3. We do believe that one day people of the scattered House of Israel/Ephraim will return to the Land of Israel, just as the House of Judah has, in fulfillment of critical end-time prophecies such as: Isaiah 11:14; Jeremiah 3:18, 30:3; and Zechariah 10:7, 10.

However, there are some mistruths in these statements as well, with which TNN Online as an advocate of the Two-House teaching does not agree:

1. We do not believe that every non-Jew or “Christian” is a physical Israelite.

2. We do not believe that the scattered descendants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel/Ephraim are exclusively contained in areas populated by the British, i.e., Anglo-Saxons and Celts, or for that same matter, Northern Europeans. 

Hearing Both Sides of the Story

We do not appreciate the fact that the IMJA has written a rather vengeful analysis of the Two-House teaching. They have taken the viewpoints of a few (at least as of 1999), and have applied them to the many. Sadly, what has happened is that the majority of people in Messianic Judaism, be they Jewish or non-Jewish, have accepted “The Ephraimite Error” analysis without looking into the Two-House message further, or analyzing various prophecies and issues from the Scriptures aside from all the “noise” that has been caused. The biggest problem with those who read “The Ephraimite Error” is that they usually fail to hear both sides of this issue. People who read the white paper usually do not take the time to read anything else, and have often come to hasty conclusions. As a result of this, many of us who advocate a belief in the Two Houses of Israel, feel slandered. We have been misrepresented and painted with a broad brush. We believe we have been treated unfairly and in a spirit that is unbecoming of truly born again Believers in Messiah Yeshua, much less those who may claim to represent some kind of objective theology.

The Torah gives us very clear instructions about not hearing both sides of an issue, and drawing conclusions in haste:

“You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute” (Exodus 23:1-3; cf. 1 Timothy 5:19).

The Orthodox Jewish ArtScroll Chumash commentary says this: “It is forbidden to believe unverified gossip about another person. This applies both to an individual, who is forbidden to believe [rh !Avl [lashon ha’ra], evil talk, and to a judge, who is forbidden to listen to a disputant unless the second party is present.”[4]

We are not to be a follower of the majority so as to simply yield to the majority in a dispute. We are not to simply yield to what the “trend” or prevailing opinion is. We are told quite plainly that we must hear the whole case before passing judgment or drawing a conclusion.

In the modern world, these principles are, of course, extremely important when dealing with civil cases. In American politics, we would all agree that before establishing a position on issues such as universal heath care, a missile defense shield, or how to deal with terrorism, that we should subject ourselves to a thorough examination of the issues at hand. So in the realm of Biblical faith, why do many not follow this pattern? Why do those who oppose the Two-House teaching, the masses in Christianity and Messianic Judaism, not examine both sides of the issue? Why do they violate moral principles in the Torah that they both claim to uphold? This does not mean that they have to necessarily agree with such a teaching on Israel’s reunification, but too many have not acted fairly or reasonably, and have simply disregarded it without even considering it. Adolescent emotionalism instead seems to prevail.

We may never know the answers to these questions. But one thing can be certain; God will hold the masses that follow the majority accountable for not hearing our side of the issue. If we have indeed been treated unfairly, He will deal with them. It is our responsibility to simply present an as fair and reasonably Biblical case as possible, not succumbing to the same immature attitudes as our detractors (or even the extremists in our own ranks).

The Critical Errors

As stated previously, this article is not intended to address every issue presented by “The Ephraimite Error” and its handling of the Two-House teaching. These are addressed in various articles and publications by our ministry in more detail. TNN Online has established six critical errors that we have with the white paper:

1. No alternative interpretation of the two sticks prophecy of Ezekiel 37 is given

2. The idea that we teach that non-Israelites cannot be saved

3. The idea that the Two-House teaching is a reworked form of British-Israelism

4. The Apostolic Scriptures do not at all speak of the Two Houses of Israel

5. Obeying God’s Torah is optional and is thus not necessary for non-Jews

6. The Two-House teaching and its proponents represent a dangerous threat to the State of Israel

Error #1: No alternative interpretation of the two sticks
prophecy of Ezekiel 37 is given

In “The Ephraimite Error” white paper the IMJA offers no viable alternative interpretation of the two sticks prophecy involving the House of Judah and the House of Israel/Joseph/Ephraim. The ignorance of this is so bad, that in some cases, those who have read the white paper or Short Summary version actually deny that there are prophecies in Scripture involving the Two Houses of Israel. Consider the prophecy of Ezekiel 37:15-28, the primary verses upon which the Two-House teaching is based:

“The word of the Lord came again to me saying, ‘And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, “For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions”; then take another stick and write on it, “For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.” Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. When the sons of your people speak to you saying, “Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?” say to them, “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.’” The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. ‘Say to them, “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God. My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.’”’”

