POSTED 01 DECEMBER, 2002

The Four Gateways of Messianic, Two-House Theology

by J.K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net

The Messianic community is at a crossroads and people are looking for answers. In our day, many Christians are being led out of their traditional churches because they know that there is more “out there.” The Holy Spirit is moving on these people to seek greater Biblical truth, maturity, and to cede more control of their lives over to God. As a result, many of these Christians enter into the Messianic movement because they desire to live a life more consistent with that of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

The things that are happening in our faith today are wonderful and indeed a sign that the return of the Messiah is somehow approaching. But even though many are turning to the Messianic movement, it would be an understatement to say that we are controversial. What we stand for goes against some of the things that many have been taught in Church settings for generations. How we live our day-to-day lives in compliance with the Bible is different than how many modern Christians go about doing so.

There are many issues that face us today as the Messianic community. There are many questions that are being posed that we cannot let go unanswered. There are challenges that we must face if we truly endeavor to be in the will of God and not be following our own humanistic, fleshly desires.

Are we truly Israel?

In Ephesians 2:11-13, the Apostle Paul writes the following to non-Jewish Believers:

“Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah.”

Paul tells these Believers that they are now part of, what the Greek calls tēs politeias tou Israēl (thß politeiaß tou Israhl). Literally, this means the polity of Israel, or the community, commonwealth people of Israel. Nowhere does he tell these people that they are part of a separate entity known as “the Church.” Rather, they are part of the assembly or congregation of Israel.

In our day, at the very least, many Christians are awakening to the reality that they are inextricably connected to “Israel,” whatever that is. While definitions of “Israel” vary, ranging from the historical Jewish people to the Land of Israel to the assembly of all Believers, interest in “Israel” is at an all-time high, and is only increasing with each passing day.

Messianics such as myself advocate that all Believers who have faith in the Messiah of Israel, Yeshua, are indeed a part of Israel. They are not part of a separate Church, and whether they be physical Israel or not, they are indeed called to be Israel as defined by the Scriptures. In this article, we examine some of the theological challenges that exist in the Messianic community that we all must face.

The Call of Israel: Never to Give Up

If all Believers are indeed a part of Israel, and are called to live as Israel, it is imperative that we know what the rallying cry of the people of Israel is. The name “Israel” first appears in the Bible in Genesis 32:28-29, and lays the important groundwork for what the call of Israel actually is:

“He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.’ Then Jacob asked him and said, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And he blessed him there.”

The Hebrew verb sarah (hrf), translated as “striven” here, appears in the Qal stem (simple action, active voice) and specifically means “persist, exert oneself, persevere” (BDB).[1]

We should all know the story quite well of how the Patriarch Jacob endured through the night wrestling with the angel, whom some commentators believe was a Christophany of Messiah Yeshua. We are told, “When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.’ But he said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob’” (Genesis 32:25-27).

By enduring or struggling through the night until daybreak, Jacob demonstrated an internal urge and desire to be blessed by God. He never gave up, even when the supernatural being seemingly grew weary and tiresome of their continual combat, which for Jacob as a mortal would have been futile. But even so he continued, and it is for this reason why he was renamed Yisrael (larfy) or Israel. J.H. Hertz gives us a very important definition of Israel in his commentary Pentateuch & Haftorahs:

“The name is clearly a title of victory; probably ‘a champion of God’. The children of the Patriarch are Israelites, Champions of God, Contenders for the Divine, conquering by strength from Above.”[2]

This is extremely interesting and something that every Believer in Yeshua should take note of. If we are indeed a part of Israel, via our faith in Him, then we are called to be champions of God and contenders for the Divine. We are to represent the Lord here on Planet Earth and strive for the Forces of Light. We wage battle against Satan and his forces by the power of God inside us.

Paul writes in Philippians 3:14, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Messiah Yeshua.” The Greek verb rendered as “press on” is diōkō (diwkw), “to run swiftly in order to catch some person or thing, to run after.” It also means “to make to run or flee, put to flight, drive away” (Thayer).[3]

As Believers in Yeshua, and as a part of Israel, we are all called to endure. We are called to run toward the things of faith that God has set before us, and seek the rewards and prizes that await the completion of our marathon race. Most importantly, we are called to never give up, no matter the cost. This cost may be our friends, our family, our reputation, or perhaps even our lives. But even so, if we are committed to the Lord, we know that He runs our lives and that He is sovereign. If we are in the Messiah, regardless of what happens, we are in His care. We must function as those who contend for the faith and who will strive and fight with the Divine fulfilling His mission, rather than strive and fight against the Divine.

