Ephraim And The House of Judah: Part 9 of 9

Part 9:  Ephraim, Manasseh, the Church and the 21st Century.

Luke 15:11-16
“.....A certain man had two sons. ¹² And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. ¹³ And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. ¹⁴ But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. ¹⁵ Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶ And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

(The return of the Prodigal Son.)

Here, in this story of the Prodigal Son and his older brother, we find the final piece of the puzzle.  What do these two boys tell us about the Church today?

The younger son wanted to claim his inheritance early, i.e. before the death of his father.  Then he ran off to a foreign land where he squandered it all.  He was living pretty high on the hog for a while, forgetting all about his father’s house; that is…..until his money ran out and his so-called “friends” along with it.

He took the lowest, most disgusting job a Jewish boy could take:  Feeding pigs.  He became so hungry that even the pig’s food started to look good to him.  It was at this point of desperation that he remembered his father’s house and how everyone there, even the lowliest servant, had plenty to eat.  So he concocted a story to tell his father.

His older brother, on the other hand, had remained at home.  Nothing at all is mentioned about him until the Prodigal returned home.  Let’s follow the story…

(Even the pig's food began to look good.)

““But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’”

Luke 15:17-19

He fully intended to beg his father to take him back and allow him to EARN HIS KEEP.   Hired servants, of course, work for their food.  Notice he didn’t come back home because he was sorry or even the least bit remorseful for squandering his entire inheritance.  He came home because his stomach was growling!

But look what happened when he got in range of home:
““And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son…..’…..and He never said the last part of his rehearsed speech which was:  “Make me one of your hired servants.   How could he in light of such a superabounding grace?  The father lavished on him every blessing just for being his son.  WOW!!!

“…..But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.”

Luke 15:20-24

(The Prodigal Son's older brother was angry and jealous.)

The older brother had been out working in the fields.  When he heard all the commotion and that his brother had returned home, not only was he not happy that he was safe at home again, he was angry and jealous.  He didn’t even refer to him as his brother.  He also some choice words for his father.  Those words make it clear that, though he was faithfully working away for his father in his fields, there is no love or warmth in his relationship with his Dad.

The father, however, was not angry nor did he rebuke the elder son.  He simply said, “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ””

Luke 15:31-32

The older son represents Israel, our elder brother since they have been around a lot longer than us, Church. The Prodigal, however, who wasted his inheritance, represents much of the Church in this way:

Down through history, many churches have squandered their precious inheritance of healing, wholeness and provision by rejecting clear, Biblical teachings that Jesus heals us physically.  They’ve discounted tongues, in particular, and other gifts of the Spirit as for the Church today, to bless and benefit us.  There are many who don’t believe there’ll be a rapture.  Some hold the belief that all prophecy was fulfilled in 70A.D.  Many Churches have reduced all of God’s blessings to only “spiritual,” (as opposed to physical) blessings when in fact they are both.  Then there’s the faux “doctrine” of “replacement theology.”  Many teach that God has rejected Israel and that the Church has replaced her.

These are godly, well-meaning Christians, mind you, who have forgotten that it was through the Jewish people that The One was born Who saved us all; that it is a Jewish tree into which we have been grafted.

Remember, as non-Jewish Christians, we are “adopted” sons of God.  (Please refer to this link on Rightly Dividing the Word of God, part 13 for more on this topic:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/11/part-13-of-16rightly-dividing-word-of.html)

The Church is both Ephraim and Manasseh.  

Ephraim, as you know, means “double fruitfulness.”  (See part one of this series.) The Church has been fruitful for God for the last 2,000 years. But Manasseh, which means “forgetfulness,” represents that part of the Church that has forgotten Israel.

But thanks be to God more and more are realizing the truth about Israel.  God, since 1948, has turned back to His ancient people and made them a nation once again.  He is drawing them to Himself and will ultimately restore to them the visible kingdom.  To understand the difference between the kingdom visible and the kingdom invisible, please follow this link:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/11/part-8-of-16-rightly-dividing-word-of.html.

Ephraim is joined to the House of Judah.

God makes the following amazing statement about these two peoples:

“Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ 

Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ 

(God's two covenant peoples on earth.) 

In part 8 we talked about the family stick. How does it figure into our story?

We talked about how  God has two Covenant families in the earth:  Israel and the Church.  We also discussed that, in ancient times, the head of the family carried a stick on which was written all the names of the patriarchs and notable members of their families.

God, referring to this custom, told Ezekiel to take two sticks, one for Judah and one, the stick of Ephraim, for Joseph, each inscribed accordingly.  Joseph is a type of our Heavenly Joseph, Jesus!

Then He told Ezekiel to “join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.”  And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’

And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and 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 shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.”

Ezekiel 37:15-22

(Jesus returns to earth to rescue Israel with the Church in tow.)

When Jesus returns to earth in His Second coming with the Church in tow, having been raptured before the tribulation, we will be right by His side. He will rescue Israel from all her enemies and they will all be saved in that one, great day, delivered from all their troubles.

We will be joined together with our brethren into one Covenant people, the Church and the newly-saved nation of Israel, never to be divided again!

Jesus will at long last sit on the throne of His father, David, and rule the whole world from Jerusalem in righteousness and peace.  His millennial rule will bring peace, prosperity, justice and righteousness to all peoples.  No more death, no more sickness, no more tears!
Hallelujah, what a day it will be.

Thank you, Daddy, for Your plan to save the whole world!  Thank you, Daddy, for restoring Israel and saving many of our older brothers!  Thank you for bringing Israel to the Church’s remembrance.

And most of all, thank you for that day soon to come where You will fully unite us with our elder brother:  Ephraim with the House of Judah!

If you missed any part of this series, follow this link to part one:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2016/04/ephraim-and-house-of-judah-part-1-of-9.html