This prophecy has yet to be fulfilled as the Lord has yet to fully reunite the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph (Ephraim) in His hand. Those of both Houses of Israel have yet to return to the Land of Israel. Yeshua the Messiah, the Greater David, has not returned to formally become king over all Israel. It should be abundantly obvious that this prophetic word has yet to be accomplished. The IMJA’s failure to address this prophecy without any detailed explanation is inexcusable, and we would challenge Messianic Jews who find the Two-House teaching flawed to offer a viable alternative interpretation. I hold to the Two-House teaching not because of some sense of “lost identity,” but rather on the basis of what I read are unfulfilled Bible prophecies such as this.

Any objective student of the Bible has to look at these things, and must conclude that none of the things of Ezekiel 37:15-28 have occurred. All of Israel has not been reunited because of the clear evidence that we are not living in the restored Kingdom of God on Planet Earth. We are still awaiting the return of the Messiah and the establishment of His reign. We are still awaiting the Sanctuary of God to be established on Earth, and an eternal covenant of peace to be made. Any claim that this prophecy has already been fulfilled will be based on, at the very most, surface level evidence. The Conservative Jewish commentary Etz Hayim makes some important observations about Ezekiel 37:15-28 that cannot be ignored:

“[This text] focuses on settlement in the Land, and the new sanctuary. The elements of ingathering, monarchy, repurification, and Temple building constitute the main configuration of messianic hope for ancient Israel and for subsequent Jewish generations….[A] recurrent theme is ‘permanence,’ expressed as a permanent change from the past and as a vision of a permanent future.”[5]

This view of Haftarah Va-Yiggash (Genesis 44:18-47:27) lends support to the fact that the two sticks prophecy of Ezekiel 37:15-28 remains something to be accomplished in the future, being an integral part of the Jewish hope for Israel’s full redemption. V. 28 makes it very clear: b’heyot miqdashi b’tokham l’olam (~lA[l ~kAtB yvDqm tAyhB), “when my sanctuary is among them forevermore” (NRSV). Any objective Bible reader can see that this has yet to take place as God’s sanctuary is not yet present on Planet Earth. There has been no permanent restoration as is expected by this passage.

Various Christian interpreters will concur with these same conclusions. Noted pre-tribulationist Tim LaHaye writes in his Prophecy Study Bible concerning Ezekiel 37:15-23, “The Kingdom of David and Solomon split in 931 B.C., becoming Israel and Judah. In restored Israel, all tribes are represented and the nation will be united, as the sign of the fused stick reveals.”[6] John F. Walvoord observes in his Every Prophecy of the Bible, “The situation where these two kingdoms were divided will end, and as this and other prophecies predict, the two kingdoms will become one nation (cf. Jer. 3:18; 23:5-6; 30:3; Hosea 1:11; Amos 9:11). No fulfillment has ever been recorded in history, and the future regathering of Israel will occur in the Millennium.”[7] To the casual observer, from two dispensationalist pre-tribulational publications, this implies that the two kingdoms have yet to be reunited. These people would not be advocates of the Two-House teaching, and may not even look favorably toward Messianic Judaism, but these quotations certainly indicate what we believe—the fact that all Israel has yet to be reunited.

Why does “The Ephraimite Error” white paper not provide an alternative interpretation of this prophecy? We may never know. (Perhaps they simply do not want to touch the subject.)

Error #2: The belief that we teach that non-Israelites cannot be saved

Many who read “The Ephraimite Error” come to the conclusion that the Two-House teaching advocates that only physical Israelites are guaranteed salvation in Messiah Yeshua. Therefore, anyone who is not a physical Israelite cannot be saved because only the Two Houses of Israel, Judah and Ephraim, are involved in the reunion. Those who are not physical Israelites are thus condemned to eternal punishment.

This viewpoint is patently wrong. Aside from the fact that the Torah clearly speaks of physical non-Israelites or sojourners joining and being welcome among the people of Israel (i.e., the “mixed multitude” of Exodus 12:38), there are non-Israelites involved in the reunification of the Two Houses. Notice what Ezekiel 37:16, 19 specifically says:

“And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.’…say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.”’”

From this declaration you should have noticed that both Judah and Ephraim have “companions.” ATS renders this as “comrades.” In its singular form, the Hebrew term used to describe this is chaver (rbx) which BDB defines as “united, associate, companion.”[8] The plural form in modern Hebrew is chaverim (~yrbx), which means “friends.” These comrades, companions, or even “friends,” are non-Israelites who are enjoined to one of the Two Houses of Israel. While not physical Israelites, they are nevertheless considered to be a part of either Judah or Ephraim and are equally involved in the restoration process. Unfortunately among some Two-House teachers this is not clarified, and a few extremists do believe a gross fallacy that non-Israelites cannot be saved. Such a view is heresy and does not include us! The ancient mandate given to Abraham and later Israel was to be a blessing to the entire world (Genesis 12:2; Deuteronomy 4:6; cf. Galatians 3:8), being a testimony of God’s goodness. The Lord Himself says that it is not enough to only restore the tribes of Jacob (Isaiah 49:6).