A Blessing to All Nations

Sadly, the history of Ancient Israel does not always reveal that God’s people have been prevailing and contending for Him. Israel’s history is anything but “hunky dorey.” As with all people groups, the temptations of sin have crept in and the enemy has been allowed access. There has been division and internal fighting which has led to the Torah-required judgment of God on His people and a series of dispersions into the nations.

But many times when Satan intends something for evil, God will turn it around for good. Consider the example of Joseph and how his brothers sold him into slavery. Joseph went down into Egypt and through a series of trials became second only to Pharaoh. Even though there have been divisions and dispersions for the people of Israel, what the enemy intends to use for evil, God will use for good.

The Lord promised the Patriarch Abraham, “indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Genesis 22:17-18).

The promise that God made to Abraham was that from his loins he would have great multitudes of physical descendants. This is quite clear from the Hebrew zera ([rz), which means “sowing, seed, offspring” and “descendants, posterity; seed of the woman” (BDB).[4] The same promise of physical multiplicity was given to Jacob in Genesis 35:11:

“God also said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.’”

We have evidence in the Tanach (Old Testament) that these promises were already being fulfilled after the time of the Exodus. Moses attested in Deuteronomy 1:10, “The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number.” Conservative Biblical scholars estimate that at the time of the Exodus the Ancient Israelites certainly numbered in the hundreds of thousands, shortly before Moses made this declaration. Moses’ next words are extremely perplexing:

“May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are and bless you, just as He has promised you!” (Deuteronomy 1:11).

If we take Moses’ words at face value, then how many descendants of Israel are there on Planet Earth today? Is it fair to suggest that the number exceeds today’s Jewish population of 14-15 million?

Obviously, the primary part of the promise that the Lord made to Abraham about his seed blessing the world is a reference to the Seed, who is the Messiah Yeshua. Everything must be focused around Messiah Yeshua, who says “I am the root and the descendant [seed] of David, the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16). But even so, Abraham’s offspring or seed, plural, would bless all nations—and those “descendants” would bless all nations by bringing forth the truths of the God of Israel from His Word and the message of the Messiah (cf. Galatians 3:8).

Paul writes in Galatians 3:28-29, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.”

Many theologians throughout the centuries have interpreted this as meaning that those of faith in Yeshua are of the spiritual seed of Abraham, because Believers in Yeshua hopefully have his kind of faith. Having the faith of Abraham is obviously important, but “spiritual seed” is not exclusively what is meant by the text. There is more for the understanding of “descendants” than some are willing to give credence to. We are descendants of Abraham through our union with the Messiah; we are descendants of Abraham if we live like Abraham; we are descendants of Abraham if we partake of Abraham’s covenant promises. Likewise, many who know the Messiah are descendants of Abraham, and are recipients of the promises made to him because of progeny.[5] Considering the fact that both Abraham, and later Jacob/Israel were to have multitudes of physical descendants, what is being implied here?

If there are some implications regarding physical seed, they are not speaking of one having to be of Abraham’s physical loins to “be saved.” On the contrary, they speak of how one lives his life and views the Bible—in order to be a blessing to all nations! One can be of the “seed” of Abraham via any number of ways. Ultimately, it concerns the mission that God has for Israel, and how all born again Believers today should get to fulfill that mission as a part of His chosen people.

The Two Houses of Israel

Many of you are quite familiar with the history of Ancient Israel. Israel was a united kingdom under the reigns of Kings Saul, David, and Solomon. But even though the kingdom was united, there were divisions, aside from the obvious tribal distinctions. For example, 1 Samuel 18:16 tells us “all Israel and Judah loved David, and he went out and came in before them.” A division between Israel and Judah existed before David ascended to the throne. It manifested itself much more clearly after Solomon died and Rehoboam came to power. Because of Solomon’s worship of gods other than the God of Israel, the kingdom was to be divided between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

1 Kings 11:30-33 speaks of the Lord offering Jeroboam, a servant of King Solomon, ten of the twelve tribes of Israel:

“Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. He said to Jeroboam, ‘Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did.”’”

