“But his father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.‘”-Genesis 48:19
So we are following on the heels of my last post dealing with the “cross-handed blessing” that Jacob bestowed on Joseph’s two sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
By the way, although maybe obvious, I forgot and wanted to mention that “cross-handed” in this context refers to Jacob bucking the traditions of the times by putting the younger son Ephraim over the older son Manasseh.
I find it interesting that we see this same pattern occur over and over again with Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, and Joseph and his older brothers.
So last time, I talked about how Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasseh to be his own children resulting in them having equal standing with his other 12 sons.
I also talked about how in Israel’s future history there will be some shuffling of the tribes which seemed to confuse the hell out of some folks.
To put it simply, Joseph and Levi will be taken out and Ephraim and Manasseh will be put in. (In Revelations, this changes again but that’s another discussion.)
The number 12 does not change.
So let’s continue to examine Jacob’s blessing by taking a careful look at the latter half of verse 19 where he prophesies that Ephraim “will become a group of nations”.
Other translations will say “a multitude of nations” or “grow into many nations“.
Well, instead of messing around with the English, let’s take a look at the original Hebrew.
The original Hebrew is “melo ha goyim“.
Literally speaking, this means “the fullness of the Gentiles“.
So Ephraim will become the “the fullness of the Gentile nations.”
But what the heck does that mean?!
The only way to answer that question is to examine what happened to Ephraim in history.
The first thing you need to understand is that although there are 12 tribes of Israel (not including the set apart tribe of Levi), due to political instability the nation of Israel would eventually split into two groups.
These are sometimes called the “two houses” or “two families” of Israel.
What happened was that after King Solomon died, the nation split in a terrible civil war into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom (comprised of 10 tribes) and the Southern Kingdom (comprised of 2 tribes-Judah and Benjamin).
Both kingdoms still considered themselves Israelites but ONLY THE NORTHERN KINGDOM CONTINUED CALLING ITSELF “ISRAEL”.
The Southern Kingdom stopped calling itself “Israel” and simply called itself “Judah”.
In fact, historically speaking, to be a “Jew” or “Jewish” means you can trace your bloodline to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
Now among the 10 tribes that made up the Northern kingdom, it is important for you to know that Ephraim became the dominant tribe.
In fact, the tribe of Ephraim became so powerful, that the Northern Kingdom underwent a name change from “Israel” to “Ephraim”.
When we read the post-Solomon writings of the Prophets, we’ll notice that they actually switch back and forth, sometimes calling the Northern 10-tribe kingdom “Ephraim” and other times calling it “Israel”.
What’s important for you to know is that when they call the Northern Kingdom “Israel”, the southern 2-tribe Kingdom of Judah is NOT included in the meaning (Judah is treated quite separately by God).
So we have two separate kingdoms.
The northern kingdom of Ephraim and the southern kingdom of Judah.
So what happened to Ephraim?
Due to God’s judgement for their idolatry and rebellion, Ephraim was conquered by Assyria in around 725 BC.
It was a long drawn out process.
The whole ordeal lasted about 10 years but when all was said and done, the Ephraim-Israelites were scattered all over the approximate 120 nations that comprised the humongous Assyrian Empire.
They assimilated and intermarried with all of the variety of Gentile races that made up the Assyrian Empire until the vast majority of these Ephraim-Israelites lost their identity and became Gentiles.
We now know this event to be the “Story of the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel”.
Again don’t forget this occurred due to God’s judgement on Ephraim due to their rebellion.
Assimilation was NOT forced on them.
The Ephraim-Israelites sought it!
They wanted to become Gentiles.
They wanted to be free from the constraints and requirements imposed on them by the Law of Moses.
So God said, “As you wish!“
Then soon afterwards He had Assyria take them over.
And now no one knows who or where these original Hebrew people are.
You, yourself, who are reading this, could have Hebrew blood in you from one of the 10 lost tribes of Ephraim-Israel but have absolutely no way of knowing it.
But God knows.
And His Word says somehow in someway, he is going to reunite those lost Ephraim-Israelites with the other house of Israel, the Kingdom of Judah.
So this answers about one half of the question concerning the meaning of the verse “Ephraim will become the fullness of the Gentiles“.
I’ll attempt to answer the second half of this question in the next post.
To be continued.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For, brothers, I want you to understand this truth
which God formerly concealed
but has now revealed,
so that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do.