Error #3: The idea that the Two-House teaching
is a reworked form of British-Israelism

Many people come to the conclusion that the Two-House teaching of Judah and Ephraim is a reworked form of British-Israel theology. British-Israelism was quite popular in the mid-1800s when the British Empire was at its zenith, and many believed that Britain was the new manifestation of the Kingdom of Israel on Earth with the British Crown in actuality being the throne of King David. This is seriously compounded by the fact that there are many who believe in Judah and Ephraim, having been members of the Worldwide Church of God (WWCOG) founded by Herbert W. Armstrong, which advocated British-Israelism. Such people, unfortunately, have been given a voice among the Two-House community.[9] There are many offshoots of the WWCOG that while believing that the Northern Kingdom of Israel was scattered throughout Planet Earth, deny that the Jewish people are legitimate Israelites and are extremely anti-Semitic. Thus, it is often assumed that the Two-House teaching is anti-Semitic.

This claim against the Two-House teaching is something that I take very seriously—because I am of British ancestry[10]—and I have never believed that the scattered tribes of Israel/Ephraim exclusively became Anglo-Saxons and Celts.[11] I have simply affirmed the prophecies of multiplication (Genesis 22:17; 28:14; et. al.), choosing never to identify scattered Israel with any single or varied nationalities.

It should be readily noted that there are many forms of British-Israel teaching out there. Some of them range from believing that a substantial number of the Lost Tribes of the Northern Kingdom settled in the British Isles and then spread worldwide via the British Empire. Others of them teach that the throne of the United Kingdom is in actuality the throne of David and that the House of Windsor is of the Biblical line of David. Other teachings attest that Britain and the United States are now the “new Israel” and all end-time prophecies involving Israel in actuality involve the U.K. and U.S.A. and “JerUSAlem.”

The promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel regarding their seed tell us that it will be spread worldwide (Genesis 28:14). It is entirely possible that many Anglo-Saxons, Celts, and for that matter people of Germanic, Slavic, Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian, Chinese, African, and other ethnicities descend from people who originated in the area north of Israel. After all, is this not where the Fertile Crescent is located, which for several millennia was the primary center of civilization? And is it too much of us to ask that perhaps many of the Northern Kingdom Israelites who were taken into captivity by Assyria later migrated into Europe or elsewhere? If we believe that within a short period of two-hundred years the Western Hemisphere can go from being relatively unknown by Europe to being colonized and later populated with several million inhabitants by 1700, surely we can believe that scattered Israel has spread worldwide in the past 2,700 years. Such a view has nothing to do with race, but with human migration and reproduction.

Does the teaching of the Two Houses of Israel mimic those who believe that the British Crown has some divine connection to the throne of David, and that God somehow ordained the British Empire and Commonwealth? Although there may be some similarities in both the wanting to distinguish between the House of Judah and the House of Israel/Ephraim in various prophecies, and the fact that both positions consider that the descendants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to be quite numerous, this would not be an accurate assessment. This is especially true when we compare the overall theology of the movements.

One major difference between what our ministry advocates about the reunification of Israel and what British-Israelism teaches, is that we completely disavow the belief that the word “British” is in actuality a Hebrew word. Proponents claim that “British” is a combination of the Hebrew words b’rit (tyrB) or “covenant,” and ish (vya) meaning “man,” implying that God’s covenant is with those of British ancestry. Such an equation of b’rit and ish to “British” reduces the validity of the promises of multiplicity given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, limiting it to those solely of British ancestry. As Dr. Walter Martin validly notes in his work Kingdom of the Cults,

“It is sufficient to point out…that the Hebrew words berith and ish literally mean ‘covenant and man,’ not, ‘men of the covenant,’ as Armstrong and Anglo-Israelites maintain. When to this is added the unbiased and impeccably researched conclusions of the venerable Oxford English Dictionary and every other major English work on etymology, there is absolutely no connection between the Anglo-Saxon tongue and the Hebrew language.”[12]

It is notable, in response to Martin’s comments that English and Hebrew are unrelated, that a work by the Jewish scholar and linguist Isaac E. Mozeson, author of The Word: The Dictionary That Reveals The Hebrew Source Of English, proposes there may be connections between English via Greek and Latin to Hebrew. (Whether there are or not can probably be vigorously debated, and I am currently not convinced of the “validity” of his research). Mozeson states, “Greek and Latin are merely grandfathers, while Hebrew is the patriarch.”[13] However, it is important that we point out that nowhere in Mozeson’s book does he make a connection between “British” and the words b’rit and ish. The modern Hebrew term for “British” is Britee (yjyrb), which is hardly what one would expect if “British” were indeed a Hebrew word.