Biblical history tells us the rest of the story. Because of this idolatry, the Kingdom of Israel split into the Northern Kingdom of Israel/Ephraim and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. While there was some intermittent intermingling and relations between the two groups, the division remained permanent. In fact, when the kingdoms were first split, the Lord had to tell the Southern Kingdom not to amass its forces so that it could re-conquer the Northern Kingdom, because the division was from Him:

“Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You shall not go up or fight against your relatives; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me.”’ So they listened to the words of the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam” (2 Chronicles 11:3-4).

We know what happened later. As the Northern Kingdom continued to disobey the Lord and it devolved further and further into idolatry, it was conquered by Assyria and assimilated into the nations. Aside from a few individuals, the Northern Kingdom of Israel/Ephraim was never corporately heard from again. I believe that as prophesied, scattered Ephraim became the “multitude,” the “fullness of nations” (Genesis 48:19) or melo ha’goyim (~yAGh alm), referenced by Paul in Romans 11:25:

“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[6] has come in.”

The Southern Kingdom of Judah experienced its own dispersion as it also practiced idolatry against God. Judah was taken captive by the Babylonians, but was able to return to the Land of Israel. The Jewish people experienced another exile at the hands of the Romans in 70 C.E., but then began returning to the Promised Land through the advent of Zionism in the late 1800s and helped establish the State of Israel in 1948. For approximately 2,500 years, the Jewish people have been—without any dispute—identifiable as “Israel.”

Has all Israel been reunited?

However, even though Judah is Israel, without any dispute, there are many more descendants of Israel out there. A division between the Two Houses of Israel—the descendants of the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom—still exists.

There are many in Christianity, Judaism, and for that same matter Messianic Judaism, who believe that the Two Houses of Israel have been reunited. (Although there are many in Orthodox Judaism who believe that all Israel has yet to be reunited.) But I do not believe that they can make a solid Scriptural basis for this claim. Why? Consider the following prophecy concerning Judah and scattered Israel/Ephraim from Ezekiel 37:25-28:

“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.”

Has this prophecy been fulfilled? Is God’s Sanctuary established in the Land of Israel for all the nations of the world to see? Also consider the fact that Ezekiel 37:24 directly states, “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.” David is representative of the Messiah. If indeed the Two Houses of Israel were fully reunited in the past, then Messiah Yeshua would be present in Jerusalem right now ruling and reigning over the world. But He has not yet returned, thus we are still waiting for the reunion of all Israel.[7]

But do not just take our word for it. Popular author Tim LaHaye tells us, in regard to Bible prophecy, “The Kingdom of David and Solomon split in 931 B.C., becoming Israel and Judah, all tribes are represented and the nation will be united.”[8]

Many of us believe that in our day the Two Houses of Israel are in the process of being reunited. They are being reunited as many Jewish people turn to faith in Messiah Yeshua, and many non-Jewish Believers, possibly of that scattered House of Israel/Ephraim, turn toward their Hebraic Roots and embrace a lifestyle of Torah obedience. This will one day result in the return of Yeshua the Messiah and the establishment of His Kingdom on Earth.

The Movement Today

As can and should be expected, the understanding we have just discussed is new and also presents some controversies. Known by a variety of names from Messianic Israel, Judah and Ephraim, the Two Houses of Israel, or just Two-House, there are many Believers coming to some kind of awareness of the Two Houses of Israel and are seeing themselves as a part of Israel, not necessarily part of “the Church” or “the Synagogue.” But even as this is occurring, and it is undoubtedly an important part of our Father’s end-time plan, many questions and issues have arisen.

These questions and issues are expected. Ezekiel 37:18 tells us that Judah and Ephraim will say, “Will you not show us what you mean by these?” (RSV). The implications of the Two Houses of Israel are much more than knowing whether or not one is a part of Israel. The implications change how a person reads the Bible and lives his or her daily life. While we may not have all of the answers until the Messiah returns, it is imperative that we not ignore the challenges that lie before us.