It is that stoniness,
to a degree,
has come upon Isra’el,
until the fullness of the Gentiles;
and that it is in this way that all Isra’el will be saved.”
-Romans 11:25-26
The return of Ephraim to Israel is in Revelation 16 in the 6th Bowl of God’s Wrath. They were first taken to East of the Euphrates River, just as that River is dried up here to make way for the Kings of the East. But were ultimately scattered to all four corners of the Earth, just as these armies come from all four corners. And they are gathered at Megiddo, a Northern Kingdom location.
You see what a lot of this Two House theology ignores i clearly Prophecies placing Ephraim in conflict with Judah again in the End Times. I think the Antichrist might claim to be Messiah Ben-Joseph.
I’m still studying this.
Mr. Richoka what conclusion have you came to? When reading the new testament we have to understand that Paul’s main audience was the Northern Kingdom which was called Gentiles by the southern Kingdom. It’s hard to grasp since we have been taught that the word gentile only mint non-Israelite people. look forward to hear from you.
SHALOM…
Does that make sense? Jesus will come to DESTROY those nations that come against Israel. Scripture says ALL Israel will be saved. So, how does what you said jive with scripture?
It appears in Revelation that the 144,000 virgin males from all the tribes of Israel come back to Israel and stand with Jesus as their Messiah. A remnant gathered from all the nations where Israel was scattered? (This is in response to what Jared said).
MS. Lisa, we must read scripture in context. Sometimes the word Jew only refers to the Sothern Kingdom which is “JUDAH,BENJERMAIN, LEVI” and other times the word Jew is referring to all 12 tribes. The same goes for Israel, it could be speaking about all 12 tribe or just the Northern Kingdom. I hope this gives you A better understanding.
Shalom….
The bigger problem is they weren’t scattered to the 4 corners of the earth. The were scattered to the 4 corners of THE LAND. The land being the land that was given to them.
Mr. Bill This is why Christ made the great commission in Mathew Chpt 28vs19. the apostles had go into all nations because Israelites were scattered in to all nations. We must remember what Christ said in Matthew Chpt:15vs24
SHALOM…
It appears in Revelation that the 144,000 virgin males from all the tribes of Israel come back to Israel and stand with Jesus as their Messiah. A remnant gathered from all the nations where Israel was scattered?
If Ephraim (the lost sheep of Israel) became Gentiles what do we do with Matt. 10:5-6: “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Yeshua seems to separate “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” from “the Gentiles.”
Well, the whole point is that those Ephramaites who’ve been absorbed by the gentile nations aren’t really gentiles, right?
Jesus ministry was to Jews only as was the disciples. The lost sheep amongst the nations now are spiritual Israel, whom God knows who they are. A remnant, predestined, fore known and chosen as Gods beloved as Holy nation. They are mingled amongst the nations. The nations comprise of the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman – book of Genesis and book of Revelations. The goal is God recovering that which was lost throughout history and the nations. Spiritual and physical. In Gods reality nothing is random or chance, He see beginning from the end, vice versa. Check out :
https://torahtreasuretrove.com/prayer_for_the_state_of_israel
There are 3 Messianic personages because there are 3 members of the Godhead. However, all three of these personages are one being. This is due to how resurrection works. The first celebrated personage is Jesus who is birthed as the Son. This is the second personage of the Godhead. The third personage of the Godhead is revealed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 where he refers to the “last Adam that becomes a quickening spirit”. This means that the Adam that comes in the end times (on day 6 of the creation, meaning at the 6th millennium) to lay the foundation of the new world is who becomes the Holy Ghost. This is Adam when he first comes and falls into transgression because of the hardships with the war in heaven that Michael (Adam) has with the dragon (serpent). This is the advent of Man who is Michael-Adam, the 3rd member of the Godhead. This was Joseph Smith, Jr., of the new world in America. Because the Gentiles (Ephraim) reject the Comforter (Holy Ghost) and put him to death (it is the Gentiles who actually murder the Christ) they are overcome by the son of the morning who murders the man child (Son of Man). Darkness and chaos exist prior to the new creation of the new day one. Son of Man (Seth) quests and obtains the “oil of mercy” and heals his parents. Together the Father (Elohim-Adam) and the Son (Jehovah-Seth) undergo the completion of the atonement, which is when the Son becomes one with the Father and they together become the Elohim-Adam (the first Adam who is a living soul) of the new world and rule and reign over it for the Millennium, which is simultaneously the first day of the new world where light divides the darkness, etc.