A number of people among Two-House proponents believe in the connection between the Hebrew words brit and ish, mostly from backgrounds in the WWCOG, or have been influenced by literature coming from the WWCOG. But why do many people have such a concern about British-Israelism? It is because British-Israelism has often been closely linked to the Christian Identity movement, many of whose members are vehemently anti-Semitic, opposed to the American government, and some of whom have participated in domestic terrorism. As Bruce Hoffman validly summarizes in his book Inside Terrorism,

The connecting thread in this seemingly diverse and disparate collection of citizens’ militias, tax resisters, anti-federalists, bigots and racists is the white supremacist religious dogma espoused by the Christian Identity movement, itself based on the ‘Anglo-Israelism’ movement that emerged in Britain during the mid-nineteenth century. The core belief of Anglo-Israelism was that the ten lost tribes of ancient Israel were composed of Anglo-Saxons, not Jews. However, in marked contrast to the present-day Christian Identity movement in the United States, nineteenth-century Anglo-Israelism embraced an entirely pacifist doctrine. The basic tenants of the contemporary American version of the Identity movement include the beliefs that:

· Jesus Christ was not a Semite; but an Aryan;
· the lost tribes of Israel are not composed of Jews, but of ‘blue eyed Aryans’;
· white Anglo-Saxons and not Jews are the true ‘Chosen People’;
· the United States is the ‘Promised Land’.

In this context, Jews are viewed as imposters and Children of Satan who must be exterminated.

Identity theology, combined with militant tax resistance and a form of regressive populism, figures prominently in Christian Patriotism doctrine subscribed to by the ‘marching’ militia groups today. The ideological hermit to the Posse Comitatus with its hard-line anti-federalist principles, Christian Patriotism goes one step further by embracing a salient theological component that combines Identity interpretation of scripture with the myth of the Illuminati—the global conspiracy theory, first promulgated in the late eighteenth century in respect of Freemasons and later adapted to include Jews, worldwide banking interests and other dark, mystical forces. According to its modern-day American interpretation, the so-called ‘two seed’ theory embraced by Christian Patriotism, there are two races on earth: one godly and one satanic—the former comprised of white, Anglo-Saxon Christians and the latter of Jews and all non-whites…[14]

In these comments above, those of us who believe in the end-time restoration of Israel need to be very conscious of the connections that some people will make between the Two-House teaching, British-Israel, Christian Identity, and then Christian Patriotism with its anti-government and anti-Semitic viewpoints. The only way we can break out of any false connections that people might make is by non-Jewish Believers who believe in the restoration of all Israel closely cooperating with Jewish Believers and supporting the State of Israel. We must keep the Two-House message well within the confines of the Jewish theological expectation of the restoration of Israel, and highly regard and value Jewish tradition (i.e., Matthew 23:2-3, Grk.; Romans 3:2; 11:29).[15] Otherwise, in some ways, what makes us not unlike the groups described above?

We do believe that many non-Jews may indeed be descendants of the Patriarchs, but we are very supportive of the Jewish people. If indeed there are scattered descendants of the Northern Kingdom “out there” in the world, we should not have the arrogance to think that they are constrained to one particular ethnicity. Let God gather them together in the eschatological plan as His Word says (Amos 9:9-12), with Him sorting out the specific details.

Error #4: The Apostolic Scriptures do not at all speak
of the Two Houses of Israel

After reading “The Ephraimite Error,” or its Short Summary, many come to the conclusion that the Apostolic Scriptures do not speak or allude in any way, shape, or form, to all Israel. There are, however, allusions to the Two Houses of Israel in the New Testament that can be found. Some of them are quite obvious via some intertextuality, and some of them you have to look for as they may be indirect. No theologian I have read ever claims that support for the evangelism of the Gentiles is not, at least in some way, rooted within the ancient Jewish expectation of Israel’s eschatological restoration in the Tanach. With that in mind, here are some possible examples to be considered:

In both Acts 2:39 and Ephesians 2:13 we are told of those who are and were “far off,” a possible reference to the scattered tribes:

“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” (Acts 2:39).

“But now in Messiah Yeshua you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah” (Ephesians 2:13).[16]

Those gathered for Shavuot/Pentecost composed Jews from all over the known world (Acts 2:5, 9-11). Peter refers to those gathered as “you,” their children not in attendance, and those “far off”—three categories of people. It is this third category of “far off” people which can include (but not exclusively) those of scattered Israel/Ephraim. Yeshua was challenged, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He?” (John 7:35). In the Second Century B.C.E. an Apocryphal quote indicates, “It has been found in writing concerning the Spartans and the Jews that they are brethren and are of the family of Abraham” (1 Maccabees 12:21), at least referring to a view that some of scattered Israel/Ephraim could have been in the immediate Mediterranean Diaspora. The salvation of the nations in the First Century may have included just a little more than just the redemption of “Gentiles,” recognized here or there in part by the Apostles.