The Four Gateways of Our Theology

Because of the current controversial nature of the Two-House teaching, and indeed the fact that it is presently rejected by most Christians and Messianic Jews, it is absolutely imperative on all of us who constitute the Messianic movement, and believe that the Lord is reuniting all Israel, to define our beliefs and continually refine our theology.

If we can understand what God has started to do in our day, by beginning to restore all Israel, we can properly formulate those things on which we need to concentrate. The Two-House understanding needs to be viable, as opposed to being something that is aberrant, off the wall, and something that should be avoided—lest we fall into the traps of others who have addressed what some call the “Lost Tribes” before.

I give you the four gateways of Messianic, Two-House theology. These four subcategories of Biblical study will no doubt constitute what most of us will focus on in the years and decades ahead as all Israel is reunited and the Messianic community grows and gains new adherents.

#1 Foundational Doctrine

Foundational Doctrine should be a very obvious area. This includes important issues as they relate to the core beliefs of our faith. Topics that need to be addressed in this category include: the nature of God and His plurality, the Divinity of Messiah Yeshua, the doctrine of salvation, and eternal punishment. Additional issues include the gospel message, proper discipleship for new Believers, and the spiritual gifts.

#2 Ecclesiology

Ecclesiology is the study of who God’s elect or ekklēsia is. This comprises our understanding of the nature of the true assembly or congregation of God, and the roles that individuals play in it. It involves the study of the Two Houses of Israel, Judah and Ephraim, and how they and their companions make up God’s chosen people. It addresses how a person being a part of Israel impacts our theology and how we view the Bible. It also concerns the mission of God’s people in the world.

An important area of study that ecclesiology also involves is responding to the false teachings of dispensationalism and replacement theology. Dispensationalism advocates that God has two groups of elect, and that all of the Bible is not for all of His people. Replacement theology is the idea that “the Church” has replaced Israel in the Lord’s eternal plan. Suffice it to say, as we discuss the teaching of the Two Houses of Israel, it is absolutely imperative that we address these two false viewpoints.

#3 Torah Application

Torah Application is the area relating to the role that the Torah plays in our lives as Messianic Believers. We do not believe, as much of Christianity does, that the Torah or the Law of Moses was done away with in the New Testament. We fully believe that the Torah’s guidelines are to be followed by Believers today, although we do recognize that Messiah Yeshua came in fulfillment of its sacrificial requirements via His atoning work on the cross.

This is one of the most controversial of all the areas, because degrees of Torah observance vary throughout the Messianic community. But it cannot go unanswered or unaddressed. While confronting lawlessness and antinomianism, so must we also discuss how the Torah is to be applied in our lives and why it is important that we study these foundational Scriptures.

#4 Eschatology

Eschatology regards our teachings of the Last Days and directly affects how we see Israel restored. It is extremely important that we have a good working model of the end-times because of the reality that the Two Houses of Israel are to play an important role in world events prior to Yeshua’s return. While overlooked by many, especially because of the heated discussions that can ensue because of the Last Days, it is nevertheless incumbent upon us to develop our own viable and reasonable eschatological teachings.

While the end-times are by no means a salvation issue, it is important that we develop a working Two-House prophecy model that is pre-millennial and post-tribulational, but fluidic enough so that it considers the fact that we live in a changing world. Our model of the end-times must also not try to make any predictions about the future or restrict our eternal God to a human timetable.

Challenges Before Us

This article has only scratched the surface of where we are today. It is important that each one of us sees ourselves as a part of Israel, composed of Judah, scattered Israel/Ephraim, and their companions—and not part of “the Church” or “the Synagogue” that may be separate. It is imperative that we begin defining who we are—and not necessarily who we are not. We must, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, begin to take the understanding of the Two Houses of Israel and deal with the controversial issues that lie before us.

One who is a part of Israel is called to endure with God and meet challenges head on. We cannot back down in the sight of battle, but must stay the course. The Lord expects us to make a positive difference and declare His goodness to the entire world.

Are we willing to truly do so? Are we willing to make the required sacrifices? Will we be able to take the heat? May we indeed fight the good fight of faith!

J.K. McKee (B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A. Student, 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
14 March, 2007

The Four Gateways of Messianic, Two-House Theology (PDF)