I don’t find this in the bible. God is God not a man. Jesus is the Messiah. Elijah is the spirit of the near end of times, you know the last verse of Malachi. It’s really the spirit of Yahweh or Elohim, or God the Father, only said by Jesus not by us because he’s the Son of God not us. The spirit comes from God not Jesus. Yes Jesus is the Messiah but he had God within him. He was not the incarnate God, but the Son of God, the Messiah. I don’t believe in the Trinity as of now. It could be real though. I’m open to change eventually if Messiah means God. But I believe Jesus’s name means God saves not Jesus saves. There definitely is a connection between them an interwoven one where they are great together, but Paul, who murders men somehow becomes the leader of the gentiles. I think he’s a false teacher. and what the heck is false miracles? Miracles are all miracles of God period. Satan can’t will miracles he can only deceive and turn God’s people against Jesus, against God and against whoever the final prophet is. It’s not John the Baptist because Jesus at that time did not know of his second coming or maybe he knew all along. I’ll let Jesus speak for himself when he returns:).
Hi there, the name Jesus is Greek-English translation of the original hebrew name Yeshua which in hebrew literally means salvation. Jesus stated emphatically by His I AM statements that He is Israel’s God, for this reason in the book of John 8:58. One example of many. Jesus had to be God incarnate, anything less would negate perfection as in a perfect sacrifice, a perfect lamb slain to satisfy a perfect Father. Our natural understanding fails regarding the triune God. The disciples lived in supernatural revelation. Jesus is that revelation. Asking God prayerfully and trusting Him to answer such an important question close to His heart will be answered. Blessings and love in Messiah.
Craig
This is freemasonry /kabalistic.
You are very wrong. The nachash, the serpent is a counterfeiter, your erroneous religion is a poor counterfeit of the truth with a proven false prophet. Yeshua – Jesus is God, the Messiah and king on the seat of David. The people are the temple, Gods people indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is Prophet, Priest, King, God, Creator, The Great I AM, not the architect of the universe and you are not a God to get your own olanet either. You were vorn into a false human system made by fallen men. Christs Kingdom is not of this world. He rebuked the temple builders and false prophets. You must be born again from above, only through the perfect blood of the Lamb. Only God is perfect. All men are sinners and under the law of sin and death. The wages of sin is death. You must be born again, a new Spiritual life from above, the old physical life and its trap under death needs new life, that life is Christ who said, I AM the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. The cross kills you off raising you anew in Christ, the resurrection and life. The way to the Father. He is seated uoon a throne, raised up to the most highest place. He is God, the Word of God, sharper than a double edged sword. His word searches and exposes your life, heart and intentions. Men love darkness more than they love the light,this is the judgment. Come into the light, out from under judgement and into Christ. Call upon Yeshua hebrew for salvation, the Messiah Jesus Christ. 🙏🏼
Jesus is the Messiah from the line of David. God of Israel is still God. I believe the gentiles have been deceived by a false teachers and false prophets. The big ones being Paul and Muhammad. Why Paul? Jews can never be leaders of gentiles, only Jews. It’s in Kings. Satan’s last straw is to put God’s people against the final prophet of God before the Messianic Age. It’s all confusing because I think the New Testament besides Jesus words are misinterpreted and unjustified. I think the Roman Catholic church has something to do with it. and Islam. Our real enemies don’t follow the 10 commandments or the 7 Noahide laws at all. Thank you for telling me about Ephraim being gentiles. I appreciate your findings and thank you for thinking about everything and struggling to find answers and truth. I hope this finds you well and there’s still hope for all of God’s people, including the gentiles.
Nowhere do I find that Ephraim means fullness of the gentiles. Every site I search all agrees that it means most confidently ‘to be fruitful’. This agrees wholeheartedly with the Bible itself in Genesis 41:52 where it says of Joseph: The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” Even the footnote in my Bible says it means Twice fruitful. Why should we listen to you as opposed to the plain meaning of scriptures?
I modify my statement- as I see that you are speaking of the meaning of the phrase ‘group of Nations, So disregard that last comment.
Plus there is a total disregaurd of the first part of the prophecy. It said Manasseh would be a seperate people from Ephraim and hat he would be great. Where is he in the last days as a seperate people from Manasseh?