We see this expressed within the deliberations of the Jerusalem Council, as the salvation of the nations is regarded as being a part of Israel’s restoration. In Acts 15:19, James the Just speaks of those who are “returning” (Grk. epistrephō, epistrefw)[17] to God “among the Gentiles,” quoting Amos 9:11-12 (LXX)[18] as his proof. He also addresses his epistle to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora:

“Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles” (Acts 15:19).

“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings” (James 1:1).

It would be a mistake for us to think that James’ comments on the nations’ reception of the gospel is only an unforeseen side-effect of Yeshua’s arrival, especially if the issue is indeed God’s rebuilding of the Tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16). The Tabernacle of David is surely representative of Israel in all its fullness, as “David” is to rule over Israel when the Two Houses are reunited (Ezekiel 37:25). In Matthew 16:18, when Yeshua says “upon this rock I will build My [assembly],” the future verb oikodomēsō (oikodomhsw) is the same exact word that appears in the Septuagint translation of Jeremiah 33:7. This is where the Lord says, “I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and will rebuild [hnB, banah] them as they were at first.” This is the last thing that would indicate Yeshua’s intention to create a separate “Church,”[19] but instead the Messiah bringing Israel into its fullness. The nations, either as welcome companions or including members of scattered Ephraim/Israel in their ranks, were expected to be involved in the restoration of Israel. For as Isaiah foretold,

“It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

The restoration of Israel was to be something that was a very inclusive process, as the rebuilding of David’s Tabernacle involves many different aspects. James’ selection of Amos 9:11-12 was a very wise one as it would encompass a variety of interrelated concepts. And, if anyone is tempted to think that his reference “to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad” is only indicative of a Jewish audience, most conservative commentators are agreed that James’ letter was heard by non-Jews as well. Whether of scattered Israel or not, James would have considered such people as a part of David’s Tabernacle and of the “faith” of the twelve tribes.[20] The fullness of what Israel was to be is a theme picked up by Paul in his letter to the Romans, as he recognizes that the nations have been more receptive to the gospel than his own Jewish brethren. He says, “salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous” (Romans 11:11), and urges such non-Jewish Believers to not be arrogant against the natural branches that make up Israel’s olive tree (Romans 11:17-18), further stating that his own Jewish people have an irrevocable calling (Romans 11:29). Non-Jewish people who partake of a salvation originating in Israel have a great deal of respect to show the Jewish people. In God’s plan of salvation history, the Apostle Paul asserts that a mystery regarding Israel is at work:

“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25).

The fact that Paul refers to this happening as a “mystery,” is an important clue that a simplistic explanation will not work. The entering in of “the fullness of the Gentiles” must occur within the overall framework of Israel’s salvation. Most of today’s interpreters of Romans 11:25 assume that Paul refers only to “the full number of the Gentiles” (RSV, NIV), based in a Calvinistic view of this being a set number of individual non-Jews predetermined by God for salvation. The fault of this view is that within Romans (11:12; 13:10; 15:29) and elsewhere in Paul’s letters (Ephesians 3:19; 4:13), plērōma (plhrwma) largely relates to “moral or spiritual consummation”[21]—as opposed to it being the “full number” of anything.[22]

Non-Jewish Believers are required by Paul to be conduits of God’s mercy to Jews who have rejected the gospel (Romans 11:31), so “the fullness of the Gentiles” must involve some aspect of their spiritual character. Paul applies Tanach expectations regarding the salvation and forgiveness of Israel (Isaiah 59:20-21; Jeremiah 31:33) to the experience of these non-Jewish Believers in Romans 11:26-27, which would be odd if they were just non-Jewish Believers saved for no definite purpose. Could it be that once they have become the fullness of what Israel was called to be—namely a nation of priests that can be a light to the world (i.e., Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 42:6; cf. 1 Peter 2:9)—then the salvation of all Israel could be finally manifest? In order for this to happen, it would mean that non-Jewish Believers have to reach toward a trajectory of being “the fullness,” thus making the Jewish people jealous for salvation in Yeshua! This is something yet to fully happen.

How this involves the Two Houses of Israel is rather unique, as the description to plērōma tōn ethnōn (to plhrwma twn eqnwn) only appears in Romans 11:25. The closest Tanach equivalent appears in the Patriarch Jacob’s prophecy to his son Ephraim, where he says “his descendants shall become a multitude of nations” (Genesis 48:19). Ephraim, this melo ha’goyim (~yAGh-alm), would become a designation for the Northern Kingdom of Israel, being scattered into the nations via the punishment of Assyria. Because most of today’s Romans’ interpreters are so dominated by the common Reformed perspective of “the fullness of the Gentiles” involving some kind of predestination, it is almost impossible to find anyone who has explored this point of view. However, the great Methodist commentator Adam Clarke did once note,

“The words plhrwma twn eqnwn may be borrowed from the ~ywgh alm melo haggoyim, a multitude of nations, which the Septuagint translate by plhqoß eqnwn. By the plhrwma, or fullness, a great multitude may be intended, which should be so dilated on every hand as to fill various regions.”[23]

The LXX did render melo ha’goyim with the slightly different plēthos ethnōn (plhqoß eqnwn) in Genesis 48:19, simply meaning a “multitude of nations” (LXE). The adaptation of Tanach quotations to make a theological point is not odd at all within the Pauline letters. His indication in Romans 11:25 that this is all a “mystery,” is a good clue as to why ton plērōma tōn ethnōn appears.[24] It is not enough that a large scattered group of Israel out in the nations come back into the fold; they have a specific job to do that involves their maturation and being conduits of God’s mercy to the Jewish people. While “the fullness of the Gentiles” may first be a reference to the spiritual character of such people who will enter into the fold, a secondary reference to scattered Israel being involved in this can definitely be seen.

Paul also writes about God calling out a people “not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles” (Romans 9:24), the two groups of people that make up the “one new humanity” (Ephesians 2:15, NRSV). His substantiation for God’s calling of this unique people (Romans 9:25-26) is based in the prophecies of Hosea 2:23 and 1:10. God will say to them “You are My people!” (Hosea 2:23), in spite of them—“the sons of Israel”—being “like the sand of the sea” (Hosea 1:10) because of sin scattering them. This all concerns how “the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together” (Hosea 1:11) and restored by God. Paul goes on to say that “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, ‘Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved’” (Romans 9:27; cf. Isaiah 10:22).

Here, we see Paul taking prophecies that involve the restoration of Israel, and applying them not only to Jewish Believers, but also to non-Jewish Believers. This only reinforces the fact that more was at work in the First Century than just the salvation of the nations. God’s bigger plan involved an in-process restoration of Israel—even if it is all a “mystery” that will have to be dissected in the eschaton and explained to us by the Lord Himself!

The Apostle Peter also saw no problems in quoting and applying Tanach prophecies that regarded the restoration of all Israel, to the salvation of the nations in his day. His first epistle was directed to a broad audience of Believers in Asia Minor (1 Peter 1:1), many of whom had specifically been involved in paganism: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14). This would be a definite indication of a large number of non-Jewish Believers as readers, as he further says, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). He neither wants the former pagans among his audience, nor any Jewish Believers, to fall into sin. They are only sojourners in the world that are to reflect a different way of living.

The reason Peter did not wish his audience to fall into sin is not just because God said so, but 1 Peter 2:11 is instead prefaced with some very important words:

“you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).

In these two verses, we see an entire series of Tanach passages referred to, including in order: Deuteronomy 7:6; 10:15; Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6; 43:21; Deuteronomy 4:20; 14:2; and Hosea 2:23.[25] Peter’s immediate concern is obviously for the spiritual character and proper lifestyle of his audience. They have a special calling upon them that is very serious for them to fulfill. Yet in explaining this, Peter does not hesitate to use prophecies that regard the Two Houses of Israel, applying them to groups of Believers that involved non-Jews.

One of the most direct references to the Two Houses of Israel in the Apostolic Scriptures is seen in Hebrews. The author of Hebrews affirms how the New Covenant is made “with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Hebrews 8:8; cf. Jeremiah 31:31, LXX), one of the most direct statements regarding the restoration of all Israel in the Apostolic Scriptures. (This New Covenant also involves God writing His Law onto the hearts of His people, as opposed to the New Covenant somehow making the Torah obsolete.)

Finally, the Apostle John tells us in Revelation 7:4 that “I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel,” as the 144,000 sealed servants are from all twelve tribes of Israel, and not just the Jewish people.

It may be difficult for some to see at first, but there are indeed allusions to all Israel in the Apostolic Scriptures. Some of these may only be passing or indirect references, and some may be quite direct, but they nevertheless cannot be ignored. Understanding what these mean in a fuller Biblical context will be an important task as the Messianic community grows and as the Two-House teaching becomes more refined. This writer finds that he has a wide variety of exegetical papers in store as more detailed investigations of these, and other Scriptures, are required.[26]

Error #5: Obeying God’s Torah is optional
and is thus not necessary for non-Jews

This claim against Two-House advocates is one that is notably not universal in Messianic Judaism. There are Messianic Jews who believe that all of God’s people should honor and obey His commandments in the Torah. But, there are many Messianic Jews who do not believe this, and their position on the Torah or Law of Moses mimics too much of modern evangelical Christianity, which basically asserts that Yeshua the Messiah came to abolish the Torah.[27] A common reason why Messianic Jews, it is said, are supposed to obey the Torah, is because this is how they can express commonality with the Jewish community—but by no means is it probably necessary.

TNN Online takes a very pro-Torah viewpoint. We do not believe that Torah obedience is something that is “optional.” We encourage it as a part of a Believer’s continual growth and maturation in the faith. While we do recognize that there are legalists in the Messianic community that make an extreme burden out of obeying God, which is unfortunate and something that we do not advocate, we likewise do not advocate antinomianism or a dismissal of the Torah altogether. We are to follow Yeshua’s example, who followed the Torah perfectly (Matthew 5:17-19).[28] The Torah itself declares, “There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you” (Numbers 15:16), as all of God’s people are to be held to the same standard. (This is especially true if the promise of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:33 is that God’s Law is to be written on their hearts by the Holy Spirit!)

Within Messianic Judaism there exist many different streams of thought concerning Torah application to non-Jewish Believers. Many readily emphasize obedience to God’s Law, and then many others shun it, perhaps saying that non-Jews are only subject to the so-called “Noahide laws.” Scripture does not support the position that obeying the Lord is “optional.” After all, does not the Apostle John write, “Everyone who keeps sinning is violating Torah—indeed, sin is violation of Torah” (1 John 3:4, CJB)? John, the closest of the original twelve to Yeshua, says quite bluntly: “sin is lawlessness.”

If the IMJA insinuates that “Gentile Christians” should not necessarily be obeying God’s Torah, what does that signal? Does it not signal that they are encouraging the continued practice of violation of the Torah—which is sin? How can people who claim to follow the Torah dishonor God’s Law by encouraging others not to obey it? Is not the Torah to go forth from Zion to all (Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2)? Does not evangelical Christianity suffer today because it has widely dismissed the Torah and Tanach?

One of the major superior attitudes resonant among many Messianic Jews is the idea that “only we are ‘destined’ to keep the Torah.” In this, the so-called burden of “Torah observance” is not placed on non-Jewish Believers, who among some Messianic Jewish circles, are told that they have no business participating in Messianic Judaism (although their financial offerings are always welcome).[29]

To further compound the problem by implying that the Torah is “optional,” is where we are to find a clearly defined set of standards and rules that we are to live up to. As Believers, we are to all have the Torah written on our hearts as part of the promised New Covenant of Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8, so that we might keep it with the empowerment of God’s Holy Spirit. The Torah is to be a constant reminder of our necessity for salvation, our need to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), lest “we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth” (Hebrews 10:26). The Torah is our guide so that we would continue to be on the correct path, working out our salvation ever daily, so we do not lose sight of what the Lord considers acceptable and unacceptable.

The Torah defines sin, and gives us an explanation of what we should and should not be doing, and how we should conduct ourselves in the world. Salvation does not come as a result of our obedience to God’s Law, but obedience does come as a result of our salvation. Obedience to God’s commandments will result in blessings in the hereafter (Matthew 5:19b). Would there be debates in Christianity over whether pre-marital sex or homosexuality were sin if it did not teach that the Law of Moses was abolished by the Messiah? Why is the Messianic movement in the state of disarray that it is in today? Is it because we have somehow failed to follow the foundational guidelines of Biblical instruction and ethics contained in the Torah?

We find serious problems with those of Messianic Judaism telling us that keeping any of the Torah is only “optional.” Such a claim is resonant of lawlessness and attitudes that are unbiblical.[30] 

Error #6: The Two-House teaching and its proponents
represent a dangerous threat to the State of Israel

A serious claim against us, as insinuated by “The Ephraimite Error,” is that the ultimate driving force of those who believe in the Two Houses of Israel is to not only immigrate to the Land of Israel, but perhaps even to overthrow the Israeli government. This is usually an attempt to portray us as a supremacist group, a reprehensible claim which is totally and utterly false.

If God is to restore Judah and Ephraim in the end-times, then an inheritance in the Land of Israel is something that non-Jewish Believers should look forward too, albeit it being a somewhat Millennial Kingdom promise (cf. Ezekiel 47:21-23). In complete and total honesty, I do not know how these prophecies are to be fulfilled, and they will without question take time and serious speculation as we all search the Scriptures. However, just because the Scriptures do tell us that Judah and Ephraim will return to the Land of Israel and participate in certain end-time prophecies, that by no means should be interpreted that we believe in a violent overthrow of the Israeli government.

TNN Online fully supports the State of Israel. While the Israeli government has its problems like any other secular regime and is a manmade institution, its birth was ordained by the Lord (Isaiah 66:8) and it is a key player in God’s economy. The State of Israel must exist in order for some major prophecies to come to pass.

Sadly, there are sensationalists who believe that it is our destiny to utterly destroy and murder Israel’s enemies, without showing any concern whatsoever for their salvation. This includes Messianic Jews who hate the Arabs every bit as much as it includes Two-House advocates. At the same time, we do know that in the Last Days there will be war in Israel, and if the Lord would have non-Jewish Believers participate, just as He would have Jewish Believers participate, this is something we cannot stop. But this does not mean that we advocate the violent overthrow of the Israeli government as modern-day Crusaders. We strongly encourage support of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. We believe that Israel has a right to exist as a modern country from both the Bible and contemporary politics, and I would add that I support many of the premises as put forward by Theodor Herzl in his work The Jewish State. (And, perhaps to the chagrin of some in the Messianic movement, without Yeshua the Messiah reigning from Zion, I prefer a secular State of Israel to one that is run or influenced by religious authorities that prohibit evangelism.)

There are a series of end-time prophecies, however, that we all must consider which involve the Two Houses of Israel. Consider Isaiah 11:12-14:

“And He will lift up a standard for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and those who harass Judah will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not harass Ephraim. They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the west; together they will plunder the sons of the east; they will possess Edom and Moab, and the sons of Ammon will be subject to them.”

This prophecy details the end-time regathering of all Israel and their coming together into the Land of Israel. The Lord says that He will gather the Two Houses of Israel from all over the world. When they return, they will perform mighty deeds, which if we relate to the present state of the Middle East, may involve an Israeli annexation of the Gaza Strip, “the Philistines on the west”; the West Bank, “they will possess Edom and Moab”; and the entire country of Jordan, “the sons of Ammon will be subject to them.” Interestingly enough, hardliners in some Israeli political parties believe that Israel should control what is today Jordan, so it is not improbable to see this prophecy fulfilled one day. Of course how these prophecies will be fulfilled remains a total guess at the present time.

If Messianic Judaism has a problem with the idea that a united army of Judah and Ephraim is to defeat their enemies, namely occupying and annexing the territory of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and seemingly the entire country of Jordan—then their problem is with God Himself who told Isaiah to prophesy this—not us. And Isaiah’s is only one passage that we have likely left out of our end-time scenario.[31] 

Where do we go from here?

The following issues we have just addressed are only a fraction of the claims against the Two-House teaching as given by “The Ephraimite Error.” But these claims against us are relatively universal, as opposed to having been directed at one particular ministry or individual. The Two-House teaching, when compared to other doctrines and teachings of our faith, is relatively new. I freely admit that it needs to be further defined and refined, as with all Messianic things. Time will tell how valid this is. However, as it should be obvious, the authors of “The Ephraimite Error” have said some things about us that are not entirely true.

But what are we to do? Obviously we leave our critics to God; He will handle those who commit any malicious slander. As we are told in 1 Peter 3:14-15, “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled [Isaiah 8:12], but sanctify Messiah as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” Messiah Yeshua tells us in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Of course, many will continue to say that the Two-House teaching is false and that it is non-Biblical. People are entitled to their opinions. But TNN Online issues a severe word of warning to those who might call this “heresy.” Heresy must be viewed as something that denies a core doctrine or theology to our faith. Those who deny Yeshua as the Messiah or that He is God in the flesh or His atoning work at Golgotha or the inspiration of the Greek New Testament are heretics.[32] We do not deny these things, even though there are some in Messianic Judaism who actually do. In response, we do not make slanderous remarks about Messianic Judaism because it too has its extremists and fundamentalists. We do not consider the Two-House teaching to be a salvation issue. It is a matter of ecclesiology, knowing about who God’s chosen people are, and how it applies to Scripture and one’s walk of faith. It is a critical part of the end-time restoration of all Israel. It is a matter of equality for all Believers who are a part of Israel (Galatians 3:28; 6:16)—not an Israel over here and “the Church” over there.

Twenty centuries ago, the fledging group of Believers in Yeshua was considered to be heretics by many in the religious establishment. They were spurned and slandered by many. However, Gamaliel, the revered sage of Judaism who trained the Apostle Paul, urged moderation:

“But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. And he said to them, ‘Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God’” (Acts 5:34-39).

If you disagree with the Two-House teaching that advocates the restoration of all Israel, you are entitled to your opinion. But I advise you not to speak against it or claim that it is “heresy.” Remember that we believe that when Judah and Ephraim are reunited Yeshua the Messiah will return and restore the Kingdom. It will be consummated with His Second Coming. If indeed this movement is truly of the Lord—do you want to be found speaking against it? It would be advised for you to just respectfully disagree with us and leave us alone. Time will tell whether this is truth or error. It is God’s problem if it is error, not yours.

J.K. McKee (B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A., Asbury Theological Seminary) is the editor of TNN Online (www.tnnonline.net) and is a Messianic apologist. He is author of several books, including: The New Testament Validates Torah, Torah In the Balance, Volume I, and When Will the Messiah Return?. He has also written many articles on the Two Houses of Israel and Biblical theology, and is presently focusing on Messianic commentaries on various books of the Bible.

NOTES

edited for spelling/grammar; minor theological fine tuning
17 November, 2006

updated January 2009 for booklet publication

The "Ephraimite Error": Critical Errors (PDF)

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